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Reap3r
How far would you go to achieve your greatest ambition?
Nothing is what it seems in this speculative thriller about a quantum computer scientist, virologist, podcaster, venture capitalist, and assassin coming together to untangle a twisted enigma that will change the course of future history. Everyone has something to hide, and every transgression is a portal to discovery.
Taking you on a whirlwind journey from the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area to the distant shores of the Galápagos, Reap3r is a propulsive adventure that grapples with the price of progress and how technology shapes our lives and world.
Nothing is what it seems in this speculative thriller about a quantum computer scientist, virologist, podcaster, venture capitalist, and assassin coming together to untangle a twisted enigma that will change the course of future history. Everyone has something to hide, and every transgression is a portal to discovery.
Taking you on a whirlwind journey from the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area to the distant shores of the Galápagos, Reap3r is a propulsive adventure that grapples with the price of progress and how technology shapes our lives and world.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2022
119 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Eliot Peper
14 books356 followersEliot Peper is the author of eleven novels, including, most recently, Foundry.
He's helped build technology businesses, survived dengue fever, translated Virgil's Aeneid from the original Latin, worked as an entrepreneur-in-residence at a venture capital firm, and explored the ancient Himalayan kingdom of Mustang.
The best way to follow Eliot's writing is to subscribe to his newsletter.
He's helped build technology businesses, survived dengue fever, translated Virgil's Aeneid from the original Latin, worked as an entrepreneur-in-residence at a venture capital firm, and explored the ancient Himalayan kingdom of Mustang.
The best way to follow Eliot's writing is to subscribe to his newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 18, 2022
A piece of speculative fiction in which a group of scientists, a venture capitalist, and a podcaster come together to unravel a mystery which will change world history. It was Interesting enough but I really didn’t get any sense of the ‘thriller’ tab or the ‘whirlwind journey’ of the blurb. I spent most of the book waiting for it to start, and while there was some solid prose, it never had the feel of a thriller. I enjoyed the afterword and the author’s sincerity there, and that is probably why it gets a three rather than two-star rating.
April 6, 2022
Reap3r is a ticking time bomb that keeps you on the edge of your seat while you are speeding and moving faster and faster toward its end. Tick-tock, tick-tock, and then the blast. Your mind exhilarates in a thrilling, conspiratorial, action-packed ecstatic experience of complete, genuine satisfaction.
There is not much else to say other than I love this book. Hear me out, I LOVE this book. And an afterthought before I surrender myself to the series of smaller blasts of addictive reminiscing: read this book. I repeat, READ this book.
I have received an advance review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation toward the author.
There is not much else to say other than I love this book. Hear me out, I LOVE this book. And an afterthought before I surrender myself to the series of smaller blasts of addictive reminiscing: read this book. I repeat, READ this book.
I have received an advance review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation toward the author.
May 4, 2023
Reap3r has left me with some mixed feelings. The base of it is very much something I like but the details are where I was struggling with it a bit more and I think this is another one of our assigned books this round that would’ve benefited from being longer overall (especially in the second half).
I liked the writing style itself a lot to the point that I’m very likely to pick up other books by this author. It feels very smooth to read and the short chapters really propel you through the story. It’s easy to get caught up in “one more chapter” before going to sleep.
Despite the smooth writing, it took me a good while to really get hooked on this story though. The premise sounded very interesting but the setup just took a really long time. Despite being close in literal proximity, the characters didn’t figuratively come together in a way that told us where the story was going until more than halfway through the book. Despite the short length of the book overall, that felt too long because then the actual suspense when things got tight for the characters didn’t feel as fleshed out as I would’ve liked and the ending felt rushed and a bit flat because of it.
There were a lot of POVs right from the start with some of them being more memorable than others. Eventually though, they really grew into their own and it was easier to keep them apart in my mind. I found all of their individual stories really interesting but it just took a long time for them to overlap in a way that made me feel like this story was actually going somewhere with a purpose.
A smaller gripe I had was with the setting of the book. There were some references to events in the real world, like Covid, but also some historical-seeming references that I couldn’t quite place together from real history and still make sense time-wise, giving it a feel of made up events and having this story take place farther in the future after all. But life wasn’t actually that different for the characters tech-wise, which again made me think this happened in the very near future after all. While this doesn’t detract from the book a whole lot, it still distracted me several times, which could’ve been avoided by stating when it was playing out.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with these characters. They were really interesting to follow and I wish the second part of the book hadn’t felt quite as rushed. There were obviously some serious hiccups for me in this book but I’m curious to see what else this author can do in other books.
I liked the writing style itself a lot to the point that I’m very likely to pick up other books by this author. It feels very smooth to read and the short chapters really propel you through the story. It’s easy to get caught up in “one more chapter” before going to sleep.
Despite the smooth writing, it took me a good while to really get hooked on this story though. The premise sounded very interesting but the setup just took a really long time. Despite being close in literal proximity, the characters didn’t figuratively come together in a way that told us where the story was going until more than halfway through the book. Despite the short length of the book overall, that felt too long because then the actual suspense when things got tight for the characters didn’t feel as fleshed out as I would’ve liked and the ending felt rushed and a bit flat because of it.
There were a lot of POVs right from the start with some of them being more memorable than others. Eventually though, they really grew into their own and it was easier to keep them apart in my mind. I found all of their individual stories really interesting but it just took a long time for them to overlap in a way that made me feel like this story was actually going somewhere with a purpose.
A smaller gripe I had was with the setting of the book. There were some references to events in the real world, like Covid, but also some historical-seeming references that I couldn’t quite place together from real history and still make sense time-wise, giving it a feel of made up events and having this story take place farther in the future after all. But life wasn’t actually that different for the characters tech-wise, which again made me think this happened in the very near future after all. While this doesn’t detract from the book a whole lot, it still distracted me several times, which could’ve been avoided by stating when it was playing out.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with these characters. They were really interesting to follow and I wish the second part of the book hadn’t felt quite as rushed. There were obviously some serious hiccups for me in this book but I’m curious to see what else this author can do in other books.
February 20, 2022
Reap3r is the 10th novel by Eliot Peper, and I’ve read them all, reviewed all of them in this blog. His early novels were excellent stories, but somehow, he keeps getting better. This is a very fast paced story with a great cast of characters. The book starts with a murder in La Jolla, California, on the edge of the UCSanDiego campus, and it’s a techie murder at that. It seems that someone is knocking off all the key people who are behind an attempt to develop quantum computing, a company Peper called Q. On the one hand, the ultrawealthy Sansome Haverford had recruited some highly ethical people to form his company Human Capital, but on the other hand he and Paul Valery “wanted to create a rolling permanent record of everything on every computer system on the planet – a private irror of the entire history of the entire internet and every device that had ever connected to it so that he could reach back through time to dredge up whatever secrets the past might offer to tighten his grip on the future.” Paul had secret government connections which also provided unlimited funding for such work.
Sansome had a great sales pitch for his Human Capital as he continued to draw investors. He said, “At Human Capital, we don’t bet on technology…. We don’t even bet on companies. We bet on people…. We find the best people in the world, figure out what makes them tick, write them checks, and give them free rein to do what only they can do.”
One of the people that Sansome and Paul brought to the Q project was Luki Zubiri, a young Basque man who was a computer programing genius. On the one hand Luki knew he had a deal with the devil, but the devil was the only one willing to pay for the progress he knew he could make, “the scientific achievement of the century – an accomplishment to rival electricity, antibiotics, and the steam engine.” It was Luki’s plan to complete the project for Paul, but then decline to renew his contract with Q and give make the technology open source material, which he thought would only spur the revolution of computer technology. However, he did not understand that goal was something Paul would never allow.
Meanwhile, Peper introduces us to Devon Chaiket, a financially struggling podcaster of Rabbit Hole, who had the ear of the tech world. She had also created a following throughout the world, but unfortunately, her sponsorships were not keeping her afloat. Offers from Haverford of funding for her work were too good to be true, but she too was pulled into the matrix of the story.
Another key figure was Geoff Rossi, a biotech guy who had lost control of an artificial virus which got out of his lab. The virus, Bakunawa, had killed millions of humans before Geoff was able to create the very vaccine that rescued the planet from total disaster. He was funded by Haverford, and the vaccine was the source of Human Capital’s incredible wealth. It was Haverford that was able to suppress any information that would have revealed that the virus was a human creation and not a natural genetic event. But Geoff was killing himself with the knowledge by consuming massive amounts of daily alcohol. He simply could not live with the guilt of his mistake.
Luki was also struggling with the harm his invention could cause. As a Basque man, “He should have known to never trust an authority figure like Paul in the first place, that an alliance with state power ultimately brough the power of the state to bear on you.” Luki new that “Neuroscience showed that your conscious mind didn’t make decisions, but rationalized decisions your brain had already made.”
It's hard for me to classify this book. There’s a sci-fi aspect to it, and there’s certainly a murder mystery involved. There are big and evil forces with a team of calculating David’s that are determined not to let the bad forces win. There’s a historical aspect that takes the reader back to Darwin’s discoveries in the Galapagos Islands, spanning forward through newer scientific discoveries. In order to give this span some perspective, Peper included an ancient tortoise, Bernadette, who was alive at the time of Darwin’s writing and remained alive at the present time.
So, Peper has provided us with a new modern adventure, a group of great characters, and a fast paced compelling novel. This one is a 5-star read. It’s available on 5/18/22 and can be preordered now.
Sansome had a great sales pitch for his Human Capital as he continued to draw investors. He said, “At Human Capital, we don’t bet on technology…. We don’t even bet on companies. We bet on people…. We find the best people in the world, figure out what makes them tick, write them checks, and give them free rein to do what only they can do.”
One of the people that Sansome and Paul brought to the Q project was Luki Zubiri, a young Basque man who was a computer programing genius. On the one hand Luki knew he had a deal with the devil, but the devil was the only one willing to pay for the progress he knew he could make, “the scientific achievement of the century – an accomplishment to rival electricity, antibiotics, and the steam engine.” It was Luki’s plan to complete the project for Paul, but then decline to renew his contract with Q and give make the technology open source material, which he thought would only spur the revolution of computer technology. However, he did not understand that goal was something Paul would never allow.
Meanwhile, Peper introduces us to Devon Chaiket, a financially struggling podcaster of Rabbit Hole, who had the ear of the tech world. She had also created a following throughout the world, but unfortunately, her sponsorships were not keeping her afloat. Offers from Haverford of funding for her work were too good to be true, but she too was pulled into the matrix of the story.
Another key figure was Geoff Rossi, a biotech guy who had lost control of an artificial virus which got out of his lab. The virus, Bakunawa, had killed millions of humans before Geoff was able to create the very vaccine that rescued the planet from total disaster. He was funded by Haverford, and the vaccine was the source of Human Capital’s incredible wealth. It was Haverford that was able to suppress any information that would have revealed that the virus was a human creation and not a natural genetic event. But Geoff was killing himself with the knowledge by consuming massive amounts of daily alcohol. He simply could not live with the guilt of his mistake.
Luki was also struggling with the harm his invention could cause. As a Basque man, “He should have known to never trust an authority figure like Paul in the first place, that an alliance with state power ultimately brough the power of the state to bear on you.” Luki new that “Neuroscience showed that your conscious mind didn’t make decisions, but rationalized decisions your brain had already made.”
It's hard for me to classify this book. There’s a sci-fi aspect to it, and there’s certainly a murder mystery involved. There are big and evil forces with a team of calculating David’s that are determined not to let the bad forces win. There’s a historical aspect that takes the reader back to Darwin’s discoveries in the Galapagos Islands, spanning forward through newer scientific discoveries. In order to give this span some perspective, Peper included an ancient tortoise, Bernadette, who was alive at the time of Darwin’s writing and remained alive at the present time.
So, Peper has provided us with a new modern adventure, a group of great characters, and a fast paced compelling novel. This one is a 5-star read. It’s available on 5/18/22 and can be preordered now.
March 20, 2022
Another fun read from Eliot Peper! It was interesting to read the afterward in the book in terms of timing, and pandemics and so on. But, as I reflect, I've found that I am thinking about how likely some of this is or will be, or really, if even some particular aspects (Reap3r) are even going on today (maybe not as polished or well done, but similar). I often enjoy Peper's books for this reason - great fun story to read while you're reading it, but then it's so "near-future" that I'm then thinking about it for a while after about how close we are to that, or whether it could be going on in some form, etc. Love that.
April 25, 2022
I love this author, and this is his best novel yet
March 26, 2023
Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/reap3r-b...
Disclaimer: My rating may vary from what the whole team decides for score. This review only represents my personal POV.
Reap3r is a near-future sci-fi proposal, a thrilling story with a really diverse cast of characters, written by Eliot Peper. I'm reviewing it as part of the SPSFC2 semifinals, being one of the members of Wayward Stars.
A cruise organized by Sansome, the leader of Humans Capital, brings together several brilliant minds, leaders in their investigation fields, and Devon, the podcaster who coordinates the financially struggling Rabbit Hole, who has joined this cruise trying to close her sponsorship with Sansome.
Her investigative nature will bring her to two figures that have been decisive in certain advances in science, both with hidden secrets that threaten to destroy all that Sansome has built. And they become the target of hired assassins through an app, Reap3r, as Devon invites them to uncover the truth.
Probably, the strongest part of this novel is the characters, as each one of the guests on the cruise gets a big spotlight to know them, even those that end up not being relevant to the story. It feels kinda lackluster the amount of preparation that we get for such a fast second part, where our characters get persecuted by those assassins, while still trying to show their message to the world.
The pacing is fast, especially because this is a relatively short book. While I don't mind it, I feel the story might be benefited from some more pages; but still, it maintains you hooked during the whole story.
Reap3r is a great technothriller, perfect for those that like stories with a mystery to uncover while having a tense situation. If you liked Glass Onion, I would recommend you to try this book.
Disclaimer: My rating may vary from what the whole team decides for score. This review only represents my personal POV.
Reap3r is a near-future sci-fi proposal, a thrilling story with a really diverse cast of characters, written by Eliot Peper. I'm reviewing it as part of the SPSFC2 semifinals, being one of the members of Wayward Stars.
A cruise organized by Sansome, the leader of Humans Capital, brings together several brilliant minds, leaders in their investigation fields, and Devon, the podcaster who coordinates the financially struggling Rabbit Hole, who has joined this cruise trying to close her sponsorship with Sansome.
Her investigative nature will bring her to two figures that have been decisive in certain advances in science, both with hidden secrets that threaten to destroy all that Sansome has built. And they become the target of hired assassins through an app, Reap3r, as Devon invites them to uncover the truth.
Probably, the strongest part of this novel is the characters, as each one of the guests on the cruise gets a big spotlight to know them, even those that end up not being relevant to the story. It feels kinda lackluster the amount of preparation that we get for such a fast second part, where our characters get persecuted by those assassins, while still trying to show their message to the world.
The pacing is fast, especially because this is a relatively short book. While I don't mind it, I feel the story might be benefited from some more pages; but still, it maintains you hooked during the whole story.
Reap3r is a great technothriller, perfect for those that like stories with a mystery to uncover while having a tense situation. If you liked Glass Onion, I would recommend you to try this book.
January 12, 2023
In an uncomfortably familiar and pandemic-y world of the present-to-very-near-future, a hitman targets a scientist. The hit is handled using a MobilePay-esque app for dark web killers for hire, called Reap3r. What an excellent premise, and I hope Peper put a patent on the idea before someone else does.
Anyhow, from this intriguing start we jump forward three years, although this still set the story a bit closer in the immediate future than most of the sci-fi I'm used to. I'm still trying to decide if I like that or not. It didn't feed my endless gluttony for bright shiny things (BSTs) or surreal alien magic (WTFs), but it did fill my burgeoning doom-belly with a good look at an all-too-plausible next step in the collapse of the golden age I have in my Nineties Teen head. Three years later, and the gathering-together of an interesting assortment of minds at the behest of a strange and seemingly benevolent patron.
It didn't help that I had just watched Glass Onion so when he took them all on a cruise to the Galápagos Islands this was basically the picture in my head. Yes, even Devon the podcaster.
Right from the start, it was resoundingly obvious that this story wasn't going to have the utopian happy ending a wealthy philanthropist who really believed the hype might have hoped for. We weren't going to get to see herds of resurrected woolly mammoths gambolling majestically across the tundra, stamping down the permafrost and restoring the ecological balance (although frankly if I had seen that, I'm not sure how I would have reacted). This wasn't going to turn out well for anyone. The book is named for an assassination app.
No, this was always heading for a (well crafted) shit-show and my only real hope as of about the halfway point was that Paul, the intel pervert using the Q supercomputer as a blackmail folder and porn stash, would be killing spree'd before the book was over.
To step from the story to questions of plot and mechanics for a bit, I guess I will say that while I enjoyed reading this and it all hung together, there was quite a long build-up and the characters spent a lot of time just sort of moving into place and manoeuvering around each other, doing what seemed like fairly random stuff. A reader can reasonably expect to not know exactly what is going on and what the over-arching plot of the story actually is for - well, for longer than the usual prologue or first act switcheroo, at least. If you're not into that sort of uncertainty, you might feel like there's no point. I'd encourage you to stick with it, though.
The first characters and plot arc to fall into place for me was, as mentioned, the thread of Luki and Paul and Q. I got them, at least insofar as I wanted Paul to be spree'd right in the face at Peper's earliest convenience. For a while that was the only thread I was invested in, and I followed it like a water-cave-diver pulling on a safety line through the rest of the points of view. They were interesting vignettes, but I didn't really get them until they got with the program and fed into the Luki / Q storyline. And like I say, that was quite late in the game.
I really felt for the characters, which I was not expecting in a tech drama of this gritty-present-day-reality subgenre. Even the villains (except for Paul; fuck - and I cannot express this in strong enough terms - Paul). The line between philanthropy and self-interest is generally the bottom line, and the endless ravenous demands of capitalism was ... well, not to be trite, but in a sense that felt like the real antagonist here. And that tracks, frankly. If anything is going to prevent the building blocks we currently have in place from assembling into a utopian future and instead cram them into the shape of whatever fevered rich-cunt dream some sweaty rich cunt has, it's that oldest and greatest of make-believe things humans made real: money.
In fact, you might even say that the real villain of this story was the money we made along the way. I wouldn't say that, though. Ever. I'm better than that.
A couple of things didn't quite sit right with me as the end of the story approached:
- Look, I love Terry Pratchett as much as the next guy, but the references and comparisons went a little bit too far - and occurred a little too repeatedly. While it did serve to tie this book to the near-present day (and let's be real here for a second, if Pratchett's legacy survived to be the only thing the giant-headed metallic-robe-wearing posthumans of the 89th Century remembered about the late 20th and early 21st, I would consider it an indisputable win), it folded into the "if this were a movie pitch it'd never get greenlit!" convention - which was also used maybe once or twice too often.
- Devon's endgame, in leveraging her podcast into a paywalled publication, didn't make intuitive sense to me. There wasn't a deep dive into the near-future mechanics of monetisation and social media in the story, but it seemed to me that Rabbit Hole had just hit the viewer / subscriber / virality jackpot and that really would have been all she needed. But then, cashing in and selling out is definitely on-brand for an influencer, and even though Devon is meant to be a good one it shows how intrusive the capitalist system is. So, this is really kind of a plus but it still didn't ring true for the character or the mechanics of her medium.
- I can't say this enough, but Paul needed spree'ing. I get that he will probably become a recurring threat in other stories and that's great and all, but the closure on his thread was very unsatisfactory.
Alright, let's move on.
Sex-o-meter
No sex. Some implied, but ... nah, nothing really. A Reap3r out of a possible Tinder, Grindr and (why not, what the heck) Right Stuff orgy for - well, Reap3r.
Gore-o-meter
Some violence, as required by the cutthroat business. All culminating in a glorious (if slightly suspension-of-disbelief-wrecking) assassin battle royale as [SPOILER REDACTED]. Good stuff, but still not enough to take us past two and a half flesh-gobbets out of a possible five.
WTF-o-meter
Again, not much. It wasn't that sort of story. Your rich and bountiful WTF fields tend to occur in the distant future, or when alien civilisations appear, or in the liminal spaces a bit more figurative than the tech industry and the mogul who named his yacht after the concept. Still, this was a great character study and said a lot of fascinating and depressing things about human nature and progress. All of it entirely too understandable. The WTF-o-meter is giving this a Michael Crichton novel out of a possible ... huh, it's the Tinder, Grindr and Right Stuff orgy again.
My Final Verdict
Is it just me, or was that climactic scene very Murder, She Wrote? But I loved it, very satisfying. The author's note at the end of the book bore out my confusion over the plotting and the different storylines - Reap3r is a lot of different pieces woven together, and it took considerable effort to tie them into a structure. I think it was effort mostly well spent, as the result definitely works. Paul needed to be spree'd though. What even happened to Paul? He was just like ... nah? Boo. Three stars.
Anyhow, from this intriguing start we jump forward three years, although this still set the story a bit closer in the immediate future than most of the sci-fi I'm used to. I'm still trying to decide if I like that or not. It didn't feed my endless gluttony for bright shiny things (BSTs) or surreal alien magic (WTFs), but it did fill my burgeoning doom-belly with a good look at an all-too-plausible next step in the collapse of the golden age I have in my Nineties Teen head. Three years later, and the gathering-together of an interesting assortment of minds at the behest of a strange and seemingly benevolent patron.
It didn't help that I had just watched Glass Onion so when he took them all on a cruise to the Galápagos Islands this was basically the picture in my head. Yes, even Devon the podcaster.
Right from the start, it was resoundingly obvious that this story wasn't going to have the utopian happy ending a wealthy philanthropist who really believed the hype might have hoped for. We weren't going to get to see herds of resurrected woolly mammoths gambolling majestically across the tundra, stamping down the permafrost and restoring the ecological balance (although frankly if I had seen that, I'm not sure how I would have reacted). This wasn't going to turn out well for anyone. The book is named for an assassination app.
No, this was always heading for a (well crafted) shit-show and my only real hope as of about the halfway point was that Paul, the intel pervert using the Q supercomputer as a blackmail folder and porn stash, would be killing spree'd before the book was over.
To step from the story to questions of plot and mechanics for a bit, I guess I will say that while I enjoyed reading this and it all hung together, there was quite a long build-up and the characters spent a lot of time just sort of moving into place and manoeuvering around each other, doing what seemed like fairly random stuff. A reader can reasonably expect to not know exactly what is going on and what the over-arching plot of the story actually is for - well, for longer than the usual prologue or first act switcheroo, at least. If you're not into that sort of uncertainty, you might feel like there's no point. I'd encourage you to stick with it, though.
The first characters and plot arc to fall into place for me was, as mentioned, the thread of Luki and Paul and Q. I got them, at least insofar as I wanted Paul to be spree'd right in the face at Peper's earliest convenience. For a while that was the only thread I was invested in, and I followed it like a water-cave-diver pulling on a safety line through the rest of the points of view. They were interesting vignettes, but I didn't really get them until they got with the program and fed into the Luki / Q storyline. And like I say, that was quite late in the game.
I really felt for the characters, which I was not expecting in a tech drama of this gritty-present-day-reality subgenre. Even the villains (except for Paul; fuck - and I cannot express this in strong enough terms - Paul). The line between philanthropy and self-interest is generally the bottom line, and the endless ravenous demands of capitalism was ... well, not to be trite, but in a sense that felt like the real antagonist here. And that tracks, frankly. If anything is going to prevent the building blocks we currently have in place from assembling into a utopian future and instead cram them into the shape of whatever fevered rich-cunt dream some sweaty rich cunt has, it's that oldest and greatest of make-believe things humans made real: money.
In fact, you might even say that the real villain of this story was the money we made along the way. I wouldn't say that, though. Ever. I'm better than that.
A couple of things didn't quite sit right with me as the end of the story approached:
- Look, I love Terry Pratchett as much as the next guy, but the references and comparisons went a little bit too far - and occurred a little too repeatedly. While it did serve to tie this book to the near-present day (and let's be real here for a second, if Pratchett's legacy survived to be the only thing the giant-headed metallic-robe-wearing posthumans of the 89th Century remembered about the late 20th and early 21st, I would consider it an indisputable win), it folded into the "if this were a movie pitch it'd never get greenlit!" convention - which was also used maybe once or twice too often.
- Devon's endgame, in leveraging her podcast into a paywalled publication, didn't make intuitive sense to me. There wasn't a deep dive into the near-future mechanics of monetisation and social media in the story, but it seemed to me that Rabbit Hole had just hit the viewer / subscriber / virality jackpot and that really would have been all she needed. But then, cashing in and selling out is definitely on-brand for an influencer, and even though Devon is meant to be a good one it shows how intrusive the capitalist system is. So, this is really kind of a plus but it still didn't ring true for the character or the mechanics of her medium.
- I can't say this enough, but Paul needed spree'ing. I get that he will probably become a recurring threat in other stories and that's great and all, but the closure on his thread was very unsatisfactory.
Alright, let's move on.
Sex-o-meter
No sex. Some implied, but ... nah, nothing really. A Reap3r out of a possible Tinder, Grindr and (why not, what the heck) Right Stuff orgy for - well, Reap3r.
Gore-o-meter
Some violence, as required by the cutthroat business. All culminating in a glorious (if slightly suspension-of-disbelief-wrecking) assassin battle royale as [SPOILER REDACTED]. Good stuff, but still not enough to take us past two and a half flesh-gobbets out of a possible five.
WTF-o-meter
Again, not much. It wasn't that sort of story. Your rich and bountiful WTF fields tend to occur in the distant future, or when alien civilisations appear, or in the liminal spaces a bit more figurative than the tech industry and the mogul who named his yacht after the concept. Still, this was a great character study and said a lot of fascinating and depressing things about human nature and progress. All of it entirely too understandable. The WTF-o-meter is giving this a Michael Crichton novel out of a possible ... huh, it's the Tinder, Grindr and Right Stuff orgy again.
My Final Verdict
Is it just me, or was that climactic scene very Murder, She Wrote? But I loved it, very satisfying. The author's note at the end of the book bore out my confusion over the plotting and the different storylines - Reap3r is a lot of different pieces woven together, and it took considerable effort to tie them into a structure. I think it was effort mostly well spent, as the result definitely works. Paul needed to be spree'd though. What even happened to Paul? He was just like ... nah? Boo. Three stars.
June 5, 2022
Excellent as usual by Eliot. One of my usual frustrations with the modern "techo thriller" is they generally all end up the same. Some dangerous technology has been unleashed and the main characters are in a race against time to stop it. What I liked about this book is that it doesn't do that at all. This is ultimately all about people and the choices they make. Very enjoyable
July 9, 2022
Solid thriller. Interesting story, believable characters, and good pacing. Though I often found myself siding with the antagonists...
April 10, 2023
All of my SPSFC reads will be reviewed on my YouTube channel.
May 25, 2022
Another Fantastic Technothriller
For some reason, when I read an Eliot Peper novel – I end up highlighting lots of passages and quotes from it. In this one, I ended up highlighting 9 different quotes – but that’s because I slowed down as I really started getting into the story. Peper is able to write these insane-sounding futuristic stories that end up feeling real and like they’re about to happen. I could tell that Peper really gave this book his all – this story was insane in all the best ways possible.
I remember reading an interview (or a post) from Peper where he said (paraphrasing) that he would look into what certain niche groups were researching or looking into and make that niche group or product a real thing – then write about what would happen if it did. This feels similar here, I haven’t read anything that feels like Reap3r but that doesn’t mean it’s not based on true research or true products that people are building towards.
Reap3r was probably the most thriller of Peper’s technothrillers – allowing the reader to go along for a ride as things kept getting worse and worse. It really felt like there was no way that certain people were going to get out of this with their lives and/or their dignity. But every time I thought the book was over or there was no way things would get better – something would change.
I’ve been reading Peper for years now, starting with his Uncommon Stock series and each one of them blows me away for different reasons. I know that I’m going into it and learning about technology in a way I never expected. Peper is able to write tales that scare the technology out of me and make me pay better attention to what’s going on in the tech world.
It wouldn’t be an audiobook review if I didn’t talk about the narrator. Now, Peper undertook the overwhelming task of narrating his own book. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. Being friends with narrators with 100+ books under their belt – I know that getting started is really hard and it’s something that isn’t for the faint of heart. But, I can tell that Peper took this seriously – he seems to have worked with a mentor/teacher to learn the skill and then partnered up with a producer so that it sounds great. And honestly, I couldn’t tell that this was Peper’s first narration. He was able to provide a great story AND great storytelling ability to write us Reap3r, then perform it.
For some reason, when I read an Eliot Peper novel – I end up highlighting lots of passages and quotes from it. In this one, I ended up highlighting 9 different quotes – but that’s because I slowed down as I really started getting into the story. Peper is able to write these insane-sounding futuristic stories that end up feeling real and like they’re about to happen. I could tell that Peper really gave this book his all – this story was insane in all the best ways possible.
I remember reading an interview (or a post) from Peper where he said (paraphrasing) that he would look into what certain niche groups were researching or looking into and make that niche group or product a real thing – then write about what would happen if it did. This feels similar here, I haven’t read anything that feels like Reap3r but that doesn’t mean it’s not based on true research or true products that people are building towards.
Reap3r was probably the most thriller of Peper’s technothrillers – allowing the reader to go along for a ride as things kept getting worse and worse. It really felt like there was no way that certain people were going to get out of this with their lives and/or their dignity. But every time I thought the book was over or there was no way things would get better – something would change.
I’ve been reading Peper for years now, starting with his Uncommon Stock series and each one of them blows me away for different reasons. I know that I’m going into it and learning about technology in a way I never expected. Peper is able to write tales that scare the technology out of me and make me pay better attention to what’s going on in the tech world.
It wouldn’t be an audiobook review if I didn’t talk about the narrator. Now, Peper undertook the overwhelming task of narrating his own book. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. Being friends with narrators with 100+ books under their belt – I know that getting started is really hard and it’s something that isn’t for the faint of heart. But, I can tell that Peper took this seriously – he seems to have worked with a mentor/teacher to learn the skill and then partnered up with a producer so that it sounds great. And honestly, I couldn’t tell that this was Peper’s first narration. He was able to provide a great story AND great storytelling ability to write us Reap3r, then perform it.
May 13, 2022
This book was just awesome! I had been looking for a book to read and this one dropped into my lap at the right time.
Eliot does it again by doing a great job of keeping the book relevant enough in today’s world in both technology, political, and environmental issues that help make a near future book seems believable and real. With out spoiling too much some of the things he brings up in the book is crazy to think he wrote those parts more than 2 years before publishing and some of the ideas and thoughts he put in the book came true 😳. I think that is why I love his books so much. No matter how fast-paced or near future he makes the books they don’t feel that far out on the horizon of technology and the issues seem like they might be something we will need to address in our lifetime.
The story has many key characters that each have their own stories and at the start, you keep trying to figure out how everything is going to fit together. That is where the magic of his writing takes place as he weaves each of the characters' stories together. There are past friendships / acquaintances with secrets to hide which is how they ended up where they are today. Then there are newer characters that have created something amazing and are now being thrust into the mix and trying to put all the pieces together.
Not to mention Eliot’s attention to detail throughout the book I always appreciate as I can picture the places he is talking about and it makes me feel like I am there seeing the sights and sounds. Also, how can I forget if you have read some or all of Eliot’s books you might find some tie-ins or mentions of technology, and/or people from his previous works 😉.
Eliot does it again by doing a great job of keeping the book relevant enough in today’s world in both technology, political, and environmental issues that help make a near future book seems believable and real. With out spoiling too much some of the things he brings up in the book is crazy to think he wrote those parts more than 2 years before publishing and some of the ideas and thoughts he put in the book came true 😳. I think that is why I love his books so much. No matter how fast-paced or near future he makes the books they don’t feel that far out on the horizon of technology and the issues seem like they might be something we will need to address in our lifetime.
The story has many key characters that each have their own stories and at the start, you keep trying to figure out how everything is going to fit together. That is where the magic of his writing takes place as he weaves each of the characters' stories together. There are past friendships / acquaintances with secrets to hide which is how they ended up where they are today. Then there are newer characters that have created something amazing and are now being thrust into the mix and trying to put all the pieces together.
Not to mention Eliot’s attention to detail throughout the book I always appreciate as I can picture the places he is talking about and it makes me feel like I am there seeing the sights and sounds. Also, how can I forget if you have read some or all of Eliot’s books you might find some tie-ins or mentions of technology, and/or people from his previous works 😉.
May 29, 2022
I received an advance review copy of Eliot's tenth novel in February and, as prior books, began to read it nearly instantly. As I read through the first few chapters, however, I found myself needing to know the characters more. So, I began again, and again, and again. Each read exposed a strength or flaw in the human characters and I chose to slow down my reading pace to get to know them better.
There is no doubt this work is a work of fiction. The quote above reminded me what I was reading may be fiction yet is very likely to be real. In the near future likely to occur within our lifetimes. And that simultaneously makes this story frighteningly believable.
Eliot's characters often carry a social conscience, and this book is no different. It isn't hard to distinguish right from wrong, or to empathize with their struggle. The classic struggle of power over community, money over integrity, and self over sentient collectiveness are threaded throughout.
The tale spun deftly through this extremely fast-moving book is composed of numerous complex characters, who revealed themselves to the author in a different intimacy that the reader discovers in layers.
His travels influence the book. Food, clothing, jewelry, locations, and names all allude to a character's face behind the mask. You can choose to look at the mask and discover what happens as Eliot reveals what's within. Or you can learn more about the attributes and find the pleasant surprises as you self-discover the character early. (I knew you, O' petite woman at the end of chapter 58).
There is no doubt this work is a work of fiction. The quote above reminded me what I was reading may be fiction yet is very likely to be real. In the near future likely to occur within our lifetimes. And that simultaneously makes this story frighteningly believable.
Eliot's characters often carry a social conscience, and this book is no different. It isn't hard to distinguish right from wrong, or to empathize with their struggle. The classic struggle of power over community, money over integrity, and self over sentient collectiveness are threaded throughout.
The tale spun deftly through this extremely fast-moving book is composed of numerous complex characters, who revealed themselves to the author in a different intimacy that the reader discovers in layers.
His travels influence the book. Food, clothing, jewelry, locations, and names all allude to a character's face behind the mask. You can choose to look at the mask and discover what happens as Eliot reveals what's within. Or you can learn more about the attributes and find the pleasant surprises as you self-discover the character early. (I knew you, O' petite woman at the end of chapter 58).
May 31, 2022
A true adventure story. Episodic in the best way.
I had a blast finishing Peper’s REAP3R this weekend. The book uses multiple points of view to tell a gripping story about viruses, venture capital, quantum computing, and — strange as it sounds — **blockchain assassins.** The characters are drawn with authentic psychological insights about what tortures and drives them. For instance, I really loved the podcaster character Devon who struggles with finding financial backing for her work… leading her to connect with some, ahem, interesting investors.
REAP3R is a well-paced book, too, with short chapters driving to an high energy finale. There were quite a few moments when I just thought “that’s really cool,” and I was especially impressed by how Peper introduced and then reincorporated themes throughout the book. Certain scenes take even more meaning by the novel’s end as you learn more about the characters and their dark secrets. Master plotting. Everything comes together at the end—such a pleasure as a reader.
I would definitely recommend REAP3R to anyone who is looking for an adventurous read with a techish bent.
I had a blast finishing Peper’s REAP3R this weekend. The book uses multiple points of view to tell a gripping story about viruses, venture capital, quantum computing, and — strange as it sounds — **blockchain assassins.** The characters are drawn with authentic psychological insights about what tortures and drives them. For instance, I really loved the podcaster character Devon who struggles with finding financial backing for her work… leading her to connect with some, ahem, interesting investors.
REAP3R is a well-paced book, too, with short chapters driving to an high energy finale. There were quite a few moments when I just thought “that’s really cool,” and I was especially impressed by how Peper introduced and then reincorporated themes throughout the book. Certain scenes take even more meaning by the novel’s end as you learn more about the characters and their dark secrets. Master plotting. Everything comes together at the end—such a pleasure as a reader.
I would definitely recommend REAP3R to anyone who is looking for an adventurous read with a techish bent.
May 20, 2022
NB, I was provided with an advance copy.
Another propulsive read from Eliot Peper, with a handful of well-drawn characters caught up in a collapsing web of machinations that spans the world, covering the spheres from computer science to molecular biology to good-old-fashioned journalism. Moments of accelerating action are interspersed with self-reflection and more philosophical asides, as well as richly evocative descriptions of places and experiences. Especially worth note are a handful of nods at the difficult of writing plausible near-future SF as reality continually cranks its levels of absurdity.
It's a fun read, even as it chews on the difficult question of our obligations in work; is it right to mortgage our skills, our passion, our insights and the tools we create to those few who have accumulated wealth and influence, but might not have the best of intentions?
Highly recommended.
Another propulsive read from Eliot Peper, with a handful of well-drawn characters caught up in a collapsing web of machinations that spans the world, covering the spheres from computer science to molecular biology to good-old-fashioned journalism. Moments of accelerating action are interspersed with self-reflection and more philosophical asides, as well as richly evocative descriptions of places and experiences. Especially worth note are a handful of nods at the difficult of writing plausible near-future SF as reality continually cranks its levels of absurdity.
It's a fun read, even as it chews on the difficult question of our obligations in work; is it right to mortgage our skills, our passion, our insights and the tools we create to those few who have accumulated wealth and influence, but might not have the best of intentions?
Highly recommended.
May 21, 2022
I'm a massive fan of Eliot Peper's previous novel, Veil, and wasn't sure anything could top that—but Reap3r comes so close! Certainly one of the best books I've read this year. I find that Peper has a unique talent of making every single word matter, and the brevity in his stories is what makes them really memorable (I've highlighted SO much, it's unbelievable). Another strength is the ability to lay out the nuances of technology in a way that any nonfiction or fictional take can't. He did it for geoengineering with Veil, and here he does it for biotech, blockchain, and quantum computing, while simultaneously commenting on the price progress can extract, how finance and government can push us forward while holding us back, and the power stories have to change the world.
Overall, a must-read thriller. I feel smarter for having read it. 5/5.
Overall, a must-read thriller. I feel smarter for having read it. 5/5.
August 2, 2022
If there's one thing I know, it's that Eliot Peper is THE GUY for the engrossing near-future techno-thriller.
Each of his stories (Reap3r being no exception) dives into the character of people. How their surroundings, education, and power (or lack there of) shape their decisions. These decisions often have world-changing implications. The exploration of future technology, combined with the characters journey from idea to execution is where Peper shines.
Reap3r is a story about the lengths to which those in power will reach to protect themselves. The internal moral struggle of those wish to shift the tide. And the ever present scene of Silicon Valley big wigs, scholars, and teck wiz-kids. Secrets, Lies, and videotape in a wired 21st century. There will be no hiding from the technology that you fool yourself into thinking you have control over when it all tumbles down.
Each of his stories (Reap3r being no exception) dives into the character of people. How their surroundings, education, and power (or lack there of) shape their decisions. These decisions often have world-changing implications. The exploration of future technology, combined with the characters journey from idea to execution is where Peper shines.
Reap3r is a story about the lengths to which those in power will reach to protect themselves. The internal moral struggle of those wish to shift the tide. And the ever present scene of Silicon Valley big wigs, scholars, and teck wiz-kids. Secrets, Lies, and videotape in a wired 21st century. There will be no hiding from the technology that you fool yourself into thinking you have control over when it all tumbles down.
June 8, 2022
Another great book by Eliot Peper. I enjoy the author's believable look into "near futures" (I grew up in the Bay Area in the 70s and 80s, so yes, I did google to see if San Quentin had been turned into a luxury hotel or if it was still a prison 😅). So I also enjoy reading about the areas where I grew up bundled into a twisting-turning narrative. I continue to enjoy the thought process, the growth, the stories of all the characters the author creates and weaves together. Definitely a good solid read.
May 18, 2022
This was a total page turner. I loved the near term sci-fi world Eliot built and all the Bay Area details he dropped in for folks who know the area. This book reminded me of the feel of Daemon by Daniel Suarez. My favorite book by Eliot so far!
May 18, 2022
Eliot has been one of my favorites for years now, and this book is just one more reason why! I absolutely recommend this and every other book of his I've read! It's officially released today! So get out there and buy a copy!!
May 29, 2022
Recent Reads: Reap3r. Eliot Peper's latest near future thriller starts with an assassination and goes on to uncover a venture capital conspiracy that has killed millions. Money and power are up against a collision of smart broken people. We pick each other up and go on.
June 7, 2022
This time
Chaos and lies, enabling tyrants. Magical advances in other directions. Interesting times, eh?
One thing, with an author like this, and with readers willing to now be present, we have a great deal to be grateful for.
Thank you.
Chaos and lies, enabling tyrants. Magical advances in other directions. Interesting times, eh?
One thing, with an author like this, and with readers willing to now be present, we have a great deal to be grateful for.
Thank you.
May 18, 2022
Such a fun read! An exceptional thriller that feels all too relevant. What sets this apart are all the details that make this world feel so lived in and real despite being in a near distant future.
June 12, 2022
His best yet
Great mashup of a spy story, an action movie and a dystopian science fiction novel. Very fast moving, with some memorable characters. A fun read.
Great mashup of a spy story, an action movie and a dystopian science fiction novel. Very fast moving, with some memorable characters. A fun read.
December 13, 2022
Disclaimer - I received a free copy of this book to review for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC).
I ask myself, whenever I sit down to write a review, exactly what makes a good Science Fiction book. A good plot, characters with depth, and science that is factually based all come to mind. An excellent book goes far beyond this. It is one that, as you are reading it, you get so immersed that you forget you are reading a book. When it is a hot summer’s day but you are shivering because your book is set in the antarctic. Or when someone calls your name and, just for a moment, you think it is someone in the book talking to you rather than someone standing next to you. I cannot say every one of Eliot Peper’s books are this good. Many get very close. REAP3R hits the bullseye.
From the opening quote on the cover, “People seeking the meaning of life get it backward. You don’t ask life for an answer. Life asks you.” you know that this book might just challenge you. You will not know how exactly until you start reading but you know that an adventure awaits.
In REAP3R, Peper presents an action packed adventure, several great heroes, some terrifying anti-heroes, and a believable near future. What makes it a great book is that REAP3R gets right up in your face with a whole lot of political, scientific, and moral questions that will give you pause. What will haunt you is that any one of these, perhaps all of them, could be happening in your real world right now.
In 1964, United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart stated about pornography "I know it when I see it.” I am not an English major, an author, or a professional reviewer. Still, when it comes to a great book, I say that I know it when I read it.
P.S. I must commend Peper for his incredibly truthful and honest afterward where he reveals every authors' worst fear - that you think that you have written a masterpiece in your first draft and your reviewers tell you it sucks. Peper went back to his computer, did the needed re-writes, and gave us the final version of REAP3R. BRAVO
I ask myself, whenever I sit down to write a review, exactly what makes a good Science Fiction book. A good plot, characters with depth, and science that is factually based all come to mind. An excellent book goes far beyond this. It is one that, as you are reading it, you get so immersed that you forget you are reading a book. When it is a hot summer’s day but you are shivering because your book is set in the antarctic. Or when someone calls your name and, just for a moment, you think it is someone in the book talking to you rather than someone standing next to you. I cannot say every one of Eliot Peper’s books are this good. Many get very close. REAP3R hits the bullseye.
From the opening quote on the cover, “People seeking the meaning of life get it backward. You don’t ask life for an answer. Life asks you.” you know that this book might just challenge you. You will not know how exactly until you start reading but you know that an adventure awaits.
In REAP3R, Peper presents an action packed adventure, several great heroes, some terrifying anti-heroes, and a believable near future. What makes it a great book is that REAP3R gets right up in your face with a whole lot of political, scientific, and moral questions that will give you pause. What will haunt you is that any one of these, perhaps all of them, could be happening in your real world right now.
In 1964, United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart stated about pornography "I know it when I see it.” I am not an English major, an author, or a professional reviewer. Still, when it comes to a great book, I say that I know it when I read it.
P.S. I must commend Peper for his incredibly truthful and honest afterward where he reveals every authors' worst fear - that you think that you have written a masterpiece in your first draft and your reviewers tell you it sucks. Peper went back to his computer, did the needed re-writes, and gave us the final version of REAP3R. BRAVO
March 2, 2022
I got this book on Saturday night and I was done by early evening Monday. I only put it down to sleep (barely - I stayed up way past normal), work, eat, and spend time with family. I really wished I didn’t need to do those things so I could read it front-to-back uninterrupted.
The rapid pace of this book is unceasing, the characters vivid, and the near-future setting compelling. I have a special affinity for it as it describes some of my favorite places in the Bay Area in excellent detail (making me wish I was back living in SF). When I was done I put the book down and imagined what a follow-up novel might be about. One can always dream!
I tend to read classics instead of take chances on newer books—I’m so glad I did this time. This is my first book by the author and I’m looking forward to going back and reading others.
Disclosure: Eliot is a friend of friends and we followed each other on Twitter for a while. If I hadn’t liked the book I simply would not have posted a review.
The rapid pace of this book is unceasing, the characters vivid, and the near-future setting compelling. I have a special affinity for it as it describes some of my favorite places in the Bay Area in excellent detail (making me wish I was back living in SF). When I was done I put the book down and imagined what a follow-up novel might be about. One can always dream!
I tend to read classics instead of take chances on newer books—I’m so glad I did this time. This is my first book by the author and I’m looking forward to going back and reading others.
Disclosure: Eliot is a friend of friends and we followed each other on Twitter for a while. If I hadn’t liked the book I simply would not have posted a review.
Want to read
May 2, 2022John carmack comparison with dalle on book being similar to theater
August 1, 2022
A good tech read but not as well executed as the Analog Series.
Mr. Peper is one of the authors leading the techno-thriller genre along with Blake Crouch, Daniel Suarez, etc...
Mr. Peper is one of the authors leading the techno-thriller genre along with Blake Crouch, Daniel Suarez, etc...
May 18, 2022
Peper's latest book is his best yet. Well-drawn characters interact in vivid settings. Grand ideas are packed into tiny chapters, many of which end in cliffhangers as the point of view bounces around. Things we can't do but can imagine are examined in their potential to help *and* harm -- in other words, great science fiction.
Note that I received an advance copy ... and happily paid for another one when it was officially released.
Note that I received an advance copy ... and happily paid for another one when it was officially released.
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