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I Am Sal
An ending that will leave you speechless...
I have been framed for murder, and they want to kill me for it.
The Sheriff, Branson, is a jerk and is completely unreasonable. He hates me with a passion and I don't know why. That's the problem, actually. It's not just that I don't know why I'm here in prison, but rather that I don't know anything.
Absolutely nothing.
I woke up in a dark basement a couple days ago, and that's when my memories start. I can walk, talk, eat, and even rationalize. I seem to understand things, seemingly by instinct, on a level unparalleled to those around me. But I have no memories. Not even a sense of who I am.
Well, besides for three words that won't seem to get the hell out of my I Am Sal. I can't forget those, even though I've tried.
The real trouble is, I don't trust Branson. He's not just mean and angry, but he's shifty. He knows more than he's letting on. I can sense it. But that also terrifies me.
What if...what if he knows more about me than I do? What if the truth is something that I'm not ready to hear? Sure, I know that I would never kill someone. Not even close. But...that's me now. I've only been "alive" for a few days, and what if my old self wasn't such a nice guy? What if he... deserves the treatment he's receiving from Branson?
It's possible, but then again so is my innocence. I need to find out the truth, no matter where it leads. I already have a plan in place and I'm getting some help, but I can't tell you from who.
I need to get out of here, but it's risky. All I know for certain is that if I stay, I die.
Nothing is as it seems to be, but I intend to find out what it all means. And, ultimately, why everyone seems to hate me.
I have been framed for murder, and they want to kill me for it.
The Sheriff, Branson, is a jerk and is completely unreasonable. He hates me with a passion and I don't know why. That's the problem, actually. It's not just that I don't know why I'm here in prison, but rather that I don't know anything.
Absolutely nothing.
I woke up in a dark basement a couple days ago, and that's when my memories start. I can walk, talk, eat, and even rationalize. I seem to understand things, seemingly by instinct, on a level unparalleled to those around me. But I have no memories. Not even a sense of who I am.
Well, besides for three words that won't seem to get the hell out of my I Am Sal. I can't forget those, even though I've tried.
The real trouble is, I don't trust Branson. He's not just mean and angry, but he's shifty. He knows more than he's letting on. I can sense it. But that also terrifies me.
What if...what if he knows more about me than I do? What if the truth is something that I'm not ready to hear? Sure, I know that I would never kill someone. Not even close. But...that's me now. I've only been "alive" for a few days, and what if my old self wasn't such a nice guy? What if he... deserves the treatment he's receiving from Branson?
It's possible, but then again so is my innocence. I need to find out the truth, no matter where it leads. I already have a plan in place and I'm getting some help, but I can't tell you from who.
I need to get out of here, but it's risky. All I know for certain is that if I stay, I die.
Nothing is as it seems to be, but I intend to find out what it all means. And, ultimately, why everyone seems to hate me.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 21, 2016
140 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
May 28, 2016
Freaking loved it!!! Hated some of the stupid decisions that were made but overall this book was great.
The twist was superb. The characters were colorful and I was completely engaged. Nothing has ever made me want to read a murder mystery but seeing this book had a touch of sci-fi thrown in it, I got caught up in its snare. Hard to believe that this is a first time author. He did a great job except for a couple of actions that made Sal seem a little stuck on stupid. The unique storyline had me turning pages fast.
The twist was superb. The characters were colorful and I was completely engaged. Nothing has ever made me want to read a murder mystery but seeing this book had a touch of sci-fi thrown in it, I got caught up in its snare. Hard to believe that this is a first time author. He did a great job except for a couple of actions that made Sal seem a little stuck on stupid. The unique storyline had me turning pages fast.
June 27, 2016
I appreciate this storyline being original and one of a kind. I tire of reading books that feel like something I've read in the past. This one was unique. I really liked the character development as well. This made for a fast read because it was one of those I simply did not want to put down. Fast paced and addicting from beginning to end. Another bonus was that it was offered as a kindleunlimited. I will definitely check this author out and read more of his work.
July 4, 2016
I almost ticked 2 stars, but ended up giving 3 stars because the storyline was actually interesting. However, the writing and editing need a lot of work, the characters came across as flat and the dialogue was repetitive. The mystery however did keep me reading until the end, so it wasn't that bad.
May 17, 2016
Awesome book!
When I began reading this book, I expected a good suspense novel. Boy, was I wrong! "I Am Sal" has it all; terrific storyline, characters that are believable, suspense, knock-your-socks-off unexpected twists. I raced with Sal to the end, but now I am so sad that is over. Please,please,please write a sequel!
When I began reading this book, I expected a good suspense novel. Boy, was I wrong! "I Am Sal" has it all; terrific storyline, characters that are believable, suspense, knock-your-socks-off unexpected twists. I raced with Sal to the end, but now I am so sad that is over. Please,please,please write a sequel!
September 22, 2017
This started off well, with an intriguing premise: young man wakes up in the basement of a house on fire, with no memory at all of who he is or how he got there, finds a body and is promptly arrested for murder.
The problem is that too much is given away far too early, so the twist is completely obvious from the first few chapters, which took away all of the suspense, as the plot becomes completely predictable. Add to that the incredibly banal writing style, repetition, focus on trivial details like what each meal served in prison was, and bland stereotypical characters, either too good to be true or caricature villains. The cover art is also very misleading.
Fortunately it was cheap (from Bookbub) and short so I haven't wasted too much of my life. It does have a lot of high ratings, and I admit I would probably have liked this a lot more when I was younger.
The problem is that too much is given away far too early, so the twist is completely obvious from the first few chapters, which took away all of the suspense, as the plot becomes completely predictable. Add to that the incredibly banal writing style, repetition, focus on trivial details like what each meal served in prison was, and bland stereotypical characters, either too good to be true or caricature villains. The cover art is also very misleading.
Fortunately it was cheap (from Bookbub) and short so I haven't wasted too much of my life. It does have a lot of high ratings, and I admit I would probably have liked this a lot more when I was younger.
July 28, 2017
It started out as a 4 star book. As I progressed though the book it proved utterly predictable and it gradually declined to a 1 star ending.
About 5 chapters in I'd guessed the outcome. It was so predictable. And it's was amazing how many people could just tell if someone was telling the truth. Extreme emotion of barely controlled rage got a bit boring. And repetition, a lot could've been cut out of the. Book that was just Sal repeating his story.
About 5 chapters in I'd guessed the outcome. It was so predictable. And it's was amazing how many people could just tell if someone was telling the truth. Extreme emotion of barely controlled rage got a bit boring. And repetition, a lot could've been cut out of the. Book that was just Sal repeating his story.
July 19, 2017
DNF 80%
The mystery of the origins of the protagonist kept me going through the overly long explanations and repetitions. At 80% I could see where the story was going and I wasn't that interested in finishing it. The characters weren't sympathetic enough to make me care about their fates.
The mystery of the origins of the protagonist kept me going through the overly long explanations and repetitions. At 80% I could see where the story was going and I wasn't that interested in finishing it. The characters weren't sympathetic enough to make me care about their fates.
June 30, 2016
You gotta read.
This captivating story will keep you entertained and you won't be able to put a it down until the story is over.
This captivating story will keep you entertained and you won't be able to put a it down until the story is over.
August 27, 2016
this was a good book Liked the way the author keep you interested in twists and turns that happen. I think anyone who likes thriller who really enjoy this book
July 12, 2017
Not hard to figure what was up with Sal, but still a fun read. 3.25
July 17, 2017
The writing style was uninspired but the story was interesting. The outcome is pretty clear from about midway, and the end seemed like a setup for sequels.
September 17, 2017
I really enjoyed this. I just had a conversation with my friends about science fiction in general. New and original ideas on science, or speculative, fiction are hard to come up it seems, and only a few overall themes keep surfacing in my reading experience.
There are many reasons for that I won't get into those but it just seems as if we've exhausted our imagination on what the future can hold because we have seen so much come to pass. It seems, as one of my friends stated, that we are almost living in a Star Trek type environment in certain areas of Technology and medicine. Not quite, but there are definitely closer than they were when Roddenberry first saw Kirk, Spock and McCoy blast off in warp drive.
We certainly have not reached that vision of harmony in being able to respect our diverisity and understand that we may kill ourselves and our planet before we learn how to collaborate and put ego (and weapons) aside.
The last really good science fiction book that I read was Michael Grumley's "Leap" and the 3 follow on books in that series. That to me was a gorgeous example of thinking out of the box when it comes to what science could do for us. I can NOT recommend any book more than his. His was unique because it took a left turn from humanity seeing itself as a focal point. Most others do, including this one.
However, this book does it well. This book covers the way that humanity might take OUR leap. Without giving too much away that you don't already know from the book's "about this book" narrative, this is a book about human cloning and what IS consciousness. It explores some of the ramifications of that. To explore it in full, it would take volumes. But it did introduce the idea and some of the philosophy, and ramifications of cloning, AI, and neural uplinks. And it did so in a way that was fun and enjoyable to read. I highly recommend reading this if you have any curiosity about what humans could possibly do in this area. Although there are aspects of the book that I don't agree with or believe in, it doesn't mean that they're not valid possibilities and we may see some of the more outrageous ideas come to pass in our lifetimes or in a few.
I found myself having to let go of some deep prejudices to suspend by belief. But at some point when you read this type of book and talk about this subject matter you have to. At least entertain the possibilities. Because isn't that what science fiction is about anyway??. So this book is one that I would recommend to anyone who has wants a challenge and can open up their mind to new ideas and possibilities. To think "what if?" even if you're deep wired to think "no way". I think many people in the 40s, 50s, etc..probably thought that the science fiction they were reading could never happen. We've seen aspects of some classics come to pass.
Whether these thingsin this book do or not, I believe it's still healthy to open your mind and think about the possibilities.
And hats off to any author that can use their imagination to entice others to use theirs.
There are many reasons for that I won't get into those but it just seems as if we've exhausted our imagination on what the future can hold because we have seen so much come to pass. It seems, as one of my friends stated, that we are almost living in a Star Trek type environment in certain areas of Technology and medicine. Not quite, but there are definitely closer than they were when Roddenberry first saw Kirk, Spock and McCoy blast off in warp drive.
We certainly have not reached that vision of harmony in being able to respect our diverisity and understand that we may kill ourselves and our planet before we learn how to collaborate and put ego (and weapons) aside.
The last really good science fiction book that I read was Michael Grumley's "Leap" and the 3 follow on books in that series. That to me was a gorgeous example of thinking out of the box when it comes to what science could do for us. I can NOT recommend any book more than his. His was unique because it took a left turn from humanity seeing itself as a focal point. Most others do, including this one.
However, this book does it well. This book covers the way that humanity might take OUR leap. Without giving too much away that you don't already know from the book's "about this book" narrative, this is a book about human cloning and what IS consciousness. It explores some of the ramifications of that. To explore it in full, it would take volumes. But it did introduce the idea and some of the philosophy, and ramifications of cloning, AI, and neural uplinks. And it did so in a way that was fun and enjoyable to read. I highly recommend reading this if you have any curiosity about what humans could possibly do in this area. Although there are aspects of the book that I don't agree with or believe in, it doesn't mean that they're not valid possibilities and we may see some of the more outrageous ideas come to pass in our lifetimes or in a few.
I found myself having to let go of some deep prejudices to suspend by belief. But at some point when you read this type of book and talk about this subject matter you have to. At least entertain the possibilities. Because isn't that what science fiction is about anyway??. So this book is one that I would recommend to anyone who has wants a challenge and can open up their mind to new ideas and possibilities. To think "what if?" even if you're deep wired to think "no way". I think many people in the 40s, 50s, etc..probably thought that the science fiction they were reading could never happen. We've seen aspects of some classics come to pass.
Whether these thingsin this book do or not, I believe it's still healthy to open your mind and think about the possibilities.
And hats off to any author that can use their imagination to entice others to use theirs.
December 2, 2017
A very interesting book...particularly like the combination of what is essentially a syfy premise buried within a mystery/crime genre novel. Suffice to say it involves quantum computers and what the reality of these conceptual devices might be in the future combined with a whodunnit and to whom?
The story is by far the strongest element of this read with characterization taking a very large step back into the shadows. Loved the twisted plot and the action and if the rest of the writing had been up to the premise and plot, I might have gone for 5 stars.
The story is by far the strongest element of this read with characterization taking a very large step back into the shadows. Loved the twisted plot and the action and if the rest of the writing had been up to the premise and plot, I might have gone for 5 stars.
July 15, 2017
This was a puzzler
...from the beginning. Bit by bit I began to figure it out although some of it did not become clear until the end. I loved the fact that there were two truly good guys that warmed your heart, their presence balanced out by two really evil ones. I have been learning about AI lately and its incorporation into this story was a bonus for me. Almost didn't read it because I didn't like the cover art which turned out to be a silly reason.
...from the beginning. Bit by bit I began to figure it out although some of it did not become clear until the end. I loved the fact that there were two truly good guys that warmed your heart, their presence balanced out by two really evil ones. I have been learning about AI lately and its incorporation into this story was a bonus for me. Almost didn't read it because I didn't like the cover art which turned out to be a silly reason.
July 12, 2017
A unique spin on a murder mystery/sci-fi story
I thoroughly enjoyed this unique story by Abraham Falls, in fact I could hardly put it down. It had a very good combination of murder mystery and science fiction, which just so happen to be two of my favorite genres. I look forward with anticipation to the next book that Falls writes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this unique story by Abraham Falls, in fact I could hardly put it down. It had a very good combination of murder mystery and science fiction, which just so happen to be two of my favorite genres. I look forward with anticipation to the next book that Falls writes.
March 6, 2019
Asimov would be proud!
Terrific debut novel from a gifted writer. This book an homage to the great Asimov in its attention to physics and scientific theory applied. This book is a mystery,science fiction, as well as a look into what constitutes friendship, humanity, and life. Very enjoyable . On every level, this book is well worth the time you spend with Sal.
Terrific debut novel from a gifted writer. This book an homage to the great Asimov in its attention to physics and scientific theory applied. This book is a mystery,science fiction, as well as a look into what constitutes friendship, humanity, and life. Very enjoyable . On every level, this book is well worth the time you spend with Sal.
November 3, 2017
Debut novel? This is better than most author's tenth! Looking forward to your long and successful career.
Read it. Story is clever, writing is really good, characters are natural and plot keeps you on your toes. A debut novel to be proud of.
Read it. Story is clever, writing is really good, characters are natural and plot keeps you on your toes. A debut novel to be proud of.
August 11, 2018
Unique tale
Ever wonder if man could create the perfect worker so man could actually enjoy life, the evil man who is greedy and doesn't care who gets hurt or by what method he gets what he desires than here is a interesting tale for you.
Ever wonder if man could create the perfect worker so man could actually enjoy life, the evil man who is greedy and doesn't care who gets hurt or by what method he gets what he desires than here is a interesting tale for you.
May 30, 2017
Mystery/science fiction. Intriguing tale.
July 6, 2017
WOW! I want more, please!
July 13, 2017
I think this was self-published, and it shows. An interesting idea is buried under stiff writing and silly, implausible action. 1.5 stars
July 20, 2017
I Am Sal
Awesome book,can't wait to read second,( if there is one now or in the making). I would recommend this book, it is truly believable!
Awesome book,can't wait to read second,( if there is one now or in the making). I would recommend this book, it is truly believable!
July 24, 2017
Loved this book. A terrific story that kept me in suspense. I would classify this as a great Science Fiction. Hoping the writer does some SF.
August 21, 2017
Amazing read! I didn't even know it was science fiction when I first got it. Had a lot of mystery on it.
August 27, 2017
Great read and a real page turner!
April 21, 2018
loved the twist to the tale near the end of this ..which suddenly slammed me between the eyes only to have my deduction proved correct few pages on.
May 17, 2019
"I am Sal" is a very unique book and I don't think I have ever read anything like it. I almost hoped there would be a sequence.
June 26, 2019
If you can get past the repetition, the clunky writing style, and the dull characters, you might enjoy this book. DNF.
July 17, 2019
Great
I love this book and have read it several times. I also have the second one and hope there will be more.
I love this book and have read it several times. I also have the second one and hope there will be more.
Read
January 1, 2022 Nice interesting story
This is a story out of the norm of computer geniuses that sucks you to a ‘can’t put it down’ , have to know what happens next story.
This is a story out of the norm of computer geniuses that sucks you to a ‘can’t put it down’ , have to know what happens next story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews