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Human++ #1-3
Upgrade
From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Dima Zales, discover an action-packed science fiction adventure that will keep you reading late into the night.
A successful venture capitalist with billions in the bank, Mike Cohen has it all figured out. That is, until the life-changing new technology he’s developing lands him in the middle of a global conspiracy, and the only way to save himself, his loved ones, and his tech is to embed the highly experimental Brainocytes in his own brain.
Brainocytes transform the human experience, making you smarter, faster, and more powerful. With enemies at every turn, Mike must use his newly enhanced capabilities to save his family, his friends, and ultimately, the world.
This bundle contains all three books of the thrilling Human++ trilogy. If you’re a fan of science fiction, futuristic technology, witty humor, and edge-of-your-seat adventure, this is the series for you.
A successful venture capitalist with billions in the bank, Mike Cohen has it all figured out. That is, until the life-changing new technology he’s developing lands him in the middle of a global conspiracy, and the only way to save himself, his loved ones, and his tech is to embed the highly experimental Brainocytes in his own brain.
Brainocytes transform the human experience, making you smarter, faster, and more powerful. With enemies at every turn, Mike must use his newly enhanced capabilities to save his family, his friends, and ultimately, the world.
This bundle contains all three books of the thrilling Human++ trilogy. If you’re a fan of science fiction, futuristic technology, witty humor, and edge-of-your-seat adventure, this is the series for you.
- GenresScience Fiction
818 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2018
178 people are currently reading
1693 people want to read
About the author
Dima Zales
110 books737 followersDima Zales is a full-time science fiction and fantasy author residing in Palm Coast, Florida. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked in the software development industry in New York as both a programmer and an executive. From high-frequency trading software for big banks to mobile apps for popular magazines, Dima has done it all. In 2013, he left the software industry in order to concentrate on his writing career.
Dima holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from NYU and a dual undergraduate degree in Computer Science / Psychology from Brooklyn College. He also has a number of hobbies and interests, the most unusual of which might be professional-level mentalism. He simulates mind-reading on stage and close-up, and has done shows for corporations, wealthy individuals, and friends.
He is also into healthy eating and fitness, so he should live long enough to finish all the book projects he starts. In fact, he very much hopes to catch the technological advancements that might let him live forever (biologically or otherwise). Aside from that, he also enjoys learning about current and future technologies that might enhance our lives, including artificial intelligence, biofeedback, brain-to-computer interfaces, and brain-enhancing implants.
In addition to his own works, Dima has collaborated on a number of romance novels with his wife, Anna Zaires. The Krinar Chronicles, an erotic science fiction series, has been a bestseller in its categories and has been recognized by the likes of Marie Claire and Woman’s Day. If you like erotic romance with a unique plot, please feel free to check it out, especially since the first book in the series (Close Liaisons) is available for free everywhere. Keep in mind, though, Dima Zales's books are going to be much more PG 13 . . . at least that’s the plan for now.
Anna Zaires is the love of his life and a huge inspiration in every aspect of his writing. She definitely adds her magic touch to anything Dima creates, and the books would not be the same without her. Dima’s fans are strongly encouraged to learn more about Anna and her work at http://www.annazaires.com/
Dima holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from NYU and a dual undergraduate degree in Computer Science / Psychology from Brooklyn College. He also has a number of hobbies and interests, the most unusual of which might be professional-level mentalism. He simulates mind-reading on stage and close-up, and has done shows for corporations, wealthy individuals, and friends.
He is also into healthy eating and fitness, so he should live long enough to finish all the book projects he starts. In fact, he very much hopes to catch the technological advancements that might let him live forever (biologically or otherwise). Aside from that, he also enjoys learning about current and future technologies that might enhance our lives, including artificial intelligence, biofeedback, brain-to-computer interfaces, and brain-enhancing implants.
In addition to his own works, Dima has collaborated on a number of romance novels with his wife, Anna Zaires. The Krinar Chronicles, an erotic science fiction series, has been a bestseller in its categories and has been recognized by the likes of Marie Claire and Woman’s Day. If you like erotic romance with a unique plot, please feel free to check it out, especially since the first book in the series (Close Liaisons) is available for free everywhere. Keep in mind, though, Dima Zales's books are going to be much more PG 13 . . . at least that’s the plan for now.
Anna Zaires is the love of his life and a huge inspiration in every aspect of his writing. She definitely adds her magic touch to anything Dima creates, and the books would not be the same without her. Dima’s fans are strongly encouraged to learn more about Anna and her work at http://www.annazaires.com/
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 22, 2024
A SCIENCE FICTION THRILLER THAT'S JUST LIKE A COMIC BOOK
Let’s say you want to write a superhero story without superheroes. What do you do? Simple. You endow ordinary people with superhuman intelligence and enhanced senses by implanting something in their brains. Chips, maybe. Or nanocytes. Then suddenly you’ve got people with extraordinary abilities. Not the capacity to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but to think and act faster than anyone else and perceive in a flash five or ten steps down the road the consequences of your actions. And you’ll meet such people in author Dima Zales’s Human ++ Trilogy. In Upgrade, the first of the three books, what you get are not just superheroes in all but name but also Russian mobsters and mad scientists. Yes, it’s just like a comic book.
WHO’S WHO IN THE STORY
Just to convey the flavor of the story, here are the principal characters:
** Michael (Mike, Misha, Mikhail) Cohen, a young Russian immigrant who owns a multibillion-dollar venture capital fund in Brooklyn. He’s very smart to begin with. When he gets upgraded, just watch out!
** Mike’s mom, Nina Davydovna Cohen, who fits the bill of a stereotypical Jewish mother. She’s in the early stages of dementia. And she’s the reason Mike has invested heavily in Techno, a nanotechnology company that is developing a treatment for the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s. His mom is one of the first test subjects.
** Ada, the prodigy who is the Team Lead for the software engineers at Techno. She’s a genius, of course. She may also be gorgeous. At least, Mike thinks so, and he’s besotted with her.
Dmitry (Mitya) Levin, the “multibillionaire C-level honcho of multiple corporations” who is Techno’s founder.
** Cousin Joe, a polyglot Russian-American gangster with a homicidal stare and a hair-trigger temper. He’s Mike’s Uncle Abe’s son. “The labels people use when referring to my cousin are psychopath and sociopath.” (Mike narrates this story.)
** Mr. Spock, an upgraded white rat who is one of Ada’s pets, rescued from an early animal experiment at Techno. Mr. Spock plays a key role in the plot of this cockamamie story.
WELCOME TO THE BLOOD-FEST!
Don’t expect to be bored by Upgrade. You may spurn it as preposterous, or toss it away in disgust over the violence, but it won’t bore you. There are bloody fights, with thousands of bullets expended, and lots of explosions. Like I said, this novel is like a comic book. All that’s missing are the speech balloons and the dramatic graphics. If you’re a comic book fan, or you love violent video games, you may enjoy this novel. Bur I don’t intend to read the rest of this trilogy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dima Zales‘ biography on Amazon reads in part as follows: “Dima Zales is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked in the software development industry in New York as both a programmer and an executive on projects involving high-frequency trading software for big banks and mobile apps for popular magazines. . . In 2013, he left the software industry in order to concentrate on his writing career and moved to Palm Coast, Florida, where he currently resides.” He credits his life partner, Anna Zaires, as a collaborator on his books. There appear to be more than one hundred of them to date.
“Dima holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from NYU and a dual undergraduate degree in Computer Science / Psychology from Brooklyn College.”
The author’s name, Dima, is a derivative of the Russian Dimitriy. Given the free occasional use of Russian in this novel, and the details about life in Russia, it appears that Dima may well be a Russian immigrant.
Let’s say you want to write a superhero story without superheroes. What do you do? Simple. You endow ordinary people with superhuman intelligence and enhanced senses by implanting something in their brains. Chips, maybe. Or nanocytes. Then suddenly you’ve got people with extraordinary abilities. Not the capacity to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but to think and act faster than anyone else and perceive in a flash five or ten steps down the road the consequences of your actions. And you’ll meet such people in author Dima Zales’s Human ++ Trilogy. In Upgrade, the first of the three books, what you get are not just superheroes in all but name but also Russian mobsters and mad scientists. Yes, it’s just like a comic book.
WHO’S WHO IN THE STORY
Just to convey the flavor of the story, here are the principal characters:
** Michael (Mike, Misha, Mikhail) Cohen, a young Russian immigrant who owns a multibillion-dollar venture capital fund in Brooklyn. He’s very smart to begin with. When he gets upgraded, just watch out!
** Mike’s mom, Nina Davydovna Cohen, who fits the bill of a stereotypical Jewish mother. She’s in the early stages of dementia. And she’s the reason Mike has invested heavily in Techno, a nanotechnology company that is developing a treatment for the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s. His mom is one of the first test subjects.
** Ada, the prodigy who is the Team Lead for the software engineers at Techno. She’s a genius, of course. She may also be gorgeous. At least, Mike thinks so, and he’s besotted with her.
Dmitry (Mitya) Levin, the “multibillionaire C-level honcho of multiple corporations” who is Techno’s founder.
** Cousin Joe, a polyglot Russian-American gangster with a homicidal stare and a hair-trigger temper. He’s Mike’s Uncle Abe’s son. “The labels people use when referring to my cousin are psychopath and sociopath.” (Mike narrates this story.)
** Mr. Spock, an upgraded white rat who is one of Ada’s pets, rescued from an early animal experiment at Techno. Mr. Spock plays a key role in the plot of this cockamamie story.
WELCOME TO THE BLOOD-FEST!
Don’t expect to be bored by Upgrade. You may spurn it as preposterous, or toss it away in disgust over the violence, but it won’t bore you. There are bloody fights, with thousands of bullets expended, and lots of explosions. Like I said, this novel is like a comic book. All that’s missing are the speech balloons and the dramatic graphics. If you’re a comic book fan, or you love violent video games, you may enjoy this novel. Bur I don’t intend to read the rest of this trilogy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dima Zales‘ biography on Amazon reads in part as follows: “Dima Zales is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked in the software development industry in New York as both a programmer and an executive on projects involving high-frequency trading software for big banks and mobile apps for popular magazines. . . In 2013, he left the software industry in order to concentrate on his writing career and moved to Palm Coast, Florida, where he currently resides.” He credits his life partner, Anna Zaires, as a collaborator on his books. There appear to be more than one hundred of them to date.
“Dima holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from NYU and a dual undergraduate degree in Computer Science / Psychology from Brooklyn College.”
The author’s name, Dima, is a derivative of the Russian Dimitriy. Given the free occasional use of Russian in this novel, and the details about life in Russia, it appears that Dima may well be a Russian immigrant.
September 25, 2024
I originally read the first novel several years ago. I liked it then because it was such a simple fun story. Now i see it as a very shallow wish fulfillment fantasy; an optimism run amok. It makes everything too easy without enough thought to the potential consequences. In anything closer to reality, the heroes would be villains. Mike and his little club simply assume the rights to dramatically alter the world on their timeline and according to their vision.
The author’s vision isn’t grounded in a reality where every action has unintended consequences. Brainocytes simply work for everyone despite the reality that subtle differences in biology, in the real world, would make that not only impossible, but the consequences would easily be deadly or disabling no matter how well designed the technology.
The introduction of Alan really made me wonder what the writer was thinking. No parent would do this to a child and be thought of as anything but criminal. And why would anyone want to have a child like that? It destroys the appeal of parenting, ie. introducing a child to the world and teaching them about it and enjoying their innocence in return. Alan is just creepy.
The author’s vision isn’t grounded in a reality where every action has unintended consequences. Brainocytes simply work for everyone despite the reality that subtle differences in biology, in the real world, would make that not only impossible, but the consequences would easily be deadly or disabling no matter how well designed the technology.
The introduction of Alan really made me wonder what the writer was thinking. No parent would do this to a child and be thought of as anything but criminal. And why would anyone want to have a child like that? It destroys the appeal of parenting, ie. introducing a child to the world and teaching them about it and enjoying their innocence in return. Alan is just creepy.
June 8, 2018
I am normally a romance reader, but every once in a while I venture out of my “norm” and try something different. I have read another trilogy from Dima Zales before and I enjoyed it a lot, so I wanted to try this one as well.
I am on the second book now, but I wanted to leave my review now for the combined trilogy and I will update once I finished.
Book is well written, characters developed very well and story is so so interesting to me. I love all the futuristic stuff in it, it intrigues me so much to see how our future could/might be. Dima is excellent in describing all these details and it keeps me glued to the book.
All the technical parts/ programming stuff he explains well, so I am able to follow. I truly enjoy this book and I am ready to finish and se what he will do with the storyline. What is going to happen on the end. I think books are excellently written and I highly recommend them if you enjoy futuristic /sci-if stories.
I am on the second book now, but I wanted to leave my review now for the combined trilogy and I will update once I finished.
Book is well written, characters developed very well and story is so so interesting to me. I love all the futuristic stuff in it, it intrigues me so much to see how our future could/might be. Dima is excellent in describing all these details and it keeps me glued to the book.
All the technical parts/ programming stuff he explains well, so I am able to follow. I truly enjoy this book and I am ready to finish and se what he will do with the storyline. What is going to happen on the end. I think books are excellently written and I highly recommend them if you enjoy futuristic /sci-if stories.
July 29, 2019
Interesting subject
I got into this book with a different idea in mind but the subject of this trilogy is interesting enough to keep me turning pages until the end. Liked the way the author kept the interest moving throughout the story and loved the non-cliche endings to some of the activities in the story, won’t say more so there are no spoilers in my review. Simply enjoyed it.
I got into this book with a different idea in mind but the subject of this trilogy is interesting enough to keep me turning pages until the end. Liked the way the author kept the interest moving throughout the story and loved the non-cliche endings to some of the activities in the story, won’t say more so there are no spoilers in my review. Simply enjoyed it.
April 20, 2021
Interesting storyline but way too much time was spent on details about the technology rather than weaving those into the story itself. For books two and three, it felt the the first halves were devoted to rehashing through all the cool things the technology could do. Once the storylines got going they were pretty good.
November 22, 2018
The future is around the corner
The story is fun and entertaining for those of us who like science fiction, suspense and action. However, more enjoyable are the many possibilities that the book shows about our future with the artificial enhancement of our minds.
The story is fun and entertaining for those of us who like science fiction, suspense and action. However, more enjoyable are the many possibilities that the book shows about our future with the artificial enhancement of our minds.
October 8, 2019
Interesting concepts, but a bit too heavy on the violence.
September 2, 2022
Loved the story, this was my second audio book. It was a great listen. The suspense and thrill of the chase within the story. I felt like I was watching the movie in my head.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews