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Beautiful Red
The future is boring. Technology has solved the world's most pressing problems, leaving people with tedious work and mundane play. Jack is a Security Officer Class 5, which sounds important, but isn't. However, her banal life as a cubicle worker by day and tinkerer by night is interrupted when she discovers that her employer's computer system has been invaded.
Jack enlists the help of her only friends - her co-worker, Gilles and Adrian, an online friend she's never met - to help her track down the source of the invasion. Her investigation leads her to a shadowy group called the Red, where Jack learns that not everyone lives a life of quiet servitude. Even though she believes that the Red are responsible for a series of gruesome attacks, Jack begins to become attracted to their worldview. In her search for the people responsible for the attacks, she confronts the leaders of the group as well as her own burgeoning sense of self-awareness.
Jack enlists the help of her only friends - her co-worker, Gilles and Adrian, an online friend she's never met - to help her track down the source of the invasion. Her investigation leads her to a shadowy group called the Red, where Jack learns that not everyone lives a life of quiet servitude. Even though she believes that the Red are responsible for a series of gruesome attacks, Jack begins to become attracted to their worldview. In her search for the people responsible for the attacks, she confronts the leaders of the group as well as her own burgeoning sense of self-awareness.
172 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2009
10 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
M. Darusha Wehm
36 books67 followersM. Darusha Wehm is a Nebula Award winner and Sir Julius Vogel Award winner, the author of Hamlet, Prince of Robots, the game The Martian Job, and over a dozen other novels. Their short fiction has been published widely and their poetry has been a finalist for the Rhysling Award.
Writing as Darusha Wehm, their mainstream books include the Devi Jones’ Locker YA series and the humorous coming-of-age novel The Home for Wayward Parrots.
Darusha is a member of the Many Worlds writing collective and they are a fifth of the writing team Darkly Lem, the author of The Formation Saga which starts with Transmentation | Transience.
Originally from Canada, Darusha lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand after several years sailing the Pacific.
Writing as Darusha Wehm, their mainstream books include the Devi Jones’ Locker YA series and the humorous coming-of-age novel The Home for Wayward Parrots.
Darusha is a member of the Many Worlds writing collective and they are a fifth of the writing team Darkly Lem, the author of The Formation Saga which starts with Transmentation | Transience.
Originally from Canada, Darusha lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand after several years sailing the Pacific.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 9, 2019
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. The author paints a vivid picture of a future where everyone is connected to The Net via body implants. The main character is a former cracker working computer security in a cubicle. She doesn't like the mundane job, or her employer for that matter, and suddenly stumbles across a mystery that she is drawn into.
I think it would make a good movie like Johnny Mnemonic (if one considers that to be a good movie).
I think it would make a good movie like Johnny Mnemonic (if one considers that to be a good movie).
January 2, 2020
Great SciFi hacking book.
November 19, 2023
I like the way this story turns my expectations on there ear. It starts off, feeling like a classic dystopian novel, then, nope, change of tone. you think there will be romance, there kinda is, but with different angles and expectations.....
Not a world I would want to live in, but I like the way the people in it are trying to make it better. If I had to live there, I would want a bestie like Boxen Jester.
Interesting read from a gifted artist with an unusual style and world view. I like everything I have read from this artist.
Not a world I would want to live in, but I like the way the people in it are trying to make it better. If I had to live there, I would want a bestie like Boxen Jester.
Interesting read from a gifted artist with an unusual style and world view. I like everything I have read from this artist.
May 21, 2011
Review Originally Posted: http://andyparkes.co.uk/blog/index.ph...
This book actually needs to be thought about in two parts.
The idea behind it and the story that goes with it.
So what’s the idea?
Think about how the Internet is entrenched into your daily life. Pretty deep I imagine if you’re anything like me. Technology is slowly integrating with our lives, so much so that we’re no longer surprised by hearing about things like the Internet connected refrigerator! So think about a world where the computer becomes a part of the body. When you’re born you’re implanted and you can access the Internet just by thinking it, you’re eyes doubling up as heads up display. Sure you’d lose just about any privacy you might think you have left but what about the possibilities this could bring? There is another side to this of course. If you’re permanently attached to the Internet when do you disconnect? In the story people do just about everything at home and when they do leave to go to work or travel somewhere they are still reading, gaming, chatting, etc while on the go. Regular social interaction becomes a rarity and skills such as learning to read body language are lost.
It’s these questions that the story is based around and the main character Jack, gets caught up in a what appears to be a terrorist plot when her employers computer system is hacked. In trying to figure out who is behind the attack Jack comes across a group called the Red who are a group of people who believe being permanently attached to the system isn’t a something people should do by default. As Jack continues her search her thoughts about “the system” and how she fits into it are questions she needs to face.
Considering this was a free book it was another I really enjoyed. It was a bit of a slow starter but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down and it’s got a pretty interesting twist at the end. It was a little rough around the edges with spelling and grammar at times but nothing that would get in the way of reading it.
This book actually needs to be thought about in two parts.
The idea behind it and the story that goes with it.
So what’s the idea?
Think about how the Internet is entrenched into your daily life. Pretty deep I imagine if you’re anything like me. Technology is slowly integrating with our lives, so much so that we’re no longer surprised by hearing about things like the Internet connected refrigerator! So think about a world where the computer becomes a part of the body. When you’re born you’re implanted and you can access the Internet just by thinking it, you’re eyes doubling up as heads up display. Sure you’d lose just about any privacy you might think you have left but what about the possibilities this could bring? There is another side to this of course. If you’re permanently attached to the Internet when do you disconnect? In the story people do just about everything at home and when they do leave to go to work or travel somewhere they are still reading, gaming, chatting, etc while on the go. Regular social interaction becomes a rarity and skills such as learning to read body language are lost.
It’s these questions that the story is based around and the main character Jack, gets caught up in a what appears to be a terrorist plot when her employers computer system is hacked. In trying to figure out who is behind the attack Jack comes across a group called the Red who are a group of people who believe being permanently attached to the system isn’t a something people should do by default. As Jack continues her search her thoughts about “the system” and how she fits into it are questions she needs to face.
Considering this was a free book it was another I really enjoyed. It was a bit of a slow starter but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down and it’s got a pretty interesting twist at the end. It was a little rough around the edges with spelling and grammar at times but nothing that would get in the way of reading it.
September 8, 2014
This was my first read from this author. I was intrigued by the storyline, having just finished Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle, a great treatise on the possible futures of man & computers. I was curious to see one author's picture of this kind of future.
Wehm paints a fascinating picture of a society where the internet is everywhere and everyone is connected to it at all times -- a society where most of the world's problems have been eradicated, and where life is ... mundane and dull. People live connected online because everyone and everything is more beautiful and interesting there. But, of course, things are not how they simply appear.....
The storyline is interesting as Jack, our heroine, first discovers small discrepancies in her work as an online security officer. She then starts recognizing pieces of a puzzle: crimes showing an underbelly of malevolence and cruelty that shouldn't and couldn't possibly exist ... but does.
Characters may seem underdeveloped, but that's the whole point. Nobody in this society gets close enough to anyone else to see or know who they truly are. I had a couple of suspicions mid-way through the book, but was still a bit surprised by the ending. Nicely done!
This isn't an outstanding novel nor a can't-put-down page-turner. It is, however, an entertaining story to sit back and enjoy. There are a few typos scattered throughout the book, but nothing that can't be easily determined. Understanding now that this was written in under 30 days as a contest entry, the mistakes are forgivable -- but a revised edition to fix typos would be nice.
Wehm paints a fascinating picture of a society where the internet is everywhere and everyone is connected to it at all times -- a society where most of the world's problems have been eradicated, and where life is ... mundane and dull. People live connected online because everyone and everything is more beautiful and interesting there. But, of course, things are not how they simply appear.....
The storyline is interesting as Jack, our heroine, first discovers small discrepancies in her work as an online security officer. She then starts recognizing pieces of a puzzle: crimes showing an underbelly of malevolence and cruelty that shouldn't and couldn't possibly exist ... but does.
Characters may seem underdeveloped, but that's the whole point. Nobody in this society gets close enough to anyone else to see or know who they truly are. I had a couple of suspicions mid-way through the book, but was still a bit surprised by the ending. Nicely done!
This isn't an outstanding novel nor a can't-put-down page-turner. It is, however, an entertaining story to sit back and enjoy. There are a few typos scattered throughout the book, but nothing that can't be easily determined. Understanding now that this was written in under 30 days as a contest entry, the mistakes are forgivable -- but a revised edition to fix typos would be nice.
November 27, 2010
Read in EPUB, on a Sony PRS-650.
The premise of this book was much better than the story that it propped up. The idea – that the Net has become so all-pervasive that it has transformed every aspect of peoples’ lives, that it inspires resistance, and that, ultimately, it becomes self-aware, is hardly new, but in Beautiful Red, the author has put together an interesting scenario that could have been the backdrop for a great story. And in parts, it is. But towards the end it started to feel as though it was written in a hurry.
The revelation, at the very end, that one of the main characters was actually the Net itself talking to the main character could have fed the plot so much more that I actually felt cheated. It should have been front and centre, rather than kept back, and presented as a “gotcha” on the final page.
There were too many editing and grammatical errors. The text needed another round of proof-reading and editing before being published. Yeah, of course errors get through in any book, but there there just too many mispellings, repeated bits, missing letters.
I read the whole thing, i.e. I made it to the end, but really, I did so in the hope that the story would rise to the occasion, which, in the end, didn’t happen.
The premise of this book was much better than the story that it propped up. The idea – that the Net has become so all-pervasive that it has transformed every aspect of peoples’ lives, that it inspires resistance, and that, ultimately, it becomes self-aware, is hardly new, but in Beautiful Red, the author has put together an interesting scenario that could have been the backdrop for a great story. And in parts, it is. But towards the end it started to feel as though it was written in a hurry.
The revelation, at the very end, that one of the main characters was actually the Net itself talking to the main character could have fed the plot so much more that I actually felt cheated. It should have been front and centre, rather than kept back, and presented as a “gotcha” on the final page.
There were too many editing and grammatical errors. The text needed another round of proof-reading and editing before being published. Yeah, of course errors get through in any book, but there there just too many mispellings, repeated bits, missing letters.
I read the whole thing, i.e. I made it to the end, but really, I did so in the hope that the story would rise to the occasion, which, in the end, didn’t happen.
November 22, 2010
If you like your sci-fi full of cyber-tech, intrigue, moral questions and just that slight touch of nihilism, then you should read Beautiful Red by M. Darusha Wehm. It is a well-written, well-crafted and engaging novel.
It is the story of Jack, who works as a security officer in a world where corporations run the show and most human interaction takes place in a virtual environment. One day she stumbles on some anomalous security breaches which lead her into the path of a radical protest group that may be engaging in sinister and criminal activities.
The author, M. Darusha Wehm, knows how to write credible characters and how to create a realistic, potential society. She shapes a complete civilization where you feel the characters could exist comfortably. As a reader I felt her postulated world could easily come in to existence as a possible future.
I enjoyed Ms. Wehm’s point of view and her plot was both interesting and provocative. Many of the themes woven into the novel’s structure tackle compelling societal questions. I highly recommend this book.
It is the story of Jack, who works as a security officer in a world where corporations run the show and most human interaction takes place in a virtual environment. One day she stumbles on some anomalous security breaches which lead her into the path of a radical protest group that may be engaging in sinister and criminal activities.
The author, M. Darusha Wehm, knows how to write credible characters and how to create a realistic, potential society. She shapes a complete civilization where you feel the characters could exist comfortably. As a reader I felt her postulated world could easily come in to existence as a possible future.
I enjoyed Ms. Wehm’s point of view and her plot was both interesting and provocative. Many of the themes woven into the novel’s structure tackle compelling societal questions. I highly recommend this book.
April 28, 2016
My thought when I got to the end of Beautiful Red: “Um, okay then. Did that just happen?”
The story involves artificial intelligence which has achieved self-awareness and can pass the Turing Test. A lead warrior against what he sees as the humanity-destroying pervasiveness of AI develops a virus program aimed to destroy all technology.
Systems security analyst Jack decides to try to stop the charismatic cyber terrorist by infiltrating his cult of followers. She’s hot on the trail until the tables apparently turn on her...Or do they?
Author M. Darusha Wehm does a good job drawing relatable characters and creating their high-tech dystopian world. However, the novel’s main plot and her delivery of it felt--to this reader anyway--trite yet desperately hoping to seem esoteric.
Lastly, the free ebook edition I read was full of random spelling errors and suffered from poor editing. Alas, thumbs mostly down for Beautiful Red.
The story involves artificial intelligence which has achieved self-awareness and can pass the Turing Test. A lead warrior against what he sees as the humanity-destroying pervasiveness of AI develops a virus program aimed to destroy all technology.
Systems security analyst Jack decides to try to stop the charismatic cyber terrorist by infiltrating his cult of followers. She’s hot on the trail until the tables apparently turn on her...Or do they?
Author M. Darusha Wehm does a good job drawing relatable characters and creating their high-tech dystopian world. However, the novel’s main plot and her delivery of it felt--to this reader anyway--trite yet desperately hoping to seem esoteric.
Lastly, the free ebook edition I read was full of random spelling errors and suffered from poor editing. Alas, thumbs mostly down for Beautiful Red.
December 18, 2012
I really wanted to like Beautiful Red. I downloaded the Podcast to listen in the car. I had just finished Nathan Lowell's Solar Clipper series and enjoyed how fast it made all my trips around town. However, Beautiful Red suffers from poor character development. M. Darush Wehm has the characters discover the differences between our time and this new future world rather than having the characters explain to us about the future. It ruins the character development and is completely distracting. I couldn't get into it. I kept thinking, "but shouldn't Jack know this? I thought she was supposed to be an expert on hacking and security." Clearly M. Darusha Wehm has some good ideas. I'll try to read her next effort but I don't recommend bothering with this one unless she edits and republishes. This is clearly self published and could have used a good editor.
November 12, 2013
A quick read and an enjoyable one.
Taking place in an indeterminate future where our computer terminals are replaced by implants in our bodies that respond to mental commands and connect us at all times to the 'everywherenet'. With this comes a definitive change in our perspective toward our lives and surrounds, perhaps more so just an exaggeration of what we even see today. With such an internal system, you can remain connected even as you walk the streets, with proximity reminders in place to keep you from bumping into the people around you and a map directing you where to turn and where to stop. As such, the populace at large is widely blind to the world around them, trading in for a digital world where you can truly be anyone.
Taking place in an indeterminate future where our computer terminals are replaced by implants in our bodies that respond to mental commands and connect us at all times to the 'everywherenet'. With this comes a definitive change in our perspective toward our lives and surrounds, perhaps more so just an exaggeration of what we even see today. With such an internal system, you can remain connected even as you walk the streets, with proximity reminders in place to keep you from bumping into the people around you and a map directing you where to turn and where to stop. As such, the populace at large is widely blind to the world around them, trading in for a digital world where you can truly be anyone.
April 1, 2012
The premise was interesting and familiar enough for readers who read science fiction and/or the dystopian sub-genre it has spawned. Unfortunately, the story failed to deliver.
The internet has been deeply entrenched into our lives that we no longer feel that there is a need to socialize outside of virtual reality. Jack, the main character, longs to find something amiss. Her investigation leads her to a shadowy group called the Red and from there the plot just became ridiculous.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title Beautiful Red
Author M. Darusha Wehm
Reviewed By Purplycookie
The internet has been deeply entrenched into our lives that we no longer feel that there is a need to socialize outside of virtual reality. Jack, the main character, longs to find something amiss. Her investigation leads her to a shadowy group called the Red and from there the plot just became ridiculous.
More of Purplycookie’s Reviews @: http://www.goodreads.com/purplycookie
Book Details:
Title Beautiful Red
Author M. Darusha Wehm
Reviewed By Purplycookie
August 25, 2012
it took some getting into, but when I did - and it was subversive, creeping up on me until I was hooked - I found it entrancing. The author's ideas were compelling and intriguing and she did the mix of the boredom of the world and the gradual building of suspense really nicely. In the end, I found that I was loving the story, and found the denouement rather chilling. In all, I would describe the book as rather disturbing. I liked it.
April 26, 2017
The premisses were great, I really enjoyed the world M.Darusha created, it was spooky how close to being immersed in a everywherenet 24/7 we are even today, no brain implants are needed! Really makes you think about where are we going with the technologies and how it affects person-to-person interactions. What I did not like was the feeling that I only got half of the book - the building up of the story, the investigation, and then suddenly - it's all over. the end. I wish there was more :)
November 20, 2014
Not great, not bad. Character development is minimal, the plot is a bit loose, but it still all hangs together well enough to have kept me interested. There are not really any new ideas introduced, yet the presentation is somehow personal. As it turns out, the deficiencies actually make sense considering the narrator of the story...
October 8, 2009
A good book with likeable characters and a decent story plot. I felt it was sort of a mixture of the movies Strange Days, Total Recall, and Minority Report. The ending was not what I had expected it to be.
February 2, 2012
Such an excellent world Darusha has created. This first look into her relm explores the dynamics of technology and our possible future.
The twists and turns and little peaks around the corners keeps it exciting.
The twists and turns and little peaks around the corners keeps it exciting.
November 24, 2009
A decent book, But the ending seemed a little lackluster and left me wanting more.
February 17, 2010
Great audio book. I really enjoyed the story and the future that Darusha has outlined in the story. The podcast release was chapter by chapter. With one release every week.
April 6, 2010
It was a good read, and had interesting ideas about both the social and personal implications of technology.
October 6, 2012
Some fun ideas, but he should have run it by an editor...any editor. I enjoyed the read, though.
January 5, 2013
GOOD BOOK! A high tech detective story with a great ending.
March 28, 2017
Gibson-esque, but relatable and unique.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews