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Three Days in April
The debut standalone novel from author Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7, THREE DAYS IN APRIL is a near-future speculative thriller that marks the entry of a bright new voice into the genre.
Anders Jensen is having a bad month. His roommate is a data thief, his girlfriend picks fights in bars, and his best friend is a cyborg…and a lousy tipper. When everything is spiraling out of control, though, maybe those are exactly the kind of friends you need.
In a world divided between the genetically engineered elite and the unmodified masses, Anders is an engineered, but still broke and living next to a crack house. All he wants is to land a tenure-track faculty position, and maybe meet someone who’s not technically a criminal-but when a nightmare plague rips through Hagerstown, Anders finds himself dodging kinetic energy weapons and government assassins as Baltimore slips into chaos. His friends aren’t as helpless as they seem, though, and his girlfriend’s street-magician brother-in-law might be a pretentious hipster - or might hold the secret to saving them all.
Frenetic and audacious, Three Days in April is a a blend of science fiction and psychological thriller that raises an important once humanity goes down the rabbit hole, can we ever find our way back?
Anders Jensen is having a bad month. His roommate is a data thief, his girlfriend picks fights in bars, and his best friend is a cyborg…and a lousy tipper. When everything is spiraling out of control, though, maybe those are exactly the kind of friends you need.
In a world divided between the genetically engineered elite and the unmodified masses, Anders is an engineered, but still broke and living next to a crack house. All he wants is to land a tenure-track faculty position, and maybe meet someone who’s not technically a criminal-but when a nightmare plague rips through Hagerstown, Anders finds himself dodging kinetic energy weapons and government assassins as Baltimore slips into chaos. His friends aren’t as helpless as they seem, though, and his girlfriend’s street-magician brother-in-law might be a pretentious hipster - or might hold the secret to saving them all.
Frenetic and audacious, Three Days in April is a a blend of science fiction and psychological thriller that raises an important once humanity goes down the rabbit hole, can we ever find our way back?
Audible Audio
First published September 15, 2015
About the author
Edward Ashton
33 books1,735 followersEdward Ashton is the author of the novels Mickey7, Three Days in April and The End of Ordinary. His short fiction has appeared in venues ranging from the newsletter of an Italian sausage company to Escape Pod, Analog, and Fireside Fiction. He lives in upstate New York in a cabin in the woods (not that Cabin in the Woods) with his wife, a variable number of daughters, and an adorably mopey dog named Max, where he writes—mostly fiction, occasionally fact—under the watchful eyes of a giant woodpecker and a rotating cast of barred owls. In his free time, he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students, and whittling. You can find him online at edwardashton.com or on Twitter @edashtonwriting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
September 14, 2015
Three Days in April by Edward Ashton could be described as the book that brought its futuristic-drug giggles to the award ceremony. Meanwhile, chemicals in the air are planting tiny bombs inside everyone around them. Bombs that are likely to go off before anyone knows they're infected.
Three Days in April introduces two of these characters right away, both modified with DNA splicing akin to what may result if Jurassic Park didn't have such a horrific ending to their plans. They're still people, though, and the author's ability to show us this in smooth strides alongside showing how their modifications make them far different than we could imagine fascinated me and kept me reading.
Three Days in April is one of those rare books that engaged on so many levels that I read it from start to finish without losing any interest. His character cast is at times hilarious, often surprisingly smart, definitely human, but also something we've never seen. His plot mixes in the daily life of twenty-something hackers and their friends as a terrorist attack begins a holy war between those who are modified and those who aren't. He's done his homework on making this technological war appear plausible and lifelike, while also massaging our nerd sensors for what cool gadgets we may get in the future.
This book is kind of like how a lazy gamer generation would like to learn about new technology, in a future society where you can get mods to become a Pretty or a Neanderthal, but in a story told for those who enjoy fart jokes and the fun you can have when responsibility doesn't get in the way.
Thanks to HarperVoyager for letting me be a part of the Super Readers program and for this review copy. This will compete for top read of the year!
Three Days in April introduces two of these characters right away, both modified with DNA splicing akin to what may result if Jurassic Park didn't have such a horrific ending to their plans. They're still people, though, and the author's ability to show us this in smooth strides alongside showing how their modifications make them far different than we could imagine fascinated me and kept me reading.
Three Days in April is one of those rare books that engaged on so many levels that I read it from start to finish without losing any interest. His character cast is at times hilarious, often surprisingly smart, definitely human, but also something we've never seen. His plot mixes in the daily life of twenty-something hackers and their friends as a terrorist attack begins a holy war between those who are modified and those who aren't. He's done his homework on making this technological war appear plausible and lifelike, while also massaging our nerd sensors for what cool gadgets we may get in the future.
This book is kind of like how a lazy gamer generation would like to learn about new technology, in a future society where you can get mods to become a Pretty or a Neanderthal, but in a story told for those who enjoy fart jokes and the fun you can have when responsibility doesn't get in the way.
Thanks to HarperVoyager for letting me be a part of the Super Readers program and for this review copy. This will compete for top read of the year!
August 19, 2026
IN A NUTSHELL
‘Three Days in April’ was a fun read. An original story full of surprises, told in a unique voice that I want to hear more of.
Edward Ashton is probably best known for his Mickey7 novels, the first of which was made into the movie ‘Mickey 17’. ‘Three Days in April’ (2015) was his debut novel, and it was a doozy. It was fast, fun, original and plausible. Labelling it ‘darkly comic’ underestimates how weaponised the humour is.
I loved that this wasn’t just a ‘look how bizarre we are’ satire. It tackled some big issues with a remarkable clarity of vision and the ruthless use of violence. The story explores the nature of personhood and what it means to be human. The characters represent a spectrum from a genetically unaltered (but still smart and attractive) human, through genetically modified but not visibly so, to instantly recognisable as genetically modified, to cyborg humans, and people who live their entire lives online. The politics of fear plays out both in acts of terrorism and in the acceptance of a surveillance state supported by kill squads to "keep normal people safe”. There’s a mixture of science, mysticism and ingrained, bloodyminded, cynical disbelief.
What I most admired about the novel was Edward Ashton's skill at letting the story get complex and twisty without losing its lightness of touch. He used multiple points of view to enhance the story, not just by broadening the scope of the narrative, but by building characters who see the world differently, and without letting one view become the dominant one. He pulled no punches with the violence meted out by all sides, delivered an ingenious, tightly woven story that kept me guessing and yet still made me laugh and gave me hope.
‘Three Days in April’ was a fun read. An original story full of surprises, told in a unique voice that I want to hear more of.
Edward Ashton is probably best known for his Mickey7 novels, the first of which was made into the movie ‘Mickey 17’. ‘Three Days in April’ (2015) was his debut novel, and it was a doozy. It was fast, fun, original and plausible. Labelling it ‘darkly comic’ underestimates how weaponised the humour is.
I loved that this wasn’t just a ‘look how bizarre we are’ satire. It tackled some big issues with a remarkable clarity of vision and the ruthless use of violence. The story explores the nature of personhood and what it means to be human. The characters represent a spectrum from a genetically unaltered (but still smart and attractive) human, through genetically modified but not visibly so, to instantly recognisable as genetically modified, to cyborg humans, and people who live their entire lives online. The politics of fear plays out both in acts of terrorism and in the acceptance of a surveillance state supported by kill squads to "keep normal people safe”. There’s a mixture of science, mysticism and ingrained, bloodyminded, cynical disbelief.
What I most admired about the novel was Edward Ashton's skill at letting the story get complex and twisty without losing its lightness of touch. He used multiple points of view to enhance the story, not just by broadening the scope of the narrative, but by building characters who see the world differently, and without letting one view become the dominant one. He pulled no punches with the violence meted out by all sides, delivered an ingenious, tightly woven story that kept me guessing and yet still made me laugh and gave me hope.
May 19, 2017
'Hagerstown' spielt in einem kleinen Städtchen im Osten der USA. Es wird zwar keine Jahreszahl genannt, aber dem technischen und wissenschaftlichen Fortschritt kann man entnehmen, dass wir uns in der Zukunft befinden. Diese Fortschrittlichkeit zieht sich durch den gesamten Alltag der Figuren, am meisten wird auf die Haus-Avatare eingegangen, welche in allen Häusern installiert sind und quasi das Hausmanagement übernehmen. Die Menschheit hat sich in zwei Lager gespalten, es gibt die Unveränderten, also normale Menschen, und die Veränderten, die ganz verschiedene körperliche Veränderungen, z.B. durch Gen-Kreuzungen, haben können. Noch leben die zwei Gruppen einigermaßen harmonisch zusammen, doch das ändert sich nach dem Anschlag in Hagerstown, bei dem plötzlich eine ganze Stadt ausgelöscht wird.
Im Buch begleiten wir abwechselnd 4 Charaktere, die wir aber nicht wirklich tiefgründig kennen lernen. Ich habe im Buch zu keiner Figur wirklichen Zugang gefunden, so dass ich auch oft im Kapitel verwirrt war, wen ich eigentlich gerade begleite. Sie waren für mich einfach nicht greifbar.
Den Anfang des Buches fand ich noch recht interessant, aber ich hätte mir mehr Informationen über diese Welt gewünscht, denn das Thema der genetischen Veränderung kommt etwas kurz. Bereits vor der Hälfte fing das Buch an sich zu ziehen und das hielt leider auch bis zum Ende an. An sich war der Schreibstil sehr locker und leicht zu lesen, dennoch habe ich einfach nicht bevorzugt zu diesem Buch gegriffen. Zwischendrin gab es im Fließtext einige Chatprotokolle, die mich auch eher verwirrt haben, da hier die Figuren (die ich mir eh schon nicht merken konnte), Pseudonyme benutzt haben. Hinzu kamen die vielen computerspezifischen Themen, technische Begriffe etc. - wer hier etwas bewanderter ist als ich, kann vermutlich mehr mit dem Buch anfangen.
So sehr mich also der Klappentext angesprochen hat, so wenig hat mir dann leider die Umsetzung gefallen. Wer gerne Sci-Fi liest und wissenschaftlich und technisch bewandert ist, der könnte mich das Buch mal anschauen.
*Rezensionsexemplar
Im Buch begleiten wir abwechselnd 4 Charaktere, die wir aber nicht wirklich tiefgründig kennen lernen. Ich habe im Buch zu keiner Figur wirklichen Zugang gefunden, so dass ich auch oft im Kapitel verwirrt war, wen ich eigentlich gerade begleite. Sie waren für mich einfach nicht greifbar.
Den Anfang des Buches fand ich noch recht interessant, aber ich hätte mir mehr Informationen über diese Welt gewünscht, denn das Thema der genetischen Veränderung kommt etwas kurz. Bereits vor der Hälfte fing das Buch an sich zu ziehen und das hielt leider auch bis zum Ende an. An sich war der Schreibstil sehr locker und leicht zu lesen, dennoch habe ich einfach nicht bevorzugt zu diesem Buch gegriffen. Zwischendrin gab es im Fließtext einige Chatprotokolle, die mich auch eher verwirrt haben, da hier die Figuren (die ich mir eh schon nicht merken konnte), Pseudonyme benutzt haben. Hinzu kamen die vielen computerspezifischen Themen, technische Begriffe etc. - wer hier etwas bewanderter ist als ich, kann vermutlich mehr mit dem Buch anfangen.
So sehr mich also der Klappentext angesprochen hat, so wenig hat mir dann leider die Umsetzung gefallen. Wer gerne Sci-Fi liest und wissenschaftlich und technisch bewandert ist, der könnte mich das Buch mal anschauen.
*Rezensionsexemplar
August 24, 2015
It's hard not to love being part of the HarperVoyager Super Reader program. Free books/egalleys in return for honest reviews. Yes, it's seriously that simple lol. I like to give a little blurb on books that I read anyhow, just in case it helps someone decide to read a book that they would have otherwise avoided, so it's like I'm getting free stuff for doing what I already do. Win/win!
Anyhow, this particular book is surprisingly good for a first novel. Ashton runs us just far enough into the future to have gene splicing and cybernetic enhancements coming into the mainstream, as you can tell by the official synopsis. He catapults a group of misfits right into the middle of a war between those who have been changed and those who haven't, the "UnAltered". While the plot is definitely good (and the twist at the end, did -not- see that coming), it's the little things throughout that really set this apart for me. The inside jokes, the character interaction, it all came together so well that I definitely want more. There's a scene where they're discussing the escalating RAHOWA that really exemplifies what I mean:
----------------------------------------------------------
"RAHOWA?"
"Racial holy war," I say. "It's Gary's new thing."
"Cataclysmic battle to the death between the Engineered and the UnAltered," Gary says. "First they came for the cave ladies, and I said nothing, because I was not a cave lady. Then they came for the hot waitresses, and I said nothing, because I was not a hot waitress. Then they came for the bastard offspring of Mickey Mouse and a seven-foot-tall transvestite prostitute, and I said nothing, because I was not Anders. They came for me, and there was nobody left to speak."
Charity looks at me and raises on eyebrow. I shrug.
----------------------------------------------------------
Just wait til you get to this part. It's hilarious and deep at the same time, and so is the book. If you like your sci-fi with meaning and a liberal dose of humor (and some action, too) then you definitely, definitely need to check this out.
Anyhow, this particular book is surprisingly good for a first novel. Ashton runs us just far enough into the future to have gene splicing and cybernetic enhancements coming into the mainstream, as you can tell by the official synopsis. He catapults a group of misfits right into the middle of a war between those who have been changed and those who haven't, the "UnAltered". While the plot is definitely good (and the twist at the end, did -not- see that coming), it's the little things throughout that really set this apart for me. The inside jokes, the character interaction, it all came together so well that I definitely want more. There's a scene where they're discussing the escalating RAHOWA that really exemplifies what I mean:
----------------------------------------------------------
"RAHOWA?"
"Racial holy war," I say. "It's Gary's new thing."
"Cataclysmic battle to the death between the Engineered and the UnAltered," Gary says. "First they came for the cave ladies, and I said nothing, because I was not a cave lady. Then they came for the hot waitresses, and I said nothing, because I was not a hot waitress. Then they came for the bastard offspring of Mickey Mouse and a seven-foot-tall transvestite prostitute, and I said nothing, because I was not Anders. They came for me, and there was nobody left to speak."
Charity looks at me and raises on eyebrow. I shrug.
----------------------------------------------------------
Just wait til you get to this part. It's hilarious and deep at the same time, and so is the book. If you like your sci-fi with meaning and a liberal dose of humor (and some action, too) then you definitely, definitely need to check this out.
November 11, 2025
Abandoned. Tried and tried to get into it but failed spectacularly.
April 1, 2016
Ahoy there me mateys! This book was a fun sci-fi romp set in Baltimore, one of my oldest home ports there on the Chesapeake Bay. Something causes 90% of the population of Hagerstown, Maryland to violently die simultaneously. Is it a terrorist attack? A plague? The end of the world? A group of friends and recent acquaintances must unravel the mystery and save the whole human race.
This book had some truly delightful quirky characters. My favorites were Terry, Anders, and Inchy. The plot is silly and fast. The book is told from the perspective of the various main characters. The end is particularly crazy and fun. I must say that I loved it. If you like humor, technology, and thoughtful questions about human security then give this one a whirl. I don't want to spoil the plot but do yourself a favor and read this one!
If you liked this review see others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
This book had some truly delightful quirky characters. My favorites were Terry, Anders, and Inchy. The plot is silly and fast. The book is told from the perspective of the various main characters. The end is particularly crazy and fun. I must say that I loved it. If you like humor, technology, and thoughtful questions about human security then give this one a whirl. I don't want to spoil the plot but do yourself a favor and read this one!
If you liked this review see others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
August 25, 2017
This book reminded me of Matt Ruff's writing, in both style and quality. Except I don't think even Ruff could pull off a multi-pov first person present perspective as good as Three Days in April. That's like the Iron Man triathlon of novels, yet this book is executes it so well that it reads as smooth as silk. Most readers will never appreciate how difficult this feat is, but they'll still love the quirky characters, the intriguing plot, and the brilliant dialog. Highly recommended!
April 19, 2026
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this re-release in exchange for an honest review.
In Three Days in April Edward Ashton presents a thrilling tale of a future America where the population is divided between humans with genetic and/or cybernetic modifications and those who are not. When a mystery attack wipes out a whole town, extremist factions threaten civil war. A team of unlikely hackers, miscreants, and religious fanatics must solve the mystery or face annihilation.
This was a good foray for a first time author, but its lack of polish is clear throughout the book. Ashton's later book, Mal Goes to War, has a very similar storyline told from another perspective that works much better. I would recommend this title to readers who haven't read Ashton before, as his ideas are excellent, but often recycled with too little ingenuity between novels.
In Three Days in April Edward Ashton presents a thrilling tale of a future America where the population is divided between humans with genetic and/or cybernetic modifications and those who are not. When a mystery attack wipes out a whole town, extremist factions threaten civil war. A team of unlikely hackers, miscreants, and religious fanatics must solve the mystery or face annihilation.
This was a good foray for a first time author, but its lack of polish is clear throughout the book. Ashton's later book, Mal Goes to War, has a very similar storyline told from another perspective that works much better. I would recommend this title to readers who haven't read Ashton before, as his ideas are excellent, but often recycled with too little ingenuity between novels.
September 30, 2015
This story was amazing! I was highly entertained the whole time and loved the constant movement of both the characters and the storyline. A techno-thriller set in the near future with a focus on mixing of cyborgs, natural humans and those that had alterations done. A corporation is trying to hide the events that took place with thousands dying in Hagerstown. While hackers and thieves are trying to discover the truth and if there will be more deaths.
The story is told from several perspectives. Anders is given a mystery file to analyze and Terry is noticing her avatar is acting unusual. Her sister is learning about a new religion and Gary along with his fellow cyber-geeks are trying to find deleted information on news feeds to find out if this is the beginning of a war or plague.
It is a very fast paced story with actions having immediate results and pushing the characters forward to survive. I am not a person that is incredibly computer savy and felt that the more complex parts of the story were completely understandable and said in a way that did not make me feel lost (or stupid)
I enjoyed this book so much, it is one I am definitely recommending to friends.
The story is told from several perspectives. Anders is given a mystery file to analyze and Terry is noticing her avatar is acting unusual. Her sister is learning about a new religion and Gary along with his fellow cyber-geeks are trying to find deleted information on news feeds to find out if this is the beginning of a war or plague.
It is a very fast paced story with actions having immediate results and pushing the characters forward to survive. I am not a person that is incredibly computer savy and felt that the more complex parts of the story were completely understandable and said in a way that did not make me feel lost (or stupid)
I enjoyed this book so much, it is one I am definitely recommending to friends.
March 18, 2023
2 stars and that may be generous. I give author Edward Ashton of “Three Days in April “ kudos for a good idea for a science fiction novel (his first): competition between man and AI. But the rest including a cohesive story line, character development, dialogue, and believability are not good. I hope in his future writing that he collaborates with a good, critical editor. Not recommended.
November 3, 2016
Had Flashes
There were times I enjoyed reading this. There were times I had genuine interest in learning how the various plot elements would resolve. Unfortunately, there weren't times that I was interested in any of the characters.
There were times I enjoyed reading this. There were times I had genuine interest in learning how the various plot elements would resolve. Unfortunately, there weren't times that I was interested in any of the characters.
November 19, 2024
Das hat Spaß gemacht. Es gab ein paar coole Twists. Ich bin unsicher, wie zufrieden ich mit dem Schluss bin, daher nur vier Sterne (es wurde ein wenig viel gestorben und das alles ziemlich plötzlich).
Die Themen mögen nicht neu sein, aber sie sind sehr gut erzählt und der Erzählton ist angenehm humorvoll. Nachdem ich Mickey7 gelesen hatte, habe ich den Autor mal bei einem Con gefragt, wie er das mit dem Humor reinbringt. Er hat geantwortet, er müsse eher noch Humor raustun, damit es nicht zu dick wird. Der Humor kommt also von alleine. Beneidenswert! Und ja, der Ton hat viel Spaß gemacht.
Es gibt vier Erzählperspektiven, was vielleicht für so einen kurzen Roman etwas wenig ist:
Anders
Terry
Terrys Schwester Elise
Gary (Anders' Mitbewohner)
Obwohl Gary eigentlich der am wenigsten sympathische ist, und er auch arg im male gaze hängt (auf Brüste starrt und so), kommt mir seine Perspektive am gelungensten vor.
Es wird am Anfang etwas viel gesplattert, was eklig ist, aber Spaß macht.
Ich würde vermutlich alle Romane von Ashton lesen, weil ich das schon ganz gern lese, habe aber einfach zu viel auf dem Stapel.
Die Themen mögen nicht neu sein, aber sie sind sehr gut erzählt und der Erzählton ist angenehm humorvoll. Nachdem ich Mickey7 gelesen hatte, habe ich den Autor mal bei einem Con gefragt, wie er das mit dem Humor reinbringt. Er hat geantwortet, er müsse eher noch Humor raustun, damit es nicht zu dick wird. Der Humor kommt also von alleine. Beneidenswert! Und ja, der Ton hat viel Spaß gemacht.
Es gibt vier Erzählperspektiven, was vielleicht für so einen kurzen Roman etwas wenig ist:
Anders
Terry
Terrys Schwester Elise
Gary (Anders' Mitbewohner)
Obwohl Gary eigentlich der am wenigsten sympathische ist, und er auch arg im male gaze hängt (auf Brüste starrt und so), kommt mir seine Perspektive am gelungensten vor.
Es wird am Anfang etwas viel gesplattert, was eklig ist, aber Spaß macht.
Ich würde vermutlich alle Romane von Ashton lesen, weil ich das schon ganz gern lese, habe aber einfach zu viel auf dem Stapel.
April 11, 2025
I found this by searching Goodreads for books with April in the title, knew nothing of it, it was much different from what my typical fare (read the summary in GR). There were echoes of, Open the pod door, HAL. Im sorry, I can’t do that, Dave.
The book was well written, very clever dialogue, plenty of satirical and ironical humor, and the plot developed smoothly, all making sense when the WTF is happening was revealed. Each chapter focused on a different character, it took me a while to sort them all out but probably because I didn’t read it in long stretches.
The book was well written, very clever dialogue, plenty of satirical and ironical humor, and the plot developed smoothly, all making sense when the WTF is happening was revealed. Each chapter focused on a different character, it took me a while to sort them all out but probably because I didn’t read it in long stretches.
March 26, 2025
This was a great read. Full of twists and turns, with Hi-tech spies, gen engineered humans, and gory and scary plot line.
AI components, all seeing organizations (NatSec) horny humans and not so humans, all swept together in Baltimore and shaken until this story pops out.
Second of Ashton's works I've read, and not disappointed - Now just need to get to Mickey 7 before I get corrupted by the movie.
AI components, all seeing organizations (NatSec) horny humans and not so humans, all swept together in Baltimore and shaken until this story pops out.
Second of Ashton's works I've read, and not disappointed - Now just need to get to Mickey 7 before I get corrupted by the movie.
February 28, 2026
(5.0 Stars)
This book was brilliant! "Adorable Idiot" characters, a vibrant and enticing story, and a world not unlike our own.
Edward Ashton has quickly become one of my very favorite authors.
This book was brilliant! "Adorable Idiot" characters, a vibrant and enticing story, and a world not unlike our own.
Edward Ashton has quickly become one of my very favorite authors.
June 19, 2024
Great and interesting read. The viewpoint changes take some getting used to.
March 21, 2026
Real fun stuff. Nothing crazy or politically outstanding in here but it was real fun. Kind of like leftist surveillance state porn
April 23, 2026
3.5 Stars
I really enjoyed this a lot but then the end sort of fell flat for me. It concluded rather quick and I was left feeling slightly confused.
Still was a fun read, though!
I really enjoyed this a lot but then the end sort of fell flat for me. It concluded rather quick and I was left feeling slightly confused.
Still was a fun read, though!
March 5, 2026
Not my usual cup of tea, but I really enjoyed this. There were plenty of twists and turns and, at times, I genuinely had no idea what was going on. By the end though, all the threads wove together into something really clever.
Some sections felt highly implausible, but this is sci-fi after all, so it didn’t really bother me.
Overall, it was a highly entertaining read.
Some sections felt highly implausible, but this is sci-fi after all, so it didn’t really bother me.
Overall, it was a highly entertaining read.
May 8, 2026
Freaking brilliant. More!
October 28, 2025
It took me till the middle of this book to understand what was going on - but then I really liked it. Sentient avatars try to kill off enhanced humans by poisoning their (redbull) brain bump drink.
August 22, 2015
I will start by saying that I am not a sci-fi fan. I generally don’t even read books that aren’t literary classics. Now I will proceed to say that this book is a must-read. It’s simultaneously brilliant, hilarious, and terrifying. Ashton’s characters speak in clever, sarcastic dialogue that kept me smiling and laughing while I read about the tragedy at the core of the story (yes, it’s a bit uncomfortable to realize this) but his humor is that infectious and his writing is so smart that I did not want to put this down. His ability to weave a complex, intriguing story from multiple perspectives is admirable and daunting. However, what’s most impactful is Ashton’s ability to take the utopian advancements we see developing, at an exponential rate, in our everyday lives, and unravel them into a dystopian fiction that doesn’t seem all that far off from possibility. My experience was similar to the feeling I got when I read A Clockwork Orange and realized that I had slowly but surely learned and began to think in terms of Nadsat, the cult-language spoken by the characters throughout the book. As I laughed at the witty dialogue, and was entertained by the tragic story of Hagerstown, Ashton was sprinkling in aspects of this “fictitious” culture that began to make me uncomfortable: genetic mouse-splicing and “pretty” modifications, a panopticon run by National Security, people drinking BrainBump to increase serotonin levels, and interactive house avatars that controlled the lights, the locks, and more….that did not seem completely implausible.
Sure, we are not quite living in a “Silico-American” world where people have oculars showing us chat room screens and news feeds right in our eyes, the government doesn’t abolish our homes with a two-minute warning, and so far we don’t have rogue avatars controlling our communication with the outside world, but the idea of a generation of humans that are spliced with chosen modifications to improve their looks, their height, their speed, do not seem as far off of an idea (hmmm, I’m thinking CRSPR).
Three Days in April isn’t just a techno-thriller or speculative fiction. Although it is extraordinarily entertaining, and Ashton is an extremely talented writer with a flair for humor and story-telling that is difficult to accomplish, let alone master, as he does, but if you also want to read something about human nature, evolution, innovation and dystopia, if you want to read something intelligent, something that shows a future failing against the tried and true nature of humans’ resistance to accept those who differ from themselves, if you want to read a modern, Braver, Newer World, read this.
Sure, we are not quite living in a “Silico-American” world where people have oculars showing us chat room screens and news feeds right in our eyes, the government doesn’t abolish our homes with a two-minute warning, and so far we don’t have rogue avatars controlling our communication with the outside world, but the idea of a generation of humans that are spliced with chosen modifications to improve their looks, their height, their speed, do not seem as far off of an idea (hmmm, I’m thinking CRSPR).
Three Days in April isn’t just a techno-thriller or speculative fiction. Although it is extraordinarily entertaining, and Ashton is an extremely talented writer with a flair for humor and story-telling that is difficult to accomplish, let alone master, as he does, but if you also want to read something about human nature, evolution, innovation and dystopia, if you want to read something intelligent, something that shows a future failing against the tried and true nature of humans’ resistance to accept those who differ from themselves, if you want to read a modern, Braver, Newer World, read this.
December 24, 2015
Three Days in April is smart and funny and mind-expanding and fun to read. From the cross-species gene splitting of the first pages to the struggle of the final pages ... I relaxed into the book with that welcome sense that the author is in control.
One tiny comment -- the book is written from the viewpoint of five or six main characters, but their voices and viewpoints were all so similar that I found myself flipping back to the Table of Contents to remember whose chapter I was in ... (That's not a problem for me, because I have a radically diminished theory of mind, so I tend to assume that everybody sees and narrates the world like I do ....)
Also, way to hit that sweet spot with the $3.99 price. How do I know it's the sweet spot? Because I paid for this book -- and for two others in the Harper's series.
One tiny comment -- the book is written from the viewpoint of five or six main characters, but their voices and viewpoints were all so similar that I found myself flipping back to the Table of Contents to remember whose chapter I was in ... (That's not a problem for me, because I have a radically diminished theory of mind, so I tend to assume that everybody sees and narrates the world like I do ....)
Also, way to hit that sweet spot with the $3.99 price. How do I know it's the sweet spot? Because I paid for this book -- and for two others in the Harper's series.
August 28, 2015
Brilliant and creative worldbuilding helps offset a cast of characters who are interesting but not terribly sympathetic. A creative, wild ride of a story that leaves you guessing. A real genre-bender that I'd categorize as cyberpunk.
July 6, 2017
AI story of conflict. NET security is dominant force of good and evil. Genetic mods and nano are evolving forces of chaos. Anders and Terry do their best to survive in a world where total destruct could happen at any moment.
June 21, 2016
Had a hard time getting into it. Or, sometimes I'd be into it and then it would go off in a direction and I'd think, "nah. Not lovin it." So I finished it, but it was kind of a rough ride.
June 24, 2016
Abandoned
March 22, 2019
Brilliant and original with great pacing. What a ride!
March 1, 2026
so weird!
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