What do you think?
Rate this book
The Nemesis Effect
Tom Hallett was an ordinary man, living an ordinary if pleasant-enough life, his world, perfectly shaped and managed by the wonders of technology and the handful of elite "executives" who control it.
Thus, the young man finds himself completely unprepared when a chance encounter and a twist of fate bring him face to face with the most terrifying event in human history.
Can a simple archivist, a keeper of the records of other people's deeds, rise to the occasion or will he remain an ordinary citizen, powerless and subject to "The Nemesis Effect?"
Thus, the young man finds himself completely unprepared when a chance encounter and a twist of fate bring him face to face with the most terrifying event in human history.
Can a simple archivist, a keeper of the records of other people's deeds, rise to the occasion or will he remain an ordinary citizen, powerless and subject to "The Nemesis Effect?"
117 pages, Paperback
First published November 19, 2021
6 people are currently reading
684 people want to read
About the author
Michael Shotter
16 books53 followersMichael Shotter is a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a lover of science, fiction, and fantasy, his works aim to push beyond the boundaries of traditional genre fiction into new and exciting realms born from literary craftsmanship.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
The Nemesis Effect is a light sci-fi novella that is easy to read and has some interesting world-building elements. It was fairly enjoyable and a decent indie-published title, although some things about the characters didn't really work for me.
There are friendships that we are TOLD are intense and deeply meaningful (despite being very new), but that feeling is never demonstrated to the reader. I was left thinking- Really? This person you've had a few bland conversations with after saving him from choking is the person you feel most intensely about and care about most in the world? Huh?
I can't tell if the subtext is supposed to be repressed homoerotic feelings. Evidence in the text is unclear on that and while that would make this a good deal more interesting, I suspect it might just be the author not knowing how to demonstrate a strong emotional connection. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, the characterization felt dissonant to me. Either maintain this formality and emotional detachment, or demonstrate richer emotional inner lives for the characters. I'm okay with either, but the mismatch was odd.
That aside, this was an interesting story that kept my attention and this plot device of having a layman outsider being pulled into earth-shattering secrets is a fun one.
The Nemesis Effect is a light sci-fi novella that is easy to read and has some interesting world-building elements. It was fairly enjoyable and a decent indie-published title, although some things about the characters didn't really work for me.
There are friendships that we are TOLD are intense and deeply meaningful (despite being very new), but that feeling is never demonstrated to the reader. I was left thinking- Really? This person you've had a few bland conversations with after saving him from choking is the person you feel most intensely about and care about most in the world? Huh?
I can't tell if the subtext is supposed to be repressed homoerotic feelings. Evidence in the text is unclear on that and while that would make this a good deal more interesting, I suspect it might just be the author not knowing how to demonstrate a strong emotional connection. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, the characterization felt dissonant to me. Either maintain this formality and emotional detachment, or demonstrate richer emotional inner lives for the characters. I'm okay with either, but the mismatch was odd.
That aside, this was an interesting story that kept my attention and this plot device of having a layman outsider being pulled into earth-shattering secrets is a fun one.
February 14, 2023
Enjoyable short sci fi read about a mission to save Earth from destruction. Quick chapters, likeable characters and decent world building. I agree with other reviews that the overuse of the word "friend" and "buddy" was distracting and the dialogue a little under developed but its an indie authour and the story is sound.
April 18, 2023
I finished The Nemesis Effect by Michael Shotter, a cool sci-fi story that apparently connects to some of his other books. Really enjoyed this novella!!
March 18, 2022
Thank you to the author for providing me a free ebook of The Nemesis Effect to read. I also purchased a copy myself. This review is my honest opinion.
I really enjoyed reading this sci-fi novel. The author has a prose writing style I feel I can best describe as smooth since it was a relaxing, easy read. The narrative mostly followed the point of view of an ordinary citizen drawn into the world of the rich and famous, finding out the world was in danger, and being asked to join the team of experts secretly working to save the day.
My only quibbles for this story were that (1) I felt there wasn't much conflict until about 70% of the way through the book (though that didn't bother me since I was enjoying the world building and discovery process) and (2) the two main characters kept calling each other "friend" and "buddy" so much that, if I heard that in the real world, I would think they were being sarcastic even though I'm positive the author meant for the dialogue to be sincere.
I recommend this book to fans of science-fiction, especially readers preferring stories with mostly one point of view.
I really enjoyed reading this sci-fi novel. The author has a prose writing style I feel I can best describe as smooth since it was a relaxing, easy read. The narrative mostly followed the point of view of an ordinary citizen drawn into the world of the rich and famous, finding out the world was in danger, and being asked to join the team of experts secretly working to save the day.
My only quibbles for this story were that (1) I felt there wasn't much conflict until about 70% of the way through the book (though that didn't bother me since I was enjoying the world building and discovery process) and (2) the two main characters kept calling each other "friend" and "buddy" so much that, if I heard that in the real world, I would think they were being sarcastic even though I'm positive the author meant for the dialogue to be sincere.
I recommend this book to fans of science-fiction, especially readers preferring stories with mostly one point of view.
July 14, 2022
Good “Light” Sci-fi
Definitely worth a read! The Nemesis Effect from Michael Shotter is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging science fiction story. I found the characters relatable and the story set up easily brought me into the action, which moves along quickly as I joined Tom Hallett on his adventures in this near-ish future Earth setting.
As someone who does not read much sci-fi but enjoys the genre in other media forms, I appreciate Shotter’s easy, gliding writing style and the “lighter” aspects of the storytelling. Being able to loose myself in the story from Tom’s perspective, and not being bogged down in technical details trying to explain how some future technology came about or works, has made me an immediate fan.
I will be checking out other stories by this author!
I received a free copy of the Kindle book via Goodreads from the author in exchange for an honest, open review.
Definitely worth a read! The Nemesis Effect from Michael Shotter is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging science fiction story. I found the characters relatable and the story set up easily brought me into the action, which moves along quickly as I joined Tom Hallett on his adventures in this near-ish future Earth setting.
As someone who does not read much sci-fi but enjoys the genre in other media forms, I appreciate Shotter’s easy, gliding writing style and the “lighter” aspects of the storytelling. Being able to loose myself in the story from Tom’s perspective, and not being bogged down in technical details trying to explain how some future technology came about or works, has made me an immediate fan.
I will be checking out other stories by this author!
I received a free copy of the Kindle book via Goodreads from the author in exchange for an honest, open review.
November 14, 2021
What starts as an ordinary day for Tom Hallett very quickly becomes something else entirely when a chance encounter puts him on a very different path. At once futuristic and somehow timely for contemporary events, this sci-fi thriller will have you going - "Just one more chapter" until you realize that there isn't any more. With more than a few unexpected twists along the path, you'll find yourself wondering - what if *I* were Tom?
June 26, 2022
So glad I was given this ebook to read! Tom was a unique man who was along for the ride on an exciting adventure to protect the earth. This story had me engaged and loving the characters right away. I would love to see this book 3x the length so I could know more about the peculiar sci-fi things that occurred in this story and perhaps see some relationships grow further. I loved the implants that allowed people to directly communicate large chunks of information to each other, the nanites that could repair and kill depending on their form, and the very unusual gifted oddities that some of the characters possessed. Easy quick read.
April 23, 2022
A Future World
This book is definitely Science Fiction. A good world building book and although it seems the main plot only comes to surface about three quarters of the way into the story . I enjoyed the world building
The story at one point seems a little utopian, with the much used "friend" this and "friend" that and yet on the other hand, it still has the anger, force, and the envy issues in every society.
I recommend this book to others that have read other books by this author and those that enjoy Sci-Fi.
Sit back and enjoy
This book is definitely Science Fiction. A good world building book and although it seems the main plot only comes to surface about three quarters of the way into the story . I enjoyed the world building
The story at one point seems a little utopian, with the much used "friend" this and "friend" that and yet on the other hand, it still has the anger, force, and the envy issues in every society.
I recommend this book to others that have read other books by this author and those that enjoy Sci-Fi.
Sit back and enjoy
Read
November 29, 2025I am one of the judges of team Space Girls for the SPSFC5 contest. This review is my personal opinion. Officially, it is still in the running for the contest, pending any official team announcements.
Status: Vote pending
Read: 32%
Yup, we have yet another review! I don't have a word count spreadsheet with me, but it wouldn't surprise me if this book is 55,000 words long at the most. I reached the 30% cutoff point within just 50 minutes of reading.
It seems like the book occurs within a futuristic oligarchic hopepunk setting where everyone has Minority Report style embedded eye chips. These devices send an endless stream of information controlled by sophisticated AI. Everyone idealizes executives like some kind of unattainable demigod and even redundant mistakes can have even the highest caste get zapped with painful demerit points. It's kinda like a sort of weird dystopic utopia with scant upper mobility but most other societal problems like pollution and discrimination are gone.
Tom is just an ordinary office data archivist traveling a shuttle car to work when a once-in-the-lifetime opportunity pops up... which I won't spoil. Only that it seems like he's getting a too-good-to-be-true offer he can't refuse. The sample cutoff was reached right when he was getting the jist of this unexpected new dynamic that is related to the book's title.
The plot seems pretty interesting and a bit different from most other sci-fi fare. It isn't that often I see books starring a protagonist that somewhat ends up acting as a book writer. I think the closest book I read with an accidental author was The Book of Kalendeck series. There seems to be a more comedic angle in this book in case readers want something veering on the lighter & shorter read scale.
If it hadn't been for the fact I still have around 19 books to sample before the agreed upon time limit, I probably would have finished this book in one go since finishing it would take less than 90 minutes. It's a book I'd certainly like to finish due to its brevity and also be fully on scale whether to vote Yes or No.
One caveat I have regarding this book is the writing style. I think some of the word count could have been trimmed without any loss of story comprehension and excessive usage of rung on sentences shortened. I myself have a tendency towards writing long sentences and I know it can be difficult to notice these tics when writing. However, I felt the frantic higher stakes scene early in the book that changes's Tom's life lost a bit of its urgency by not adding some sentence length variability.
I occasionally started counting sentences and the longest one was around 53 words long. I don't find a 25 word lugger to be a flat no by themselves. But when 60% of the sample you read so far topples the 20 word threshold, it can make what is otherwise a fast paced short read a bit longer and less immersive.
With that said, once I finish my scouting phase, I will finish reading the remainder of this book and place my vote.
Status: Vote pending
Read: 32%
Yup, we have yet another review! I don't have a word count spreadsheet with me, but it wouldn't surprise me if this book is 55,000 words long at the most. I reached the 30% cutoff point within just 50 minutes of reading.
It seems like the book occurs within a futuristic oligarchic hopepunk setting where everyone has Minority Report style embedded eye chips. These devices send an endless stream of information controlled by sophisticated AI. Everyone idealizes executives like some kind of unattainable demigod and even redundant mistakes can have even the highest caste get zapped with painful demerit points. It's kinda like a sort of weird dystopic utopia with scant upper mobility but most other societal problems like pollution and discrimination are gone.
Tom is just an ordinary office data archivist traveling a shuttle car to work when a once-in-the-lifetime opportunity pops up... which I won't spoil. Only that it seems like he's getting a too-good-to-be-true offer he can't refuse. The sample cutoff was reached right when he was getting the jist of this unexpected new dynamic that is related to the book's title.
The plot seems pretty interesting and a bit different from most other sci-fi fare. It isn't that often I see books starring a protagonist that somewhat ends up acting as a book writer. I think the closest book I read with an accidental author was The Book of Kalendeck series. There seems to be a more comedic angle in this book in case readers want something veering on the lighter & shorter read scale.
If it hadn't been for the fact I still have around 19 books to sample before the agreed upon time limit, I probably would have finished this book in one go since finishing it would take less than 90 minutes. It's a book I'd certainly like to finish due to its brevity and also be fully on scale whether to vote Yes or No.
One caveat I have regarding this book is the writing style. I think some of the word count could have been trimmed without any loss of story comprehension and excessive usage of rung on sentences shortened. I myself have a tendency towards writing long sentences and I know it can be difficult to notice these tics when writing. However, I felt the frantic higher stakes scene early in the book that changes's Tom's life lost a bit of its urgency by not adding some sentence length variability.
I occasionally started counting sentences and the longest one was around 53 words long. I don't find a 25 word lugger to be a flat no by themselves. But when 60% of the sample you read so far topples the 20 word threshold, it can make what is otherwise a fast paced short read a bit longer and less immersive.
With that said, once I finish my scouting phase, I will finish reading the remainder of this book and place my vote.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews