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S1-R3N
A killer cyborg on the loose. A daughter’s life on the line. And one man’s secret will decide all of their fates…
Designed for urban combat, the S1-R3N prototype is the ideal cybernetic soldier. But when it malfunctions during its public debut, it kills its handlers and the buyers in attendance for its unveiling.
Now Dr. Grant Andrews, the scientist responsible for creating the S1-R3N, is the only one who can stop it.
But the S1-R3N is determined to get to Grant first, by any means necessary—including going after Grant’s teenage daughter, Alexis.
Will Grant be able to protect his daughter from the cyborg’s murderous intentions? Or will the S1-R3N send him to meet his maker?
This engaging thriller is told ina visionary style through a series of text message conversations. If you love sci-fi, horror, thrillers, or any combination of those, you'll love S1-R3N. Download your free copy today!
Designed for urban combat, the S1-R3N prototype is the ideal cybernetic soldier. But when it malfunctions during its public debut, it kills its handlers and the buyers in attendance for its unveiling.
Now Dr. Grant Andrews, the scientist responsible for creating the S1-R3N, is the only one who can stop it.
But the S1-R3N is determined to get to Grant first, by any means necessary—including going after Grant’s teenage daughter, Alexis.
Will Grant be able to protect his daughter from the cyborg’s murderous intentions? Or will the S1-R3N send him to meet his maker?
This engaging thriller is told ina visionary style through a series of text message conversations. If you love sci-fi, horror, thrillers, or any combination of those, you'll love S1-R3N. Download your free copy today!
149 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2018
29 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Ben Wolf
99 books116 followersAt the age of nine, Ben Wolf slayed his first dragon.
As the dragon perished, it bequeathed a measure of its power to Ben.
It told him, "You now have the ability to lie more creatively than any other being on this planet--except for politicians. Use this power wisely."
The dragon died with one final puff of smoke from its lungs, but Ben Wolf lived on.
For years, Ben honed his craft. At the age of twelve, he lied to his sister about having thrown darts at a poster of her favorite boy band.
At the age of sixteen, he lied to a policeman who'd pulled him over for speeding, and it got him out of a ticket.
At the age of eighteen, he lied to himself about what a good decision it was to go to Bible college and major in Pastoral Studies (that one has come back to haunt him several times).
Given the unique power he'd inherited from the dying dragon, Ben Wolf had expected his life to look very different from how it did when he turned twenty-three.
Then the dragon's words regarding his power returned to him: "Use this power wisely."
The truth was, Ben hadn't been using the magnificent power wisely. He'd been using it for personal gain, and to dig himself out of bad situations (or, in the case of Bible college, to get himself into them).
So he asked himself, "What would be a wise way to use this power?"
At that very moment, a bus drove past the street in front of him. On its side was emblazoned the phrase, "You should write a novel!"
Having graduated from Bible college a year earlier, Ben took it as a divine message. What's more, he'd already written one novel at that point, and he'd enjoyed it, so he figured he might as well write a few more.
That was 2009. Now, more than ten years later, Ben has written north of ten books, including an award-winning children's book and an award-winning novel.
Awards are great, but what Ben has found even more reassuring is the consistently great feedback he's gotten from readers. They've raved about his work and told him he was the best, most creative liar they'd ever heard of.
So now Ben is on the cusp of making serious headway with his lying skills. His debut fantasy saga, the Blood Mercenaries series of dark/epic/sword & sorcery novels, is raking in tons of stellar reviews from readers everywhere.
And now you can be a part of his creative lying journey. If you've read Ben Wolf's work, love him as a person, or plain old just think he's a handsome guy (he is, and he is now making it known that it wasn't him who wrote this (but it was actually him)), then please review his books here and on Amazon.com.
Ben, who we swear didn't write this, thanks you.
As the dragon perished, it bequeathed a measure of its power to Ben.
It told him, "You now have the ability to lie more creatively than any other being on this planet--except for politicians. Use this power wisely."
The dragon died with one final puff of smoke from its lungs, but Ben Wolf lived on.
For years, Ben honed his craft. At the age of twelve, he lied to his sister about having thrown darts at a poster of her favorite boy band.
At the age of sixteen, he lied to a policeman who'd pulled him over for speeding, and it got him out of a ticket.
At the age of eighteen, he lied to himself about what a good decision it was to go to Bible college and major in Pastoral Studies (that one has come back to haunt him several times).
Given the unique power he'd inherited from the dying dragon, Ben Wolf had expected his life to look very different from how it did when he turned twenty-three.
Then the dragon's words regarding his power returned to him: "Use this power wisely."
The truth was, Ben hadn't been using the magnificent power wisely. He'd been using it for personal gain, and to dig himself out of bad situations (or, in the case of Bible college, to get himself into them).
So he asked himself, "What would be a wise way to use this power?"
At that very moment, a bus drove past the street in front of him. On its side was emblazoned the phrase, "You should write a novel!"
Having graduated from Bible college a year earlier, Ben took it as a divine message. What's more, he'd already written one novel at that point, and he'd enjoyed it, so he figured he might as well write a few more.
That was 2009. Now, more than ten years later, Ben has written north of ten books, including an award-winning children's book and an award-winning novel.
Awards are great, but what Ben has found even more reassuring is the consistently great feedback he's gotten from readers. They've raved about his work and told him he was the best, most creative liar they'd ever heard of.
So now Ben is on the cusp of making serious headway with his lying skills. His debut fantasy saga, the Blood Mercenaries series of dark/epic/sword & sorcery novels, is raking in tons of stellar reviews from readers everywhere.
And now you can be a part of his creative lying journey. If you've read Ben Wolf's work, love him as a person, or plain old just think he's a handsome guy (he is, and he is now making it known that it wasn't him who wrote this (but it was actually him)), then please review his books here and on Amazon.com.
Ben, who we swear didn't write this, thanks you.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 18, 2018
S1-R3N by Ben Wolf is a short story I received from either book funnel or instafreebie. It's a science fiction but told by way of text messages to each other. You will understand why when you read the story. Quite unique story. A scientist's cyborg goes crazy after someone reboots it and it starts killing people. The reboot messed up the coding. The story from there gets really twisted!
February 15, 2022
I have never seen a book written quite like this before-- or since! And my hat is definitely off to Mr. Wolf for accomplishing an impossible task.
This story is written ENTIRELY in a series of text messages. Impossible, you say? Then you simply have to read this very short e-book. The story is clearly laid out. The characters are concise and their actions are clear within the context of the texts they send back and forth. There is absolutely no other descriptions in this book until the very last page.
And that last page is mind-blowing!
I've followed Mr. Wolf's career since he began writing, and I have to say that I believe this is the most explosive thing he has ever written. It delivers a gut-punch that takes your breath away.
Must read!
This story is written ENTIRELY in a series of text messages. Impossible, you say? Then you simply have to read this very short e-book. The story is clearly laid out. The characters are concise and their actions are clear within the context of the texts they send back and forth. There is absolutely no other descriptions in this book until the very last page.
And that last page is mind-blowing!
I've followed Mr. Wolf's career since he began writing, and I have to say that I believe this is the most explosive thing he has ever written. It delivers a gut-punch that takes your breath away.
Must read!
August 4, 2018
While this book was unique and kept my attention, I'm not a big fan of horror since I like happy endings, and like most horror, this had a downer ending.
July 23, 2018
This short story didn't quite work for me, though I think the author shows promise. My biggest problem with independent authors tends to be their amateurish prose and shoddy editing, but that is never an issue here.
The narrative of S1-R3N consists almost entirely of text messages, an idea that reminded me somewhat of Joe Hill's "Twittering from the Circus of the Dead." It's an interesting and innovative technique...if you can successfully pull it off. However, like one of those "found footage" movies where characters continue filming long after any real person would've put down the camera, S1-R3N mostly fails to give convincing explanations for why everyone in the story is so hell-bent on texting rather calling each other. Admittedly, in some scenes it makes sense (like when characters are trying to be silent or when one girl is in a movie theater), but mostly it comes across as a very inefficient way to communicate, especially when driving. And the idea that, in an emergency situation, the police would text you rather than call? No way.
Also, I wish Wolf had gone a step further and made the book pages look like screen shots from a smart phone. That would've made it way easier to read. As it is, the layout resembles a screenplay; but since, as in real life, a character may send multiple texts before generating a response, the obvious back-and-forth rhythm of standard dialog is lost. Which means you must check the sender's name on every message to avoid getting confused.
The story itself feels like a Roger Corman movie, except elevated somewhat by crisp writing and the unique narrative style. Unfortunately, the twist at the end was predictable and silly, and exactly what makes the S1-R3N so unstoppable is never clearly explained.
Since the author is giving this ebook for free, one really can't complain. However, I have to assume it's a far cry from what Mr. Wolf is truly capable of.
The narrative of S1-R3N consists almost entirely of text messages, an idea that reminded me somewhat of Joe Hill's "Twittering from the Circus of the Dead." It's an interesting and innovative technique...if you can successfully pull it off. However, like one of those "found footage" movies where characters continue filming long after any real person would've put down the camera, S1-R3N mostly fails to give convincing explanations for why everyone in the story is so hell-bent on texting rather calling each other. Admittedly, in some scenes it makes sense (like when characters are trying to be silent or when one girl is in a movie theater), but mostly it comes across as a very inefficient way to communicate, especially when driving. And the idea that, in an emergency situation, the police would text you rather than call? No way.
Also, I wish Wolf had gone a step further and made the book pages look like screen shots from a smart phone. That would've made it way easier to read. As it is, the layout resembles a screenplay; but since, as in real life, a character may send multiple texts before generating a response, the obvious back-and-forth rhythm of standard dialog is lost. Which means you must check the sender's name on every message to avoid getting confused.
The story itself feels like a Roger Corman movie, except elevated somewhat by crisp writing and the unique narrative style. Unfortunately, the twist at the end was predictable and silly, and exactly what makes the S1-R3N so unstoppable is never clearly explained.
Since the author is giving this ebook for free, one really can't complain. However, I have to assume it's a far cry from what Mr. Wolf is truly capable of.
July 16, 2018
S1-R3N by Ben Wolf is not your typical killer robot story. This story is written in text messages. I found the format refreshing. The pace moved quickly and I didn't have any trouble differentiating between characters. It's actually very much like reading a script without the stage direction.
The plot is very similar to Frankenstein where you have to wonder, who's more in the wrong, the monster or the maker?
My only complaint is the section where a character is very obviously driving, and even says they can't talk because they're being pulled over. Not only is this behavior illegal in many states, I find it unlikely that someone would take the time to type out texts when they've just witnessed a massacre like that. I personally would be in the fetal position crying.
The plot is very similar to Frankenstein where you have to wonder, who's more in the wrong, the monster or the maker?
My only complaint is the section where a character is very obviously driving, and even says they can't talk because they're being pulled over. Not only is this behavior illegal in many states, I find it unlikely that someone would take the time to type out texts when they've just witnessed a massacre like that. I personally would be in the fetal position crying.
July 15, 2018
Riveting and disturbing. Of course, it's a horror story so that's a good thing. The tension came through even though the story is told mostly in the form of text messages. I don't think I could take that for a novel, but it worked for this story because the characters are separate through most of it, and because the story is short.
I recommend it for people who like near-future cyberpunk and horror.
I recommend it for people who like near-future cyberpunk and horror.
August 29, 2020
A killer cyborg on the loose. A daughter’s life on the line. And one man’s secret will decide all of their fates. An S1-R3N prototype, an ideal cybernetic soldier, malfunctions, killing its handlers and the buyers in attendance for its unveiling. Only Dr. Grant Andrews, creator, can stop it. Can he protect his teenage daughter, Alexis?
Exciting read. High tense. Interesting characters.
Exciting read. High tense. Interesting characters.
August 11, 2024
While I do not usually enjoy the text style conversations for story telling this one used it in a compelling way to bring across the characters personalities as well as keeping the desperation and tension of the story. S1-R3N is a warning in many ways similar to zombies as to the hubris of man. At the same time while some of the twists are a little predictable others are not. I struggled a little at times but highly enjoyed listening to it via Soundbooth Theatre as they really brought the drama and hidden subtexts to life for me.
July 28, 2018
Amazing.
Wow, it was like I was watching a movie. Can someone make this into a short movie already? Seriously, I haven't dropped my phone even for a second until I finished reading it. Very interesting read. One of a kind.
Wow, it was like I was watching a movie. Can someone make this into a short movie already? Seriously, I haven't dropped my phone even for a second until I finished reading it. Very interesting read. One of a kind.
July 30, 2018
I enjoyed this. There were places where the concept was stretched a little too far and a few of the back and forths were a little too 'needed to describe the plot' rather than sounding like actual text conversations, but overall it was a fun story, well executed.
February 11, 2019
The story is a solid four-stars. The text-style writing worked for this short story, it's tech scifi and maybe helped build suspense, but I give it three stars because I would have enjoyed it more if it had been fully fleshed out. ...
August 5, 2018
Loved the twist at the end, and the reveal up to the twist was great. No sure about the text msg style of storytelling. Didn't allow me to get into the characters as much as typical POV would.
August 16, 2018
Enjoyed the story wish it had been a full novel.
August 19, 2018
This was a really fun short story, especially because of the way in which it's told: through a series of text messages. It totally worked for the subject matter, and the ending had a great twist.
October 15, 2018
Short story about a run-amok cyborg hunting down its creator written all in text messages. I found it quite entertaining.
January 5, 2019
Good read, entertaining.
April 10, 2019
Really liked this book...but who can text that fast while under pressure? Voice commands?
Great cover art!
Great cover art!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2019
Short story. I had it figured out just a few pages in, and I'm not sure the format (text messages) was very effective. It was a decent light read. I've enjoyed other work from this author much more.
December 24, 2024
Pretty interesting, and enjoyed how they incorporated texting and other things into the story.
October 27, 2018
Told almost entirely in text-message format, S1-R3N chronicles the attempts made by Dr. Grant Andrews to stop his gone-rogue creation, the novel's cybernetic-soldier namesake, from slaughtering innocents and his loved ones.
I was engaged from the first page, and the ending came as an unsettling surprise; however, I do wish the characters had been developed more.
I was engaged from the first page, and the ending came as an unsettling surprise; however, I do wish the characters had been developed more.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews