Time Heist

Firstborn Saga #1

by Anthony Vicino

We tried to kill ourselves. We had the weapons. We had the desire. Somehow, we failed. Humanity survived. Go figure.

They called it the Dissolution, but it's been a couple hundred years and if you ask around, nobody in Unity remembers what all the fuss was about. What everybody had been so willing to die for. Nobody cares.

I don't, at least. I've done my part. Worked Time Vice for the better part of twenty-years putting the bad guys into a Stream dream. Now I want out.

The numbers on my arm tell me I'll be dead soon. Less than a day left. I can live with that. What I can't live with is knowing a Unity Leader helped Malcolm Wolfe, the man who murdered my wife and a million other innocents, escape prison.

Finding Malcolm means uncovering secrets that could tear Unity apart from the inside. But if I don't stop him, there probably won't be a Unity to save anyhow.

Looks like we might get a chance to wipe ourselves out after-all. Now I just got to catch him before my numbers catch me.

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult, Fiction, Dystopia, Thriller

409 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

Anthony Vicino is the Amazon best-selling author of The Firstborn Saga (Time Heist and Mind Breach). His stories have been read by millions of fans the world over, having appeared in the hallowed halls of The Future Chronicles, the Hugo Award winning pages of SFSignal, and the locally-famous OneLazyRobot.com.

Anthony is a humble world-slinger just trying to keep his writing hand warm in the frozen tundra of Minneapolis, MN. When he isn’t shivering and/or sitting in front of a computer screen contemplating all the different ways his character might escape the asylum with nothing but a fork, a shoelace, and a whole lot of chutzpah, Anthony is probably in the mountains climbing a rock.

Vicino writes the sort of whizz, bang, boom science fiction that features characters getting themselves into (and then out of) death-defying scenarios with an over-abundance of snark and questionable decision making.

If that sounds like you’re cup of kombucha, then join the Lazy Robot Army mailing list (anthonyvicino.com/newsletter) and receive a FREE ebook.

In addition to fiction, Anthony writes book reviews, interviews some of the coolest SFF authors around, and gives general writing advice over at OneLazyRobot.com. Also, he’s a Top Writer at Medium in the categories of Productivity, Creativity, Psychology, and Inspiration.

JOIN THE LAZY ROBOT ARMY! The Lazy Robots are a slew of rabid fans spread across the globe. Join our ranks:

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Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part science fiction, part dark mystery/thriller, Time Heist by Anthony Vicino is a gritty trip through a world where one’s life on Earth has been calibrated by the technology of the government. One broken man, whose time can now be measured in hours may unknowingly hold secrets that could cause numerous deaths, but lead to uncovering the reality of the world and its “people.”

Our narrator, Tom Handel is a seasoned cop, who now lives in the hell of his past memories, and hating every day he wakes up alive. Malcolm is The Joker to Tom’s Batman, a nemesis who often gets the last laugh. But Malcolm is back, a higher form of intelligence, thanks to technology, Nanobots and his hatred for Tom. Able to manipulate one’s life line, Malcolm begins a game of hide, seek and destroy with Tom as he is unlucky target. With the aid of his law enforcement past, Tom leaves the seedy life he has been living and enters into a virtual and mental game of death in the race against his own clock. He is determined to take Malcolm with him when the clock strikes zero, or at least have all of the missing answers to questions he has beaten himself with for years. Will there be a clash of the Nano titans or is Tom so out of his element that when sucker punched with the truth, even death can’t come soon enough?

Picture a dark and stormy night; add the man in the shadows, the click of feet on pavement, a trench coat and this is the feeling of Time Heist. Now stir in high tech science fiction, fast-forward to a bleak future where no one remains unaltered and entering “the stream” of public consciousness can empower one with endless knowledge and strength, are you with me? Kick in dark grit, dark humor and a snarky hero who is far from perfect, out of the loop, but obsessed with one last mission and you are totally ensconced in Anthony Vicino’s world and you have a heaping helping of what type of read Time Heist is.

Mr. Vicino has pulled me out of reality and set me down in a world where I need to hit the ground running, leap buildings and watch the agony of the past come back in spades. There is no knight in shining armor, just as there is no back knight, but there is action, fantasy, great dialogue and fantastic trip through the mind of a man in his last hours, attempting to save his soul. But is her ready for the truth? Will it make a difference or will he learn that everyone is a pawn in a much larger chess game?

I need to add, when you get to those final words, do NOT stop, I was equally entertained by the author’s notes at the end, not one to spare words, Anthony Vicino rides his talent beyond the finish line with attitude and humor.

I received this copy from Anthony Vicino in exchange for my honest review. 4.5 stars

Series: Firstborn Saga - Book 1
Publication Date: December 1, 2014
Publisher: One Lazy Robot
ISBN: 0692336990
Genre: Scifi Detective Thriller
Print Length: 409 pages
Available from: Amazon
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just let me take my deep sigh and then I'll write away. This book was fantastic. You have Tom, the main character who literally has no time (just check his arm) out to get the man who killed his wife and escaped from prison. Oh and he's a pretty hard core addict. The storyline is solid, work build fantastic, characters amazing, the book itself a smidgen wordy but forgivable considering how much I'm enjoying it conceptually. Then it happened. About 80% in we had the twist, nothing wrong with a good twist except into this twist our new plot line derailed our old one and new twisted kept coming into focus. By the end I felt a little disappointed which is a shame because through the majority of the book I was thinking, you edit this a touch and it's solid gold. I'm sad about that. I would have given it 2-3 stars but I scored with the price and only paid $0.99 when it was on sale. Some may love the ending but I felt cheated, like I got pieces from a different book. I would have read both complete books, Anthony, you're that good.

You may feel differently like the whole story makes sense so I'm going to recommend this read. Get it and try it.

[Andrea Luhman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this four out of five stars for the break neck pace of an action movie, the beautiful language of a beloved classic, and the vivid imagery I wish existed in more contemporary works of this genre.
What I liked:
1) The characters, each one was full of hidden surprises that were just as intriguing as the plot of the book. In the beginning most are sketched together and appear very typical to the crime-thriller genre, they evolve and transform which made them fresh and added depth to the novel.
2) The Futuristic world, in my opinion is one of the stand out features of the book. I like being taken to new places that are strange and different, and Vicino took me somewhere new with gusto. Nano technology that does everything from brushing teeth to fixing a broken leg, flying cars, hologram clothing, and air transport that works off of a real scientific theory.
3) The plot, there are a lot of moving parts in it. Some of the early scenario’s seemed to bump against my suspended disbelief, but somehow the protagonists impending death made it work. I like the role of time in the plot, and how as time wore out it became more important.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The numbers on my arm said I'd be dead soon.

Time Heist is a scifi thriller set in a future where humanity almost destroyed itself once upon a time, so tight population control is now enforced to ensure the planet doesn't run out of resources. The form this population control takes is that each person gets 70 years to live, at which point a small explosion happens at the base of your skull and you die. It is heavily implied, but not really shown, that there are legal ways to both extend and lessen the amount of time you have left. There are certainly illegal methods. Because we don't want you to forget your oppression, your remaining time left alive is always displayed on your forearm.

Add in a class system where the lower class literally lives underground, and it's all very dystopian. Mix a sprawling cyberscape called the Stream into everyone's everyday life, and now we're cyberpunk, complete with giant evil corporations. As a setting, it's a good time.

Our MC is an ex-detective who, after failing to save his wife and a million other people (literally), has fled his life and forced himself to live in the Lowers as a form of self-flagellation. But that was nine years ago and now his arm shows that today is his last. Cue end credits.

Wait.. no, that's not right. While he has made peace with his death (ie, he is drugged out), that would be a short and pointless book, so his ex-partner shows up at his door for the first time ever and informs him that his wife's murderer has escaped super-duper prison and they need to track him down and stop whatever his new plot is. Also, revenge, if that is too wholesome.

---

This book is a roller coaster of "that's a cool idea" to"I need to know what happens" to"oh, another twist" to"where's the closest window to throw this out of" and repeat.

I'm not even sure where to start.

The setting and ideas are the strong points here. The Upper/Middle/Lowers are cliched, but the Stream is novel, as is having everyone's life expectancy sitting on their arm. Thankfully, the class issues aren't overly important beyond some ham-fisted moral comments (very few). The Stream, on the other hand, is all-important to the... everything. Our antagonist is basically a super hacker who can go into the Stream and just murder you by removing your remaining time. Which brings up to the first problem.

Our antagonist is Professor X.

Not in the good "he's fighting for the rights of the downtrodden" sort of way. But in a "he can murder you with a thought from across the planet" sort of way. In a plot that revolves around our MC trying to save the world before his own life is over, having an enemy that can just kill him on any given page without recourse just destroys any tension that existed. But he doesn't because reasons and blah blah blah.

Our next problem is our MC. The man literally has less than a day to live in order to get revenge for his dead wife, and he has to be told to hurry up and get his head in the game in multiple instances. I'm sorry, what? Part of his excuse is that he is a drug addict, but that just comes across as a crutch to build tension whenever desired, which makes me not care. Do you remember The Red Mohawk? Same issue there, but the guy had a hangover that became a problem when the plot demanded and wasn't when it didn't. I guess I'm happy that the author at least gave an excuse for why he was smart some time and an idiot others... but I'd rather he not be stupid or dragging his feet ever.

Next issue. And this one is weird, because it's also a plus. The twists. This story twists like nine different times, with a mix of reactions ranging from "oh, that's cool" to "oh, come on!" Exacerbating this is that the entire book is so over the top while mostly playing things straight. We have an enemy that can kill anyone at anytime. The world's most secure prison. A conspiracy that goes straight to the President. A secret shadow organization. A secret resistance. A twelve year-old girl who is basically straight out of Kick-Ass with a bit of the Matrix thrown in. A dead wife. An ex-lover. Lost memories. A mob boss who controls the undercity. The CEO of the most powerful corporation on the planet. Oh, and some war that wiped out a couple of billion people. Inhalers that give you enhanced skills. Nanobots. And that's not even touching anything to do with the Stream, which is as crazy as every other portrayal of cyberspace.

Even Spinal Tap wouldn't ask you to crank that up another notch. What else could you add? Space-Jesus? (well...)

In the end, I found it to be too much. One insane thing too many. The writing isn't strong enough to carry that level of insane, though it certainly isn't bad. The pacing is slightly off with the action scenes that go for far too long. We have a good deal of 'secrets for plot', which gets on my nerves. It's not as egregious here as it could be, but there are a couple of instances there the characters know more than the reader, which isn't a good look. Where things aren't explained seemingly to create tension that doesn't need to exist. Which some will explain away as there being shell games inside of shell games. But the writing (I'm wrapping sentence structure, pacing, sequencing, plotting, all of it into this) isn't good enough to overcome the challenges that much complexity brings.

All that whining aside, I did enjoy this for the most part. It is fast-paced and fun. The world is interesting. The characters are interesting, and that the whole book takes place in a single day means you can get over a lot of them being fairly flat. The plot is insane, for better and worse.

It's also a quick read and it's on Kindle Unlimited or only $.99 on Kindle.

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My original Time Heist audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Time Heist by Anthony Vicino is the first in a series called the Firstborn Saga. Unity was created after the world was destroyed through weaponry hundreds of years ago. In an attempt to control the population so that the human race can continue to survive on its limited resources, the life tracker was invented. Displayed on a person’s arm, the life tracker counts down to the end everyone’s designated life time. Life time can be squandered through the use of drugs, won in wagers, or stolen from the stream. Tom Handel used to work for Time Vice, the law enforcement agency in charge of catching criminals who steal others life time. After the death of his wife and the imprisonment of her murderer, Tom becomes a drug addict and loses his position. Nine years later, as his remaining time is coming to an end, he becomes wrapped up in the politics of time and the control of peoples’ lives once again as he attempts to find the escaped Malcom.

This is a cyber-science fiction novel that is filled to the brim with action. It jumps from one thrilling life threatening scene to another quickly. While the life tracker concept is easy to pick up, the rest of the stream concept isn’t intuitive and is a bit confusing. Also, I found that the character development was primarily action driven and thus a little flat. The dialogue and actions of the main characters were somewhat predictable. The story is told in first person through the main character of Tom Handel. He is every bit the cynical washed up cop character who still wants to the right thing. He is highly reminiscent of a character from a detective noir novel. This vibe throughout the novel and the intense action are aspects the reader must like to enjoy this novel. The plot itself takes a few turns that were not predictable at all, which for me is what made this novel really interesting. These twists in the plot tie the action together with the political backdrop, which increases in importance as more and more information is revealed. The story comes to a clear end at the end of the novel, but the epilogue opens the door for the next novels in an extremely interesting way.

The narration by Adam Verner is good. He voices the characters well and the obviously evil characters are clearly distinguishable through their voicing. The production quality of the novel was good as well. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes cyber-science fiction novels with a lot of action.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

[Tommy Muncie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Heist is a clever book. It tips its hat to a number of other popular books and films in the science fiction and action genres and starts off at a fast pace that it reliably keeps up for it’s 30+ chapters. All too often I’ve read the beginnings of books like this and found a character in the middle of a fight for their life and wondered why I should give a shit. With Time Heist, the opening perhaps did lean towards the instant gratification that so many openings are going for these days, but two things caught my interest: a character who had reached an all too familiar feeling of rock-bottom, and Vicino’s writing style.

The part of me that’s a reader before a writer devoured this book in just under a week - it’s a quick read. Anyone who prefers plot driven fiction with constant tension and high stakes will love this book, that I can pretty well guarantee. Countdown clocks have become something of cliché, but Vicino has risked using the idea, and it pays off not only for the pace of this book, but for the reminder that it’s possibly to take a cliché and make it work again with a certain amount of reinvention. Right from an early stage, the reader knows that although there’s a clock ticking, there are a number of possibilities for changing the clock. And thank God, the author does not put the timer at the top of chapter headings. There’s only one active use of it in the narrative at all (no spoilers here, let’s just say it’s done in the right place.)

Anyone who likes doing influence spotting will enjoy Time Heist. Whether the authors influences are actually the books and films I can name is anyone’s guess, but let’s just say if you enjoyed the film ‘Crank’ with Jason Statham, you’ll probably like this (I haven’t actually seen the film, just a trailer, but the premise and action vibe are similar.) The character Ash makes a nod to Kick-Ass’s Mindy ‘Hit Girl’ McCreedy, although later on escapes this image altogether and gives way to something even darker still (no spoilers). The idea of human kind having destroyed itself only to find some level of preservation and mixed with a creative use of nanotechnology and population control smacks of Hugh Howey’s Silo series but is by no means a copy at all - Vicino’s world feels very different (it’s above ground for one thing, and idea that gives the story a much needed open landscape ‘and breathing space’) and the use of nanites creates something not dissimilar from the gaiafields of Peter F Hamilton’s void trilogy. Time Heist plays on these recognisable science fiction ideas beautifully, and will probably evoke a different idea of influence for every reader.

There’s one particularly famous film I think it would be impossible for any s/f buff not to wave flags for when reading Time Heist, but on reflection I’ve decided not to mention it here because it might spoil things a little. You’ll know it when you reach it. Trust me. Go in search: you are the chosen one. And even then, this is not a plagiarising book - it’s a blend of sci-fi ideas effectively re-worked.

A comparison to other indie fiction: when I reviewed Michael Patrick Hick’s excellent Convergence earlier this year, I talked about how I found the use of the brain, the recording of memories and the use of ‘mind powers’ to be my favourite part of sci-fi/speculative writing, and in Time Heist I found most of the appeal in the same idea, but with a different kind of reading. Hicks went for reflective, denser narratives that went deeper into backstory and gave me an intimate look at the life of the first person narrator. Time Heist lacks this kind of depth, instead going for pace and impressing me with the ideas behind the set-up rather than the immersion in a life. What might have made this up to a five star review was if I’d gotten to know anything about the narrator Tom Mandel that wasn’t to do with the plot. He’s a believable character who does inspire some measure of sympathy, but there’s very little depth to him that isn’t connected to what drives him to push the plot forward. At the end I felt like I hadn’t known another person, and perhaps I hadn’t actually cared where he ended up - I’d only been interested in who came out the winner. But that said, I was still impressed.

Not to mention I envied the line ‘My brain forgot how to operate a human.’ Damn. My characters do this as well and now I can’t think of that line first! ‘How to operate a Human’ might make for a fun title for a mind-powers instruction sheet handed out to a class. This is a line where the author’s humour really did work for me.

Time Heist has a satisfying ending. No discussion here to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say that I’m going to have to read certain parts of the book again, and if I still don’t get certain things there may be a few ‘email only’ questions to the author.

Vicino is an author skilled in knowing where to present the background information. I’ve read many pieces of advice on so called ‘info-dumps’ in science fiction, and what readers like and dislike. There’s no formula for how to do it, and it’s impossible to be a people pleaser anyway, but Vicino is up there with authors who keep it concise and appropriately placed. By way of comparison, it reminded me of how Joe Halderman does it in what I’ve read of ‘The Forever War.’ I tweeted to the author that his style was a welcome break from some of my writing heroes in that sometimes its nice to get away from the verbose and the technobabble (I’m thinking of Hamilton and Banks here, mostly.)

The style of Time Heist is highly showy - a style suited to a story where the characters display off their prowess at fighting and technology manipulation. In a world where sci-fi authors are competing for readers, it would be easy to draw the comparison that Vicino himself has put himself in a fighting ring determined to show off his chops. The praise here lies in that he mostly succeeds, although I imagine myself in a writing workshop with Vicino, I do reach for the phrase ‘Did you ever meet a simile or metaphor you didn’t like?’ (and I’ll admit, that’s probably rich coming from me on any day of the week!) Reading the author’s end notes to the reader, his blog and his twitter feed, the real life style suggests a flamboyant personality that transfers well to this kind of fiction, but there were times when I wish the flamboyance and showmanship had been a little more reined in. Some descriptions in Time Heist are superfluous, or overly heavy on hyperbole, yet none of it is bad writing - just perhaps chances taken on wild description that don’t always pay off.

When I got to a description of toothpaste ‘[reaching] escape velocity’ and the line ‘...but leprechauns were going a jig on my eardrums, and his words weren’t making it past the bouncer’ I did think the author was pushing the boundaries between a clever new description and silliness. The same went for ‘..we milked our legs for every ounce of speed they had to give,’ which although not designed to be taken literally did make me smile in a way I probably wasn’t supposed to. However a few moments like these were balanced out by moments of brilliance: ‘Someone with a shaky hand preformed surgery in my skull with an ice cream scoop’ and ‘an engine that purred like a tiger fresh from a nap.’ (anyone remember those old Esso petrol ads that said ‘Put a tiger in your tank?’) There are some brilliant one-liners in Time Heist as well. UK readers will enjoy the description of what’s now ‘the island formerly known as the UK’, and although I’ve heard the idea before, I loved the placing of ‘You don’t get to choose which part of your soul the devil takes.’

Vicino’s use of comparative language is often razor sharp, and in a world where violence and pain are pervasive, it takes this kind of description-searching to keep it fresh - it’s hard to keep describing the same thing and do it differently. Going through my Kindle notes, I feel like I’ve taken a class in pain description and how to write effective fight scenes. I’ll forgive the author for one or two moments where ‘the laws of physics’ get mentioned in actions scenes (something I always think is too obvious and that characters probably wouldn’t consciously think of it in a life/death situation) and for the occasional line where past and present tenses switch in a way I found odd.

Time Heist also succeeds in its surprises. Impossible to discuss in a spoiler free review, but I’ll say that there are enough loaded lines to make the reader second-guess, but they’ll most likely still not get it quite right. The slight of hand in this book is deft and sneaky.

I look forward to reading more from Anthony Vicino.

[Julie Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through Library Thing from Author Anthony Vicino.

In 300 years, this book will be an age old tale of a world war between man and machine, machine and machine, but right now it’s amazing and scary all at once. Told by Author Anthony Vicino, this tale is action packed like nothing I have ever read before. The pace is fast, filled with twists and turns that keep you turning the page. There is a lot of blood and guts in this book. The writing is very descriptive and maybe at times was a bit too much for me, but I am not used to this type of book. After a while the intensity of the book caught up to me and took me over, kinda like a nanobyte on my nanocomp.

It may take you awhile to learn the language, but Anthony doesn’t give you a key to decipher this new world you have to learn as you go. You get thrown in just like our main character Tom Mandel. Once you think you have it figured out, put the book down, stretch your legs and get ready for the ride to get even more wild than you thought it could be.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, no matter the genre you think you like, at the end of this book, you will be very happy to have had the adventure. I want to say so much more to you , the future reader, but like the story you are hopefully about to embark on, all will be revealed in good time.

[Karen]

Very well written book with an odd ending

Just let me take my deep sigh and then I'll write away. Thus book was fantastic. You have Tom, the main character who literally has no time (just check his arm) out to get the man who killed his wife and escaped from prison. Oh and he's a pretty hard core addict. The storyline is solid, work build fantastic, characters amazing, the book itself a smidgen wordy but forgivable considering how much I'm enjoying it conceptually. Then it happened. About 80% in we had the twist, nothing wrong with a good twist except into this twist our new plot line derailed our old one and new twisted kept coming into focus. By the end I felt a little disappointed which is a shame because through the majority of the book I was thinking, you edit this a touch and it's solid gold. I'm sad about that. I would have given it 2-3 stars but I scored with the price and only paid $0.99 when it was on sale. Some may love the ending but I felt cheated, like I got pieces from a different book. I would have read both complete books, Anthony, you're that good.

You may feel differently like the whole story makes sense so I'm going to recommend this read. Get it and try it.

[Ted Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Heist is a fast-paced technothriller that is right up my alley, exploring future technologies that I myself have long imagined, such a nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligences, the capture of human minds within digital interfaces, and more. The pace is frenetic but still manages to bring depth to the characters and give us enough twists to power a Hollywood blockbuster (not that Hollywood bothers much with character anymore!). Vicino has a powerful gift for vivid writing that will keep me coming back for more.

[Andy Thorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark gritty sci-fi that reads at a frenetic pace. Time Heist is set a few hundred years in the future in a post-apocalyptic world where western society has even greater defined boundaries between rich and poor, haves and have nots. The technologies detailed and integral to the story are extremely advanced, well-defined, explored and most scarily of all, it is easy to suspend disbelief and imagine that many of them may become reality in the not-too-distant future.

Whilst the technology and world-building is detailed and complex, the action is almost relentless, a roller-coaster ride that assaults the anti-hero repeatedly throughout the book. Despite this, I read the character’s story arc as more of a spiritual journey of self-discovery than pure action and it explored themes of humanity from both a personal and societal perspective. The complex plot provides many twists and turns and it is the kind of book that I will enjoy reading again in the future, enjoying nuanced indications of the bigger picture that I would have missed the first time. An extremely entertaining techno-thriller.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 4.5
Tom Mandel was once a well-respected Time Vice cop. Now he is counting down the last day of his government allotted time, drowning his sorrows and regrets in the lower slums of a polluted world. Tom doesn’t particular care that he is going to die since it will allow him to exit his drug hazed life and join his wife, Diana, in death. He even trades his most valuable possession, a key that connects him to Diana, in exchange for not being given more time to work off a debt.

At least Tom didn’t care about dying until his old partner and friend, Alaina Raines, wakes him from a stupor to tell him that Malcolm Wolfe has escaped prison. Malcolm is the man who murdered Tom’s wife, along with millions of other innocent people. In spite of his degraded condition, Tom will use his last breath to try stop Malcolm from killing the rest of humanity.

Tom and Alaina set off to investigate, barging in on the prison warden to learn how the escape happened. They soon learn that a highly influential Unity leader facilitated the escape. Now Tom and Alaina are dodging the authorities, even as they brazenly confront the Unity council. Tom and Alaina face certain death until they are surprisingly helped by a super talented fighting girl and an old man. As Tom learns more about a rebellion conspiracy, he begins to learn secrets about his own past. He knew he had lost memories, stolen by Malcolm, but he had no idea the extent of his loss or the part he was designed to play in the rebellion.

This story is full of futuristic themes of life controls and high tech technology that includes nanites of all sorts: healing, weapon, protective and killing nanites. There are creative vehicles, creative clothing and of course creative weapons. The story twists and turns with secrets while Tom suffers one pummeling after another. (Really? How many beatings can one guy survive? I guess as many as are offered until your time clock punches out.) There are also the age old themes of power, political and financial greed.

The primary characters are intense and strongly flawed. The addiction aspects are interesting even as they are repellent. I enjoyed the rather resigned, bit dark, tone of the story told from Tom’s first person point of view.

This is a story that bears re-reading (or re-listening) as the reader untangles the twists to a bit of a surprise ending. I think it would make a good movie; one you would watch several times to make sure you get all the hints and keep track of the political intrigue and the players. It is a story about time but not time travel as I initially thought. I recommend this to readers who enjoy strong futuristic intrigue and action.

Audio Notes: Adam Verner does a grand job with the narration. He captures the mix of laconic, dark, intense and determined moods of Tom. Verner also provided suitable voices for the other characters, including an appropriate creepy and sinister tone for Malcolm. The audio enhanced my enjoyment of the book and I would like to hear other novels narrated by Verner.

I received the audio from the author for an honest review. SEE weblink for Giveaway! http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/...

[Dave Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combining the life-enhancing possibilities of biological nano-technology with a society where the only thing that has changed is what currency the rich horde and a vein of dark humour, Vicino has created a worthy successor to classic cyberpunk.

In a radical solution to the threat of anthropogenic environmental collapse, years of life have become currency. Tom used to be one of the police officers who ensured time wasn’t stolen, but the death of his wife and hundreds of others in the biggest time theft in history sent him spiralling into drug addiction. When the man who killed them escapes from prison, Tom’s old partner convinces him to join the hunt. But with only a day to live and little to live for, revenge might not be enough to keep him going.

Although Vicino’s world shares the idea of life as currency with a certain Hollywood blockbuster, that is where the comparisons end. The life timers in this story are both a logical extension of a world that has made a technological leap and only one advanced technology in a world of many. In addition, the history that made radically controlling human population the least worst option is provided to the reader. In combination, these move the idea of time is money from an interesting hook to a plausible (if distant) evolution of the real world.

This produces a world packed with interesting technology. However, Vicino does not let the techno-porn do the heavy lifting. While the challenges and benefits of his new world shape the plot, this is a character-driven story rather than a series of shiny new toys making pretty explosions faster than the enemy’s shiny toys.

The only potential judder in the otherwise high-speed ride comes in an epilogue that transforms aspects of the emotionally satisfying ending into uncertainties to be covered in the next book. This undercutting of the reader’s sense of completion could leave them feeling flat, so it might preserve enjoyment more to leave the epilogue unread until starting the sequel.

Tom is as well crafted as the world around him. Exploiting the difference in how the mind perceives active suicidal behaviour and passive non-resistance to impending death, Vicino creates a protagonist who is plausibly both self-destructive and motivated to survive.

From the ex-partner who can’t decide between friendship and contempt to the deadpan thug built like a brick wall, the supporting characters are all recognisable as stock characters in film noir and its successors. But, as with the world and protagonist, Vicino uses these familiar images as the reader’s initial point of connection to more complex personalities rather than the defining quality.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking grimy sci-fi or a fast-paced techno-thriller.

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair review.

[Christopher Gerrib · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Vicino, the author of Time Heist, contacted me directly via email with what proved to be a compelling pitch to review his first novel. I agreed, and was pleased with my decision.

Time Heist starts out as a futuristic hard-boiled mystery. Our first-person narrator, Tom Mandel, is an ex-cop with less than a day to live. He knows this because everybody is implanted with a Life Tracker. This device counts down your allocated 70 years of life, and when it hits zero, it kills you. Although Mandel has been abusing drugs for the past nine years since his wife was killed, nanotech means he’s fairly healthy.

Also, Mandel is an “Intuit” – somebody who can intuitively navigate the all-pervasive cyberspace. As I mentioned, the story starts out as a hard-boiled noir, with tired and world-weary detective doing one last job for the good guys. Perhaps fortunately, Mandel’s last assignment, to find Malcom Wolfe, escaped prisoner and killer of Mandel’s wife, proves to be much more high-stakes, involving no less than the fate of all humanity.

Alas, I found the story curiously slow to get started. Don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot of action from Chapter 2 thru to the end. But for the longest time we don’t find out what’s at stake. Malcom Wolfe, for example, killed nine million people! He did this by hacking their Life Trackers, taking them instantly to ten minutes left. Yet we don’t find this out until a good halfway into the book. The world in general is so radically different as to leave me in doubt as to whether or not it was Earth, but again, that detail isn’t provided until quite late in the book.

The other thing I found problematic was the action. I felt like I was in a first-person-shooter video game. Mandel and other named characters shot their way through guards and police like they were shooting zombies. The named characters did get hurt and complained of pain, but thanks to nanotech they were literally up and running in no time. The entire novel takes place in just over 24 hours.

Having said all of that, I found Time Heist an interesting and enjoyable read. Vicino’s writing is gripping, and his characters are sympathetic. Although I would have handled some things differently, Time Heist was a good read.

[Barbara Tsipouras · Rating 5 out of 5]

No, it's not my favorite genre. I just don't like all that technical stuff and fictional stories beyond probability.

But I love Anthony's writing, his unique imaginative style

Sentences like "Not sure who invited it, but an awkward silence joined us." or "A seed of guilt sitting in my gut blossomed into full-blown regret. It sank its roots deep, latching on and refusing to let go..." make me linger to digest properly every single word.


But no time for that. The action is evolving at a breathtaking pace.

The first person POV and detailed descriptions of whatever is going on within Tom allow us to live it all and to relate to our hero.


Anthony doesn't re-invent the genre. It's all there: the flawed hero who needs to save the world, a mighty enemy who wants to seize power. As we are far in the future AI and new technologies aren't surprising. Fans of the genre won't be disappointed.

It took me a while to get the concept of this world, but then I emerged deep into the story, that is until the point (around 80-85 %) where things drifted too far from reality or from what I can imagine as future reality. Might be my lack of imagination. I like books that stick to reality or at least stay within the spectrum of possibility.

This book is clearly meant as the first in a series. In general, I don't like series and I hate waiting for the next. But I'm sure I'll read it as soon as Anthony is ready to publish.

Sometimes it's worth reading a book not because of the story but just for the way it is written.

More about Anthony and others on http://reading-experience.blogspot.com

[Viking Jam · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://koeur.wordpress.com/2018/01/0...

Publisher: One Lazy Robot

Publishing Date: December 2014

ISBN:9780692336991

Genre: SciFi

Rating: 4.2/5

Publishers Description: Time Vice Detective Tom Mandel lost everything when Malcolm Wolfe pulled off the biggest heist in Unity history. The next nine years passed in a drug-induced haze filled with nightmares of all the millions of lives Tom failed to protect. But now, with less than 24 hours left on his government-issued Life Tracker, Tom is given a new reason to live. Revenge.

Review: This started out a bit patterned. A sort of SciFi Sam Spade detective noir rendition. Then it becomes infused with this futuristic implosion that leaves you guessing and transfixed at the same time.

The movement is constant and builds the characters in tandem to a high degree. The scenes are vividly crafted and the tech, highly plausible. There is much blood and gore but thankfully there are nanobots doing their biz in profligate manner. I really enjoyed this interlude over the holidays but missed the initial release by a few years.

[Az Vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast. Loud. ACTION.

Anthony Vicino puts you in a cyberpunk book reminiscent of William Gibson 's Sprawl Trilogy with a splashing of Tom Clancy's Net Force series. The action is hardcore and larger-than-life and yet the book doesn't have to rely on that as a one trick pony.

One interesting feeling I got from this was the sensation of being in a video game. The story that wends it's way through feels like it encounters different areas, from stealth to shoot-outs to dialogue scenes in different locales that would be perfectly fitting in a Deus Ex game. The plot builds up to various "boss fights" too and overall gave an enjoyable reading experience.

The prose is worthy of note. While sometimes it felt a little drawn out and overwrought, other sections were incredibly punchy and had some razor sharp wit and excellent turns of phrase.

Overall, definitely worth a read.

[LordTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, Time Heist is a great novel. It is one of those novels you feel as though you watched instead of read. There are a great many intense action scenes that keep the book flowing from page to page and a story line with plot twists that will have you craving to know what happens next. The only issues I had with the novel (why I gave it 4 stars) are that I feel as though some things were used too often. Take for example the word 'nanites'. I didn't count how many times it was used, but if I make it a point in my review, it was probably somewhat exorbitant. Similes are used ferociously throughout the novel as well, making the scenes a little too drawn out at times. And, since I listened to the audiobook (because I'm a boss like that), I did enjoy listening to Adam Verner on long car rides, except for his chosen inflection for the antagonist. It was just a bit annoying at times, but did not detract from the book.

Overall, I look forward to the next installment by Vicino because he definitely has something here.

[D.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time Heist (Firstborn Saga Book 1) by Anthony Vicino, is a gripping story full of action, emotion, twists, and turns. The book hooked me from the start and all the way to the end.

The author, Anthony Vicino, does a fantastic job writing real characters and world building. He writes thought provoking plots with many metaphors and witty dialogue. The many action scenes are well-written and leaves the reader feeling as though he/she had been right in the middle of it.

Time Heist is a fantastic book, very well-written, and professionally edited. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of futuristic science fiction.

http://mauldinfamily1.wordpress.com/2...

[Ryan H · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very intriguing to me. At times I thought the book was very great and others I thought it could've been better. I really like the main character and the way having or not having time really played a pivotal role in the outcome of the story. I did like the descriptive Ness of the scenes but it did sometimes affect the length intended to have some scenes drag on. This is not an issue for me but it can be a dealbreaker for some people as I realize I cannot have my cake and eat it too. When the big climax happened I think I was just expecting the book to go another way. I listened to the audio book and the narration was good to pacing and timing really did well to give us more descriptive list to the scenes I just felt like something was missing.

[Chrystelle Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please excuse the amount of time it took me to read this amazing book. It is NO WAY a reflection of the book rather just the wildness of my life at the time I started reading so my usual reading time went from daily to maaaybe weekly. I assure you with every second I got to read I was nose first in this book!

What a hell of a ride! This is one of the most exciting and riveting literary adventures I’ve been on. What fun! I actually had to start being conscious of my face because I found that I was unconsciously wrinkling my forehead so often while reading, because it was just nonstop shock after shock. Wow. I won’t give away any details, but I’ll just say... DAAAMN!

Now the writing... Oh the writing. I don’t know what I would call this style but whatever it’s called it’s my new favourite! With the use of plain language, a lot of humour and gripping dialogue, Vicino has somehow transported me into his living room seated on the floor with criss-cross knees, looking up at him mouth open while he sits on his rocking chair peering down at me recalling a daring adventure face to face. It’s so easy to feel like you’re IN the story. My forehead will need Botox now, but I guess it’s worth it lol. I feel like I FELT every punch, every blast, every daring leap, every heart break... it was a transformative experience no doubt and wonderfully captivating. If you love an original sci fi story, epic adventure and a smooth literary style, you’ll LOVE this book! I’m pre-ordering the next book in the series right now.

5 stars. Easy. Enjoy!

[˚✧₊⁎ѕαи∂у⁎⁺˳✧༚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Sci-Fi Thriller full of action!! ˛˛ꉂ ೭(˵¯̴͒ꇴ¯̴͒˵)౨”

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
Right from the beginning, I had to go on Amazon and get the book to add to my collection. If there are to be negatives, it would be the length. Which, it is something I enjoyed. Great dark science fiction mystery/ thriller that kept you hooked. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
This story takes place in a futuristic world of high technology, and population control. Reminded me of Logan's run. Only, "Time Heist" is immensely better. I could visualize the world. Like in real life, there's class struggle. This is what really kept me hooked on the story the 10+ hours. Well written and kept me entertained.
Writer Anthony Vicino made you feel as if you were in the middle of all the action; which were easy to visualize. Narrator did an amazing job bringing characters come to life. Adam Verner is to be commended for such great job. Boundless action and didn't encounter a dull moment. Totally stupendous for the thriller/ sci-fi genre lover. Most recommendable 5☆ story!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book as an audio book. I won a free copy, not sure if I am expected to review, but I want to. I enjoyed listening to this book.

It is set in the future. The human race can upgrade itself with various nanobots to increase strength or gain new abilities. The Stream, similar to the Internet, is accessible right from your mind. There are those that can manipulate the stream at a much greater ability than the rest of "us". One fallback in the future is your time is limited and is displayed on your arm. Our main character, Tom, only has hours left. That's where we meet our nemesis, the man who killed Tom's wife.

The book is fast paced with a lot of action. The characters and world were developed well. I was looking forward to coming back to hear more of the story each time I had to turn it off. I look forward to more in the series (since this says "Book 1").

The narrator was very good. I thought he voiced all the characters well.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a different type of read. I do not usually go for these type of mystery cop thrillers but this one takes it a bit further than any I have read before. If you need a change of pace this is a fast moving read but be wary that you pay close attention to the details like other reviewers have stated the story jobs back on it self and you have to go back to make sure where you are in the story. It reminded me of listening to an old veteran retelling his story for the millionth time but just realized hes telling it to a new listener. As long as you can tell where you are at in the story it stays strong and keeps you intrigued. Just received information that the next book in this series Mind Breach is due out in December 2015, well winter of 2015 and seeing how that is the last month it could be we will go with that!!!

[BookofCons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a series that is full of action and mystery and I was not disappointed with Time Heist! The first in a series of a futuristic world where the government basically controls your life. What drew me to this story was it reminded me of the movie In Time. They share similarities, but the non stop action and mystery of this story is so much better and I cannot wait to continue on to the second in the series. The idea of having a life tracker planted on your arm is both intriguing and terrifying. The downfall of the main character from losing his wife and his job and falling into an abusive habit and having little to no time left of his life to solve the murder of his wife that he was framed for is a well written story line that the author nails. I would highly recommend this book if you are into Sci-Fi crime and a Whodunit type of novel.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was provided by the author for an honest review. That being said, I have never bought an e-book but find giveaways or use the library and have access to more than I'll ever read. This book is one wild ride with a lot more depth than appears from the opening pages. I love action and it's hard to write well. The author achieves more effective, plot driven action than I've seen in many high budget action movies which basically end up being 'blowing stuff up.' This books excels in the blowing stuff up but with meaning. The violence is over the top and may be off putting for some, but the technology supports it. (Even with the technology, I wouldn't go this route but then again I'm a desk jockey.) What makes this book a 5 star one for me are the ideas revealed by the end. This is great science fiction clothed in a detective noir.

[Curby Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting first volume to a promising series. A bit slow the first half- partly for establishing the background material. But overall a fine example of tech noir in a dystopian future. Humans are assigned a 70 year allotment for their lifespan. This is somewhat reminiscent of Logan's Run when a person's lifeclock expired. In this case they simple shut down after a signal is sent to their brains. The main character follows the archetype of the hard-bitten, down on his luck former detective Tom Mandel. Haunted by his past and the death of his beloved, he is running out of time in the most literal sense. He has one day in order to solve a mystery which will shape the future of humanity. Look forward to the 2nd volume.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was f##king awesome! I had no idea what to expect when I started this book but what I got was a blend of Blade Runner, Matrix, Minority Report, and I, Robot. I had no problem submerging myself into the world the author created and could visualize the story like a movie running through my mind. The characters are complex, damaged and all have realistic motivations for what they are doing. The plot was complicated in the best way, where what you thought the story was about becomes something so much more. I'll definitely be adding this author to my favorites list.

[Wilco Roos · Rating 5 out of 5]

The start was a bit rough, not a clue where things were heading, but then the flood comes, and you head away from recognizable shorelines. What a ride, it reminded me very much of Neuromancer and Snow Crash, both books i loved to bits. If you are into Cyberpunk, jump in, you won't be disappointed! Highly Recommend!

[Nancy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifted copy for honest review.

I have to say I really enjoyed Time Heist. The story and characters were great. This has science fiction, mystery and thriller in the mix and makes for a great read. I recommend this to anyone who like sci-fi, mystery or thriller.

[John Napier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the futuristic world building in this very fast-paced sci-fi fantasy thriller, where the population was controlled by limiting people's lives to 70 years with implanted self-destruct devices letting everyone know their remaining time !

Into this strange world where we discover that life times can even be stolen, we follow Tom, a former detective who has come out of retirement to apprehend a recently escaped serial killer. I found the story exciting with many entertaining and humorous descriptions of events unfolding as the plot progressed with frequent twists and turns at break neck speed.

I also enjoyed the climatic ending, which I felt cleverly kept the plot alive and look forward to reuniting with Tom in the sequel to this fun series.