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Hardwired Humanity
Hardwired Humanity
by Sarah Wagner
Hardwired Humanity is a collection of short stories from science-fiction and fantasy author, Sarah Wagner. Gripping tales about the edge of reality where the difference between human and machine blurs to almost nothing.
From Evolution of a
The moment Rado pulled his van into the warehouse, Corinthian was opening his door and battering him with questions. "Who was it about? What was it? Will it help?"
"Hold up. Give me a minute!" Rado shook his head as he stepped out of the van. "Fate is smiling on us. Or whatever. Mark Lawrence's mother ran into a familiar face at the safe house. Jason Kuo's half-sister has been in hiding for all this time. He gave her a set of discs and some money and sent her into hiding two months before the killings."
"He must have known something was coming." Corinthian shook his head. "If he knew, why didn't he warn anybody?"
"I don't know the answer to that. Maybe these will help." Rado pulled a small black case off the front seat. "There are seven discs here. I skimmed a little but haven't watched them all. There's some interesting stuff on there."
"Like what?"
"There's a video of a surgery performed on Shade. She was just a kid. They wired her up like a bomb and she was just a baby." Anger poisoned his words.
"Wired?" Corinthian's head shot up, his eyes wide and intent. "I've been so stupid! That's the key!" He grabbed the case of discs and ran for the bunker.
"What key?" Rado chased after him. "What's going on?"
"You just found the one element I've been missing." Corinthian sat down in front of the mainframe and inserted each disc into a separate drive. "I was looking for something more advanced, something spectacular. It's going to take more than one implant. That's why she was pumped full of wiring. Synaptic receptors aren't going to be enough. The answer was there the whole time. I'm such a freaking idiot."
"If you are an idiot," Shade's manufactured voice filled the small room, "what am I? I knew nothing of this. And it was my body they wired!"
"What do you think?" Corinthian asked.
"I think we've just jumped to making the construct a reality instead of a possibility."
"Construct?" Rado sat down.
"We're going to implant a piece of Shade inside a donor body."
"You're going to what?" Rado was nearly shouting, the vein at his temple pulsing in time to his bitter heart.
"We're going to take a special chip and install it into our living volunteer. If it all works the way we think it will, our volunteer will become an extension of Shade with some added benefits."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No, I'm not." Corinthian smiled.
"That's impossible."
"It certainly was this morning." Corinthian said with a broad smile.
Sarah Wagner kept me holding onto every word as I anticipated the next bend in the story. If you like excitement from the very beginning with details thrown in as you go, than this book is for you. Life like characters in a realistic technological setting hints at the possibilities of this happening, for real, in our world today. Well written from the start.
You’ll enjoy Hardwired Humanity.
-Kathy Hannah
by Sarah Wagner
Hardwired Humanity is a collection of short stories from science-fiction and fantasy author, Sarah Wagner. Gripping tales about the edge of reality where the difference between human and machine blurs to almost nothing.
From Evolution of a
The moment Rado pulled his van into the warehouse, Corinthian was opening his door and battering him with questions. "Who was it about? What was it? Will it help?"
"Hold up. Give me a minute!" Rado shook his head as he stepped out of the van. "Fate is smiling on us. Or whatever. Mark Lawrence's mother ran into a familiar face at the safe house. Jason Kuo's half-sister has been in hiding for all this time. He gave her a set of discs and some money and sent her into hiding two months before the killings."
"He must have known something was coming." Corinthian shook his head. "If he knew, why didn't he warn anybody?"
"I don't know the answer to that. Maybe these will help." Rado pulled a small black case off the front seat. "There are seven discs here. I skimmed a little but haven't watched them all. There's some interesting stuff on there."
"Like what?"
"There's a video of a surgery performed on Shade. She was just a kid. They wired her up like a bomb and she was just a baby." Anger poisoned his words.
"Wired?" Corinthian's head shot up, his eyes wide and intent. "I've been so stupid! That's the key!" He grabbed the case of discs and ran for the bunker.
"What key?" Rado chased after him. "What's going on?"
"You just found the one element I've been missing." Corinthian sat down in front of the mainframe and inserted each disc into a separate drive. "I was looking for something more advanced, something spectacular. It's going to take more than one implant. That's why she was pumped full of wiring. Synaptic receptors aren't going to be enough. The answer was there the whole time. I'm such a freaking idiot."
"If you are an idiot," Shade's manufactured voice filled the small room, "what am I? I knew nothing of this. And it was my body they wired!"
"What do you think?" Corinthian asked.
"I think we've just jumped to making the construct a reality instead of a possibility."
"Construct?" Rado sat down.
"We're going to implant a piece of Shade inside a donor body."
"You're going to what?" Rado was nearly shouting, the vein at his temple pulsing in time to his bitter heart.
"We're going to take a special chip and install it into our living volunteer. If it all works the way we think it will, our volunteer will become an extension of Shade with some added benefits."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"No, I'm not." Corinthian smiled.
"That's impossible."
"It certainly was this morning." Corinthian said with a broad smile.
Sarah Wagner kept me holding onto every word as I anticipated the next bend in the story. If you like excitement from the very beginning with details thrown in as you go, than this book is for you. Life like characters in a realistic technological setting hints at the possibilities of this happening, for real, in our world today. Well written from the start.
You’ll enjoy Hardwired Humanity.
-Kathy Hannah
184 pages, Kindle Edition
2 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Wagner
10 books3 followersBorn in Denver, Colorado, Sarah Wagner got her first taste of people watching from inside the 75 gallon tank that served as her playpen in her parents’ tropical fish store. She liked it so much, she continued to people watch whenever she could and it has led to some very interesting characters.
She got her first taste of science fiction early, thanks to her devoted Trekkie of a mom. Science fiction was her gateway genre, leading to fantasy, horror, and superheroes. She hopes to be able to pass this deep love along to her children.
Sarah spends her time torn between the worlds in her head and this one. Her husband and two sons do a wonderful job keeping her relatively grounded in this one. She writes in a little corner where clutter breeds and dust bunnies find refuge.
In what free time she can eke out, she loves to read and paint. She also runs an autism support group. You can find Sarah’s short stories, essays, and poems in a wide variety of publications including the Sha’Daa anthologies, Ruins Metropolis, and Chicken Soup: Grieving and Recovery. You can find Sarah online at www.sarahewagner.com, queenofmygeekdom.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter @Shade53. She also writes for www.thegeekgirlproject.com .
She got her first taste of science fiction early, thanks to her devoted Trekkie of a mom. Science fiction was her gateway genre, leading to fantasy, horror, and superheroes. She hopes to be able to pass this deep love along to her children.
Sarah spends her time torn between the worlds in her head and this one. Her husband and two sons do a wonderful job keeping her relatively grounded in this one. She writes in a little corner where clutter breeds and dust bunnies find refuge.
In what free time she can eke out, she loves to read and paint. She also runs an autism support group. You can find Sarah’s short stories, essays, and poems in a wide variety of publications including the Sha’Daa anthologies, Ruins Metropolis, and Chicken Soup: Grieving and Recovery. You can find Sarah online at www.sarahewagner.com, queenofmygeekdom.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter @Shade53. She also writes for www.thegeekgirlproject.com .
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 7, 2010
I was really excited to read this book because Sarah and I went to high school together. I really liked the book, but I felt that the short story format took some getting used to. I was really starting to like the characters in the first story when it ended. It left me wishing that there was another book based on that world and those characters that I could go dig into. I had similar feelings after each of the longer stories. The final story a bit longer and very involved. I finally felt like I was getting enough details to make the story whole. The sorter stories weren't as interesting to me. They felt like filler between the larger stories.
Overall I'd give the book 4/5 stars and definitely recommend it to friends.
Overall I'd give the book 4/5 stars and definitely recommend it to friends.
Displaying 1 of 1 review