Shade

by Charles O'Donnell

When the lie is more convincing than the truth, how can I tell what’s real? Three lives bound together in a struggle that will decide the fate of the Dylan, searching desperately for his shredded mother—Grace, risking everything to reunite with her son—Madeleine, scheming to force all of humanity into a permanent virtual existence. As the fiery demagogue Dax rises to power on a promise to eradicate the secretive Shade, the conflict escalates, Madeleine and Dax on one side, Dylan and Grace on the other. In the a tiny community outside the Worldstream, faced with a life-or-death decision—ignore the threat and slowly perish, or make a stand for the last vestige of Real Life.

380 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2018

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

[Timothy Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a seamless transition from the first book of his series, "Shredded." Mr. O'Donnell continues to demonstrate his mastery of intricate plots in his second journey into a dystopian world where reality and virtual reality seem to battle for dominance. His background as an engineer serves him well in handling the technical elements necessary to create a truly frightening setting where characters seem to weave in and out of alternative realities. He has also managed to mirror the worst of our current political dramas in his story. It is an excellent read and I highly recommend it! I look forward to his next book.

[Martti Orson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shade by Charles O’Donnell completely blew me away. From the very first chapter, I was hooked, not just by the plot, but by the emotion pulsing through every page. It’s one of those books that makes you question reality itself and, even more hauntingly, what it means to be human in a world that’s losing its grip on the “real.”

The story threads together three unforgettable perspectives Dylan, Grace, and Madeleine and O’Donnell weaves them into a narrative that’s both intimate and epic. Dylan’s desperate search for his mother tore at me; Grace’s determination and sacrifice were powerful and deeply moving; and Madeleine’s vision of a virtual utopia was terrifying precisely because it felt so plausible. I couldn’t stop wondering: would I make the same choices if I were in their place?

And then there’s Dax charismatic, dangerous, disturbingly familiar. The rise of his movement felt eerily relevant to our world today. O’Donnell doesn’t just tell a story; he holds up a mirror, showing us the consequences of our obsession with technology, convenience, and control.

The pacing is relentless in the best way, each chapter ends with a tug that forces you to keep reading “just one more.” By the end, I felt wrung out and exhilarated, like I’d been part of something bigger than just a novel.

If you love thought-provoking sci-fi with real emotional depth, moral complexity, and characters who linger long after you close the book, Shade is a must-read. Charles O’Donnell doesn’t just write stories he builds worlds that challenge your heart and your mind.

[Scott Sammons]

The world-building is first class. 4.5 stars.

Charles O'Donnell has grown into a first-class writer. This series has no gimmicks, just quality storytelling. I have no faults with the manuscript as printed. ( I would like to hear a bit more diversity in the voices, but, recognize that society may well be more homogenous in this dystopian future. I doubt it. It seems that people constantly create new dialects. Admittedly there is the occasional nod that certain key phrases are owned by particular groups. Dialog can be richer than it is.)

This is ever closer to perfection.