Song and Signal

by M.E. Patterson

Can a teenage hacker change the fate of the universe?
Or will a nanite-wielding assassin reach him first?

Seventeen year-old genius Zakari Sharp has never stood on the surface of a planet, never seen a sun-streaked sky. He lives on a corporate-owned mining facility at the edge of the solar system, with a mute alien for a guardian and brainwashed, muscle-bound ex-convicts for company. The day his father vanished was so long ago that Zak thought he would never hear from him again.

Zak was wrong.

Now, chased off-station by a cabal of mythical assassins, Zak and his best friend Liz embark on a harrowing journey across the galaxy, to find his father's hiding place and learn the universe-shaking discovery that hides with him. But their enemies will stop at nothing to steal the secret themselves.

Dive into the dark Post-Helix universe today!

Genres: Science Fiction

429 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2013

About the author

M. E. Patterson is an author and information technologist. His tales span the gamut from horror to fantasy to sci-fi. He lives with a geochemist and a dog in the Texas Hill Country.

Reviews

[Donald C. Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song And Signal blew me away. The bad guys are really bad guys and the good guys are written well and serve for comic relief in this tale of the desolation of space and the funky, creepy shit to be found out there.

Don't forget to breathe.

[Kriss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found another author whose books I will be reading all of. I already owned the book when the tour came up and you know me, I have no control when it comes to tours, I have an affliction… err addiction errr both. It keeps me on a schedule and I already owned it, so what the heck! Well, it paid off! SONG and SIGNAL knocked me off my feet. I am not sure what pantheon of gods of the written word I did the appropriate sacrifice to but I am lucking out left and right when it comes to books lately, specifically young adult reads. For the record I personally will argue this is not young adult. The author and I had a chat about it, in fact. He said he did not set out to write it as young adult as it has become a marketing label not a genre. Well he is right, it is definitely not a genre, again Chuck Wendig post actually nailed it for me. But Mr. Patterson also said there are ten different answers to the question, what is Young Adult?

Well this is what makes it young adult to those who insist it is:

Young/Teen protagonists
Zak and Liz are teens, they are coming to a point where decisions within their lives can affect them forever.
Features problems and issues in the story which teens can relate too and more importantly emphasis put in these situations instead of a teen character acting like you think a teen would act like
Is a subject that will catch a teens attention and make them want to read it.
Well sci-fi, teenage hacker, action, bad ass aliens, bad ass bad guys, drugs, romance, rebellion.. YEP this book has it in spades.
They sound like adults but act like teens.
Yes because teenagers are mini-adults who have not finished cooking, with unfinished brains. Does not mean they are stupid, so don’t write down to them. Believe it or not they know you are being a dickpiston! Guess what? Mr. Patterson passes. I don’t think this should be put into a box, this is a good read just as Ender’s Game, which was not written with the intention of it being a young adult book yet it has been put into the young adult read, it really is a book that speaks to everyone.
Why does this matter to me? Well I have some problems with marketing things with the label of Young Adult, I can admit it. Frankly I don’t care anymore because the book was just extremely good! I will admit it, I have had issues with people who write a book and slap a YA label on it. Just because your protagonist is teen doesn’t make it a young adult read. This also means that a lot of young adult reads are not written for young adults but for soccer moms. Don’t get me wrong, I watch “Pretty Little Liars” and “Gossip Girls” is one of my favorites. But those shows are not for teens, they are for my demographic, soccer moms (yes I am old, deal with it). Like any adults we like to recapture that feeling and the experiences we had when we were that age, which is why these shows and some of these books are targeted to us.

But over the course of the last year I have been exposed to some stellar books which I was calling family reads, now I can admit these are young adult reads. I am out of the closet, I like to read and if a book is good, I mean really good it doesn’t matter if it is a picture book for first readers or a book about Russian politics, or… if it is Young Adult. If it is written well, it is written well. But my gripe is more for books the author felt the only thing that they needed to do was throw in a teenager. So many of these books were not realistic and did not do the ONE thing I really feel should be in a young adult read, which is realistic situations which teens are part of and realistic characters who are not perfect looking, acting and always winning, because no teen experiences that, ask the head cheerleader. Even they don’t feel perfect. But I am really digressing, yet again.. sorry about that! BACK to the REVIEW!

Zakari (Zak) is our intelligent nerd protagonist, but the thing is? In this cyberpunk sci-fi read he is one of many, but he is our leading nerd so he is exceptional. Like most geniuses, because he is, he also is not as with it in other arenas, especially socially with humans. Yes, with humans. I say this because he is a kind and caring person, he stands up against bullies. The xenophobia in the world he doesn’t get mainly because he was raised by an alien. He also is a kid whose dad is an infamous thief (supposedly;) and has to deal with the social stigma) Liz, his best friend and a girl he has been in love with “forever” is from a family with means, he grew up with an alien as a guardian. She is fearless, stubborn and loyal to a fault, she is a survivor.. It is a wonderful balance. I love them both. The character development starts right at the beginning as well as the action. We are thrust face first into this world and the dichotomy between the aliens and the former mining workers.

The stunning thing about this is the world build. So many times sci-fi authors tend to info dump, not all of them but many times with the indie and self pub it is as if they just don’t trust their readers. But sci-fi readers don’t need it! We know there is going to be tech, perhaps aliens and out of the world. Patterson has a way with allegory. The world build, the characters, the company, the political powers, all the story is riddled with it. So beautifully subtle and with such an impact.

I love how the author was able to fit in xenophobia, discrimination and class separation, politics and corporate power without being overtly obvious. The bad guys are despicable and yet it is not an obvious black and white, good and evil. There are balances and ethic checks left and right. The framework of this read is spot on fabulous!

Then there is the other factor, and without spoiling it this person, the one who is a story unto himself, creates a balance between the kids need to find out if the rumor about his father is true and this “mans” need to do what he needs to become a “real man” again. I was enthralled with the tale, completely. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting and ended up reading it again a little shower over the last week. Just wonderful. This was not the person they were running from, this “man” is another piece in the puzzle the story presents. Liz herself is another puzzle and mystery and one which disturbed me greatly and never was… truly explained but enough so to satisfy me.

Remember this while reading it… everything that is in this book is there for a reason. This is something very few can say. There is no added fluff, he did not tell me about it, he showed me. The imagery was stunning. I can see Liz as she battles the Scav workers. I almost stopped reading the book at 51% because everything was so vivid and real I was crushed. Yet I could not believe after everything this author did to bring me into their world, this would be it. So if you get to that point, KEEP GOING, I am not going to tell you what happens, just … I promise you won’t be let down.

Cabin Goddess rating of 9.5 out of 10

Full review CABINGODDESS.COM

[Thistle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the beginning of this book. An orphaned boy being raised by an alien in some mining colony. The human race on its way to extinction. Most humans left doing grunt work, like mining, basically slaves to the other races. But this boy was different -- having been raised by the alien, he knew a lot more about the "Internet" of the universe.

Then the story went all over the place. An Evil Evil McEvil company. Some kind of assassin with nanotech added into his DNA.

If the book had focused just on the kid, I might have stuck with it to the end, but the other parts (especially the black/white E-V-I-L company) were too much for me and I stopped reading at the 50% point.

[Ken Krauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters I grew to love

The characters are well defined, fragile, and likable. The adventures they face will rock you. I was happy to enter their world.

[Donna Zink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

It was a very happy day when I received this book to review. YA Science Fiction has been so far off my radar the last couple years I’d almost forgotten it existed. SONG AND SIGNAL was a wonderful reminder of just how entertaining a well written one can be. I’ve got a niggling suspicion Mr. Patterson is an alien that’s written about his life in the outer limits of the universe, then disguised it as a novel. Frankly, some of the technical aspects of the story lost me. Didn’t stop me from enjoying, but it did have me wishing for a computer geek to translate for me at times. Have no idea what an ARO is, but man, do I ever want one!

When I’m as excited about a book as I am this one, it’s difficult to control my impulse to revel too much. Now, what fun is it, to have someone blab about one of the crazy twists that have you wondering, what the heck just happened?!? Exactly! No fun at all. So, going to try and contain my enthusiasm, give you my basic thoughts on SONG AND SIGNAL, and keep the surprises in the book for you to discover for yourself.

Most of the tale is going to be from our seventeen year-old hero, Zakari Sharp’s perspective. There will also be a good chunk of the story told from Jeremiah Flint’s view point. Flint is a villain that manages to grab my sympathy and has me screaming…in my head, not crazy enough, yet, to yell out loud…to please not go any farther to the dark side. What a tragic antihero Flint seems to be. Elizabet Sato, Zak’s friend, shares her thoughts now and then, as well as the true demon of the book, Dominic Ventus. With a host of sub-characters enriching the story, Mr. Patterson has produced a novel that captured my attention from the first chapter read to the last page turned.

As the story begins Zak’s been caught stealing from wireheads and is in danger of losing one of his fingers as a lesson. Managing to activate his ARO, he contacts his best friend, Liz, and pleads with her to come to his rescue. Now this seems to be the story of Zac’s life; do something stupid or dangerous, then expect Liz to save him, which she always does. Zac’s not helpless by a long shot. He’s scary smart, just not much use when it comes to physical action. Liz wants to be a soldier and that’s the way she lives life. Problem is her dad has plans for her that doesn’t include a lowlife like Zak. After this latest debacle by Zac, Liz is ready to agree with her father and not see Zak anymore. After all, Liz comes from a rich family. Zac comes from a life of hard knocks. Liz has a future and a plan. Zak dreams of adventure without any plans. Adventure does come barreling into Zak’s life but not in any way he ever imagined. A dangerous quest is thrust upon him by a father that no one has seen in years. Once again Liz is going to be pulled into another of Zak’s risky exploits, but this one is going to change both their lives in ways that can’t even be imagined. What starts out as an insane search for a missing father and a stolen battleship turns into nothing less than saving the universe.

One of my favorite quotes from the book comes from Zak, when he realizes choices aren’t always between doing the right thing or doing the wrong thing; “Maybe in the real world, you do what you can and deal with what comes.”

All I can add is, do yourself a favor and read SONG AND SIGNAL. Adventure, a mind-blowing host of aliens, deadly confrontations, lies, and betrayal, I’m not sure what else could have been squeezed into the book. Sincerely hope there’s a second book in the works. While there’s no major cliff hanger at the end of the book, there are still several questions that need to be answered. The most important one for me being, what’s next for Zak?

Highly RECOMMEND to anyone 15 and older. Beware there are depictions of graphic violence.

[Chelsey Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song and Signal by M.E. Patterson concerns itself with the life of a young hacker, Zakari Sharp and his journey to alter the fate of the universe. But that’s not why this story is interesting. I’ve read a lot of “coming of age” tales that don’t actually get what that phrase means, but M.E. Patterson really nails it—this story was fast paced and full of interesting characters.

The story starts with a bang and doesn’t let up until the end—especially for a YA leaning text, M.E. Patterson really paced this well—it was fast enough to keep me reading, but not overwhelming. Though Zak seems to be the typical “destined to save the universe” hero, he really doesn’t come across that way—he’s a kid that’s struggling to find his place in a universe that is increasingly intolerant and hostile, add that to his own personal issues, and you get one confused, young character. But that was the great part about Zak—he doesn’t have all the answers, he relies on his friends for help, and sometimes, he makes bad decisions and has to live with the consequences.

What really drew me into the story was how personal it all felt—even when we were getting inside the heads of an antagonist (because the perspectives shift a few times) we really get a sense of the struggle and frustrations they all go through. It’s really humanizing and quite haunting at times; I definitely feel the story was stronger for it (and it didn’t feel forced or unnatural to shift the perspective to another character, either). I also found the sci-fi setting really worked well for this story—and that the technology and terms were used well throughout the novel. Everything blended together rather seamlessly to create a really strong sense of what the universe and the places within it are like—and how the technology is used by the people within this world.

Another great thing about this story? The fact that the main love interest, Liz, isn’t a simpering, whining, little girl. Liz is tough—and frequently proves it. Liz has been bailing Zak out of his trouble for years, and that doesn’t change in this book, which was great—it was nice to see the hero get bailed out by his love interest for a change, and not the other way around (though Zak does have a few opportunities to redeem himself). Though I found her to be well-balanced as a whole, it was great to watch Liz’s priorities change throughout the novel—where once her life seemed so set in stone, it’s really fun to watch her be conflicted about the path her life will eventually take.

The only thing I think it suffered from was having too many “antagonist-type” characters. It was hard to know which character we were supposed to be focusing our ire on, when there were so many. Some readers might like this confliction, I prefer to have, if not a clearly defined “bad-guy” then at least a little more build up for some of the extras. But this is a relatively small complaint about an otherwise engaging and often heartbreaking story.

If you are interested in space-themed, sci-fi, with hackers, then this is for you. Though some of this story could be considered YA, I definitely think it would be quite violent for younger teens—though it would be perfect for mature teens and adults.

[Diayll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source:Blog Tour
Reviewer: Me


Song and Signal threw me for an EPIC loop. From the moment I read the blurb until the very last page, Patterson’s out-of-this-world world building led me on a grandiose adventure deep into the realms of outer space and far beyond my imagination. Even from the beginning when we are introduced to our main character, Zak, readers are immediately thrust into science fiction heaven. Song and Signal is larger-than-life, slightly over-the-top, but remains one heck of a good time.

Zak is a young boy who’s poor, being raised by an alien, great at hacking, and is always in search of a big larger-than-life adventure. Most of his audacious behavior stems from the fact that his father is notorious across space for stealing a ship and never returning. A feat Zak has to live in the shadows of every single day. Yes, he’s rough around the edges but our young hero does whatever he must to survive. In order to maintain their tiny apartment and keep up the household, Zak feels as though he’s forced to steal and do a bunch of illegal activities that always seem to get him into trouble. He may not be book smart but he is tech smart, a nerdy gift he uses to his advantage. On his last mission to earn cred Zak gets into trouble so deep he nearly severs his friendship with Liz, his only friend, and the girl he’s been in love with for years. However, little does he know that trouble with Liz is the least of his worries and his BIG adventure might be closer than he thinks and on its way to find him.

Song and Signal is a true science fiction gem. I didn’t expect to fall in love with these characters, enjoy the vast alien races, or be singing the praises of an author I’ve never heard of. But I did, and I am…loudly. What I enjoyed most about this insane novel is the world. For hardcore sci-fi fans, there is so much to explore and love. Each race of alien, space station, ship, and asteroid was crafted with so much care you can visualize yourself right beside Zak. The attention to detail is outstanding and something I truly didn’t anticipate. Every few pages I found myself mumbling, “Hum that’s awesome”. This is definitely a compliment to Patterson’s ability to lure me into his head and keep my inner geek thoroughly satisfied. And as the mystery of it all begins to unravel, you have to wonder does Zak save the day, get the girl and finally have the adventure of a lifetime?

Overall, if you are looking for a beautifully written sci-fi mystery adventure with in-your-face characters and a world that will blow you away, then I highly recommend Song and Signal. Everything in the story happens for a reason and if you look closely enough, you will be amazed by the puzzle pieces Patterson scattered throughout the novel. Or, if you’re just looking to hop the next vessel into space and explore the universe to see what mysteries lie inside the galaxy then this is the novel for you. Either way, I implore you to try Song and Signal for your next science fiction fix.

[Beverly McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

SONG AND SIGNAL Review
M. E. Patterson

Take other worlds, other galaxies, and asteroids. Mix with characters like you’ve never before met. Add life and death. Stir in a search and a mystery, and you have an adventure that can possibly change the fate of humanity and the structure of the universe.

In SONG AND SIGNAL, Author M. E. Patterson introduces the reader to a cast of characters that face death almost every minute. There’s Zakari (Zak) Sharp, a teen in search of his father and the Theseus, his father’s ship that’s been lost for years and can change everything, from humanity to the universe. Zak isn’t the only one interested in the Theseus, which means he must find it before the wrong people do. Then there’s Liz, the girl that Zak likes. She is fearless and has some pretty awesome powers. Zak and Liz face way too many obstacles to mention here, and just when they think everything is turning out for the good, another disaster occurs. Zak doesn’t know who to trust, including his grandfather who seems to have his own agenda, even if it means death for his grandson.

SONG AND SIGNAL contains some grisly (at least to me) fight scenes. There’s plenty of action for adventure lovers. The descriptions of space and the experiments on the characters are quite clear and place the reader in the setting, as if you’re there, experiencing the pain, the confusion, and the fear along with Zak, Liz, and the other characters. Will Zak find his father and the Theseus, before it’s too late? Will Liz finally care for Zak the way he cares for her? The author has written a novel that should appeal to tech type readers who like creative gadgets and unusual characters from other worlds. Twists and turns and unexpected events keep you guessing what will happen until the very end, which might surprise you too.

The author provided me with a copy of the book for my honest review.
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[Michele(mluker) Luker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song and Signal is one of those type of books that will help you harness your crazy Sci-fi geek self that you thought you lost. I thought I lost it, since it's been a while that I have read a good sci-fi novel. I can say, without a doubt, I'm psyched once again for the sci-fi genre.

Zak is alone, being raised by an alien, and doing crazy dangerous things to earn creds because he's dirt poor. He's had a rough go, with his father taking off with a stolen ship, and mother dying at a very young age. However, he has Liz...his best friend who is always there for him to get him out of trouble, and to scold him.

Zak has always wanted that BIG adventure...the adventure that will take him away across the universe to new places. Little did Zak know, that a comm later, he will be on that intense adventure running for his life and running for the truth.

MAN, how I love this genre. Song and Signal is unique and creative. How I would love to get into M.E. Patterson's mind and learn how he created all these unique aliens. The technology alone within this story plays a huge part, and is just the icing on the cake towards the creative imagination skills. You will easily be able to visualize the space stations, vessels, aliens...well, I could go on but you need a little bit of surprise.

I adored all the characters....Zak is the go-without-thinking type. Liz, tries to be the logical one. There's the loyal friends and evil villians that even out nicely. But don't think you will know what to expect, no...no...no...it's got the twists and turns. The story has some moments of humor, heartbreak, seriousness...it pretty much has all the ingredients for a great story. So grab a copy of Song and Signal, and dive in to another world and time.

The Truth is out there.

[Rhett Petcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is M.E. Patterson's third book. It's different. His first two are Occult/Horror and are awesome. Go read them. I'll wait.

Back??? Good. Song and Signal is hard sci-fi set in a future where humanity is outnumbered, out gunned and fighting to stay alive in a universe made too big by not-completely understood technology. It follows a teenage-male protagonist in his quest to find his long-missing father. It also follows an-ex-con looking for redemption and revenge. As with Mr. Patterson's other novels, trust me when I say that nothing is as it seems.

The book is fast paced, and it is clear that Mr. Patterson spent some time with the world-building. This has been and continues to be his strength. There is clearly much more to be told in this universe, whether or not it is from the same perspectives Mr. Patterson uses in this book. While some may find it difficult to get past some of the sci-fi jargon used early in the book, stick with it. All will be explained, any technology included in the book is there for a reason, and all will be explained and/or have a part to play.