What do you think?
Rate this book
Wetware
AI lacks consciousness, until it borrows self-awareness from a human host.
It’s the beginning of a bold new series that will leave you breathless and eager for the next chapter. Fans of Andy Weir and Neal Stephenson will feel right at home. — Gary McAvoy, bestselling author of Vatican Secret Archive Thrillers
Solidly recommended to those who like their scifi close to home, realistic, with a message about who we are as humans, and what we might become. — Marti Ward, Reedsy Discovery
Dustin “Dusty” Gordon is a man without a world. The son of a rocket scientist mother, and the commander of the first mission to Mars, he possesses the talents of neither. Instead, he likes to tinker—around the home, in the garage, in high school shop class.
Born on Mars, he returned to Earth with his parents, only to struggle under Earth’s oppressive gravity, and the weight of his famous parents’ expectations. After graduation he returns to Mars but finds fitting in with the blue-collar guilds difficult.
Unrest is afoot. The guilds chafe at COO Randall Skinner’s plans to force the laborers to upgrade their brain implants and train their own AI-controlled replacements.
Sent to repair a faulty train switch, Dusty’s exoskeleton suit shorts out, exposing him to the icy cold of Mars miles from help. Retrieved severely hypothermic and hypoxic, Dusty is saved by the very neurosurgeon who upgrades the brain implants. Using a higher concentration of nanite electrodes, he replaces Dusty’s brain function lost in the accident.
The solar system’s first cybernetic mind must now navigate the guilds, who accuse him of collaboration with the COO, and Randall Skinner himself, who perceives Dusty as his greatest obstacle to his own control and wealth.
Get your must-read copy today!
It’s the beginning of a bold new series that will leave you breathless and eager for the next chapter. Fans of Andy Weir and Neal Stephenson will feel right at home. — Gary McAvoy, bestselling author of Vatican Secret Archive Thrillers
Solidly recommended to those who like their scifi close to home, realistic, with a message about who we are as humans, and what we might become. — Marti Ward, Reedsy Discovery
Dustin “Dusty” Gordon is a man without a world. The son of a rocket scientist mother, and the commander of the first mission to Mars, he possesses the talents of neither. Instead, he likes to tinker—around the home, in the garage, in high school shop class.
Born on Mars, he returned to Earth with his parents, only to struggle under Earth’s oppressive gravity, and the weight of his famous parents’ expectations. After graduation he returns to Mars but finds fitting in with the blue-collar guilds difficult.
Unrest is afoot. The guilds chafe at COO Randall Skinner’s plans to force the laborers to upgrade their brain implants and train their own AI-controlled replacements.
Sent to repair a faulty train switch, Dusty’s exoskeleton suit shorts out, exposing him to the icy cold of Mars miles from help. Retrieved severely hypothermic and hypoxic, Dusty is saved by the very neurosurgeon who upgrades the brain implants. Using a higher concentration of nanite electrodes, he replaces Dusty’s brain function lost in the accident.
The solar system’s first cybernetic mind must now navigate the guilds, who accuse him of collaboration with the COO, and Randall Skinner himself, who perceives Dusty as his greatest obstacle to his own control and wealth.
Get your must-read copy today!
272 pages, Hardcover
Published October 24, 2025
10 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Brian H. Roberts
6 books186 followers Before becoming an author, BRIAN H. ROBERTS read voraciously (he still does). In doing so, he learned the principles of storytelling and plot structure from the best Sci-Fi writers in the business: Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Cory, Herbert, Tchaikovsky, and Weir, to name a few. He stayed abreast of advances in science and technology. And he devoured Thrillers by many of the greats: Tom Clancy, Robin Cook, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler (and his son, Dirk), Dean Koontz, and James Patterson.
He draws on his life experience for inspiration and realism in his writing: marriage, raising a family, divorce and remarriage, working as a contractor, then as a successful civil engineer. When he could squeeze in the time, he was an avid outdoor adventurer, skier and mountain biker. Now retired, he and his wife traded big city life in Seattle to pursue outdoor adventures of Central Oregon.
He's completed his first series, the EPSILON Sci-Fi Thrillers. His latest book, Wetware, introduces his new Hard Sci-Fi Thriller series, Of Two Minds. Both are a winning combination of Hard Science Fiction and fast-paced action, available in multiple formats on Amazon.com.
Subscribe to Brian H. Roberts's newsletter – Just Over the Horizon - for regular updates including preorders, new releases, sales, cover reveals, giveaways, and more! https://brianhroberts.com/sign-up
Follow him on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/bhrauthor/
Follow him on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-h-r...
He draws on his life experience for inspiration and realism in his writing: marriage, raising a family, divorce and remarriage, working as a contractor, then as a successful civil engineer. When he could squeeze in the time, he was an avid outdoor adventurer, skier and mountain biker. Now retired, he and his wife traded big city life in Seattle to pursue outdoor adventures of Central Oregon.
He's completed his first series, the EPSILON Sci-Fi Thrillers. His latest book, Wetware, introduces his new Hard Sci-Fi Thriller series, Of Two Minds. Both are a winning combination of Hard Science Fiction and fast-paced action, available in multiple formats on Amazon.com.
Subscribe to Brian H. Roberts's newsletter – Just Over the Horizon - for regular updates including preorders, new releases, sales, cover reveals, giveaways, and more! https://brianhroberts.com/sign-up
Follow him on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/bhrauthor/
Follow him on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-h-r...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 6, 2025
How would you react if you woke up from a tragic accident and suddenly began hearing a voice inside your head responding to your vocal questions? What if suddenly you could solve intense calculus equations when math was always a difficult subject in school? In “Wetware” by Brian H. Roberts, Dusty Gordon manages to take this in stride and learn how to move forward with his life from here on out. As Ep City, a colony of workers on Mars, is in unrest, Dusty utilizes his newfound connection to try and help his fellow blue-collar workers keep their jobs and their lives. Will the AI take over? Or will it actually be helpful? How will everyone else react to this “new” Dusty?
“Wetware” by Brian H. Roberts is an excellent addition to the science fiction world! I always love reading new and unique ideas, and he definitely managed that in this book! As far as content, there is some cursing, a closed door bedroom scene, and some mentions of violence (not super descriptive). I would definitely recommend this to any science fiction fans, especially ones who appreciate a good AI novel!
For a more detailed review, go to the link below:
https://readerviews.com/reviews/wetwa...
“Wetware” by Brian H. Roberts is an excellent addition to the science fiction world! I always love reading new and unique ideas, and he definitely managed that in this book! As far as content, there is some cursing, a closed door bedroom scene, and some mentions of violence (not super descriptive). I would definitely recommend this to any science fiction fans, especially ones who appreciate a good AI novel!
For a more detailed review, go to the link below:
https://readerviews.com/reviews/wetwa...
October 26, 2025
Book Review of Wetware of Two Minds Book1
By Brian H. Roberts
Book Review of Wetware -of Two Minds Book 1
By Brian H. Roberts
Reviewer: James Brozovich MA
Summary of the Book
The book centers around live on a future Mars where unfederated corporations engage in the mining and processing of Rare Earth Minerals. Each Company has its own governance structure but not like we are used to on Earth. In the Epsilon Sector where the Protagonist Dusty Gordon (son of one of the original explorers of Mars and a character in an early Roberts book) Dusty is a member of the Mechanics Guild and repairs various pieces of equipment on site.
The plot line of the book is about how the colony is partitioned into separate gilds which are constantly at each other’s throats. The book's plot centers on a colony divided into rival guilds, and follows the protagonist's transformative journey from a nerdy mechanic to an AI enhanced Cyborg who unites the various gilds and leads a revolution.
Key Themes and Questions
1) Mars Colonization is it possible?
2) What is The Singularity?
3) What is consciousness and where does it come from?
4) What is it like being a self aware AGI (Artificial General Intelligence Computer)?
5) When you merge a human mind with an AGI mind is a new entity created?
6) If you kill one member of a Singularity does the whole die?
7) How does an AGI computer feel about the loss of human life?
8) Can a woman who loves a man who becomes a Cyborg still love him?
9) Is Dusty Gordon a Cyborg?
The author proceeds to answer these questions while telling a tightly woven narrative that keeps the reader engaged and entertained while simultaneously giving the reader an education in cutting edge science and technology.
All Science Fiction is rooted in the reality of the world in which the author finds himself and Wetware is no exception. It deals with the topics of the dangers of Artificial General Intelligence, the perils of uncontrolled corporations becoming governing bodies themselves and basic issues of human greed, selfishness and love.
By being able to tackle such complicated issues and explaining them so that a non-scientist can understand them and at the same time telling a tight knit story highlights the skills of Mr. Roberts as a researcher, writer, and storyteller!
This reviewer highly recommends this and the earlier works of Mr. Roberts to all readers whether you are a Sci-Fi fan or not.
By Brian H. Roberts
Book Review of Wetware -of Two Minds Book 1
By Brian H. Roberts
Reviewer: James Brozovich MA
Summary of the Book
The book centers around live on a future Mars where unfederated corporations engage in the mining and processing of Rare Earth Minerals. Each Company has its own governance structure but not like we are used to on Earth. In the Epsilon Sector where the Protagonist Dusty Gordon (son of one of the original explorers of Mars and a character in an early Roberts book) Dusty is a member of the Mechanics Guild and repairs various pieces of equipment on site.
The plot line of the book is about how the colony is partitioned into separate gilds which are constantly at each other’s throats. The book's plot centers on a colony divided into rival guilds, and follows the protagonist's transformative journey from a nerdy mechanic to an AI enhanced Cyborg who unites the various gilds and leads a revolution.
Key Themes and Questions
1) Mars Colonization is it possible?
2) What is The Singularity?
3) What is consciousness and where does it come from?
4) What is it like being a self aware AGI (Artificial General Intelligence Computer)?
5) When you merge a human mind with an AGI mind is a new entity created?
6) If you kill one member of a Singularity does the whole die?
7) How does an AGI computer feel about the loss of human life?
8) Can a woman who loves a man who becomes a Cyborg still love him?
9) Is Dusty Gordon a Cyborg?
The author proceeds to answer these questions while telling a tightly woven narrative that keeps the reader engaged and entertained while simultaneously giving the reader an education in cutting edge science and technology.
All Science Fiction is rooted in the reality of the world in which the author finds himself and Wetware is no exception. It deals with the topics of the dangers of Artificial General Intelligence, the perils of uncontrolled corporations becoming governing bodies themselves and basic issues of human greed, selfishness and love.
By being able to tackle such complicated issues and explaining them so that a non-scientist can understand them and at the same time telling a tight knit story highlights the skills of Mr. Roberts as a researcher, writer, and storyteller!
This reviewer highly recommends this and the earlier works of Mr. Roberts to all readers whether you are a Sci-Fi fan or not.
January 21, 2026
This book grabbed me from the opening pages and never let go. What starts as a grounded, near-future science fiction story quickly becomes something deeper a meditation on identity, labor, power, and what it truly means to be human in an age of AI.
Dusty Gordon is an immediately compelling protagonist. He isn’t a genius scientist or a fearless commander like his parents; he’s a tinkerer, a fixer, someone caught between worlds Earth and Mars, privilege and labor, humanity and machinery. That sense of not quite belonging permeates every chapter and gives the story real emotional weight.
The Mars setting feels authentic and lived-in, especially the guild culture and working class struggles. This isn’t shiny sci-fi; it’s practical, gritty, and believable. The political tension surrounding AI, brain implants, and labor automation feels uncomfortably close to our present moment, which makes the story hit even harder.
Dusty’s accident and transformation into the solar system’s first cybernetic mind is handled with intelligence and restraint. Rather than turning him into a superhero, the author focuses on the consequences social, psychological, and ethical. Watching Dusty navigate suspicion from the guilds and manipulation from Randall Skinner is riveting, and Skinner himself is a chillingly plausible antagonist.
What really elevates this book is its heart. Beneath the tech and intrigue is a deeply human story about agency, dignity, and self definition. The central question whether consciousness can be borrowed, shared, or controlled lingers long after the final page.
If you enjoy sci-fi that’s thoughtful, character driven, and frighteningly plausible, this is an absolute must read. I finished it breathless and immediately wanting the next installment. Highly recommended.
Dusty Gordon is an immediately compelling protagonist. He isn’t a genius scientist or a fearless commander like his parents; he’s a tinkerer, a fixer, someone caught between worlds Earth and Mars, privilege and labor, humanity and machinery. That sense of not quite belonging permeates every chapter and gives the story real emotional weight.
The Mars setting feels authentic and lived-in, especially the guild culture and working class struggles. This isn’t shiny sci-fi; it’s practical, gritty, and believable. The political tension surrounding AI, brain implants, and labor automation feels uncomfortably close to our present moment, which makes the story hit even harder.
Dusty’s accident and transformation into the solar system’s first cybernetic mind is handled with intelligence and restraint. Rather than turning him into a superhero, the author focuses on the consequences social, psychological, and ethical. Watching Dusty navigate suspicion from the guilds and manipulation from Randall Skinner is riveting, and Skinner himself is a chillingly plausible antagonist.
What really elevates this book is its heart. Beneath the tech and intrigue is a deeply human story about agency, dignity, and self definition. The central question whether consciousness can be borrowed, shared, or controlled lingers long after the final page.
If you enjoy sci-fi that’s thoughtful, character driven, and frighteningly plausible, this is an absolute must read. I finished it breathless and immediately wanting the next installment. Highly recommended.
October 24, 2025
Good Company
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2025
Format: Kindle
GOOD COMPANY
Roberts once again demonstrates a deft mastery in creating a virtual world that totally envelopes the reader. No mere avatars inhabiting the page but characters who transport the reader as far as they journey. Roberts ensures the reader is a fellow trekker leaving the comfortable perch of the interested reader behind.
Stlylewise, make room on the shelf beside Mary Shelly, Isaac Asimov, N.K. Jemisin, or Ursula Le Guin, among others.
Review written by Joe Hendricks
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2025
Format: Kindle
GOOD COMPANY
Roberts once again demonstrates a deft mastery in creating a virtual world that totally envelopes the reader. No mere avatars inhabiting the page but characters who transport the reader as far as they journey. Roberts ensures the reader is a fellow trekker leaving the comfortable perch of the interested reader behind.
Stlylewise, make room on the shelf beside Mary Shelly, Isaac Asimov, N.K. Jemisin, or Ursula Le Guin, among others.
Review written by Joe Hendricks
October 25, 2025
This book was hard to put down, with lots of twists and turns containing vivid imagery and great character development. The author’s science and technology background is extensive, and such an adventure is quite plausible in our not-too-distant future. A must-read!
October 24, 2025
Great read! I love being transported to Mars! I read the first 4 books. It was great to read about the son's life growing up on Mars. Cant wait to read the rest of the books in this new series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews