iROMANCE

by Darrell B. Nelson

How could one stray text change the world?
When Otis gets a picture from an old friend, he didn't expect to be tossed into a cross-country investigation to find his friend's killer. He just wanted to go home to his cat.
With the help of a tech investigator, Cynthia Bootwong, Otis finds his murdered friend's work has world changing implications. One's that can send the United States into another civil war, this time with nukes.
But even the potential of nuclear war doesn't prepare him for the truth he uncovers.

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 17, 2019

About the author

Darrell B. Nelson is a former Securities Broker and Insurance Agent who has decided to use the total meltdown of his former industry, and the total destruction of any illusions of personal financial security the meltdown caused, as an opportunity to pursue a writing career.

His passion for writing was encouraged at a young age by his his mother, who would read to him every night. Fueling his dreams in ways only books can. As he got older she took him to the library every week. Letting his imagination soar.

While other children his age were dealing with where they were and what they were doing, he was flying through space helping to build Asimov's Foundation, Make way for Clarke's Star Child, or living on Bova's Selene. Needless to say, he tripped over things a lot.

When he started writing he knew in the future his works would be of great importance, as time travelers arrived and started watching his every move. Or, maybe they were cats, wondering if he would pet them and rub their ears. Time Travelers have whiskers and like to curl up in your lap, right?

In his free time he likes to hang out on Facebook, marveling at how far we've come since the time of the Egyptians who would worship cats and write on walls.

Reviews

[E.M. Swift-Hook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Near Future Spec. Fic. Murder Mystery - and More

The murder of a friend and a chance meeting with the enigmatic Cynthia, propels Otis into a world of danger, corruption and political intregue. He has to somehow find out what happened to his friend whilst keeping alive in a near future America divided in two between two forms of corruption - a backwards looking theocracy and a ratings driven high-tech corporate system.

What I enjoyed.
The tech. There are some really cool ideas in this book and many of them are real things that are in development now that the author has taken and shown how they could be applied widely and what the impact might be if they were. Science fiction speculation at it's best!
The character development. Especially Otis, who does a lot of 'growing' in the story and his final comments show just how far he has travelled from the rather shallow self-involved character we meet on the opening page.
The issues tackled. The author uses the quirkiness of the story to tackle some very dark issues head on but in a way that still delivers on the level of entertainment.

What I struggled with.
The characters. I found it very difficult to relate to them. This was not so much because I didn't like them as because I struggled to believe in the way they reacted at times.
The plot. For the first half of the book there is a bit too much of a sense of 'rinse repeat' as Otis and Cynthia visit people and interview them in the course of their investigation. Then the sudden shift in tone and focus half-way through is a bit jarring.

Overall thoughts.
It’s a fun read in an approachable writing style, but with a lot of dark and thoughtful hinterland behind the surface story.

[E.A. Wicklund · Rating 4 out of 5]

iRomance is an interesting book with two very clear aspects. It is a book about a near-future Earth with a romance, investigation, and political intrigue. This is the book I hoped it would be. The other aspect is a treatise on what we could do to make a better society both by ideology and technology, and what forces and ideologies stand in opposition to this potential societal growth.

The way I see it, the book I hoped this would be deserves three-stars; as a treatise on how to create a better society it deserves five-stars. I think it fairest to rate this book on "what it is" rather than what I was "hoping for." Thus, I'll take an average and give this four-stars.

First, the book's plusses. The main characters, Otis and Cyn, are very likeable people with troubled pasts. Both have experienced traumas and pulled through it, becoming thoughtful and kind. Otis's relationship with his cat is truly endearing. Cyn is very open-minded and sympathetic to Otis. Soon they begin an investigation together to discover who ordered the killing of his friend, Ken. As they traipse across the nation, you can't help but like them both and hope they get together. When they do, we discover Otis is as forward-thinking and open-minded as we all would like to claim to be.

The negatives began to arise in the latter half of the book as its ideology becomes more and more prominent. The storyline begins to take a back seat while ideological bullet points begin hitting you like a constantly pulsing light. In fairness to Nelson, I agree with very nearly all of his ideas. I just think the ideas took over the story and left the story line dragging behind. If you've read The Celestine Prophecy, you're familiar with a story that's more about the philosophy than about the story. As a book more about ideas for making a better world, this book does great.

In this future, the USA is divided into two countries: the Urban States and the Rural States. The former being technologically advanced, open-minded, and environmentally conscious. The Rural States is full of religious zealots, hillbillies, racists, homophobes, and every other -ist you can think of. I found the rather broad brush with which the author painted the two sides a bit insulting and over-generalizing. It's clear what he's doing with this allegory, but as a story structure, it falls apart rather easily.

In the end, it's the relationship between Otis and Cyn that provide the real backbone of the book and it's greatest strength. If you lean towards open-minded thinking and environmentally conscious technologies and ideas you will find plenty to like in this book.

[Ned Huston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review of iRomance by Darrell B. Nelson

At the beginning of iRomance Otis Taft receives a texted picture of a laboratory from his old college roommate Ken. He doesn’t know it yet but embedded in the picture are clues to why Ken has been murdered. Otis thinks it is coincidental that he has just encountered a woman named Cynthia Bootwong, who strikes up a conversation with him. It does not take him long for him to figure out she is an industrial spy, and he is suspicious of her motives, but he can’t take his eyes off Cyn’s curvaceous legs and plunging cleavage (you know, her personality).

She volunteers to help him investigate his friend’s murder, and he can’t think of a reason to refuse her help. She is tech savvy and has contacts who can aid them. Otis, on the other hand, is a CPA, not tech savvy and not good with people. Since his wife’s death, his only real human interactions have been with his cat. With Cyn’s assistance, Otis is able to recover clues from the photo, most of which he is able to interpret based on his memories from high school. As they continue to investigate, Otis discovers Ken had an Eco Secret, a technology he had developed for using algae to scrub the air. A quick calculation tells him this technology could be worth billions of dollars.

At this point the reader becomes suspicious of Cyn’s motives for helping Otis, but Otis doesn’t give it a thought. He is convinced she likes him for his good looks and is charmed by his devotion to his pet.

This is where the novel begins to fall apart. There were indications already, of course, but here the book’s inevitable collapse becomes apparent. Otis not only continues to investigate the crime with THE PERSON HE SHOULD NOT TRUST, but he also falls in love with her. He is smitten with her short skirt, her eyes, her voice (you know, her personality).

This is what is known in the trade as the idiot plot—the plot that cannot happen unless the character is an idiot. It is a major problem but not the biggest one in this novel. There are a hundred different kinds of flaws in iRomance. You do not have the patience to sit by while I recount them.

A more interesting question is why does this novel deserve any stars?

I hope I’ve shown one reason—the beginning. Despite the novel’s poor style, it is easy to read and has a plot that moves it forward. There are interesting ideas that promise to pay off in a satisfying way. At first glance the characters seem sympathetic, and the villains are detestable. There is a lot of potential here.

You don’t realize at first how shallow the premises of this novel are. You don’t realize the characters are not going to grow. You don’t see that the author really has no understanding of algae-based air scrubbing, politics, or human beings. You don’t know the payoff you are anticipating at the end is going to be cents instead of dollars. You’ll want to throw it against the wall when you come to the surprise twist midway when a whole new genre is introduced into the book.

Because of language, violence, and sex, this is a book for the adult audience only. On Amazon two stars means “I did not like it.” On Goodreads one star means “I did not like it.” An additional star means “it was ok.” It’s not ok. Read it for yourself if you’re not convinced.

[Tristen Kozinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

iRomance is a story that begins as a murder mystery/conspiracy and evolves into a spy novel. It transpires in the near future where the conflicting political ideologies have caused America to split, with a minority of states seceding to become the Rural Confederacy. This introduces my largest critique of the book, the Rural Confederacy is basically a distillation, and slight exaggeration, of the negative stereotypes applied to southerners: racism, sexism, homophobia, rampant poverty, obesity, extraordinarily high homicide rates, abusive religion, rape haven etc. And there's no explanation for why an entire culture regressed several degrees of human decency in a decade or so (no present year is given, but technology advances and referenced events allude to about that long.) This somewhat soured my enjoyment of the book.
The prose is decent, but iRomance's main strength lies in its two leads. Otis is likable, often humorous and emotionally nuanced. He serves mostly as a vessel for the readers in the story, but still acts and effects meaningful change. He is neither relegated to a supporting role, nor the sole resolver of conflicts.
Cynthia, a transgender woman, takes longer to manifest her nuance (until the very end of the story long) and before then is likable but perhaps a little boring. She's never allowed to be flawed until the end, whereas Otis experiences crushing grief and contemplates suicide through the course of the story. But when her nuance finally comes about, it is delicious and feeds into the story's excellent conclusion.
The last criticism I could levy, and this is purposefully vague to avoid spoilers, is that the initial murder mystery/investigation section of the story could have used a few more curveballs.

That'll be all.
Note (in case it's not evident) this book does have fairly distinct political undertones.

[Adam Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel has a lot going for it. The atmospheric dialogue between the two hi-tech gumshoes Otis and Cyn is a mix of Q&A, peppered with factoids about technology and clues directly related to the story, in an effort to solve the murder of Otis' old friend Ken who is somehow tied to a hi-tech algae process that has environmental benefits to society.

Mourning the passing of his wife while solving the case, Otis becomes more attracted to Cyn, only to find this hot hi-tech chick is a transvestite. Kind of like an alternate version of The Crying Game (the movie). Yet in this case they consummate the relationship. It's handled in rather good taste, and when Cyn confesses her secret identity to Otis I giggled only because in real life what could you really say, and it's brief and to the point (I won't spoil it).

As for the set up of the relationship between Otis and Cyn, there's a bit of a disconnect. We know that Otis mourns his wife, but his bi-sexual nature is set up in such a way that it makes sense romantically, but not so much erotically. We don't get any flashback sequences, or sequences relating to the past, that either confirm or contrast Otis' sexual identity towards his present sexual attraction towards Cyn in a way that seems authentic.

My overall reaction to the novel was that a lot of the "confessions" would work better as "progressions," i.e. conversation converted into a series of action/active scenes where we get to see the characters perform what they're saying, rather than saying what they've performed.

For example, Cyn confesses to Otis that she was in an accident and had on operation resulting in a nano-implant that allows her to access technology. This scenario would play to today's movie-video game oriented audience even further if we got to see all this happen in the span of say a few brief chapters with a set up (the accident), a turning point (does Cyn live or die on the operating table?), and a pay off (her/his confession in the present).

I like Otis relationship with his cat, but that's all it is, just Otis liking his cat. If that much cat has to be in the story, it would make more sense to tie it to the story arc in such a way that it's as crucial to the plot as Jones is to Ripley in the first Alien movie.

Consider this: If Ripley doesn't save the cat in Alien, the movie just flat out collapses.

Granted, movies aren't novels BUT the story beats are all the same, from your oldest Disney flip book to your most futuristic video games, to the people you gravitate towards because they tell more interesting stories than others.

If Otis' cat were to say ingest a micro chip that contained a critical clue to solving the plot and were then kidnapped, NOW there's a commitment between Otis and Cyn that can't be avoided. It's an option versus requirement thing.

The same with Cyn's rape. The confessions about her past aren't bad, but again, there's opportunity for scenes that set up Cyn's aversion to her past that arouse Otis' suspicions (i.e. she refuses to enter a certain school or church for no apparent reason) before she confesses what happened.

The sniper thing seemed to get lost along the way as well.

Also, as good as the dialogue and plot can be, it goes on a little too long in spots. Trimming it while leaving in the best exchanges would serve to make the remaining dialogue even more snappy.

That said, I like the Sun Tzu headers at the beginning of each chapter, the pedestrian exchanges, and the third act gets pretty hairy. There's no reason all of these things couldn't be explored with the same characters in a sequel or prequel, allowing the reader to get to know them even better.

[Audrey Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is set in the near future – 2030s, maybe. The United States has split into two separate countries, the progressive Urban States of America and the ultra-conservative Rural Confederacy of America, which is mostly southern and rural. They maintain an uneasy coexistence, but anything might trigger a shooting war.

Against this background, a lot of stuff happens to two people. Recent widower Otis is a nice guy accountant from Cincinnati, whose only meaningful relationship is with his cat, Shiva. He phones her to make sure she's okay. Cynthia (Cyn) is a super-smart corporate spy, who knows how to do just about everything. News arrives that Otis's college friend Ken has died in a mass shooting in Los Angeles, turning the two acquaintances into instant investigators.

I enjoyed the first half of the book for its depiction of life in the Urban States. People do everything through their phones – order restaurant meals, exchange business cards, and rate all their experiences. And I mean all – gondola rides, elevator rides, even funerals. Artificial personalities facilitate daily choices. Otis and Cyn discuss matters such as company valuation, start-ups as money-laundering vehicles, and the place of algae in improving urban life. Sometimes these conversations go on long enough to become a bit tedious and edge into "As you know, Bob…" territory.

Chasing down Ken's killers takes the pair from LA to New York and eventually to the Rural Confederacy. At that point, the book changes from a tech-focussed mystery to an action thriller with a definite political slant. I thought the depiction of conditions in the Rural Confederacy relied too much on exaggerated stereotypes such as ignorance, obesity, and poor wardrobe choices. Otis changes from an active character to a passenger in a wild ride with Cyn in the driver's seat. Considerable suspension of disbelief is needed in the final chapters, although the very end delivers an interesting twist. I did appreciate a couple of references to Canada, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and even a blasphemous Quebecois swear word.

The prose is clear and straightforward and the pace is brisk. I noticed a few typos but not enough to bother me. One thing that did was the word "clique" used where "cliché" was intended.

Overall, I found iROMANCE an interesting read, with its speculations about how technology might develop and its exploration of present-day social issues

[Stella Jorette · Rating 3 out of 5]

iROMANCE When mild mannered accountant Otis receives a stray text from an old friend, he's pulled into a world of technological and industrial intrigue. The old friend has been brutally murdered. Conveniently, just as he receives this mysterious text, he encounters Cynthia.

Now, when Cynthia entered the picture, I thought the novel would travel down a certain path common to books written by guys for guys because Cynthia's physical appearance is described in detail. She's the classic gorgeous and brilliant Asian babe who also happens to pile on the makeup and dress like a hooker. However, iRomance is most decidedly not that book. So brave the thigh high boots and eyeliner and continue reading.

Because iRomance is about much more than a gorgeous female spy inexplicably hitting on an accountant. The novel touches on the deep social and political divide of the US, disruptive technology, artificial intelligence, ecologic disaster and the danger of acting only out of personal self interest. In short, the novel describes how to remain human in inhumane times.

Cynthia and Otis band together to solve the mystery and travel through a near future US that has split along rural/urban lines. The rural Confederacy is a hypocritical quasi-religious dictatorship, while the Urban Confederacy is a technologically enhanced nanny state. The author's clearly favours the Urban version (as do I), but he does display the pitfalls of both. During their travels, the pair encounter many interesting people who share all sorts of interesting pieces of information on a variety of subjects. The plot twists and turns then concludes with a bang. Overall, I found the resolution satisfying.

On the minus side, I found a few formatting and autocorrect errors in the text, but these don't distract from the reading experience. One major plot twist could have used a bit more preparation; Otis's high degree of personal flexibility might be foreshadowed. And pulling the prose into closer third person and reducing word repetition would most definitely improve the quality of the read.

[Ron Starke · Rating 3 out of 5]

iROMANCE has a strong opening with an easy to digest writing style that sucks you into the story from page one. Darrell B. Nelson’s writing style seems to have that near perfect ratio of prose to dialogue, never spending too much time relying on one or the other. The book is well edited and the traditional format is very pleasing to the eye. I cannot stress how much I enjoyed looking at the words on the pages.

At face value, this book starts as a murder mystery. But as the story progresses we dive into a world that is a real possibility: a United States separated into Urban and Rural Confederacies. There are ambitious themes spread throughout that make the reader step away from the novel’s break-neck speed and think for a moment. The author tends to over-generalize the factions and misses the mark on the reality of rural life, but such is the nature of generalizations. Eventually, the story becomes muddled with ideology and the intriguing plot from the hook at the beginning finds itself in the passenger seat. I also found it difficult to relate to the two main characters. They seemed incredibly one dimensional with unrealistic reactions, especially for a novel that intertwines itself with real world issues.

But, if you’re a reader that enjoys philosophical and social commentary, you will love this book. For me, it could probably use another foot to stand on.

[Florian Armas · Rating 3 out of 5]

iRomance is an ambitious novel, about a future that may or may not come to us in the next ten to fifteen years. It begins with a murder mystery, and evolves slowly into a spy and conspiracy novel. There is technology, a split country (urban against rural) corruption and political intrigue. The book lived up to its meaning in some areas while slipping in others. The Urban Confederacy inherited most good parts of the human society, the Rural is quite the opposite. The difference is somehow too large for a such a short period of social development, and the book tries too much to be ‘politically correct’ in the 'right' direction.

[Grady Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intriguing book with familiar themes everyone could enjoy. The themes include romance, investigation, and political intrigue. All of these themes combine to form a wonderfully complex futuristic world. The story also addresses how society can be improved both in terms of ideology and technology. On the other hand, the book also addresses what kind of forces and ideologies could stand in the way of societal growth. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a good science fiction story.

[Bob Blanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe we should change our ways!

This is an ambitious novel. It maps out a future where our current political extremes continue to grow. The mystery involved is compelling and the characters are likable. The future is odd, but that’s the point of the book. A nice read to make you think.