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One Person Can't Make a Difference
Run Ono-Marks is more machine than man. Selling his humanity was the only way to survive.
Now, he lives charge to charge, doing gig work in the Commonwealth's moneyed Overcity. If you can call that living.
When a stranger offers him a shot at a life-saving upgrade to his synth body, Run must descend into an underground resistance... and a tangled web of conspirators.
“One Person Can’t Make a Difference is everything you could ever want from a pure, old school cyberpunk novel, but updated perfectly for our dark time. Ragolia’s prose crackles and pops like electricity directly from the mainframe, a livewire for your senses running the taut narrative through every inch of your nervous system.” — Jordan A. Rothacker, author of The Pit, and No Other Stories
“One Person Can’t Make a Difference confronts the traditional dystopian novel and shimmies its way beyond into new territory. Ragolia depicts familiar current conflict with secret hidden tracks and B-sides a reader would never expect in a cyberpunk novel. With a deep dive into darkness and storytelling of one character’s spirit, Ragolia has created a world riddled with struggle and hope, light and dark, and within this balance, a reason to champion the underdog. — Hillary Leftwich, author of Ghosts Are Just Strangers Who Know How to Knock and Aura
"Through the dystopian din, Ragolia pens a clarion call for radical hope and perseverance. One Person Can’t Make a Difference plants seeds in the cyperpunk genre, bioengineers them with reverence and emotional precision, and cultivates a nourishing garden for the weary-hearted.” — O’Brian Gunn, author of Thus Spoke
“Nate Ragolia’s One Person Can’t Make a Difference is a slangy, manic blend of cyberpunk action and social commentary that will leave you ripping headlong through the streets of a future America in which the physical, moral, and intellectual trappings of humanity have melted away in the pursuit of unbridled capitalism and the technology it seems to deform at every turn. While Ragolia may ask the titular question of whether the individual can stand against the massed power of state, ethos, and, in truth, the species itself, he weaves in smaller, subtler concerns about what it means to be human and whether the loss of some elements of that ‘humanity’ might actually be for the best. Buy this book now!” — Kurt Baumeister, author of Pax Americana
“With a touch of noire, our hopeful hero, Mr. Run Ono-Marks reads like a synth Humphrey Bogart, narrating his life and walking the rain-soaked pavement in the dead of night. This new world is mechanical and gross and controlling -- and high on the haves vs the have nots. ‘Cause like he says, ‘Spent so long wishing to be nobody that being somebody fell in my lap.’ One person can’t make a difference, but Run does.” — Peppur Chambers, author of Harlem’s Awakening
“One Person Can’t Make a Difference is a well-written, fast-paced thrill ride! Author Nate Ragolia transports us to another time and place through the eyes of our “hero” Run Ono-Marks, who has his work cut out for him navigating this futuristic world, trying to figure out the “good guys” from the “bad” and which side he is ultimately on.
Now, he lives charge to charge, doing gig work in the Commonwealth's moneyed Overcity. If you can call that living.
When a stranger offers him a shot at a life-saving upgrade to his synth body, Run must descend into an underground resistance... and a tangled web of conspirators.
“One Person Can’t Make a Difference is everything you could ever want from a pure, old school cyberpunk novel, but updated perfectly for our dark time. Ragolia’s prose crackles and pops like electricity directly from the mainframe, a livewire for your senses running the taut narrative through every inch of your nervous system.” — Jordan A. Rothacker, author of The Pit, and No Other Stories
“One Person Can’t Make a Difference confronts the traditional dystopian novel and shimmies its way beyond into new territory. Ragolia depicts familiar current conflict with secret hidden tracks and B-sides a reader would never expect in a cyberpunk novel. With a deep dive into darkness and storytelling of one character’s spirit, Ragolia has created a world riddled with struggle and hope, light and dark, and within this balance, a reason to champion the underdog. — Hillary Leftwich, author of Ghosts Are Just Strangers Who Know How to Knock and Aura
"Through the dystopian din, Ragolia pens a clarion call for radical hope and perseverance. One Person Can’t Make a Difference plants seeds in the cyperpunk genre, bioengineers them with reverence and emotional precision, and cultivates a nourishing garden for the weary-hearted.” — O’Brian Gunn, author of Thus Spoke
“Nate Ragolia’s One Person Can’t Make a Difference is a slangy, manic blend of cyberpunk action and social commentary that will leave you ripping headlong through the streets of a future America in which the physical, moral, and intellectual trappings of humanity have melted away in the pursuit of unbridled capitalism and the technology it seems to deform at every turn. While Ragolia may ask the titular question of whether the individual can stand against the massed power of state, ethos, and, in truth, the species itself, he weaves in smaller, subtler concerns about what it means to be human and whether the loss of some elements of that ‘humanity’ might actually be for the best. Buy this book now!” — Kurt Baumeister, author of Pax Americana
“With a touch of noire, our hopeful hero, Mr. Run Ono-Marks reads like a synth Humphrey Bogart, narrating his life and walking the rain-soaked pavement in the dead of night. This new world is mechanical and gross and controlling -- and high on the haves vs the have nots. ‘Cause like he says, ‘Spent so long wishing to be nobody that being somebody fell in my lap.’ One person can’t make a difference, but Run does.” — Peppur Chambers, author of Harlem’s Awakening
“One Person Can’t Make a Difference is a well-written, fast-paced thrill ride! Author Nate Ragolia transports us to another time and place through the eyes of our “hero” Run Ono-Marks, who has his work cut out for him navigating this futuristic world, trying to figure out the “good guys” from the “bad” and which side he is ultimately on.
- GenresScience FictionCyberpunk
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2022
2 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Nate Ragolia
11 books16 followersNate Ragolia is the author One Person Can't Make a Difference (2022), The Retroactivist (2017) and There You Feel Free (2015, 2021). He was editor-in-chief of BONED: A Collection of Skeletal Writings from 2015-2020, and is currently co-founder and publisher at Spaceboy Books LLC. Way back when, he wrote and drew two webcomics, The Illiterate Badger, and The Right Corking Adventures of Cecil Larkbunting & Alastair Wakerobin. These days, he hosts the podcasts A Vague Idea and Roll For Blank, and co-hosts Debut Buddies. In his free time, he's writing the next book, contributing short stories to a variety of publications and collections, playing video games, and trying to smile his way through the apocalypse with his dogs and wife.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 23, 2023
A fast-paced and creative telling of warring power structures hell bent on maintaining power — to everyone’s peril. Ragolia is careful not to resort to simple solutions, rather the author offers up a flashpoint, on which revolutionary change can strike. This compassionate description of a city yearning to breath freely, is a vivid indictment of class and social divisions that keep society as a whole from acting in their true collective interest. Looking forward to further explorations of this world by Ragolia.
July 1, 2023
A good novel, which mixes well action and food for thought. The protagonist is barely human, having had to sell his biological parts to pay his debts, in a highly stratified society that brutally resembles the one we live in. As I said, there is a lot of action, a lot of shooting and a lot of death, but that is not what sticks out. What sticks out is the extent of the betrayal that the political class operates against the people, including the elite, and the total indifference to the suffering of the weakest. As the title says, one person can' t make a difference... and indeed Run Ono-Marks is not alone in his battle. Very enjoyable.
C'è chi dice che il cyberpunk è morto e c'è chi dice che è invecchiato male. Certo, se si leggono oggi i capolavori del passato può sembrare così, soprattutto se si prende in considerazione la parte "cyber" del termine. Se invece si mette al centro del discorso il "punk", inteso come movimento che promuove la non conformità e contesta l'autoritarismo, si vede che il genere "è vivo e lotta insieme a noi". Da questo punto di vista, appartiene a pieno titolo al genere cyberpunk la novella di Nate Ragolia "ONE PERSON CAN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE", che infatti è fortemente cyber e altrettanto fortemente (forse di più) punk. Scritta con uno stile asciutto e veloce, come si addice a un'opera il cui protagonista è, almeno esteriormente, quasi interamente robotico, la storia è invece pervasa di una pressante umanità, soprattutto nelle domande di fondo che si pone. Il titolo italiano, "Da soli non si cambia il mondo", nasce da una considerazione sulla celebre frase di Eduardo Galeano: "Mucha gente pequeña en lugares pequeños, haciendo cosas pequeñas pueden cambiar el mundo", che riassume appieno il messaggio del romanzo.
C'è chi dice che il cyberpunk è morto e c'è chi dice che è invecchiato male. Certo, se si leggono oggi i capolavori del passato può sembrare così, soprattutto se si prende in considerazione la parte "cyber" del termine. Se invece si mette al centro del discorso il "punk", inteso come movimento che promuove la non conformità e contesta l'autoritarismo, si vede che il genere "è vivo e lotta insieme a noi". Da questo punto di vista, appartiene a pieno titolo al genere cyberpunk la novella di Nate Ragolia "ONE PERSON CAN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE", che infatti è fortemente cyber e altrettanto fortemente (forse di più) punk. Scritta con uno stile asciutto e veloce, come si addice a un'opera il cui protagonista è, almeno esteriormente, quasi interamente robotico, la storia è invece pervasa di una pressante umanità, soprattutto nelle domande di fondo che si pone. Il titolo italiano, "Da soli non si cambia il mondo", nasce da una considerazione sulla celebre frase di Eduardo Galeano: "Mucha gente pequeña en lugares pequeños, haciendo cosas pequeñas pueden cambiar el mundo", che riassume appieno il messaggio del romanzo.
November 9, 2022
This was my first cyberpunk read, and it was an exhilarating, atmospheric ride with a strong cast of characters. The worldbuilding is top notch - I could feel the grimy underbelly of the Undercity; the class divide between the ruling class and the less fortunate; and the futuristic vision that blends humans with synths (cyborgs).
We follow Run Ono-Marks as he struggles to survive in a crooked world. He is given an opportunity to rebuild his life and solidify his synth body. He finds himself stuck in a web of deception where many scores are waiting to be settled.
The prose is sharp and fast and kept me rolling through the pages. For me, there was a nostalgic blend of '50s film noir, with a hardboiled main character (Run) - a thick-skinned tough guy who is realistic about his situation and the world he is trying to survive in, combined with the futuristic dystopia setting of the book - a hypercity filled with neon lights and smog and fog.
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and am excited to see what Nate Ragolia comes out with next. Highly recommended for those who love cyberpunk and those looking for a new genre to dive into.
We follow Run Ono-Marks as he struggles to survive in a crooked world. He is given an opportunity to rebuild his life and solidify his synth body. He finds himself stuck in a web of deception where many scores are waiting to be settled.
The prose is sharp and fast and kept me rolling through the pages. For me, there was a nostalgic blend of '50s film noir, with a hardboiled main character (Run) - a thick-skinned tough guy who is realistic about his situation and the world he is trying to survive in, combined with the futuristic dystopia setting of the book - a hypercity filled with neon lights and smog and fog.
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and am excited to see what Nate Ragolia comes out with next. Highly recommended for those who love cyberpunk and those looking for a new genre to dive into.
November 25, 2023
Una bella avventura che ha il sapore di un grande classico del genere.
Impossibile non pensare a "Blade Runner" mentre il protagonista, Run Ono-Marks, sfreccia sulla sua Kento ora lungo i vicoli della Città di Sotto, ora nell'apparente perfezione dei quartieri alti. Un mondo olografico, regolato, apparentemente perfetto.
In verità, due forze politiche contrapposte tentano di impadronirsi del potere assoluto, di dirigere la vita delle persone. Run si trova invischiato nei loro giochi, entrambe le parti tenteranno di sfruttare le sue capacità a loro vantaggio. Starà a lui, in modo inaspettato, venirne fuori e dimostrare se sia vero, oppure no, che "da soli non si cambia il mondo".
Impossibile non notare la forte critica che l'autore porta ai cosiddetti poteri forti, al controllo dei mezzi di informazione e via discorrendo.
Lo stile è serrato, scorrevolissimo, ti trascina fra le pagine.
Consigliatissimo a tutti gli amanti del genere.
Impossibile non pensare a "Blade Runner" mentre il protagonista, Run Ono-Marks, sfreccia sulla sua Kento ora lungo i vicoli della Città di Sotto, ora nell'apparente perfezione dei quartieri alti. Un mondo olografico, regolato, apparentemente perfetto.
In verità, due forze politiche contrapposte tentano di impadronirsi del potere assoluto, di dirigere la vita delle persone. Run si trova invischiato nei loro giochi, entrambe le parti tenteranno di sfruttare le sue capacità a loro vantaggio. Starà a lui, in modo inaspettato, venirne fuori e dimostrare se sia vero, oppure no, che "da soli non si cambia il mondo".
Impossibile non notare la forte critica che l'autore porta ai cosiddetti poteri forti, al controllo dei mezzi di informazione e via discorrendo.
Lo stile è serrato, scorrevolissimo, ti trascina fra le pagine.
Consigliatissimo a tutti gli amanti del genere.
September 11, 2023
Really enjoyed Nate Ragolia's cyberpunk novel, "One Person Can't Make a Difference", all the more because the story contradicts the title. A tight, upbeat and thrilling cyberpunk novel in the trail of Blade Runner and Cowboy Bebop, but with clever cynical political twists and turns that keep the reader hooked. Also a feel-good novel if you're an anarchist, which is a huge plus in my book. A very well crafted dangerous object -- as all literature should be.
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March 13, 2023The problem with cyberpunk is you can get halfway through a book and realize you don't care what happens to the protagonist
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews