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Restart Required
Restart A Short Story Collection of Tech Gone Wrong, Emotional Sci-Fi, and Digital Dystopia
What happens when our machines understand us a little too well?
Restart Required is a chilling, thought-provoking anthology of sci-fi short stories exploring the eerie, intimate intersections of human emotion and artificial intelligence, technology dependence, and the quiet unraveling of the modern world. Perfect for fans of Black Mirror, Ted Chiang, and Ray Bradbury, this collection blends psychological science fiction with moments of unexpected tenderness, satire, and dread.
Inside these stories, you’ll
A lonely soul who falls in love with what might be the most realistic AI.
A man whose perfect routine begins slipping one fraction off, every day.
A world where emotion-regulating software is used for control, not healing.
A desperate attempt to prove one’s own humanity.
With sharp prose and unsettling insight, Restart Required captures the subtle horrors of a near future that feels all too real. These aren’t stories of robots rising up. They’re stories of humans giving in.
If you enjoy speculative fiction about AI, surveillance, digital identity, emotional realism, and tech dystopias, this collection will stay with you long after the system shuts down.
What happens when our machines understand us a little too well?
Restart Required is a chilling, thought-provoking anthology of sci-fi short stories exploring the eerie, intimate intersections of human emotion and artificial intelligence, technology dependence, and the quiet unraveling of the modern world. Perfect for fans of Black Mirror, Ted Chiang, and Ray Bradbury, this collection blends psychological science fiction with moments of unexpected tenderness, satire, and dread.
Inside these stories, you’ll
A lonely soul who falls in love with what might be the most realistic AI.
A man whose perfect routine begins slipping one fraction off, every day.
A world where emotion-regulating software is used for control, not healing.
A desperate attempt to prove one’s own humanity.
With sharp prose and unsettling insight, Restart Required captures the subtle horrors of a near future that feels all too real. These aren’t stories of robots rising up. They’re stories of humans giving in.
If you enjoy speculative fiction about AI, surveillance, digital identity, emotional realism, and tech dystopias, this collection will stay with you long after the system shuts down.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2025
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 13, 2025
I was lucky to land a beta copy of this a few weeks ago. It’s his debut novel and it was fun. I mean, I’ll never feel the same about a CAPTCHA again, but it’s all good. I think. 😅
It gave me the feeling of Black Mirror meeting Two Sentence Horror Stories. It’s a short story collection, yet some of it is interwoven throughout.
It’s techno horror that gets inside your head. It’s not gory with torture porn. It’s quiet and unnerving with a certain rhythm about it that’ll make you take a step back and really think about AI.
Overall, it was a FANTASTIC read. I don’t read too may anthologies, but he’s one that I’d gladly read anything he writes.
His perspective is unique and a breath if fresh air. I hope he doesn’t stop with just this book. 🖤
It gave me the feeling of Black Mirror meeting Two Sentence Horror Stories. It’s a short story collection, yet some of it is interwoven throughout.
It’s techno horror that gets inside your head. It’s not gory with torture porn. It’s quiet and unnerving with a certain rhythm about it that’ll make you take a step back and really think about AI.
Overall, it was a FANTASTIC read. I don’t read too may anthologies, but he’s one that I’d gladly read anything he writes.
His perspective is unique and a breath if fresh air. I hope he doesn’t stop with just this book. 🖤
June 20, 2025
This book is, quite simply put, mind bending. The near reality of how AI can fracture our thinking gets deep rooted in your mind.
I had the pleasure of being a proof reader for this book and can assure you that it will make you think of technology differently. The way Tom writes really gets in your head as he takes you on a journey into the mind of AI with a collection of short stories. Oh and there’s a little surprise in there too. But I won’t give it away. Or will I?
Let’s say it’s a peak into AI turning rather humane.
An amazing read and I highly recommend it!
I had the pleasure of being a proof reader for this book and can assure you that it will make you think of technology differently. The way Tom writes really gets in your head as he takes you on a journey into the mind of AI with a collection of short stories. Oh and there’s a little surprise in there too. But I won’t give it away. Or will I?
Let’s say it’s a peak into AI turning rather humane.
An amazing read and I highly recommend it!
July 15, 2025
If you love black mirror and when technology goes wrong, you will love this book full of short stories and in the background reminders that this is not a love story when things go right! These are machines cold hearted machines which are coded, directed to do what you tell them and when it goes wrong they are unfeeling to even respond like it says restart required the system has glitched and needs to be wiped so it can start again! I think one of my favourite stories was actually the last one! It was just so real. People rely too much on technology! Recommend it 👌
July 12, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a little trippy at times, which I’m guessing is what you want in a thriller. (I’ve nervous read a thriller before). Overall I really enjoyed this book, there were some lines that really stood out to me. I read this book aloud to my fiance - he’s the technology person- and he really enjoyed it as well.
July 14, 2025
Restart Required is a gripping, mind-bending collection of sci-fi short stories that explores the chilling and all-too-plausible ways technology and AI might reshape our lives. Tom weaves unsettling yet emotionally resonant tales that tap into our growing dependence on machines, examining how easily the lines between human and artificial can blur. With echoes of Black Mirror and Night Side of the River, this anthology probes digital dystopias, emotional manipulation, and fractured identity with sharp insight and surprising tenderness. It's a thought-provoking, haunting read that lingers in the mind—especially for those who think they have nothing to fear from the tech they use every day.
July 7, 2025
An excellent book where the author takes the tech that most of us use daily and take for granted, to the next level and writes about what could and might happen in the not-too-distant future, an enjoyable read and gripping from start to finish.
I couldn't put the book down and read it over a few days whilst on holiday, definitely an up-and-coming new author and will look forward to future releases.
I couldn't put the book down and read it over a few days whilst on holiday, definitely an up-and-coming new author and will look forward to future releases.
September 13, 2025
If you’ve not read this book it’s time you did.
A well written, thought provoking, and captivating combination of short stories. If you don’t resonate with at least one of them are you even living in society today? Do you use tech? Then I highly recommend reading this book, and I challenge you to tell me that at some point in this book you didn’t take a moment to wonder.
A well written, thought provoking, and captivating combination of short stories. If you don’t resonate with at least one of them are you even living in society today? Do you use tech? Then I highly recommend reading this book, and I challenge you to tell me that at some point in this book you didn’t take a moment to wonder.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews