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A Near Future Sci-Fi Thriller #1
Awakening
A young woman awakens from a coma and finds she has special abilities and with that special challenges!
In this near future SciFi Thriller novel, a young woman has been awakened from a coma after nearly two years. Miranda Summerlin finds that she has been given nanites that give her enhanced mental abilities and extraordinary hand-to-eye coordination. She attends the nearby Space Academy where she uses her mental genius to work on cutting edge astrophysics and she joins the school shooting competition team after discovering she can hit wherever she aims at on a target. Intending to keep her skills low key, Miranda must step up to prevent a terrorist attack against the school that only she has the skills to do so.
Miranda has also drawn the attention of a girl on the soccer team who becomes her nemesis at the school. While playing pool at a school party, Miranda lets her irritation with her nemesis cause her to let some of her skills slip thru to others. But Miranda will soon be faced with the need to use many of her skills and in so doing, Miranda will come to the attention of her true nemesis, a rogue Organization that wants her nanites. She will need help to escape from their agent. In the process, she will discover her true identity. But what is the cost for her rescue? How will she deal with the Organization?
>>>The first in the Near Future series, Awakening is a near future sci-fi thriller in a world that combines science that just might be possible soon with psychic visions and an evil Organization that is backed by an unknown power.
Coming soon, books 2 and 3 in the series and a novella too!
Sign up for my Reader's List at http://randalsloan.com/nearfuture/
In this near future SciFi Thriller novel, a young woman has been awakened from a coma after nearly two years. Miranda Summerlin finds that she has been given nanites that give her enhanced mental abilities and extraordinary hand-to-eye coordination. She attends the nearby Space Academy where she uses her mental genius to work on cutting edge astrophysics and she joins the school shooting competition team after discovering she can hit wherever she aims at on a target. Intending to keep her skills low key, Miranda must step up to prevent a terrorist attack against the school that only she has the skills to do so.
Miranda has also drawn the attention of a girl on the soccer team who becomes her nemesis at the school. While playing pool at a school party, Miranda lets her irritation with her nemesis cause her to let some of her skills slip thru to others. But Miranda will soon be faced with the need to use many of her skills and in so doing, Miranda will come to the attention of her true nemesis, a rogue Organization that wants her nanites. She will need help to escape from their agent. In the process, she will discover her true identity. But what is the cost for her rescue? How will she deal with the Organization?
>>>The first in the Near Future series, Awakening is a near future sci-fi thriller in a world that combines science that just might be possible soon with psychic visions and an evil Organization that is backed by an unknown power.
Coming soon, books 2 and 3 in the series and a novella too!
Sign up for my Reader's List at http://randalsloan.com/nearfuture/
- GenresScience FictionAmazon
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2015
141 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Randal Sloan
31 books27 followersI am the author of a near future Sci-Fi thriller book series that speculates at just what might be possible in a few years. Years ago when I started university studies, I was in a physics program, ready to split the atom and study the wonders of our awesome universe. But alas, I wound up in engineering for more practical reasons, paying the bills. From there I moved on to computers and software development, but I have always tried to keep up with scientific developments and space exploration. Some of those ideas that just may be possible led to the books you are seeing.
I have over the last few years tried a number of interesting things, such as writing an iPhone app, trading stock options, and building a therapy pool at my home, but now I have returned to my first love - writing, something I started in the fourth grade of elementary school. Although that book never made it past my handwritten pages, due to the power of self-publishing suddenly it's possible to share some of my joy of writing with you.
So far I have two books in my Near Future Series and more books currently in the works in the same near future. I have other possible futures envisioned I think you might like. So join in with me as I envision the future. I hope you have as much fun with it as I do!!
To keep up with all that is going on with the Near Future series, sign up for the Reader's List at http://randalsloan.com/nearfuture/ (just copy and paste into your browser). You'll get a newsletter to keep you up to date and more, including free stuff that hopefully will keep you wanting more.
I have over the last few years tried a number of interesting things, such as writing an iPhone app, trading stock options, and building a therapy pool at my home, but now I have returned to my first love - writing, something I started in the fourth grade of elementary school. Although that book never made it past my handwritten pages, due to the power of self-publishing suddenly it's possible to share some of my joy of writing with you.
So far I have two books in my Near Future Series and more books currently in the works in the same near future. I have other possible futures envisioned I think you might like. So join in with me as I envision the future. I hope you have as much fun with it as I do!!
To keep up with all that is going on with the Near Future series, sign up for the Reader's List at http://randalsloan.com/nearfuture/ (just copy and paste into your browser). You'll get a newsletter to keep you up to date and more, including free stuff that hopefully will keep you wanting more.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 5, 2017
I wanted to like this book but it was poorly executed and slow. The antagonist actions and motives didn't make a lot of sense. They where also portrayed more like the Austin Powers franchise's Doctor Evil only trying to be serious. I'm usually good at suspending my disbelief but sadly this wasn't a wall I could ram my head through.
March 18, 2018
Needs more polish
I got about halfway through the book before I realized I was just trying to get through it, without much enjoyment.
The author has some cool ideas, but his delivery just didn't excite me. His characters feel kinda flat and the interactions are somewhat clunky. There was a distinct lack of emotion in a few spots where I expected a lot more.
The flow of the story didn't feel consistent with a "thriller," and some of the moments that should have been the most tense ended up being glossed over with barely a paragraph to tell you about it. I felt the author was doing more telling, than showing.
I saw that the author has written quite a few novels, so perhaps he got better with the others, but I just had a time staying interested in this one. I wish him better results with his other projects.
I got about halfway through the book before I realized I was just trying to get through it, without much enjoyment.
The author has some cool ideas, but his delivery just didn't excite me. His characters feel kinda flat and the interactions are somewhat clunky. There was a distinct lack of emotion in a few spots where I expected a lot more.
The flow of the story didn't feel consistent with a "thriller," and some of the moments that should have been the most tense ended up being glossed over with barely a paragraph to tell you about it. I felt the author was doing more telling, than showing.
I saw that the author has written quite a few novels, so perhaps he got better with the others, but I just had a time staying interested in this one. I wish him better results with his other projects.
December 31, 2019
Scary bad
This is a bad novel that's so bad it's funny. This was worth the slog, just to detail the awfulness for unsuspecting readers.
The central characters are the ultimate billionaires, described as what has to be a combination of Gates-Musk-Bezo. They own the largest corporation in the planet (they control all the voting stock, it seems). They are very nice people because they had a charity ball for ? (Save the greyhounds, maybe). Their generosity extends to providing scholarships for some of the brightest students (ten or so, it seems) to their science academy. It's heartwarming. Poor citizens of the U.S. can't pay their heating/cooling bills because of oil shortages and that's the entirety of describing U.S. society. The rest of the planet isn't mentioned.
An employee works to sabotage the corporation. He's assisted in acts of terror, piracy, murder of space crews and sabotage that leaves the poor cold and I imagine hungry but has a change of heart because his group targeted members of the trillionaire (I'm thinking) family for assassination? Heartwarming stuff.
The ruling class produces the best people. They are smarter, super attractive and empathetic (to people who have at least the minimum amount of wealth). I'm glad that they're not like the Koch's (trying to bring back monarchy), Gates (torpedoed innovation in the U.S. computer industry and critically damaged U.S. public education to create brand loyalty), and other not very nice billionaires.
The one trillionaire brother hops on an experimental spaceship, without informing his brother, as one does. Owning the largest corporation on the planet, being CEO of same, leaving his amnesiac daughter, all in the middle of a clandestine war against the Organization (massive respect for such a sinister name) which is nefarious, with the goal of ruling the planet (cue sinister theme music), are no obstacle preventing such a brave middle aged man from captaining a ship, whose experimental engines maybe should have been tested in a laboratory in space or better yet, the moon and maybe crewed by a small number of careful and carefully trained volunteers after theory has been developed to explain the characteristics of the new drive. It's refreshingly 1930's exploration at its finest.
The corporate security is incredibly progressive. Employees aren't vetted for top secret research, which is so intrusive. Cleaners can allow anyone to impersonate them in order to access restricted areas (like the CEO's office) without worrying about losing their job. That there is progressive. Modern U.S. corporations force cleaners to sign agreements that don't allow them to work for another company that might pay more and as far as I know are still getting away with it. I'm guessing that letting a stranger take your shift would be noticed and shut down by supervisors. Too bad they're not like the story corporation.
IT staff think nothing of violating secure communications and network security on the word of a staffer that it's a harmless prank. Inserting code into that system with their help is just how pranks work. They also don't lose their job or face criminal prosecution. That there is progressive.
Code written for a network AI can jump into nanite control interfaces, which are never explained. That there is some fine black box coding. Microsoft could use some of that just to get Windows to recognize previous versions of their "Office Suite". Coding that can jump the biological barrier is sweet and very imaginative. Coding for a mainframe program that can jump into machine nanite populations is a brand new perspective on programming. With insight like this, the writer really should be a software engineer at least and maybe work for NASA or the NSA or something. Are the nanites machine, biological or a hybrid (who knows, the writer doesn't).
Your heart will melt when you read about the hardships of this modern princess. The mean rich girls, who don't know that she's much wealthier throw mean looks at her. They sometimes bump into her (I almost cried at that scene) and even tried to beat her up at the end (those damn mean corridors of the elite Space Academy). I respect grittiness but this was almost too much. She didn't have so much as a dozen and a half agents/bodyguards covertly inserted into the student body and school staff, as well as befriending her poor amnesiac self. I did cry at that part of the story.
Fortunately, she was trained by three thirty year old +, special forces women (the writer calls them more properly girls). She was able then to save these bullies from a fate worse than death. Yes, all the school's female sports teams are captured and were about to suffer not decapitation or mutilation (the writer didn't put those in, oversights happen) but Sexual Assault. I personally would take "No Torture, mutilation, murder or sexual assault" for 500, Alex.
Read this thriller at your own peril.
This is a bad novel that's so bad it's funny. This was worth the slog, just to detail the awfulness for unsuspecting readers.
The central characters are the ultimate billionaires, described as what has to be a combination of Gates-Musk-Bezo. They own the largest corporation in the planet (they control all the voting stock, it seems). They are very nice people because they had a charity ball for ? (Save the greyhounds, maybe). Their generosity extends to providing scholarships for some of the brightest students (ten or so, it seems) to their science academy. It's heartwarming. Poor citizens of the U.S. can't pay their heating/cooling bills because of oil shortages and that's the entirety of describing U.S. society. The rest of the planet isn't mentioned.
An employee works to sabotage the corporation. He's assisted in acts of terror, piracy, murder of space crews and sabotage that leaves the poor cold and I imagine hungry but has a change of heart because his group targeted members of the trillionaire (I'm thinking) family for assassination? Heartwarming stuff.
The ruling class produces the best people. They are smarter, super attractive and empathetic (to people who have at least the minimum amount of wealth). I'm glad that they're not like the Koch's (trying to bring back monarchy), Gates (torpedoed innovation in the U.S. computer industry and critically damaged U.S. public education to create brand loyalty), and other not very nice billionaires.
The one trillionaire brother hops on an experimental spaceship, without informing his brother, as one does. Owning the largest corporation on the planet, being CEO of same, leaving his amnesiac daughter, all in the middle of a clandestine war against the Organization (massive respect for such a sinister name) which is nefarious, with the goal of ruling the planet (cue sinister theme music), are no obstacle preventing such a brave middle aged man from captaining a ship, whose experimental engines maybe should have been tested in a laboratory in space or better yet, the moon and maybe crewed by a small number of careful and carefully trained volunteers after theory has been developed to explain the characteristics of the new drive. It's refreshingly 1930's exploration at its finest.
The corporate security is incredibly progressive. Employees aren't vetted for top secret research, which is so intrusive. Cleaners can allow anyone to impersonate them in order to access restricted areas (like the CEO's office) without worrying about losing their job. That there is progressive. Modern U.S. corporations force cleaners to sign agreements that don't allow them to work for another company that might pay more and as far as I know are still getting away with it. I'm guessing that letting a stranger take your shift would be noticed and shut down by supervisors. Too bad they're not like the story corporation.
IT staff think nothing of violating secure communications and network security on the word of a staffer that it's a harmless prank. Inserting code into that system with their help is just how pranks work. They also don't lose their job or face criminal prosecution. That there is progressive.
Code written for a network AI can jump into nanite control interfaces, which are never explained. That there is some fine black box coding. Microsoft could use some of that just to get Windows to recognize previous versions of their "Office Suite". Coding that can jump the biological barrier is sweet and very imaginative. Coding for a mainframe program that can jump into machine nanite populations is a brand new perspective on programming. With insight like this, the writer really should be a software engineer at least and maybe work for NASA or the NSA or something. Are the nanites machine, biological or a hybrid (who knows, the writer doesn't).
Your heart will melt when you read about the hardships of this modern princess. The mean rich girls, who don't know that she's much wealthier throw mean looks at her. They sometimes bump into her (I almost cried at that scene) and even tried to beat her up at the end (those damn mean corridors of the elite Space Academy). I respect grittiness but this was almost too much. She didn't have so much as a dozen and a half agents/bodyguards covertly inserted into the student body and school staff, as well as befriending her poor amnesiac self. I did cry at that part of the story.
Fortunately, she was trained by three thirty year old +, special forces women (the writer calls them more properly girls). She was able then to save these bullies from a fate worse than death. Yes, all the school's female sports teams are captured and were about to suffer not decapitation or mutilation (the writer didn't put those in, oversights happen) but Sexual Assault. I personally would take "No Torture, mutilation, murder or sexual assault" for 500, Alex.
Read this thriller at your own peril.
May 23, 2024
This is a YA scifi romp where a young woman saves the day.
This is a near future alternate dimension story where Alexa and Siri are yet to come but other things are far more advanced. The editing is neither bad nor great. Sloan still struggles with proper use of words like Between and among, further and farther, but there is noted improvement. That said, he comes up with layered nuanced stories with interesting characters that I consider good reads. I awarded the full,5 stars because the story, though very short , held my attention,. This is part of a series of short entertaining books targeted at the YA audience and intended to be quick reads. I’m in my 80’s and still found it enjoyable.
This is a near future alternate dimension story where Alexa and Siri are yet to come but other things are far more advanced. The editing is neither bad nor great. Sloan still struggles with proper use of words like Between and among, further and farther, but there is noted improvement. That said, he comes up with layered nuanced stories with interesting characters that I consider good reads. I awarded the full,5 stars because the story, though very short , held my attention,. This is part of a series of short entertaining books targeted at the YA audience and intended to be quick reads. I’m in my 80’s and still found it enjoyable.
December 9, 2025
A little too much
The grammatical errors were few and far between. The story has good meter and progressed fairly well. The transitions were also fairly smooth. As far as " The Medal of Honor" goes, I would have to say no. While it was a conflict, she was not participating in a military position. The actions she took were also not worthy of that high honor. Maybe, just maybe, it would be worthy of a Silver Star. I did like the scientific theories. With more practice, this author will go places.
The grammatical errors were few and far between. The story has good meter and progressed fairly well. The transitions were also fairly smooth. As far as " The Medal of Honor" goes, I would have to say no. While it was a conflict, she was not participating in a military position. The actions she took were also not worthy of that high honor. Maybe, just maybe, it would be worthy of a Silver Star. I did like the scientific theories. With more practice, this author will go places.
July 2, 2018
Nanotechnology as it's finest
Great book. However it seemed to flounder a couple of times. The heroine has survived a missile strick and has been subjected to nanotechnology. How will it affect her? Taking into account that the world seems to be battling a common enemy. What will happen to her father? A terrific read similar to several I have read but more sympathetic to the views of a young girl.
Great book. However it seemed to flounder a couple of times. The heroine has survived a missile strick and has been subjected to nanotechnology. How will it affect her? Taking into account that the world seems to be battling a common enemy. What will happen to her father? A terrific read similar to several I have read but more sympathetic to the views of a young girl.
March 4, 2019
Believably, a near-future recount of space-time continuity...
Miranda discovers as a teenager that she has unbounding powers thanks to her Dad and Uncle. Space Tech is like Space-X at its infancy. When we channel our knowledge as humans, we unleash our God-Given capabilities. We must, however, learn to control and focus our dedication and responsibilities to a common future. We have ‘lift-off’.
Miranda discovers as a teenager that she has unbounding powers thanks to her Dad and Uncle. Space Tech is like Space-X at its infancy. When we channel our knowledge as humans, we unleash our God-Given capabilities. We must, however, learn to control and focus our dedication and responsibilities to a common future. We have ‘lift-off’.
November 9, 2024
I wanted to love this, but it was a bit of a rollercoaster. The premise was exciting, but somewhere along the way, it lost its momentum. Some parts were thrilling, while others felt overly detailed and slow. It had moments of brilliance, but they were few and far between. It’s good, just not great.
October 15, 2020
Not bad
Like the book reminded me a little between Laurence E. Dahners and Mackey Chandler. Wish book one was kindle unlimited
Like the book reminded me a little between Laurence E. Dahners and Mackey Chandler. Wish book one was kindle unlimited
December 11, 2021
Very good, but I have read better which is why its 4 stars.
March 14, 2017
A great read! Love the posthumous nanites
Love the sci-fi ideas that in 50 years or so people will think of as we see smart phones today. A great protagonist female lead. I am looking forward to the sequel which I will download as soon as I finish this post.
Love the sci-fi ideas that in 50 years or so people will think of as we see smart phones today. A great protagonist female lead. I am looking forward to the sequel which I will download as soon as I finish this post.
January 2, 2017
I really liked the book. The writing is a little rough but improves. The second book shows more improvement. The grammar was fine and the characters were decent. I enjoyed the story, finished it quickly and moved on to the second. Recommend
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews