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Haunted Systems #1
Exuvia Set
March, 1981: Colonies lighting up the moon, data cables crossing the earth, kids sweating neon in the pop of the arcade.
And then there’s Bobby Rosier, alone in the electric glow of his endless homework. But when a schoolmate turns up dead and outbreaks of mania plague his peers, Bobby is forced to switch off his innate anxieties and activate all his data breaking prowess—and wannabe samurai ethic—in a race to save his only friend. As that race brings him closer to the vector of the madness and into the crosshairs of a cryptic syndicate, Bobby soon sees that anything he can do, everything that he is, won’t even be enough to save himself . . .
From the forbidden digital pathways beneath the Ethereal Library to the cloud-clad board rooms of a city growing up too fast, Exuvia Set brings you into a Cold War so paranoid, so surveilled, so locked-down . . . you’ll feel right at home.
And then there’s Bobby Rosier, alone in the electric glow of his endless homework. But when a schoolmate turns up dead and outbreaks of mania plague his peers, Bobby is forced to switch off his innate anxieties and activate all his data breaking prowess—and wannabe samurai ethic—in a race to save his only friend. As that race brings him closer to the vector of the madness and into the crosshairs of a cryptic syndicate, Bobby soon sees that anything he can do, everything that he is, won’t even be enough to save himself . . .
From the forbidden digital pathways beneath the Ethereal Library to the cloud-clad board rooms of a city growing up too fast, Exuvia Set brings you into a Cold War so paranoid, so surveilled, so locked-down . . . you’ll feel right at home.
312 pages, Paperback
Published May 31, 2016
7 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Erik Angle
1 book6 followersErik Angle has worked as a writer of ad copy and curriculum, as well as a record label manager, event and portrait photographer, watercolor illustrator, and purveyor of fine silk-screened tees. Born, still living, and probably dying on America’s Eastern Seaboard, Erik is an ‘80s baby and a lifetime student of storytellers. His first novel, EXUVIA SET (Telegeist Tactics, 2016), is a cyberpunk alt-history thriller informed by geopolitics, metaphysics, and an adolescence of New England summers.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 10, 2017
I'm not the best at writing reviews, and thus it should be expected that this review will do the book no justice, but I will try my best!
I met the author before reading the book, usually it's the other way around. When I learned about Exuvia Set, part of me was interested in the concept of the book and the other part of me could only think "ehh, scifi..." I have never been a big scifi reader. Scratch that, I don't even know if I can say "big" because I have never read a science fiction novel in my entire life. My brothers endlessly watching Star Wars while growing up was enough to drive me into hiding with the Lord of the Rings books clutched in my tiny hands. But the premise was exciting and the nostalgic feel for the 80s (that I never lived through) was enticing enough to make me pick up a copy, and from then on I was hooked.
First off, the writing style: entertaining. Just in the first line ("In the saccharine dazzle of the arcade,") BAM, I’m in the arcade. Beautiful. That’s just one example, but there are many more that I won’t detail here because you should just go buy the book. Also, as someone who has witnessed what real life hacking is like and wasn’t too entertained, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging it was here. It was like reading an adventure rather than just three teens sitting around staring at a bunch of computer screens.
The characters were well developed and entirely unique. I could almost feel the awkward teenage vibes radiating from Bobby, giving me my own teenage flashbacks, but this made his character realistic. His struggle with wanting to join his friends in becoming a breaker but backing off when the consequences became too real was refreshing after reading one too many ‘chosen one’ novels with fifteen year olds charging straight into battle.
Nix was my favorite though. She reminded me of the badass girl I was too scared to talk to in highschool but instead just hid behind the bleachers whenever she walked past.
As far as the plot goes, this was one of the few books I was unable to guess the ending. While I’m not going to spoil anything here, I will say that it left me excited enough for the second book that I’m ready to head the email campaign to have it written faster. The mashup of 1980’s culture with amazingly advanced technology (can you tell I don’t read scifi?) was an atmosphere I didn’t know I wanted until I read this.
Now I can say I have read a scifi novel, and may even stray past the Haunted Systems trilogy. So even if you’re not a scifi fan, I would still give this novel a shot. And if you are a scifi fan, you should obviously read this, why do you need me to tell you?
I met the author before reading the book, usually it's the other way around. When I learned about Exuvia Set, part of me was interested in the concept of the book and the other part of me could only think "ehh, scifi..." I have never been a big scifi reader. Scratch that, I don't even know if I can say "big" because I have never read a science fiction novel in my entire life. My brothers endlessly watching Star Wars while growing up was enough to drive me into hiding with the Lord of the Rings books clutched in my tiny hands. But the premise was exciting and the nostalgic feel for the 80s (that I never lived through) was enticing enough to make me pick up a copy, and from then on I was hooked.
First off, the writing style: entertaining. Just in the first line ("In the saccharine dazzle of the arcade,") BAM, I’m in the arcade. Beautiful. That’s just one example, but there are many more that I won’t detail here because you should just go buy the book. Also, as someone who has witnessed what real life hacking is like and wasn’t too entertained, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging it was here. It was like reading an adventure rather than just three teens sitting around staring at a bunch of computer screens.
The characters were well developed and entirely unique. I could almost feel the awkward teenage vibes radiating from Bobby, giving me my own teenage flashbacks, but this made his character realistic. His struggle with wanting to join his friends in becoming a breaker but backing off when the consequences became too real was refreshing after reading one too many ‘chosen one’ novels with fifteen year olds charging straight into battle.
Nix was my favorite though. She reminded me of the badass girl I was too scared to talk to in highschool but instead just hid behind the bleachers whenever she walked past.
As far as the plot goes, this was one of the few books I was unable to guess the ending. While I’m not going to spoil anything here, I will say that it left me excited enough for the second book that I’m ready to head the email campaign to have it written faster. The mashup of 1980’s culture with amazingly advanced technology (can you tell I don’t read scifi?) was an atmosphere I didn’t know I wanted until I read this.
Now I can say I have read a scifi novel, and may even stray past the Haunted Systems trilogy. So even if you’re not a scifi fan, I would still give this novel a shot. And if you are a scifi fan, you should obviously read this, why do you need me to tell you?
June 19, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a free review copy of Exuvia Set from the Author.
Exuvia Set for me was kind of like trying sushi for the first time when I was kid. I didn't know what to expect. It was strange and unusual, sometimes unsettling, and yet more often tasty.
Set in an 80's alt-reality metropolis, Exuvia Set is a story of a group of a few tech savvy teens, Bobby, Graeme, Nix, and Carolyn, as well as some other interesting players, who, after a tragic event with one of their friends and the strange circumstances surrounding it, get caught up in the middle of something way bigger than any of them are prepared for. At the center of the riddle is an almost alien arcade cabinet that mysteriously showed up at their local arcade, and seems to have some inexplicable side effects on it's patrons. The teens find themselves coming together, despite their different philosophies and motivations, to counter-strike the forces that they believe are responsible for their lives falling to pieces. The final act, without spoiling anything, feels like a teenage cyberpunk Death Star Run.
Pros:
The author does a really good job setting these characters in a believable alternate reality 80's, neon glare and all, but the setting takes a backseat to the characters, which I liked. I especially like the contrasting points of view that are put forward by the characters, and it never feels like the author is taking a side in the debate. I found these to be the most compelling segments of the story.
Cons:
Sometimes I got lost in the sections related to deep level hacking, networking, and generally the systems described in the book, but I never felt like I lost the macro events going on. I think if your someone who enjoys those technical elements, then they could potentially be your favorite parts. For me, I moved through them without trying to understand everything, but I didn't feel like I missed anything essential to the story.
Not positive or negative, but worth mentioning:
I should have taken a cue from the series title "Haunted Systems", but I was a little surprised by some of the scenes portrayed in the book. This is by no means a horror book, nor would I classify it as scary per say, but as someone who intentionally avoids anything scary, I found myself feeling uneasy reading it at night. In some ways I think that the unsettling sections were some of the most effectively written and give a needed weight to the events of the story, but I often felt like I needed a palate cleanser before going to bed after reading. To try to nail it down, I would compare it to the tone of certain X-files episodes... Not scary, but certainly not rainbows and sunshine. Read the chapter with Graeme in parking garage you'll know my meaning.
Exuvia Set for me was kind of like trying sushi for the first time when I was kid. I didn't know what to expect. It was strange and unusual, sometimes unsettling, and yet more often tasty.
Set in an 80's alt-reality metropolis, Exuvia Set is a story of a group of a few tech savvy teens, Bobby, Graeme, Nix, and Carolyn, as well as some other interesting players, who, after a tragic event with one of their friends and the strange circumstances surrounding it, get caught up in the middle of something way bigger than any of them are prepared for. At the center of the riddle is an almost alien arcade cabinet that mysteriously showed up at their local arcade, and seems to have some inexplicable side effects on it's patrons. The teens find themselves coming together, despite their different philosophies and motivations, to counter-strike the forces that they believe are responsible for their lives falling to pieces. The final act, without spoiling anything, feels like a teenage cyberpunk Death Star Run.
Pros:
The author does a really good job setting these characters in a believable alternate reality 80's, neon glare and all, but the setting takes a backseat to the characters, which I liked. I especially like the contrasting points of view that are put forward by the characters, and it never feels like the author is taking a side in the debate. I found these to be the most compelling segments of the story.
Cons:
Sometimes I got lost in the sections related to deep level hacking, networking, and generally the systems described in the book, but I never felt like I lost the macro events going on. I think if your someone who enjoys those technical elements, then they could potentially be your favorite parts. For me, I moved through them without trying to understand everything, but I didn't feel like I missed anything essential to the story.
Not positive or negative, but worth mentioning:
I should have taken a cue from the series title "Haunted Systems", but I was a little surprised by some of the scenes portrayed in the book. This is by no means a horror book, nor would I classify it as scary per say, but as someone who intentionally avoids anything scary, I found myself feeling uneasy reading it at night. In some ways I think that the unsettling sections were some of the most effectively written and give a needed weight to the events of the story, but I often felt like I needed a palate cleanser before going to bed after reading. To try to nail it down, I would compare it to the tone of certain X-files episodes... Not scary, but certainly not rainbows and sunshine. Read the chapter with Graeme in parking garage you'll know my meaning.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews