The Peregrine Conjecture

by Shane Stadler

Rather than follow his late father’s path into the CIA, Anders Bennett joins a private security firm that offers, among other spy services, the covert transport of sensitive information. His skill set, which includes a talent for disguise, makes him perfectly suited for his courier duties. Until now, his job had been only modestly dangerous. His life takes a wild turn, however, when he is tasked with transporting secret messages out of the White House – directly from the president – to foreign spies. When Anders and his boss finally unmask the information he is propagating through the dark channels, they fear it’s too late …

"Sci-fi with Orwellian consequences ... the fate of civilization is at stake ..."

486 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2023

About the author

Shane Stadler is an experimental physicist. He has worked at numerous government research and defense laboratories, and is currently a professor of physics at a major research university. EXOSKELETON is his first novel.

Reviews

[Andy Grindle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the Exoskeleton quadrilogy, I was really looking forward to reading this as well and it didn't disappoint. Taut, fluid writing with a story that hooked me right from the outset. I understand this is a standalone book at present but would definitely be interested in seeing a part 2 to follow Anders, Harrison etc and whether what was implied at the end of the first book actually happened or if it's a slight-of-hand trick on a global scale.

[Bill Philibin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.0 Stars)

The book itself is a solid 4 stars, but I feel like I should take points away for using Virtual Voice Narration. If I knew that it was up to the author, I probably would. I mean, how can you write a book about the dangers of technology reliance and then approve of using Virtual Voice?!?!?

A little bit more about Virtual Voice, then on to the book review, promise! Admittedly, VV has come a long way, now it no longer sounds mechanical or robotic... and even has the sound of "taking a breath" and natural "breathing" pauses. But it is uncanny-valley. Emphasis on the wrong words, oddly placed emotions (or no emotion), and in a book with so many acronyms, it was almost unlistenable.

On to the book. The story was good and I did like the characters. I did read a review that included an unhidden spoiler, so that was unfortunate because I think the author did a good job of leading readers to it. The pacing was weird... I say that because it was a very slow buildup, but then the last third of the book was very fast and seemed to gloss over the "big reveal". I almost wish it was broken into two books, or maybe added another couple hundred pages to make the last third as detailed as the first two.

The world-building was done well and the character growth was great, right up till the end when everything was rushed and main characters were just kind of moved like chess pieces in quick fashion.

Again, the audiobook version actually takes away from the book rather than adding to it. I guess it beats the alternative (not having an audio version), but not by much.

[Simon Carruthers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even as a kid reading Stephen King and James Herbert, I was never as frightened as I was by The Peregrine Conjecture. It starts off as one thing but ends up being something entirely different. Genre-wise, it has its roots in espionage and sci-fi, but winds up being so unsettling I'd classify it as horror. You can see this story playing out every time you watch the news. Brilliant, but the stuff of nightmares.

[Mrs Linda Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary

This book very scary and well written. It's true if humans had listened we wouldn't be having all these terrible things happening. Global Warming, AI, mobile phones, supposedly a pandemic????? etc etc and humans are still not listening. Watch The Matrix and maybe you'll understand what could or, is happening. Very frightening indeed. You are a brilliant writer Shane Stadler.

[Gene Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read that draws you in,before you know it you're hooked ! Mr. Stadler builds the story line in increments that correlate to real world events . It makes one think about the world today, our view of reality and how our perceptions can change in a heartbeat.

[paul ramsdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts extremely slow but picks up the pace, nice explanation of how we can be controlled via digital currency. The plot line makes some sense, of course I'll have to buy the remaining books to see if humanity prevails

[Steven Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally different to Exoskeleton, starts off a spy story but doesn't end a spy story, many twists along the way.