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Amsterdam Institute #1
Clean Install
After being infected with nanites from a dead Pax Romana super-soldier, Genevieve should have died, like every other infected civilian. Instead she survived, remade in the image of the so-called Installs. Unable to truly trust her any longer, her people send her deep into Pax Romana space with a mission: upload a virus to destroy the Install reserves.
When she arrives, she finds not the reserves but the self-destructive dregs of the program, the few who didn’t die on the battlefield. Not allowed to retire, these Installs are charged with watching over dying infected civilians—but Genevieve knows those deaths aren't inevitable. To win a chance to save them, all she has to do is confess that she's from a conquered, enemy planet, to the empire's most efficient killers.
When she arrives, she finds not the reserves but the self-destructive dregs of the program, the few who didn’t die on the battlefield. Not allowed to retire, these Installs are charged with watching over dying infected civilians—but Genevieve knows those deaths aren't inevitable. To win a chance to save them, all she has to do is confess that she's from a conquered, enemy planet, to the empire's most efficient killers.
91 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2020
About the author
R.Z. Held
19 books4 followersR. Z. Held is a pen name of Rhiannon Held. She writes speculative fiction, much of it in the apparently disparate subgenres of space opera and weird western. She lives in Seattle, where she works as an archaeologist for an environmental compliance firm.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 6, 2020
Ah, this has all the good things I like. Internal, personal conflict surrounded by complex social situations plopped on top of larger societal struggle. And keeping secrets from the hot guy!
It was just the right size. Or maybe the pacing was perfect. Either way, I didn't want to put it down before it ended. I haven't read the excerpt of the next one included in the back of this one yet, but I'm excited to see where Held goes with this fascinating mix of ex-soldiers and Infecteds.
It was just the right size. Or maybe the pacing was perfect. Either way, I didn't want to put it down before it ended. I haven't read the excerpt of the next one included in the back of this one yet, but I'm excited to see where Held goes with this fascinating mix of ex-soldiers and Infecteds.
June 13, 2020
Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist Romance Reviews (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2020...)
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Library recommendation: Recommended for public library science fiction ebook collections.
Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.
_______________
Number of titles I have read by this author: 1
Love story speed: The romance is secondary in this novella. What is included is slow burn.
Relationship dynamics: The Infiltrator (h) / The Medic (H)
Physical Descriptions: Not really given for Genevieve; Pyrus has an “undistinguished” face and a short beard that strengthens his jawline.
Sexual content: A smidge, “off-screen,” and really only alluded to
Triggers: War, PTSD, familial estrangement
Grammar/Editing: My ARC had some typos
Review: This is a fast-paced novella set on-planet (e.g. no spaceships) at a security outpost. The world building is situational only, and there isn’t much addressed in terms of physics to be able to assess consistency. The technology mentioned is consistent (if difficult to puzzle out), but frequent readers of sci fi will notice that nanites are presented differently in this story than is usual. I also felt that the flow of the story would have been better if the events were told in a different order at the beginning. This would provide better context for character motivations.
As is mentioned above, the romance in this story is secondary, but the characters who do form a relationship are Genevieve and Pyrus. Genevieve’s attraction to Pyrus is described, but that’s really as much of a typical romance as you will see here. Really, the tension in their relationship happens entirely before either one of them seems to be contemplating a relationship with the other.
The main supporting characters are Eriope and Carex. Eriope is fairly well fleshed out for the length of story, and Carex is an interesting character but, as usual, I think there would have been more room for character development if the book were longer. I understand that the next book does not pick up until years after the events of this one, so it’s difficult to say whether or not one should expect better development in future installments in the series.
Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Library recommendation: Recommended for public library science fiction ebook collections.
Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.
_______________
Number of titles I have read by this author: 1
Love story speed: The romance is secondary in this novella. What is included is slow burn.
Relationship dynamics: The Infiltrator (h) / The Medic (H)
Physical Descriptions: Not really given for Genevieve; Pyrus has an “undistinguished” face and a short beard that strengthens his jawline.
Sexual content: A smidge, “off-screen,” and really only alluded to
Triggers: War, PTSD, familial estrangement
Grammar/Editing: My ARC had some typos
Review: This is a fast-paced novella set on-planet (e.g. no spaceships) at a security outpost. The world building is situational only, and there isn’t much addressed in terms of physics to be able to assess consistency. The technology mentioned is consistent (if difficult to puzzle out), but frequent readers of sci fi will notice that nanites are presented differently in this story than is usual. I also felt that the flow of the story would have been better if the events were told in a different order at the beginning. This would provide better context for character motivations.
As is mentioned above, the romance in this story is secondary, but the characters who do form a relationship are Genevieve and Pyrus. Genevieve’s attraction to Pyrus is described, but that’s really as much of a typical romance as you will see here. Really, the tension in their relationship happens entirely before either one of them seems to be contemplating a relationship with the other.
The main supporting characters are Eriope and Carex. Eriope is fairly well fleshed out for the length of story, and Carex is an interesting character but, as usual, I think there would have been more room for character development if the book were longer. I understand that the next book does not pick up until years after the events of this one, so it’s difficult to say whether or not one should expect better development in future installments in the series.
Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 3, 2023
This was the fourth novella I read for SFINCS.
Initial Rating - 4 stars. This was a unique novella with characters who are part human, part - something else.
CAWPILE:
Characters: 8 - I loved the characters, it felt like they were written well and with a lot of thought (more thoughts on our characters later).
Atmosphere/Setting: 7 - The setting was great! The atmosphere could have been a bit better, imo. It was hard to really tell what kind of an atmosphere there was - in terms of feels.
Writing Style: 7 - The writing was fine. It felt a little stiff at times but also felt like it fit the novella. But this is where I want to circle back to the characters. It was hard for me, as a visual reader, to imagine what these "Intalls" look like. They are human, but they're not human. They are humans but with computer-type parts and also wings? Without a full image description, it's hard for me to visualize while reading.
Plot: 8 - The plot was pretty easy to follow and I loved how it changed with the characters' growth and story.
Intrigue: 7.5 - The intrigue was great at times. I felt solid intrigue throughout.
Logic/Relationships: 6.5 - Logic made sense in this book, everything made sense as it happened. Relationships were very fluid. Sometimes they were amazing, sometimes unexpected and hard to read - whether that was intenional or not.
Enjoyment: 7.5 - Overall, I enjoyed this novella a lot. It was different and I'm glad I read it. I'd read more from this author.
CAWPILE total - 51.5/7 = 7.3 = 4 solid stars.
Initial Rating - 4 stars. This was a unique novella with characters who are part human, part - something else.
CAWPILE:
Characters: 8 - I loved the characters, it felt like they were written well and with a lot of thought (more thoughts on our characters later).
Atmosphere/Setting: 7 - The setting was great! The atmosphere could have been a bit better, imo. It was hard to really tell what kind of an atmosphere there was - in terms of feels.
Writing Style: 7 - The writing was fine. It felt a little stiff at times but also felt like it fit the novella. But this is where I want to circle back to the characters. It was hard for me, as a visual reader, to imagine what these "Intalls" look like. They are human, but they're not human. They are humans but with computer-type parts and also wings? Without a full image description, it's hard for me to visualize while reading.
Plot: 8 - The plot was pretty easy to follow and I loved how it changed with the characters' growth and story.
Intrigue: 7.5 - The intrigue was great at times. I felt solid intrigue throughout.
Logic/Relationships: 6.5 - Logic made sense in this book, everything made sense as it happened. Relationships were very fluid. Sometimes they were amazing, sometimes unexpected and hard to read - whether that was intenional or not.
Enjoyment: 7.5 - Overall, I enjoyed this novella a lot. It was different and I'm glad I read it. I'd read more from this author.
CAWPILE total - 51.5/7 = 7.3 = 4 solid stars.
April 9, 2020
This novel was a short and interesting read. It brings a new type if infection, one involving nanites where those infected die. However, someone survived and she has a mission to infect the Installs. As usual, nothing ever goes as planned and the lines between friend and enemy become blurred. Different motives and objectives for some of the characters, where some have secrets and hidden agendas. Seeing the Installs in a new perspective has Genevieve rethinking her initial mission. Will she follow through with it or can she be persuaded otherwise? How will the truth of her own identity affect the relationships she has developed and her position within?
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 7, 2026
I really enjoyed the world of this book and the concept of nanites that enhance you that much, a dystopian empire in charge of everything, a secret spy within the organization.
The main disappointment was that it was so short. It hurried past a lot of background information in favor of the developing romance, but then in the last chapter there's a huge time skip over the part where the romance actually happens. It goes straight from subtle flirtation to them having been together for a while. So it wasn't really clear what part *was* supposed to have been the focus. This could easily have been a novel if both the romance and the external plot were given full coverage.
But overall, it was an enjoyable read, so still four stars.
The main disappointment was that it was so short. It hurried past a lot of background information in favor of the developing romance, but then in the last chapter there's a huge time skip over the part where the romance actually happens. It goes straight from subtle flirtation to them having been together for a while. So it wasn't really clear what part *was* supposed to have been the focus. This could easily have been a novel if both the romance and the external plot were given full coverage.
But overall, it was an enjoyable read, so still four stars.
June 27, 2020
R. Z. Held tells the tale of Genevieve who had been infected by that nanites that turn Pax Romana soldiers super. Most people die, but somehow she had a Clean Install (ebook from Rhiannon Held). That provided an excuse to send to a Pax Romana planet with a disabling virus to install. The Amsterdam Institute is there to find a cure to the nanites for retired soldiers as well as for civilians like her infected by the virus. Instead of sabotage, she finds herself working to help the Institute, especially civilians infected accidently. More is coming and I’m interested.Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press
September 22, 2024
I think the premise of this book is pretty interesting, but its execution leaves a little something to be desired. The prose was a bit difficult to get into and the story itself felt pretty rushed. Some details that could have been fleshed out as subplots were instead presented as "oh and this was happening all along" tidbits that took me by surprise. Still, I enjoyed the story, but I wish the author had taken more time with it.
April 12, 2020
A triumph! This book is spell-binding, conflict-driven, and I could not put it down. The speculative fiction elements of it are woven in so beautifully and the narrative is so compelling that one minute, it was a perfectly decent time to be reading, and the next, it was after midnight. Highly recommended!
May 2, 2020
I liked it, interesting and unique take on the science fiction romance theme. The characters where engaging and made you care about them quickly.
October 8, 2020
SF novella. Great world-building and the story jumps right in with both feet. A nice quick read.
April 19, 2021
Huh. On one hand I’m interested, on the other hand if you lose forward momentum for longer than a moment, the plot holes begin to get noticeable.
September 3, 2022
Interesting concepts and a realistically untrusting heroine.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews