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House of Nepenthe
He built a digital refuge for the dying. Now he may never leave it.
When Vinestead engineer Ken Barnes is shot in Austin's Old Downtown district, he finds himself trapped inside the House of Nepenthe—a virtual reality construct built from his own memories. Designed as a last-resort digital hospice, the House should allow him to communicate with the outside world while his body lies in a hospital bed.
But something is wrong.
The connection is blocked. His personal assistant is hiding something behind her professional smile. And the House won’t stop digging up memories he spent years trying to bury.
Miles away, Vinestead analyst Patrick Quinn detects an anomaly tearing through VNet—a self-propagating tapeworm that refuses to die. When the breach appears tied to Ken’s condition, Patrick faces an impossible let the evidence incriminate his best friend or defy corporate orders and find the truth himself.
As a disgraced FBI agent enters the investigation and a teenage hacker stumbles onto something she was never meant to find, the story of a random shooting begins to fall apart. Someone wanted Ken Barnes silenced… and they’re not finished yet.
Now every lead points back to the House of Nepenthe—where Ken’s worst enemy has been waiting all along.
Return to the Vinestead Universe. June 2, 2026.
When Vinestead engineer Ken Barnes is shot in Austin's Old Downtown district, he finds himself trapped inside the House of Nepenthe—a virtual reality construct built from his own memories. Designed as a last-resort digital hospice, the House should allow him to communicate with the outside world while his body lies in a hospital bed.
But something is wrong.
The connection is blocked. His personal assistant is hiding something behind her professional smile. And the House won’t stop digging up memories he spent years trying to bury.
Miles away, Vinestead analyst Patrick Quinn detects an anomaly tearing through VNet—a self-propagating tapeworm that refuses to die. When the breach appears tied to Ken’s condition, Patrick faces an impossible let the evidence incriminate his best friend or defy corporate orders and find the truth himself.
As a disgraced FBI agent enters the investigation and a teenage hacker stumbles onto something she was never meant to find, the story of a random shooting begins to fall apart. Someone wanted Ken Barnes silenced… and they’re not finished yet.
Now every lead points back to the House of Nepenthe—where Ken’s worst enemy has been waiting all along.
Return to the Vinestead Universe. June 2, 2026.
612 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 2, 2026
About the author
Daniel Verastiqui
12 books72 followersDaniel Verastiqui is a cyberpunk science fiction author based in Austin, Texas. With eight books published, he explores the intersections of technology and humanity in vivid, futuristic worlds. He is currently writing The Vinestead Anthology, a series of novels set in a shared universe yet standing alone as unique stories. His work offers a thrilling mix of suspense, action, and thought-provoking themes that delve into an alternate digital age where technology threatens the world and everyone in it.
His next book, House of Nepenthe, is scheduled for release in 2026. Visit danielverastiqui.com for more details.
His next book, House of Nepenthe, is scheduled for release in 2026. Visit danielverastiqui.com for more details.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 2, 2026
*Advanced Reader Copy Review*
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !!!!
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD and that comes from someone who honestly has no idea how virtual reality works besides what my brother has told me and tried to teach me. This book didn’t make me feel like I had to know everything about it for me to understand which honestly made it so much better! I did have to google some stuff but that’s on me trying to understand it better.
The story following four different 3rd person POVs really kept me focused and entertained. Also the fact that they all intertwine but you don’t see how they do until you get farther into the book really keeps you on your seat! Trying to figure out the person who shot Kenneth at the beginning of the book (no spoilers, it happens in chapter 1) while reading everyone’s different stories really kept me on edge and had me at a cliffhanger at every twist and turn.
I will say having the POV of Ray while being someone who is not in the same location as the rest of the characters made you think about how she is related to the story but the more it progressed, you can see why the more the House of Nepenthe progressed!
In the end though the way this book had me on the edge of my seat from about chapter 30 til the end really made this so enjoyable for me and I loved seeing all the complicated emotions and mentality of every character.
Thank you to Daniel Verastqui for writing this standalone and for BookSirens for the advanced copy 😌
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !!!!
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD and that comes from someone who honestly has no idea how virtual reality works besides what my brother has told me and tried to teach me. This book didn’t make me feel like I had to know everything about it for me to understand which honestly made it so much better! I did have to google some stuff but that’s on me trying to understand it better.
The story following four different 3rd person POVs really kept me focused and entertained. Also the fact that they all intertwine but you don’t see how they do until you get farther into the book really keeps you on your seat! Trying to figure out the person who shot Kenneth at the beginning of the book (no spoilers, it happens in chapter 1) while reading everyone’s different stories really kept me on edge and had me at a cliffhanger at every twist and turn.
I will say having the POV of Ray while being someone who is not in the same location as the rest of the characters made you think about how she is related to the story but the more it progressed, you can see why the more the House of Nepenthe progressed!
In the end though the way this book had me on the edge of my seat from about chapter 30 til the end really made this so enjoyable for me and I loved seeing all the complicated emotions and mentality of every character.
Thank you to Daniel Verastqui for writing this standalone and for BookSirens for the advanced copy 😌
Review of advance copy received from Author
Love these characters, they really drew me into the story. Every chapter has a strong cliff hanger that kept me reading. Even the ending has a cliff hanger. Good job, Daniel. There is no rest for the weary so get busy with the next book! Please. The Vinestead universe you've created is awesome.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews