Side Effect

by Laura Lond

Janna Sorelle is a determined young professional born and raised in Moscow, Russia, but, having French background, she considers herself French and strives to return to her “historical homeland”. Her first visit to Paris, where she goes as a translator of a rich but ill-mannered Russian businessman, turns into something totally unexpected. After a strange incident in a small restaurant, Janna is kidnapped—and this is just the beginning of an adventure she couldn’t have ever imagined.

As the story unfolds, Janna finds herself working for Technotics, a huge international corporation with an advanced security system owned by the mysterious Mr. Kumidi. Janna is told that Technotics is an engineering company working on some technical research, but, as she begins to suspect, things are not that simple.

There is a secret laboratory in what they call the lower level of the company building, and some of the employees seem to be not exactly human…

Nook

First published May 19, 2011

About the author

Laura Lond is an internationally published author of 20+ novels, novellas, and short stories. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Her first job was at a literary museum. After that Laura had entered the world of business, working for large corporations like Xerox Ltd. and Fluor Daniel. Writing, however, has always been her passion. When she was blessed with an opportunity to write fiction full time (well, almost...), Laura embraced it and never looked back.

Laura prefers to write in the fantasy genre, but she has ventured out into contemporary fiction as well ("Five Million Dollar Cat," "If Grandma Ain't Happy"). She appreciates good, clean humor and often incorporates it in her works.

In addition to novels and short fiction, Laura has also released a series of children's coloring books and picture books ("Rhyming Names Funny Animals," "Help! We're Black and White" "Funny Poems," "The Kitten Who Liked To Dress Up"). While she sometimes uses artificial intelligence tools to create book covers and illustrations, Laura's texts are always 100% authentic, written by herself without any use of AI.

Reviews

[J.A. Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting story. Not quite what I expected, but couldn't put it down.

[Rebecca Graf · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would you react to a robot that acted more human than...a human? What if you didn’t know? What if you were paid a ton of money to work with them and help them infiltrate society without any intention of doing harm? What if you found out it was all a lie? This is the story of Side Effect and one woman caught in the crossfires.


I have to admit I was easily pulled into this story. The fact that it moved between scenes helped that. If I had just been brought into the main character’s point of view in the beginning, I think I would have gotten bored. Instead the author took me into the lives of the main character and what would lead her to the shady company and into the minds and lives of the company itself. I knew before the main character did what was going on. Well, I only knew part of what was going on….


The characters were extremely unique and written in a way I could see them quite vividly. Many writers create characters that are relatively flat, but these were complex ones that had me enjoying even the bad guys. It’s really good when you can enjoy hating the evil characters.


The plot was amazing. There were many twists and turns that had me wanting to read more. I found myself not even trying to figure it all out and just enjoyed the read.


There is quite a bit of scientific talk, but it is displayed in a way that didn’t go too far over my head and where I could grasp the concept. I love how the author incorporated science and religion.


To be honest, if I go further into the plot, I’ll ruin a pleasant surprise. But I will say that if you battle the argument of science versus religion and you are religious at heart, you really really need to read this book.


Did I say I really enjoyed this book? Great mystery plot. Good blend of science and religion. Great read. Give this book a try.

[ILoveBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is chock full of adventure, the reader will never be bored with this story. Janna is a very exciting character who the reader will be rooting for throughout the entire book. Science fiction lovers will adore this book; readers who don't normally choose this genre might like this book, the "science" words are well defined and not too hard to understand. The reader will really get to know Janna. She is the character that is focused on throughout the novel. The plot is intricately developed, the environment Janna finds herself in is easy to picture-a quality that is not that common in science fiction novels. Excitement continues throughout the novel, there is no lag in action. The reader worries for Janna and cheers her on. This novel is great for young adults/adults who enjoy science fiction and even those who want to give the genre a try.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a religious turn that I wasn't expecting, but that's not a bad thing. Kept my full interest beginning to end.