Shredded

by Charles O'Donnell

Who can erase my existence from the mind of God?

Grace, a civil servant with a sordid past, wakes one morning to find that she’s become a viral sensation: Her life has been hacked, her life data woven into a lifestream, a full-immersion, 3-D, virtual reality experience that thrill-seeking stream riders can inhabit for a few dollars. The helplessness she feels, knowing she’s powerless to keep strangers from getting their jollies reliving her life, and her fear that her teenage son, Dylan, might stumble upon her explicit lifestream, lead her to find a shredder, an expert in the ways of the Worldstream, the nearly infinitely detailed record of data from the ubiquitous Internet of Things. He’ll erase her lifestream and all of her data, accumulated since the day she was born. Her life will be hers again, but she’ll be outside of the Worldstream—and she can never go back.

"This fast-paced novel is defined by powerful characters, but even more so by eye-opening ideas. There are enough parallels between O'Donnell's fantastical vision of the future and the present day to send a shiver up readers' spines. Driving these types of issues into the public eye, in the confines of an unpredictable and well-crafted plot, makes this book stand out, and ensure that it is hard to forget." Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★★

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2017

About the author

Charles O’Donnell writes thrillers with high-tech themes in international and futuristic settings. He recently retired from a career of thirty-five years in engineering and manufacturing to write full-time, using his experience leading international teams to create compelling settings in faraway lands.
His latest books, Shredded and Shade are the product of his fascination with the progress of technology to either augment reality or to replace it entirely, and his concern over the erosion of privacy in a world in which everything is shared online, and nobody reads the terms and conditions.
Charles's work has been selected to appear in the Dark Ink Press Spring Anthology, in the online journal Esthetic Apostle, in the anthology Lost and Found, and other journals.
Charles lives with Helen, his wife, life partner and fellow paranoid in Westerville, Ohio.

Reviews

[Lori Posten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I missed many a nights sleep because I could not put this book down. Heart pounding and emotional. I suggest if you have not read this book that you check it out as one of the best Goodreads has to offer. It was different and intense. I won this on good reads and I will be following this author for more.

[Denise Eggleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a world where everyplace you go, every call or text you make, every person you meet, every purchase you make is collected, saved, analyzed, and used. We are not too far from that world now.

Shredded by Charles O’Donnell takes place in the near-future where privacy is a memory and most people seem to like it. In this world, people immerse themselves in virtual reality (VR). They shop online with drone deliveries. Transactions are electronic. In real life, the parks are decaying and empty, the streets are sparsely populated, and people meet with their friends’ avatars in exotic locations but in VR.

The “Worldstream” also called “Jahbulon” collects all the data mentioned above and much more. Even the clothes you wear has embedded microchips that record and transmit data telling clothing companies and Jahbulon every time you wear them, take them off, wash them, discard them, and where you are and where you were when you wore them. Your underwear literally informs on you.

Grace, a young woman recovering from drugs, alcohol, and sex addictions works for the state. She becomes aware that her “lifestream” has become hacked. Her lifestream is a detailed video/audio record of everything she has done, every illicit sex act, every one she has hurt. All people have a lifestream, but Grace’s is so interesting that her virtual life becomes viral which affects her career and potentially her relationship with her son who is in the care of Grace’s sister.

Grace sees no option but to take the illegal step of shredding her life—deleting her lifestream. This will mean that every electronic image of her, her back accounts, her records will disappear. She will become a non-person.

That’s all that I will say about the plot and there is much more I could say. The book is very well written and engaging. I actually stayed up late reading it and that’s unusual for me.

The book extrapolates from things that are happening today. I just read about the slow death of shopping malls and microwave ovens that spy on you. The latter may not be happening quite yet, but in Shredded’s world the microwave would tell you and Jahbulon just how much you were eating and when.

Worldstream is getting closer as we continue to disengage from each other: choosing texting over meeting face to face, engaging in online shopping, and using “smart” appliances. The author paints a frightening but plausible future. I highly recommend the book.

It must be noted that I won Shredded in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Given the number of books out there, I may never have found Shredded on my own. I am glad I read it.

[Chris Galiatsatos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a giveaway, so first of all thanks very much to the author!

Shredded follows a young woman on her journey to escape a sordid past of addictions and choices she regrets. In order to rid herself of her past she encounters questionable groups of people and technologies she can use to access a "shredder" to finally free herself and her family from her dark life that is newly exposed to the entire world.

Set in a near future dystopia where technology rules in an almost Godlike fashion and everything is under constant surveillance, this book felt like a cross between The Matrix and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash; weaving between the real world and and a virtual world where humanity chooses to dwell. It's about one person's choice to disconnect from a false reality and start a fresh life in reality. There's a constant struggle between how much you're willing to sacrifice and who it will affect in order to truly be free.

The writing was good and kept me engaged. There really wasn't any boring part in the book which I find rare these days. There were some twists, although not altogether unexpected ones, but the book flowed and was well paced. The ending was, ehhh ok, not completely satisfying for me, but there's tons of room to grow and expand this world so I'll be keeping my eye out to see what action Grace gets into in the future.

[Franc Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Ray Bradbury, in "Fahrenheit 451", did with an overarching government watchdog; what movies like "The Net" and "Surrogates" did with identity and virtual self-actualization, author Charles O'Donnell has brought in a new twist to the dystopian genre by extrapolating the IoT into everything from our dish-ware to our underwear in Shredded: A Dystopian Novel. All we touch, collects data and is fed back to the "All Seeing Eye" that is in total control. Or so it seems. When unscrupulous factions use that data to "weave" together a virtual reality lifestream of a recovering addict, Grace, we're thrown into a thrill ride that has Grace just a few steps ahead of government agents while she is frantically seeking out a "shredder" who can erase her life from the Worldstream and protect the person she cares about the most from her sordid past.
Definitely a fast paced thrill ride and I look forward to the author’s next venture for this character.

[Fred Tyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read with a few minor faults, but still worth the time.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book. I loved how the book kept reiterating the new day as an addict would treat the day. At times I felt like the main character was too wishy-washy. I can understand the difficulty in deciding to exile yourself, but she doesn't wrestle with it in her head. She just sort of gets led by the nose through each of the scenes. However, that is me being picky as I can be known to do. I consider the book better than average, thus the 4 stars. If it was perfect, I would give it 5 stars. In any case, I recommend reading this book. Its a fun view of a unique perspective on what our future could look like.

[Amantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was provided a free copy of Shredded in exchange for an honest review.

The author contacted me directly after having read my review of The Circle. The author was intrigued by my description of that protagonist, Mae, and wanted to know my impression of his protagonist, Grace. Overall, I found Grace sympathetic and driven. She takes charge and will not submit to those who judge or use her. But she isn't a stereotypical Bitch at all. She is nuanced and well-rounded.

I wish I could say the same for the worldbuilding and the other characters.

I won't go into all the details of what I didn't like, since I think a lot of them were personal preference. One small piece of advice for the author, though: reading walls of dialogue without anything to break it up is tedious at best. "Said" is an invisible word, but it does enough to break up the monotony of a long conversation. Even when the dialogue says enough that you know who is speaking, all the back and forth gives a flattened feeling to the scene. It's like listening to a movie with your eyes closed. Yeah you can hear the difference in voices but what is happening?

Overall an interesting read. The ending and surprise reveal made up for a certain portion of the middle where I was convinced I wouldn't be able to finish.

[Mary Wagner Schnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a futuristic book about a young woman who wants to erase her sordid past as she turns a new leaf. It hits close to home with folks (politicians, stars, employee’s) who have lost positions due to internet postings, etc. The story is engaging and very interesting. I got mixed up with the abbreviations but when the book was completed realized all the abbreviations and titles were described in the back of the book!!! Ha! Kudos to the author for writing Shredded and a good reminder how the internet has the potential for both good and evil, and can affect family members as well. Sort of a time travel book into the future...

[Reade Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was very well writ. I kept getting surprised around every page trying to figure out who wove Grace’s lifestream. Adding real life problems to a dystopian future such as a person’s sexual history being on display as a new form of explicit sexual videos. I did enjoy it fairly well and I do recommend “Shredded” if you enjoy a sci-fi thriller, this is the one for you.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the book. I could not put it down. I hope there is a sequel? Please! :)

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great

Not bad overall but feels unfinished and not quite as good as the author’s other books. I’d recommend those instead

[Hamish · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this book is that the author for whatever reason tries to create a future world that is locked into 2018 technology and thinking. This places heavy constraints on the future world and its protagonists motivations and capabilities. Interestingly despite the technology and mindset being frozen in time the world order has changed radically, but there is no explanation of this or the benign attitute the All Seeing Eye has for those citizens that opt-out of the state system. Consequently the book is seriously flawed at the dystopian world level - it really isn't one-and at the underpinning technology level. In short a good well written story but with a flawed plot better suited to today and really jarring pretentious character names.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great. This was set as futuristic but it has a hint of reality of today. We are all being tracked, filmed and spied on our devices that we use.

[SA · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to follow

[Ronny Mees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Looking forward to part 2.

[Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think the Internet is a disturbing, intimidating creation, you'll want to stay clear of Charles O'Donnell's novel Shredded. If you venture within its pages, you'll encounter the Worldstream, which makes the Internet look as innocuous as a 3-day-old kitten. Though similar to the Internet, the Worldstream is far more comprehensive and intrusive. It sees and records every movement, every transaction, every exchange of data, and every interaction that occurs in public (and sometimes in private) between two or more individuals. It also allows sinister people known as "weavers" to piece together bits of information about a person to create a "lifestream." Once complete, a lifestream can be accessed through virtual reality by people who -- for a price -- want to experience what the weaver's subject experienced.

O'Donnell's protagonist Grace is one such subject. When the story begins, Grace is working as a civil servant in the State Benefits Department. We learn, however, that four years earlier, Grace suffered from sex addiction which led her to engage in indiscriminate sexual liaisons with a multitude of both men and women. With the help of her counselor Madeleine, she has largely recovered from that dark chapter in her life. Unfortunately, a weaver has composed an extensive lifestream that captures literally every sexual adventure Grace ever had.

Before long, Grace is confronted with two grim choices: Endure the public shame and ridicule of men who have "ridden" her lifestream or have a "shredder" remove all traces of her existence from the Worldstream and thereby obliterate the humiliating lifestream. The choice is not easy. If she does nothing, it's likely her 14-year-old son Dylan will eventually become aware of his mother's lifestream and perhaps even ride it himself. Yet, if she allows her life to be shredded, she risks losing contact forever with Dylan and other people she cares about.

As Grace moves closer toward shredding her life, she clashes with people who want her to remain attached to the Worldstream regardless of the social stigma she will suffer. Those people include her sister Donna, who has custody of Dylan, her domineering mother Joan, and her ex-boyfriend Andrew. When the civil authorities discover her intentions, they employ some not-so-gentle measures to stop her.

Overall, Shredded is a tense, gripping tale that includes a number of surprises. At times, the pacing is slow, but the sense of crisis surrounding Grace never eases. If you enjoy Dystopian thrillers, you'll want to be sure to include Shredded on your reading list.

[Anthony Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a Virtual Reality Meetup in Columbus, OH. Once he discussed the book he had just published I had to go order it. Once it came in the mail I couldn't put in down. The style of immersive writing allows the reader to placed in the viewpoint of the character and takes the reader on a journey of life in a dystopian future. This book creates an realistic portrayal of the capabilities of VR in the future. I look forward to the next book in the series. This is a story that should be a Netflix Original series to help promote the possibilities of Virtual Reality for the masses.