e-Pocalypse: The Digital Dystopia Is Coming

by Steve Bellinger

A Programmed Subservience ... Or Worse?

Matty Williams’s retirement as a computer tech goes awry when he and his girlfriend Divvie discover that new social technologies are subtly affecting the minds of their users. As they delve deeper into the technological marvels revolutionizing the lives of virtually everyone on the planet, they are set on a course that leads directly back to their employer, Roydon Technologies.

Now there’s the latest gadget, augmented reality glasses known as “Augies,” that can literally recreate reality for the user, all controlled by the ruthlessly efficient global computer system with the deceptively reassuring name of NANA.

Will Matty, Divvie, and their super geek friend, Howard, save humanity from a life of programmed subservience, or will their attempt to thwart NANA result in something even worse?

146 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2020

Reviews

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technology can be a double-edged sword.

Matty was a complex and fascinating protagonist. There were times when I wondered if he’d ever move past his deep-seated distrust of new technology and social media, but his rants about those topics did make sense when viewed in the context of his backstory. I liked the fact that his occasional surliness in these areas was so well explained. It gave his personality a lot of depth and made me wonder what would happen to him next no matter how far I read into his tale.

Sometimes I struggled to keep up with the large cast of characters. Part of the issue was due to how quickly many of them were introduced in the first few scenes. Another piece of the puzzle had to do with how often characters were introduced with only a few details about them as individuals. As much as I otherwise enjoyed reading this book, having a clearer understanding of who all of these folks would have bumped it up to a full five-star rating.

The pacing was well done. At first I found it a little slow to be honest, but I rapidly changed my mind about that once I realized how many subtle hints were embedded into the plot about what was really going on with the Augies and all of the hidden messages in the various forms of technology in this universe. This is something that should be read slowly and carefully. It expects readers to put in a certain amount of effort into piecing the clues together regardless of what does or doesn’t seem to be happening in the storyline. I was quite pleased with how Mr. Bellinger pieced everything together here so seamlessly.

e-Pocalypse: The Digital Dystopia is Coming should be read by anyone who likes reading about technology and the ways it can be misused.

[Tammy Bulcao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scarily close to reality!

Wow! This is a thought provoking and suspenseful story that may make you think twice the next time you sign up online or buy a new electronic device.
It’s an interesting look at the way we as a society rely heavily on electronic devices.
This was highly entertaining.
The narration was fantastic!
I recommend this book!

Sisters Spotlight 💜

[Peter Okonkwo]

Rapture like; the chronicle of a world controlled by technology.

"Every night after reporting on the shooting, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters, the news would list the number of people hospitalized because they had run into walls, fallen downstairs, or got hit by cars while chasing down these imaginary creatures." An excerpt from page 39.

e-Pocalpse: The Digital Dystopia Is Coming is another assured step forward in Steve Bellinger's progression as a fantastic science fiction writer. After discovering his books, The Chronocar: An Urban Adventure in Time, and Edge of Perception, I became enamored with his storytelling techniques, it's dynamic to the point of having a reader captivated.

From the invention of the Nurdhead game that almost got everyone crazy in town, this book details the experience of the protagonist, Matty with technology madness, starting from his first experience with his grandson, Darnell who's engrossed with electronic, and social media life. The discovery of the Voice Controller Interactive Command (ViCi) was a bit astonishing to Matty, even though he works as a Senior Technical Support Manager at Roydon Technologies Inc.

This book tells the tales of the sort of madness that technology is imposing on humans nowadays, just as it's obvious in our contemporary world, with people being engrossed with their phones and other electronic devices that they become unaware of impending danger. A more hilarious case was when Darnell, Matty's grandson was shot when he was playing the Virtual Nurdhead's game, and how many people ran into trouble over the Nurdhead games, it's hilarious. I love the transition to the point whereby self-driving car was invented by the Roydon Technology, a car that recognizes gunshots, traffic lights, and human crossing and does things based on programming, this follows the law of wearing Augies while driving or doing things. All of these were controlled by NANA, a global computer control system.

The most enthralling part was when a self-driving car hit a man called Mark Wilson. Divvie, Matty, and Kevvie were surprised as to why the car had intentionally killed the man, it was known later on that it killed him to save the government of 4 million dollars. What was most astounding was that other people who were walking by the street side couldn't see the accident, they were all wearing the Augies thing, and the system doesn't allow them to, probably see the negative side of itself. It was obvious that these people were being manipulated by the new age of technology.

I was pained reading through the death of a gentleman, and a nice character named Howard in this story. He was found dead in a car, he had initially created a virus to stop the Super K, and the Fibonacci effect. Matty, after realizing that this was what his friend, Howard tried to build before he was probably killed by NANA. Matty took it up from where Howard stopped, he ended up installing the killer, reprogramming and fixing it.

The aftermath of Matty's installation had NANA chasing him, every automobile and electronic in the state was controlled by NANA, and it had recognized Matty as the installer, this results in cars moving on their own to hit Matty. Matty tried his best to avoid these programmed cars seeking after his life, whenever he steps out again, the same thing would repeat itself. I admire the description of this scenario, it reads in an enthralling manner, and at some point, I laughed and said to myself "Matty is in trouble."

Following that experience, Matty has been recognized by the NANA network which made the cob come searching for him at Divvie's house. I love Matty's style of using his phone with a pillow, to escape from the policemen, he had powered his phone and thrust it inside a pillow, which he threw out, it landed on a moving truck, and the police were able to track him again saying, Williams Matty is on the move, they rushed out of Divvie's house with hope to pursue the fleeing Matty, they'd no idea that Matty was right there in the house.

I will restrict from revealing further, but I'd love to say that this book truly made for an interesting read. I love the aftermath of Matty's installation of the Killer, it was horrendous and it left everybody in a state of chaos, with cars running into each other, airplanes falling off the sky, and several other harms, it was a presumably perfect description of an after-rapture occurrence.

Once again, Steve Bellinger proves himself as a fantastic fiction writer and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. With the first-person point of view, his storytelling and writing style is distinctive and scenic as ever. The characterization was well placed, even though I had to slow down to understand some character placement at some point. All in all, I'd love to recommend this book to lovers of science fiction and literature at large

[Sejucot Rylon · Rating 4 out of 5]

E‑Pocalypse: The Digital Dystopia Is Coming by Steve Bellinger follows Matty Williams, a newly retired computer technician who suddenly finds himself outpaced by the rapid evolution of technology. I really connected with the opening—how aging can make new tech feel overwhelming while younger generations adapt instantly. It’s a relatable and thoughtful setup.
The introduction of “Augies,” devices that feel like early versions of today’s Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro, adds an intriguing layer. Bellinger uses them to explore how easily we become dependent on technology and how subtly it can reshape society. Through Matty, his love interest Divvie, and his grandson Darnell, the story digs into the darker consequences of innovation gone unchecked, slowly revealing a path toward an apocalyptic future.
There are some surprising twists along the way, and while a few moments felt repetitive, I was still pulled into the story and invested in the characters’ journey.
Rating: 4/5. A compelling, thought‑provoking read with memorable moments and a chilling look at where our tech obsession might lead.

[Geldar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly enjoyable, modern implementation of the classic pulp SF style, where explanations and realism are opportunistically traded for faster pacing and exciting plot twists. That "regular guy trying his best under increasingly bizarre circumstances" type of weird tale, which could be easily adapted into an episode of The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone (e.g. A Thing About Machines), warning of the possibly dire implications of certain troubling socio-technological trends.

I appreciated the nod to The Chronocar and look forward to exploring more of Steve Bellinger's work in the future.

[Aaron Eichler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book, the idea that technology has completely taken over the world, not with robots, but a Big Brother type AI killing off anyone it does not deem worthy to live. It has most of my favorites, AI, complete control and, split realities, and time travel.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary good, no scary FABULOUS!

By: Steve Bellinger
Narrated by: Christopher Laurenzo

Overall: 5 of 5 stars Performance: 5 of 5 stars Story: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed: 05-30-22

To recently retired Matty Williams, it seems like the world is moving too fast and leaving him in the dust. Everywhere he turns, all he sees are people completely absorbed in their phones, tablets, and electronic devices. Then while out with his girlfriend he notices people have started buying popcorn on the way OUT of the theater, and it doesn’t stop there. Is the world going nuts or is he? E-Pocalypse is a brilliantly written, fabulously narrated, Dystopian Thriller and I could not stop listening! Honestly, this one held me fast to my chair, head phones on, breath baited as I tore through it in one sitting! I have to confess, the one frightening thought screaming through my mind was big brother is on your tail, big sister is with him, they are coming for you, and oh my god this could really happen! This story was that well thought out, that cohesive, that frightening, THAT GOOD and I LOVED it! Five stars!

[Jim Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark and scary dystopian tale!