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Emergent
It's 2065, and wonders abound: space-scraping buildings, teleportation, and, time travel. But Mel Taggit, a young inventor, turns to the cosmos, inventing a device that will change space travel forever. His creation attracts Emergent--the world's highest spacescraper, commanded by a god-like intelligence, E. It has plans for Mel, but one thing stands in its way: Mel's mother disappeared there years ago. And though he swore to never return, Mel will discover the truth or meet his mother's fate.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Tew
3 books38 followersThree years ago, I had written this bio in the third person and from a place of ignorance. I thought about how I wanted you to see me and know of me, rather than giving you me as I am. So I'll keep it simple. I'm a family man and a veteran. I don't screw around with anything I don't think will help people feel something. That's why I write, because I want you to feel and do outside of what you have in the past. So you might see a clear representation of war in my stories or vulnerability, and not without courage. Because if there is one thing that excites me, it's people who put themselves out there in the eyes of their peers to be judged.
In the coming years, Im going to give you a look at my imagination. Take it or leave it, I'm a person who has feelings and sees strange things that don't exist in our world. I want you to go on that adventure with me, seeing places and people that are grotesque and fleshed and weird.
But there's another part of this, the monetary part. I don't give two blanks about growing readership or seeing myself in the New York Times or winning the Hugo award or accumulating all sorts of money and a fancy mansion on a river somewhere, as I once dreamed. I only want to sell books so that I can save veterans. That's it.
In the coming years, Im going to give you a look at my imagination. Take it or leave it, I'm a person who has feelings and sees strange things that don't exist in our world. I want you to go on that adventure with me, seeing places and people that are grotesque and fleshed and weird.
But there's another part of this, the monetary part. I don't give two blanks about growing readership or seeing myself in the New York Times or winning the Hugo award or accumulating all sorts of money and a fancy mansion on a river somewhere, as I once dreamed. I only want to sell books so that I can save veterans. That's it.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 18, 2016
Having read this author's more YA books, I was curious to see how this more adult novel would go. Now, I'm quite pleasantly surprised by how Tew's writing and storytelling has "grown up." While his other books are cool and entertaining, this one is a lot more complex and easily better written. It's like Looper meets Ex Machina meets...something about corporate hoodwinking via chemical-induced amnesia.
I don't have a clue how to explain the plot (a difficulty whenever multiple timelines are involved), but basically the story centers around Mel, a young inventor, and how he gets tangled up in the deceptions of the corporate powers at Emergent, a towering "spacescraper" where dwell those responsible for the greatest advancements in science. Meanwhile, Dale and Eirik time-travel all over the place and try to orchestrate events, and this has SOMETHING to do with why-ever Emergent wanted Caroline, Mel's mother, in the first place. The different timelines added a dimension of intrigue that I enjoyed, but it was also confusing as I tried to sort out who was up to what, when, how, and why. But, that confusion also kept me reading.
The android aspect of the story was great. Tamara's growing awareness of Self and her subsequent adventures, all while working out her loyalty/love to Mel, made her a very sympathetic non-human character. I've read a lot of Sci-Fi books with female androids and at first thought, "Dear Lord, not another idealized sexbot," but this was not that, as Tamara is much more fleshed out, so to speak. The contrasts between here and E, the god-like AI of Emergent, worked very well too. It was cool how these futuristic creations were used, and also how they used minds of their own to interfere with human plans.
Honestly, I think Mel often was a little stupid. His frequently saying, "Huh?" made me think this was on purpose on the author's part, but sometimes his actions and decisions seemed dumb solely so that the plot would move in a certain direction. (Example: If you don't trust the bigwigs and think they are responsible for your mother's disappearance, THEN you receive a note warning you your life is in danger, why would you show that note to said bigwigs?)
Overall, I was impressed with the complexity of this story, even if it felt like a few too many layers at times. The not-so-distant future setting is completely believable as corporations with money seem to have all the power. It was easy to relate to the good, struggling characters while detesting the greedy, ambitious-at-any-cost characters. And by the end, the direction the story takes definitely leaves room open for more story to come.
I don't have a clue how to explain the plot (a difficulty whenever multiple timelines are involved), but basically the story centers around Mel, a young inventor, and how he gets tangled up in the deceptions of the corporate powers at Emergent, a towering "spacescraper" where dwell those responsible for the greatest advancements in science. Meanwhile, Dale and Eirik time-travel all over the place and try to orchestrate events, and this has SOMETHING to do with why-ever Emergent wanted Caroline, Mel's mother, in the first place. The different timelines added a dimension of intrigue that I enjoyed, but it was also confusing as I tried to sort out who was up to what, when, how, and why. But, that confusion also kept me reading.
The android aspect of the story was great. Tamara's growing awareness of Self and her subsequent adventures, all while working out her loyalty/love to Mel, made her a very sympathetic non-human character. I've read a lot of Sci-Fi books with female androids and at first thought, "Dear Lord, not another idealized sexbot," but this was not that, as Tamara is much more fleshed out, so to speak. The contrasts between here and E, the god-like AI of Emergent, worked very well too. It was cool how these futuristic creations were used, and also how they used minds of their own to interfere with human plans.
Honestly, I think Mel often was a little stupid. His frequently saying, "Huh?" made me think this was on purpose on the author's part, but sometimes his actions and decisions seemed dumb solely so that the plot would move in a certain direction. (Example: If you don't trust the bigwigs and think they are responsible for your mother's disappearance, THEN you receive a note warning you your life is in danger, why would you show that note to said bigwigs?)
Overall, I was impressed with the complexity of this story, even if it felt like a few too many layers at times. The not-so-distant future setting is completely believable as corporations with money seem to have all the power. It was easy to relate to the good, struggling characters while detesting the greedy, ambitious-at-any-cost characters. And by the end, the direction the story takes definitely leaves room open for more story to come.
Displaying 1 of 1 review