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Shorted
Damon’s UBI royalties just crashed. His social capital went up in smoke. His girlfriend left him. Now he finds out he’s going to die. What to do? Solve his own murder, for starters…and maybe, just maybe, strike it rich along the way.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
46 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 14, 2026
An interesting story of the future where your social media standing and popularity is the currency of exchange and, like today's stock market, the higher you're standing, the bigger your influence. In the story, one influencer discovers that his standing has been shorted, followed shortly by an attempt on his life that claims the lives of his friends who have also seen their standings shorted.
On the run, he starts an undercover investigation that reveals that the events are linked to a company that he has a relationship with in the recent past, and they may be trying to hide scandalous information by getting rid of him. Fighting back may be the only way for him to recover his life.
On the run, he starts an undercover investigation that reveals that the events are linked to a company that he has a relationship with in the recent past, and they may be trying to hide scandalous information by getting rid of him. Fighting back may be the only way for him to recover his life.
August 11, 2025
a story for the new generation, where follows and reels and popularity is your currency and everything you're worth is related to your online presence. doesn't seem that far-fetched
August 1, 2025
Read it free here: https://reactormag.com/shorted-alex-i...
Influencer, content-creation culture is taken to the extreme in this near-future America story where content-creators make a living through their UBI scores, which are then bundled and sold as commodities market. Everyone young adult is doing it, with personal drones flitting by ready to record every word, every scene to make more content later. It's a strangely familiar near future with very strong parallels to our own.
"People my age, my demographic, we hear it all the time. But guess what? My time is my own. We don’t bitch about the lack of jobs, we invent an income stream. "
I love the way that Irvine creates the near-future slang, the sarcastic tone of the youth of future America. When 28-year-old influencer Damon runs in to a elderly person, he thinks "This was not only talking to a greenbacker, but an ancient greenbacker. Dude had probably collected pennies and shit in his distant childhood."
When Damon and his UBI gets is shorted on the commodities market, and then his entire enclave is burned and his friends die, Damon is out to ensure his survival and solve his own murder in the process. And hopefully, monetize the experience!
Influencer, content-creation culture is taken to the extreme in this near-future America story where content-creators make a living through their UBI scores, which are then bundled and sold as commodities market. Everyone young adult is doing it, with personal drones flitting by ready to record every word, every scene to make more content later. It's a strangely familiar near future with very strong parallels to our own.
"People my age, my demographic, we hear it all the time. But guess what? My time is my own. We don’t bitch about the lack of jobs, we invent an income stream. "
I love the way that Irvine creates the near-future slang, the sarcastic tone of the youth of future America. When 28-year-old influencer Damon runs in to a elderly person, he thinks "This was not only talking to a greenbacker, but an ancient greenbacker. Dude had probably collected pennies and shit in his distant childhood."
When Damon and his UBI gets is shorted on the commodities market, and then his entire enclave is burned and his friends die, Damon is out to ensure his survival and solve his own murder in the process. And hopefully, monetize the experience!
December 15, 2025
3*
The ligo is a bit intense at the beginning. The scene with the doctor is cut multiple times, like you would do with recorded footage, which is kind of neat, storytelling-wise. I did not care for the romantic relationship though.
The ligo is a bit intense at the beginning. The scene with the doctor is cut multiple times, like you would do with recorded footage, which is kind of neat, storytelling-wise. I did not care for the romantic relationship though.
August 20, 2025
Starts out really well, as a near future hard boiled noir of sorts, but I felt a little bit like it fell apart in the end and didn't quite stick the landing. Still, it was full of some fun concepts, like where is all this social media influencer culture going?
August 26, 2025
Pretty good short story about a future where influencers just go that little extra mile. Doesn't quite stick the landing, sadly.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews