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Wetwire: Visionaries Part One- The Human Technology
L-42869 isn’t a device— she’s a clone. More specifically, she’s a WetWire - a clone that’s farmed for experimentation. Harvested from a genetic strand that produces these Prescients, L-42869 can do more than just glimpse the future. She can slip into it, even shape it. Only now she’s been stolen from the Farm. This is where I come in. Who am I?
“I’m Adam. Until yesterday I was a Zone Enforcer. Now they’ve enlisted me to track down L-42869. Why me? Well I’m a Prescient clone as well, only I’m from the First Generation. One of the few left. They let us have regular lives. Turns out that was a bad idea. We had emotional issues that clouded our minds and made us ineffective. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
“It turns out that all clones suffer from an illness called ASP- Anti-simeostasis Pathology- the overwhelming desire to kill other clones like you so that you can be ‘original’. They discovered this 15 years ago when us First Gens all went crazy and started the Great Crisis. So now they keep clones in separate regional Zones, so that we don’t interact and, well, try and kill each other.
“Not all the Clones obey the law, though. Some remove their Zappers and jump the Borders. Others join a cult called Gertrude’s Garden where they try to brainwash themselves into loving one another. Creepy stuff. Anyway, they think that it was the Gardeners who stole L-42869. Rumor has it that the Gardeners think that L-42869 will become their new leader, and spark an uprising to free the clones and overthrow the Egos.
“Egos, by the way, are what we call natural born humans. They think they’re better than everyone else. And they run everything. Will they be overthrown by the clones someday? I hope so. Not because I think that’ll make anything better. I think that if it ever happens, then the clones will finally blow everyone up and end this whole improbable and useless thing they call life.
“Well, anyway, what’s an outdated and emotionally troubled First Gen to do?”
“I’m Adam. Until yesterday I was a Zone Enforcer. Now they’ve enlisted me to track down L-42869. Why me? Well I’m a Prescient clone as well, only I’m from the First Generation. One of the few left. They let us have regular lives. Turns out that was a bad idea. We had emotional issues that clouded our minds and made us ineffective. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
“It turns out that all clones suffer from an illness called ASP- Anti-simeostasis Pathology- the overwhelming desire to kill other clones like you so that you can be ‘original’. They discovered this 15 years ago when us First Gens all went crazy and started the Great Crisis. So now they keep clones in separate regional Zones, so that we don’t interact and, well, try and kill each other.
“Not all the Clones obey the law, though. Some remove their Zappers and jump the Borders. Others join a cult called Gertrude’s Garden where they try to brainwash themselves into loving one another. Creepy stuff. Anyway, they think that it was the Gardeners who stole L-42869. Rumor has it that the Gardeners think that L-42869 will become their new leader, and spark an uprising to free the clones and overthrow the Egos.
“Egos, by the way, are what we call natural born humans. They think they’re better than everyone else. And they run everything. Will they be overthrown by the clones someday? I hope so. Not because I think that’ll make anything better. I think that if it ever happens, then the clones will finally blow everyone up and end this whole improbable and useless thing they call life.
“Well, anyway, what’s an outdated and emotionally troubled First Gen to do?”
84 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 9, 2011
39 people want to read
About the author
Erik Rodgers
8 books19 followersErik Rodgers is a writer and filmmaker who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 19, 2012
Adam is a first generation clone with prescient abilities getting by on a crap job as a zone guard. It's up to him to stop fellow clones from "zone jumping" and trying to contact their identical models in other areas. After a newly-developed clone with the ability to move through time is kidnapped by a radical sect called Gertrude's Gardeners, Adam is recruited by the government to help get her back.
The Human Technology, Part One of the Wetwire: Visionaries trilogy by Erik Rodgers, is an interesting mix of noir, sci-fi thriller, and human (clone?) drama. It's a short book, and I found it easy to get through. The prose was effective, and balanced well between narrative and scenes.
That fluid, easy-to-read prose is what I appreciated most about this book. As a reviewer, I have to attempt to read a lot of books I'd really rather not. And The Human Technology was easy and enjoyable to read. While the plot doesn't provide any shocking twists, the world he's created caught my attention and held it until I was finished. I'm looking forward to finishing the series.
My only real issues with this book were the beginning and end (and the typos). The book opens with a transcript of a clone's confession of murder. It explains some of the issues the world is experiencing, but I found it clunky and out of place. And the book ends at what I would consider the 2/3 mark of the average novel. All the disparate narrators have been drawn together, the action is just starting to pick up, and then it ends. The decision to end the book where it does seems dictated not by the story but by a need to create a cliffhanger and draw the audience towards the second book. Indie authors churning out trilogies as a marketing strategy is becoming more and more common.
But beginnings and endings aside, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a solid indie effort, well worth more than its modest 99 cent price tag.
To read more of my reviews, stop by my blog, StarLit.
The Human Technology, Part One of the Wetwire: Visionaries trilogy by Erik Rodgers, is an interesting mix of noir, sci-fi thriller, and human (clone?) drama. It's a short book, and I found it easy to get through. The prose was effective, and balanced well between narrative and scenes.
That fluid, easy-to-read prose is what I appreciated most about this book. As a reviewer, I have to attempt to read a lot of books I'd really rather not. And The Human Technology was easy and enjoyable to read. While the plot doesn't provide any shocking twists, the world he's created caught my attention and held it until I was finished. I'm looking forward to finishing the series.
My only real issues with this book were the beginning and end (and the typos). The book opens with a transcript of a clone's confession of murder. It explains some of the issues the world is experiencing, but I found it clunky and out of place. And the book ends at what I would consider the 2/3 mark of the average novel. All the disparate narrators have been drawn together, the action is just starting to pick up, and then it ends. The decision to end the book where it does seems dictated not by the story but by a need to create a cliffhanger and draw the audience towards the second book. Indie authors churning out trilogies as a marketing strategy is becoming more and more common.
But beginnings and endings aside, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a solid indie effort, well worth more than its modest 99 cent price tag.
To read more of my reviews, stop by my blog, StarLit.
January 15, 2012
This is part one of a series. I am not sure how many more parts there are, but this first one is enough of a taste for the appetite to be whet. Some interesting questions are considered and left dangling, drawing the reader in for a closer look. While brief in its length, it effectively sets up the story.
I enjoyed the character development and its subtle, effective method of instilling an empathy for the clones. There is a sense that the two main characters will continue to be on opposing sides of power, but somehow come together. I could be very wrong. It is an interesting thought, anyway, to be continued. Both Adam and L-42869 share some connection that promises to be more deeply explored.
The prose is fluid, not too far above this average reader but engaging enough to keep me interested from page to page. Take for instance this dance between two characters:
'"Yes, she is," Jim said reflexively, without even thinking about the trap that his own words could set for him. He saw it in Caroline's face, though, like a little pinch between the eyes, without her even saying anything..."Okay," she said, and her withdrawing from argument was in it's own way an attack.'
And this declaration by another:
"I do what I do because it's right. It's right and everyone knows it. Sometimes people have to be reminded to do what they know is just. That's all." There was a force to the words, the force of conviction that surprised them both in the moment. He hadn't heard her speak on such moral terms before. His heart broke a little more."
Or this short punch of a line: "He knew the time alone was slowly suffocating her, and by extension, their marriage."
Then, there's this blunt telling:
"The doctor speaking to her had a bedside manner, for sure. Calm and soothing voice. A kind face. What did that mean in the grip of this? Nothing."
It is not difficult to understand why I enjoyed the writing and the story line. I look forward to reading more.
I enjoyed the character development and its subtle, effective method of instilling an empathy for the clones. There is a sense that the two main characters will continue to be on opposing sides of power, but somehow come together. I could be very wrong. It is an interesting thought, anyway, to be continued. Both Adam and L-42869 share some connection that promises to be more deeply explored.
The prose is fluid, not too far above this average reader but engaging enough to keep me interested from page to page. Take for instance this dance between two characters:
'"Yes, she is," Jim said reflexively, without even thinking about the trap that his own words could set for him. He saw it in Caroline's face, though, like a little pinch between the eyes, without her even saying anything..."Okay," she said, and her withdrawing from argument was in it's own way an attack.'
And this declaration by another:
"I do what I do because it's right. It's right and everyone knows it. Sometimes people have to be reminded to do what they know is just. That's all." There was a force to the words, the force of conviction that surprised them both in the moment. He hadn't heard her speak on such moral terms before. His heart broke a little more."
Or this short punch of a line: "He knew the time alone was slowly suffocating her, and by extension, their marriage."
Then, there's this blunt telling:
"The doctor speaking to her had a bedside manner, for sure. Calm and soothing voice. A kind face. What did that mean in the grip of this? Nothing."
It is not difficult to understand why I enjoyed the writing and the story line. I look forward to reading more.
February 3, 2012
It seems important to note that this book does not appeal only to sci-fi fans. For someone who struggles with the instructions of a light switch, this book is still easy to follow. The technological explanations were not jarring at all. Often, scientific details can leave a person’s brain feeling like mush after getting weighed down with so much technical jargon. But, Rodgers manages to keep those details light and painless, while mixing in the conflicts and realism of daily life.
Though this book is not a romance. It does show the troubles brought on by a scientist who is more dedicated to his work than to his wife. In addition, there is also the speculation of an official who uses a clone for her personal pleasure, yet advocates for clone rights. And then there is the viewpoint from a clone with mild ESP, who wonders what his purpose in life is.
The incorporation of these characters’ complex lives is what lends the question: Do clones have souls or not? Though that’s a question heavy enough to squish an elephant, it’s fun to speculate as the characters struggle to find the answers, and us readers simply read along for the ride.
In laymen’s terms, the versatility of the themes and characters in this book make it appealing to a number of readers’ palates. Every character has their own opinion and story to tell about a world with clones.
With such a short novel, it’s easy to sample the series and decide you can’t read just one. With so much going on with lukewarm romances, scientific advancement, and clone uprising, it’s hard not to want to continue a story that leaves you on the edge of your seat. “Wetwire” Part Two gets pushed to the top of my to-read list, now!
-EZRead Staffer, Amelia
Though this book is not a romance. It does show the troubles brought on by a scientist who is more dedicated to his work than to his wife. In addition, there is also the speculation of an official who uses a clone for her personal pleasure, yet advocates for clone rights. And then there is the viewpoint from a clone with mild ESP, who wonders what his purpose in life is.
The incorporation of these characters’ complex lives is what lends the question: Do clones have souls or not? Though that’s a question heavy enough to squish an elephant, it’s fun to speculate as the characters struggle to find the answers, and us readers simply read along for the ride.
In laymen’s terms, the versatility of the themes and characters in this book make it appealing to a number of readers’ palates. Every character has their own opinion and story to tell about a world with clones.
With such a short novel, it’s easy to sample the series and decide you can’t read just one. With so much going on with lukewarm romances, scientific advancement, and clone uprising, it’s hard not to want to continue a story that leaves you on the edge of your seat. “Wetwire” Part Two gets pushed to the top of my to-read list, now!
-EZRead Staffer, Amelia
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews