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The Last TechShack
Jason Forrester, a middle-aged TechShack owner and lifelong tinkerer, is days away from closing his store for good. As he inventories old gadgets and fends off corporate shutdown notices, he begins detecting strange radio signals through his HAM setup—messages encoded in Morse, 80s TV themes, and modem screeches. He teams up with Jennifer, a conspiracy podcast host, and Chad, a sarcastic teenage tech whiz, to decode the signal.
The signal leads to revelations hidden in Jason's garage, once his father's domain, suggesting something alien or extradimensional is trying to make contact—possibly through old tech. As they investigate, they're tailed by mysterious government agents and watched by strangers buying up vintage components.
The trio eventually activates a portal using a makeshift machine assembled from Jason’s father’s prototype and nostalgic relics. They drive Jason’s MR2 through the rift and enter a surreal alternate world made of obsolete tech—a digital afterlife of forgotten electronics. There, Jason learns the world is failing, and only someone who understands analog tech and forgotten codes can fix it.
The signal leads to revelations hidden in Jason's garage, once his father's domain, suggesting something alien or extradimensional is trying to make contact—possibly through old tech. As they investigate, they're tailed by mysterious government agents and watched by strangers buying up vintage components.
The trio eventually activates a portal using a makeshift machine assembled from Jason’s father’s prototype and nostalgic relics. They drive Jason’s MR2 through the rift and enter a surreal alternate world made of obsolete tech—a digital afterlife of forgotten electronics. There, Jason learns the world is failing, and only someone who understands analog tech and forgotten codes can fix it.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2025
19 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 22, 2025
This book has a good premise and it starts well but, ultimately, it was disappointing. The first few chapters of the book reminded me of classic Stephen King - a slow build with strange happenings in small town America, and having worked in retail for many years, I could empathise with the situation of the decline of non big box retail stores.
However, the slow build went on for too long, and I was starting to lose interest. It was when things started to happen that the story got very annoying. Almost as though it was written in serial form, the start of each new chapter jumped back in time to retell part of the story from the previous chapter. This was annoying enough, but to make it worse, the retelling didn't match the previous narrative. About halfway through the book, the landlord collects the keys to the store and the final register read is done, but for many chapters after that, the store is still open and sales are being made. A continuity editor would have greatly lessened the irritation factor and improved the story a lot.
So, a good idea, but the author needs to be a lot tighter with continuity.
However, the slow build went on for too long, and I was starting to lose interest. It was when things started to happen that the story got very annoying. Almost as though it was written in serial form, the start of each new chapter jumped back in time to retell part of the story from the previous chapter. This was annoying enough, but to make it worse, the retelling didn't match the previous narrative. About halfway through the book, the landlord collects the keys to the store and the final register read is done, but for many chapters after that, the store is still open and sales are being made. A continuity editor would have greatly lessened the irritation factor and improved the story a lot.
So, a good idea, but the author needs to be a lot tighter with continuity.
September 10, 2025
DNF - Glacial pace, boring
I really wanted to find out where this story went, but it was just taking so very long to get there. The author is good at writing descriptive text that sets a mood. But then he kept doing on doing it, until things got boring. Then he continued some more. I started skimming, hoping something would happen. Finally I gave up. Did not finish.
I don’t normally give 1-star reviews for novels, even when I don’t finish the book. Bad books often get two stars. But this one is definitely 1-star quality.
Not recommended. I give it 1/5 stars.
I really wanted to find out where this story went, but it was just taking so very long to get there. The author is good at writing descriptive text that sets a mood. But then he kept doing on doing it, until things got boring. Then he continued some more. I started skimming, hoping something would happen. Finally I gave up. Did not finish.
I don’t normally give 1-star reviews for novels, even when I don’t finish the book. Bad books often get two stars. But this one is definitely 1-star quality.
Not recommended. I give it 1/5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews