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Restore from Backup
Lyle Harrelson is in a jam. He's been laid off, the bills are piling up, and he can't even afford to get his sick daughter to the doctor. Then his old college buddy Carl calls. Carl has a lead on a new job with great pay, solid benefits, and an immediate opening. Carl pounces on the opportunity.
He has no idea what he’s getting into. His co-workers are secretive. His boss is a stone cold bitch. And when he wonders exactly what it is Kaiser Development Systems does, nobody will give him an answer.
Carl calls him again, this time warning him to stay away from Kaiser.
Moments later, Carl is dead.
Lyle wants to know why. He tries to learn more about Kaiser: who they are, what they do, what the strange data on the servers he manages is for. But he's made a mistake.
And then the real trouble begins.
He has no idea what he’s getting into. His co-workers are secretive. His boss is a stone cold bitch. And when he wonders exactly what it is Kaiser Development Systems does, nobody will give him an answer.
Carl calls him again, this time warning him to stay away from Kaiser.
Moments later, Carl is dead.
Lyle wants to know why. He tries to learn more about Kaiser: who they are, what they do, what the strange data on the servers he manages is for. But he's made a mistake.
And then the real trouble begins.
- GenresHorror
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
J.F. Gonzalez
80 books366 followersJesus F. Gonzalez was an American author, primarily of horror fiction (writing under the pseudonym J. F. Gonzalez). He has written many notable novels and has done collaborations with Bram Stoker Award winners Mike Oliveri and Brian Keene. His novel Survivor has been optioned for film.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 15, 2022
On-point Technological Thriller
I’ve read lots from JF Gonzalez, but nothing from Mike Oliveri. If you are looking for the usual Jesus fare, this will not be it. It leans more towards a technological thriller/apocalyptic read, rather than horror. Both the novella and the short story were great reads though. I enjoyed them both.
I do feel that Restore From Backup could have been a much longer read than it was because the ending is a little abrupt. The timing of the release of the book was on-point though, as we are living through the Covid era. (I almost had a stroke when I read about the SARS outbreak of 2003 and realized that was almost twenty years ago. It seems like yesterday!)
Both stories are well worth your time!
I’ve read lots from JF Gonzalez, but nothing from Mike Oliveri. If you are looking for the usual Jesus fare, this will not be it. It leans more towards a technological thriller/apocalyptic read, rather than horror. Both the novella and the short story were great reads though. I enjoyed them both.
I do feel that Restore From Backup could have been a much longer read than it was because the ending is a little abrupt. The timing of the release of the book was on-point though, as we are living through the Covid era. (I almost had a stroke when I read about the SARS outbreak of 2003 and realized that was almost twenty years ago. It seems like yesterday!)
Both stories are well worth your time!
February 18, 2021
During the great Southern snowpocalypse of this year of the Covid crisis, I read the ultimate book for freaking a reader out during a pandemic.
Restore from Backup by J.F Gonzalez and Mike Oliveri was originally released in 2007 and rereleased in 2016, and the technical jargon reflects that. However, if one keeps that in mind, the story is timeless and downright frightening in 2021. The suspense and intrigue are as compelling as one would expect from such masters of the genre, and the characters are interesting and evocative. But the story itself the real gem.
I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed the story. It is, of course, expertly told and flows with a good pace. It is both visual and evocative. And it is interesting, entertaining, and ultimately downright horrifying. There is enough situational and workplace realism to make things relatable and draw you in. Things both are and are not what they seem. What is going on at Kaiser Development Systems? I found myself wanting Carl to leave it alone; I was that drawn into the characters, caring that much. That scared of what he was going to find.
This is a fantastic horror story. It is listed as a technothriller and occult horror, but it defies those labels. Highly recommended for all horror fans.
Restore from Backup by J.F Gonzalez and Mike Oliveri was originally released in 2007 and rereleased in 2016, and the technical jargon reflects that. However, if one keeps that in mind, the story is timeless and downright frightening in 2021. The suspense and intrigue are as compelling as one would expect from such masters of the genre, and the characters are interesting and evocative. But the story itself the real gem.
I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed the story. It is, of course, expertly told and flows with a good pace. It is both visual and evocative. And it is interesting, entertaining, and ultimately downright horrifying. There is enough situational and workplace realism to make things relatable and draw you in. Things both are and are not what they seem. What is going on at Kaiser Development Systems? I found myself wanting Carl to leave it alone; I was that drawn into the characters, caring that much. That scared of what he was going to find.
This is a fantastic horror story. It is listed as a technothriller and occult horror, but it defies those labels. Highly recommended for all horror fans.
March 24, 2018
This book was a fun and entertaining read. There were a few moments where I doubted the story and being in the tech industry, there were flaws in some of the technical aspects but nothing terminal or that distracting. And enough of those elements were told accurately enough that I thought "Well, maybe."
After being laid off, Lyle has been out of work so long that his bills have started piling up significantly. His wife's income couldn't cover them plus the medical bills for their sick infant son. Luckily, Lyle hits up an old friend Carl who recommends him for a job at his current company and Lyle gets hired. The pay is great. The benefits are great. Lyle is super happy, until Carl calls him up and tells Lyle to quit the job right now, just walk away and quit. That's when Lyle gets suspicious and starts to uncover the secrets behind his new job.
The story and especially the reasoning behind the secrets is a good idea; you can tell where Gonzalez steps in with his knowledge and research of the occult, conspiracies, and mysticism. The research Gonzalez put in to this book, and all of his books, really showed. The events in the last third of the book seemed to happen really fast, but then again that might have simply been me. I was fully engrossed at that point and couldn't read the pages fast enough. With the book recently back in print, finding a copy should no longer be a problem. Buy it and read it!
After being laid off, Lyle has been out of work so long that his bills have started piling up significantly. His wife's income couldn't cover them plus the medical bills for their sick infant son. Luckily, Lyle hits up an old friend Carl who recommends him for a job at his current company and Lyle gets hired. The pay is great. The benefits are great. Lyle is super happy, until Carl calls him up and tells Lyle to quit the job right now, just walk away and quit. That's when Lyle gets suspicious and starts to uncover the secrets behind his new job.
The story and especially the reasoning behind the secrets is a good idea; you can tell where Gonzalez steps in with his knowledge and research of the occult, conspiracies, and mysticism. The research Gonzalez put in to this book, and all of his books, really showed. The events in the last third of the book seemed to happen really fast, but then again that might have simply been me. I was fully engrossed at that point and couldn't read the pages fast enough. With the book recently back in print, finding a copy should no longer be a problem. Buy it and read it!
March 27, 2023
I couldn't imagine what one mistake in a code can do if it was tied to the human immune system. But the description in this novelette was disturbing. I'm just glad this is fiction.
January 14, 2008
Ohhhhh, but what happens next?!! I have a love/hate relationship with books that leave you wondering. I love that the author(s) leaves it to your imagination, but at the same time, want--almost need--to know how close my twisted mind is to what the author(s) envisioned. It's like being on Jeopardy, but Alex doesn't actually tell you the answer when you guess...
A complex, confusing tale [ok, how'd I get two of those back-to-back?] that drags you along whether you understand the techie language or not. As well as leaving you hanging at the end, these two authors enjoy not answering several questions along the way, or rather, answering them with more questions... bastards [of course, I say that with appreciation in my heart and a smile on my face--I'm sick, I like it when authors do that to me]. The characters are pulled from real life without any force at all. Lyle is fully developed, complete with history, nuances, and neurosis. His family and friends [Carl] are nicely drawn surfaces with deep scratches that reveal just what you need. And the co-workers are just that, co-workers--you know their names, and maybe their spouses' names, but beyond that, they have a different life outside work and you're not privy to that.
The atmosphere is one of intrigue, interesting research, and settings that most can relate to--anyone that's ever seen a bank of computer processors will feel the buzzing and smell the electric static in the air. The pace is nothing short of stellar, with no punches pulled and no lag time, you go on because you must--the characters demand it, the story demands it, and even that fire alarm going off in the kitchen isn't going to pull you away [it's ok, there was just something under the burner].
Where this gets interesting in afterthought is the style. It's an interesting collaboration. Having read both of them, I would never put them together--but it works very well, as they feed off each other's strengths and dilute the weaknesses. Smooth writing that effortlessly makes all those tales you hear about collaboration seem silly and over-dramatized.
All in all, a helluva good read. And while I would love to know what happens next, I'm content with my idea of what could happen. These boys deserve a pat on the back and 4-1/2 shiny stars Use the link below to get yours, and if you're not familiar with both of them, you'll soon decide that you need to be...
....................
Originally posted to Horror-Web
A complex, confusing tale [ok, how'd I get two of those back-to-back?] that drags you along whether you understand the techie language or not. As well as leaving you hanging at the end, these two authors enjoy not answering several questions along the way, or rather, answering them with more questions... bastards [of course, I say that with appreciation in my heart and a smile on my face--I'm sick, I like it when authors do that to me]. The characters are pulled from real life without any force at all. Lyle is fully developed, complete with history, nuances, and neurosis. His family and friends [Carl] are nicely drawn surfaces with deep scratches that reveal just what you need. And the co-workers are just that, co-workers--you know their names, and maybe their spouses' names, but beyond that, they have a different life outside work and you're not privy to that.
The atmosphere is one of intrigue, interesting research, and settings that most can relate to--anyone that's ever seen a bank of computer processors will feel the buzzing and smell the electric static in the air. The pace is nothing short of stellar, with no punches pulled and no lag time, you go on because you must--the characters demand it, the story demands it, and even that fire alarm going off in the kitchen isn't going to pull you away [it's ok, there was just something under the burner].
Where this gets interesting in afterthought is the style. It's an interesting collaboration. Having read both of them, I would never put them together--but it works very well, as they feed off each other's strengths and dilute the weaknesses. Smooth writing that effortlessly makes all those tales you hear about collaboration seem silly and over-dramatized.
All in all, a helluva good read. And while I would love to know what happens next, I'm content with my idea of what could happen. These boys deserve a pat on the back and 4-1/2 shiny stars Use the link below to get yours, and if you're not familiar with both of them, you'll soon decide that you need to be...
....................
Originally posted to Horror-Web
January 23, 2009
Bad Moon Books are still a relatively new publisher with only a few titles to their name. What they lack in quantity they make in extremely high quality. Restore from Backup by J. F. Gonzalez (Survivor, The Beloved) and Michael Oliveri (Deadliest of the Species) continue on with the publisher's impressive track-record of horror fiction worth your time and money.
Lyle Harrelson has a new computer programming job at Kaiser Development Systems, Inc. He spends all day performing simple calculations and is paid an exorbitant salary for his work. The only catch is he cannot ask any questions about the work he performs. After a desperate phone call from a friend and former-employee of the company, Lyle begins to uncover a plot that starts with him and ends with the framework of reality itself.
Restore from Backup is a refreshingly original and thrilling story, combining the occult, conspiracy theories, and cubicle work. In a time in which the horror genre is dominated by serial killers and zombies, a story featuring the Jewish Kabbalah and computer programming is a welcome deviation. Gonzalez and Oliveri have delivered a hard-to-find gift, a truly original horror story.
Restore from Backup is a very short novella, one should be able to read it in a single sitting, but what it lacks in page count it more then makes up for in ideas. Bad Moon Books has delivered a powerful little story that will appeal to any horror fan looking for something outside of the norm. Only three-hundred signed copies of this novella are being printed. Make sure you act quickly to get a copy of this mind-bending and reality-twisting tale.
Lyle Harrelson has a new computer programming job at Kaiser Development Systems, Inc. He spends all day performing simple calculations and is paid an exorbitant salary for his work. The only catch is he cannot ask any questions about the work he performs. After a desperate phone call from a friend and former-employee of the company, Lyle begins to uncover a plot that starts with him and ends with the framework of reality itself.
Restore from Backup is a refreshingly original and thrilling story, combining the occult, conspiracy theories, and cubicle work. In a time in which the horror genre is dominated by serial killers and zombies, a story featuring the Jewish Kabbalah and computer programming is a welcome deviation. Gonzalez and Oliveri have delivered a hard-to-find gift, a truly original horror story.
Restore from Backup is a very short novella, one should be able to read it in a single sitting, but what it lacks in page count it more then makes up for in ideas. Bad Moon Books has delivered a powerful little story that will appeal to any horror fan looking for something outside of the norm. Only three-hundred signed copies of this novella are being printed. Make sure you act quickly to get a copy of this mind-bending and reality-twisting tale.
June 9, 2013
For a short fiction horror/sci-fi, it was better than I expected. It would make for an interesting M. Night movie if it were lengthened and slowed down.
Want to read
July 22, 2014This copy is a PC/26 signed numbered hardcover. Signed by both authors.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews