Vicarious
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-14 08:31:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rhett C. Bruno
- ISBN：B08V3VF1VX
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jenny
，
This is almost two stories， although they mix together to a certain extent later on。 Both of the stories were really fascinating - the story of Asher has an element of The Machine Stops by E M Forster， and the world of Mission has similarities to books and films I have seen。 However， putting them together was fairly genius， and this produced a pretty brilliant and captivating book。 Please don't be misled by what I have just put， this author is in no way copying other books， they just reminded me This is almost two stories， although they mix together to a certain extent later on。 Both of the stories were really fascinating - the story of Asher has an element of The Machine Stops by E M Forster， and the world of Mission has similarities to books and films I have seen。 However， putting them together was fairly genius， and this produced a pretty brilliant and captivating book。 Please don't be misled by what I have just put， this author is in no way copying other books， they just reminded me of others I have particularly enjoyed！I have read this book several times， and found new bits to absorb me each time。 I liked the way that Asher seemed to fall from his high tower， and yet found a new purpose in his life。 Mission is a character that I imagine everyone will love， and I thought it very clever how the author explored what happened to her when she arrived in Asher's world。A gripping book indeed， hard to put down， and one which had me spellbound until the end！ 。。。more
Brian's Book Blog
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ExcellentThis isn't the first glowing review of a Rhett C。 Bruno book that I've written， he has a way of captivating me in every story he tells。 Vicarious was no different。 From the first few minutes of it I was intrigued。 I needed to know more and know who these characters where and what made them tick。The description calls it The Truman Show meets Ready Player One， and I definitely see that， but I would throw in a bit of The Island as well。 A lot of the pretense around their lives reminded me ExcellentThis isn't the first glowing review of a Rhett C。 Bruno book that I've written， he has a way of captivating me in every story he tells。 Vicarious was no different。 From the first few minutes of it I was intrigued。 I needed to know more and know who these characters where and what made them tick。The description calls it The Truman Show meets Ready Player One， and I definitely see that， but I would throw in a bit of The Island as well。 A lot of the pretense around their lives reminded me a lot of what the characters in The Island were going through。 Especially because the characters in Vicarious were meant to be almost perfect human specimens because of the specific breeding and procreation they were doing。One of the hardest things to do about a book that has twists and turns like this one does is write a review and talk about it。 I can't really mention anything about the book because it will likely give away a twist or a turn that someone didn't see coming。 I think The Truman show is definitely the "best" comparison， but in the future and in a really unique setting。Normally， I can take or leave a Wil Wheaton narration。 I've never hated them， but I haven't loved them either。 I loved him in this。 I thought he was perfect for Asher even to the point where I could sort of see Wil playing him in a movie/tv version of this。 And the same goes for Katherine McNamara， I thought she absolutely nailed becoming Mission。 There were a few times where I had to remind myself that this was a book and not a retelling of their life story。 The narration was that good。Overall， I really really enjoyed Vicarious。 I think that Bruno knocked this one out of the park and this might be his most ambitious book along with being the best one I've read so far。 。。。more
Ron
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Asher is born into a world of complete luxury where everything he desires is at his finger tips。High Earth is what's left of humanity perched on the only un-flooded portion of Earth。 Where residents spend there time watching shows or loading into VR。 But not all is as it seems。As Asher begins to discover more about his world everything turns on it's head。 A great story with surprises and shocks aplenty。 Asher is born into a world of complete luxury where everything he desires is at his finger tips。High Earth is what's left of humanity perched on the only un-flooded portion of Earth。 Where residents spend there time watching shows or loading into VR。 But not all is as it seems。As Asher begins to discover more about his world everything turns on it's head。 A great story with surprises and shocks aplenty。 。。。more
Caroline
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ARC provided by NetGalley。I usually don't read sci-fi books but this one seemed very interesting。 Unfortunately， I wasn't 100% into the story and at the begging it was hard for me to focus and put the pieces of the story all together。 However， the plot and the concept is really good！ If you love sci-fi and distopia this one is definitely for you ！！ ARC provided by NetGalley。I usually don't read sci-fi books but this one seemed very interesting。 Unfortunately， I wasn't 100% into the story and at the begging it was hard for me to focus and put the pieces of the story all together。 However， the plot and the concept is really good！ If you love sci-fi and distopia this one is definitely for you ！！ 。。。more
Deanna Williams
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Firstly， I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC！ The Truman Show meets Ready Player One in this futuristic sci-fi novel。 Asher Reinhart， chief director of cameras on the most favored show， Ignis: Live！， lives for and loves his job， but how far is he willing to go to save the show's main character and reality star， Mission-14103？I never read the synopsis before starting a book， so this entire premise intrigued me from the beginning。 It immediately reminded me of The Truman Show， which I Firstly， I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC！ The Truman Show meets Ready Player One in this futuristic sci-fi novel。 Asher Reinhart， chief director of cameras on the most favored show， Ignis: Live！， lives for and loves his job， but how far is he willing to go to save the show's main character and reality star， Mission-14103？I never read the synopsis before starting a book， so this entire premise intrigued me from the beginning。 It immediately reminded me of The Truman Show， which I've loved for a while。 I found plenty of points to put the book down， which wasn't inherently a bad thing。 It made reading the next day easy。 Shifting between Asher and Mission's POV was also very obvious and easy to follow， which I loved！ Asher's character development and thought processes were amazing to follow and I enjoyed his story a lot。The only reason this wasn't a five star read for me was because of the ending。 I personally wasn't a fan of the way things happened， but it wasn't necessarily bad either！ I would have preferred it to have happened a little cleaner， with more ends tied up， but it wasn't open ended。 I teared up in one spot， which usually signals to me a great read。 I appreciated this book & the wonders it did for my reading slump， and I am eager to purchase it for my collection upon release day！ 。。。more
Kearstyn
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I received a free copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Vicarious combines all the best aspects of a tech-dystopia and space opera into something new， fresh， and unique。 I was captivated by Bruno's take on the evolution of society on both High Earth and Ignis and would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi。 I received a free copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Vicarious combines all the best aspects of a tech-dystopia and space opera into something new， fresh， and unique。 I was captivated by Bruno's take on the evolution of society on both High Earth and Ignis and would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi。 。。。more
Loring
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Asher wakes up in High Earth， an apparent utopia built on the remains of a derelict Earth。 But as you read on， you notice cracks in the utopia - residents have wrist bands that deliver meds to flatten out anxiety or other extreme emotions， preventing authentic experiences。 This is a world of VR and streaming shows。 "I had very little concept of how it felt to lie still for five minutes， or even an hour， with no content to watch or VRs to engage in，" Asher later says。 Asher never leaves his apart Asher wakes up in High Earth， an apparent utopia built on the remains of a derelict Earth。 But as you read on， you notice cracks in the utopia - residents have wrist bands that deliver meds to flatten out anxiety or other extreme emotions， preventing authentic experiences。 This is a world of VR and streaming shows。 "I had very little concept of how it felt to lie still for five minutes， or even an hour， with no content to watch or VRs to engage in，" Asher later says。 Asher never leaves his apartment because VR gives him everything he needs in his apartment。 With all needs provided for， data is the coin of the realm。 There are no network gatekeepers but instead the show budgets come from data donations from fans。。 This is a cool idea that reminds me of relegation and promotion between soccer leagues in Europe compared to the monopoly that major league baseball has in the US。 In Europe， anyone can start a soccer team and it needs to play well to move up to better and better leagues while in the US there are a set number of teams。in one league。The marketing blurb for this book references The Truman Show， a movie about a TV reality show where the star doesn't know they are in a reality show， but everyone around him does。 The show Asher is obsessed with and works on， Ignis: Live， is about thousands of people who think they are on a colony ship but are really just orbiting the Earth。 While The Truman Show messed with the mind of one person but never put him in physical jeopardy。 Ignis: Live is a much more dystopian version that lets draconian punishments be meted out and creates situations that puts scores of people at risk to get ratings。。The book starts slowly in a disappointing way。。 There is an overly long description of Asher waking up which seems repetitive without grabbing my interest。 It reminds me of the "another author" test， which I won't think about in a well written and edited book， but this makes me wonder how much better this introduction would be if written by John Scalzi or William Gibson but also - would this idea be good enough to be written by one of those authors？ Usually， if a book is engaging enough， you aren't thinking about how much better it would be written by someone else。。There is a lot of good stuff here， but the book is over 400 pages and should have been cut drastically。 I usually plow through books quickly， but this book took me weeks to read。 There were a few speed bumps that slowed my reading of this book， but finally at half way through it started getting interesting。 At that point you realize the author isn't afraid of drastically mixing up where the characters are in an interesting way。 I just wish we had gotten to that point quicker。I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ira Smith
，
Disclosure: I received an ARC of Vicarious in exchange for an honest review。I really enjoyed reading Vicarious。 It was well written， well plotted and fast paced。 The book touches on living in a VR world after humanity nearly destroys itself， class divisions， and a continuous reality show reminiscent of The Truman Show， except that it takes place on a starship orbiting Earth。 Highly recommended。
Rebecca Veight
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In the future on what remains of Earth， now called High Earth， where data is currency and entertainment is everything， Asher is a content director of Ignis: Live。 It is a reality show where people on an interstellar ark are supposed to be the last of humanity。 Mission who was born there in secret has now turned of age to receive her Birthmother assignment， not knowing she is on a show。When Mission is put in danger， Asher has to decide if he should help the girl he's been watching all his life or In the future on what remains of Earth， now called High Earth， where data is currency and entertainment is everything， Asher is a content director of Ignis: Live。 It is a reality show where people on an interstellar ark are supposed to be the last of humanity。 Mission who was born there in secret has now turned of age to receive her Birthmother assignment， not knowing she is on a show。When Mission is put in danger， Asher has to decide if he should help the girl he's been watching all his life or jeopardize the show that has been his life。This is such a cool premise。 The intrigue is naturally potent due to the Truman show aspect of Mission's reality and the mystery of who knows what。 A melancholy of loneliness threads through the narrative and a strictness permeates the atmosphere of both worlds。The worldbuilding is a feat in itself， with every little detail thought out and so creative， making it so believable。 Also that the author has practically created 2 worlds， one of the futuristic High Earth and one of the Ignis。 The contrast adds to the emotional depth。 The anticipated clash between the 2 worlds and the hope of the protagonists actually meeting adds to the excitement。It's ironic that the less advanced Ignis does not have the great divide between the haves and have nots the technological wonder of High Earth does。 Makes us think of the direction in which humanity seems to be heading and what we should do about it。Both protagonists have the feeling of not really belonging。 Everyone needs human connection in whatever form， even an introvert like Asher。 Everyone can and needs to love。A little too slow at certain points in the first half of the book， in my opinion the superior second half was tighter。 There was so much info to absorb that it did get overwhelming at parts， but it was always interesting。The story presents moral ambiguities concerning the use of technology。 It also poses the question of how far should entertainment be able to go to be successful。 A testament to the power of love and human resilience。 A query into what is real when it comes to life， when it comes to feelings。Suspenseful and full of jaw-dropping surprises and revelations， you will never predict what happens at the author gifts us with an engrossing turn of events。 Everything is turned on its head。 leading to an unbelievable finale。 Sequel anyone？ 。。。more
Cmadler
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Although the blurb might have you thinking about reality TV and The Truman Show， early on this book put me in mind of one of the underrated classics of science-fiction: Non-Stop （published in the US as Starship） by Brian W。 Aldiss。 As Vicarious developed， however， it unfolded into a much more complex and dare I say more interesting story than the one Aldiss told 62 years ago。 It also reminded me somewhat of Wool -- which is a doubly-appropriate comparison given the notability at the time of Hugh Although the blurb might have you thinking about reality TV and The Truman Show， early on this book put me in mind of one of the underrated classics of science-fiction: Non-Stop （published in the US as Starship） by Brian W。 Aldiss。 As Vicarious developed， however， it unfolded into a much more complex and dare I say more interesting story than the one Aldiss told 62 years ago。 It also reminded me somewhat of Wool -- which is a doubly-appropriate comparison given the notability at the time of Hugh Howey self-publishing it （Vicarious is published by Aethon Books， of which Bruno is a co-owner） -- and although it's not as tightly written as the original "Wool" short story， Vicarious certainly does not suffer by the comparison。 The last comparison I'll make is to Ready Player One， and here I'll say that where Ernest Cline went primarily for a retro kitsch appeal to Gen-Xers who look back fondly on the pop culture of the 1980s， Bruno has gone full steam ahead in envisioning a new world set hundreds of years in the future。 Again in this comparison， Vicarious comes out on top。I don't give 5-star reviews often or easily， but from beginning to end this book did not let up and it did not disappoint。 I had in mind that I would say that Vicarious is Rhett Bruno writing at the top of his game， but he could have something better still in store for us next， so instead I'll close by saying this is a damn good work of science fiction that I would not hesitate to put up against any of the science fiction "grand masters"。I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review。 Feel free to peruse my other such reviews if you have any doubt as to the authenticity of this one！ 。。。more
Kay Smillie
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I loved this！ Such a clever story， full of feeling， awe， hatred， empathy， pain， you name it， and wonderfully painted descriptions。THIS IS REALITY TV。 Everything is so believable that it could happen right now。。。 This is advertised as "The 100" meets "The Truman Show"。 I disliked "The 100" immensely， and it's not much like "Truman" either。 This is far better than both of these。The 10，000 people on the ship Ignis believe that they are the last of humanity and are travelling to a new， safer， home。 I loved this！ Such a clever story， full of feeling， awe， hatred， empathy， pain， you name it， and wonderfully painted descriptions。THIS IS REALITY TV。 Everything is so believable that it could happen right now。。。 This is advertised as "The 100" meets "The Truman Show"。 I disliked "The 100" immensely， and it's not much like "Truman" either。 This is far better than both of these。The 10，000 people on the ship Ignis believe that they are the last of humanity and are travelling to a new， safer， home。 Their rules are hard and fast， and death awaits those who choose to defy them。 Life on board has been balanced to a number for generations。 Ignis is an Ark going nowhere。 "Ignis: Live" is one of the most popular reality shows， watched by everyone on High Earth （the only safe area， where life is perfect and easy， and our main character is a volunteer in his job） and The Outskirts （outwith High Earth， where the filthy poor and rule breakers live。 The majority are virtual reality addicts and will sell their soul to get a fix）。I loved getting to know the characters， their personalities （or lack of）， and the distinctly different locations。 It's a powerful story on a parallel with the modern-day obsession of constant reality TV entertainment。 I thoroughly enjoyed this work and will read more by Mr Bruno in the future。 Just one thing more to say。 I think this would make a fantastic series。I chose to voluntarily read a complimentary copy of this work via NetGalley， which I then honestly reviewed。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Monique
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This novel is set in a dystopian future where the polar icecaps have melted with only a small inhabitable landmass。 On this land is a city called High Earth。 Asher Reinhart lives in a perfect， safe city where he works on a TV show called Ignis: Live which follows a real 10 000 person crew that believes they are traveling to a new star to continue humanity。 Asher eventually realizes his life isn’t as perfect as he initially thought as tries to change it。 My favorite part of the novel was the sett This novel is set in a dystopian future where the polar icecaps have melted with only a small inhabitable landmass。 On this land is a city called High Earth。 Asher Reinhart lives in a perfect， safe city where he works on a TV show called Ignis: Live which follows a real 10 000 person crew that believes they are traveling to a new star to continue humanity。 Asher eventually realizes his life isn’t as perfect as he initially thought as tries to change it。 My favorite part of the novel was the settings。 There are three primary locations that are varied， unique and I could easily get lost in them。 Ignis （the ship） was harsh with strict rules that could often lead to death， however there was genuine hope there too。 High Earth was cold， sterile yet safe。 The Outskirts （inhabitations outside the High Earth） were dirty， poor and addicted to finding ways to experience VR at any cost （commentary on our media addicted lifestyles today？）。 They all hit me in different ways as Ignis was dangerous but people actually had hope in the future。 The Outskirts reminded me of people who are glued to social media or TV shows。 And High Earth residents weren’t really living and instead were just functioning as they didn’t have anything to achieve or fight for （no goals）。 The characters were good but this wasn’t the strongest element in the novel。 Asher was well written but I found his motivation a little underwhelming。 Mission was the stronger character as she was better written with more complex personality。 The conclusion was great， especially when Craig Helix l realizes what is happening and how that will affect him。 I loved seeing his empire fall。 Overall a great dystopian novel by one of my favorite authors。 A must read for fans。 Thank you to NetGalley and Aethon Books for the ARC。 。。。more
Fasya
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Big Brother and Ready Player One blend into one。 I really like the world-building in this book。 The author explains it in a very detailed way。 It really helps to understand the whole set but it somehow makes me bored because of all of the info-dumping in the 1/3 of the book。 I don't know maybe I don't read many sci-fi books。 But it definitely gets better when the conflict is finally there。 I have so much trouble with the idea of Ignis:Live， a reality show that kept people under a ship （or in thi Big Brother and Ready Player One blend into one。 I really like the world-building in this book。 The author explains it in a very detailed way。 It really helps to understand the whole set but it somehow makes me bored because of all of the info-dumping in the 1/3 of the book。 I don't know maybe I don't read many sci-fi books。 But it definitely gets better when the conflict is finally there。 I have so much trouble with the idea of Ignis:Live， a reality show that kept people under a ship （or in this case asteroid） without them knowing that they're being watched and there are cameras in every single place， recording in every single angle， even the most private places， and their intimate moments。 But that's the whole point of this book。 The male main character， Asher finally realized that there is something wrong with the whole situation。 Human beings "treated" like animals in a zoo。 It still bugged me though with the way Asher fall in love with Mission， one of the inhabitants of Ignis。 For me， it's more like an obsession rather than love。 Even though he did a heroic thing for her in the end。The whole premise is so good， and I could picture it as a tv series。 ❗Thank you to the publisher for giving me the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review❗ 。。。more
Chris
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A Character-Driven Sci-Fi Adventure in the Tradition of SnowpiercerRhett C。 Bruno’s Vicarious is a deep dive into a virtual sci-fi world of haves and have-nots。 With the elites living a luxurious life of illusion aboard the Interstellar Ark， the less lucky of the species live below—if you can call their existence “living。” Bruno’s novel grapples with topics like privilege versus poverty， with the Ark acting like a futuristic Titanic where the rich thrive on the backs of the suffering poor “below A Character-Driven Sci-Fi Adventure in the Tradition of SnowpiercerRhett C。 Bruno’s Vicarious is a deep dive into a virtual sci-fi world of haves and have-nots。 With the elites living a luxurious life of illusion aboard the Interstellar Ark， the less lucky of the species live below—if you can call their existence “living。” Bruno’s novel grapples with topics like privilege versus poverty， with the Ark acting like a futuristic Titanic where the rich thrive on the backs of the suffering poor “below decks。” Asher Reinhart is， at first， a Kool-Aid drinking member of the upper crust， but his affection for Mission—whose only sin is growing up—opens his eyes what life aboard the Ark really means in human terms。 Think how the rich got the lifeboats off the Titanic while the steerage passengers drowned， and you’ll get the gist of the novel’s atmosphere。 Beautifully written and crafted with characters first， Bruno’s novel asks hard questions often central to the best science fiction: how much of our humanity must we sacrifice to survive？ And once we come out the other side， was the cost worth the results？ 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
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I really enjoyed the author’s Titan series， but this is the second book in a row that I found disappointing （the other is The Roach）。 It could be that the subject matter and the way it is presented is meant for a younger generation。 I found the concept of the book interesting， but the writing style did not resonate with me。 Other reviewers have presented a mixed bag on this book。 I an still deciding if I will attempt to ready anymore by this author。I received a free Kindle copy of this book cour I really enjoyed the author’s Titan series， but this is the second book in a row that I found disappointing （the other is The Roach）。 It could be that the subject matter and the way it is presented is meant for a younger generation。 I found the concept of the book interesting， but the writing style did not resonate with me。 Other reviewers have presented a mixed bag on this book。 I an still deciding if I will attempt to ready anymore by this author。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog。 I also posted it to my Facebook page。 。。。more
Helena#bookdreamer
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Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I love futuristic， post apocalyptic novels so I was especially intrigued by the summary of this novel。 Unfortunately， it did not meet my expectations。 We are thrown into a new age world with virtual computerized companions， confused and unreliable characters and a story that is so ingrossed in its world building that it neglects character building。 I could not connect with the plot or characters。 A disappointment。
Kristy Alley
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DNF。 I liked the concept but couldn't connect to the way the narrative is framed。 DNF。 I liked the concept but couldn't connect to the way the narrative is framed。 。。。more
Tracy
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The plot of Vicarious is one that I find very interesting， reminiscent or Ready Player One & Two， basically living in a simulated computer world。 I did find this one a slower read at times， it took me some time to really get into the story。 The virtual reality side I liked a lot， where I had more difficulty was the reality TV part。 Which follows along with my likes and dislikes anyway。 So while not my favorite this was also a story that I didn’t completely dislike either。
Ziggy Nixon
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Rhett C。 Bruno is an author who is without doubt at the top of his game， continually putting out work that simply stuns and thrills in so many ways and is as varied as you can imagine。 "Vicarious"** is no exception as we are treated to an amazing tale where we are constantly on the razor's edge between utopian and dystopian realities in a future Earth existing "only" at the highest points where mankind has managed to avoid catastrophic， global sea level rise。 And yet throughout， we must question Rhett C。 Bruno is an author who is without doubt at the top of his game， continually putting out work that simply stuns and thrills in so many ways and is as varied as you can imagine。 "Vicarious"** is no exception as we are treated to an amazing tale where we are constantly on the razor's edge between utopian and dystopian realities in a future Earth existing "only" at the highest points where mankind has managed to avoid catastrophic， global sea level rise。 And yet throughout， we must question exactly what constitutes reality through so many layers of misdirection， deception and even outright cruel and even deadly lies。"Vicarious" is a decidedly deliberate read where I found myself making slower - no， that's not right - more CAREFUL progress than any other book of any genre in quite some time。 It certainly wasn't for lack of thrills or interest in the eclectic cast or shocking reveals。 Instead I realized it was because I was constantly scanning for clues as to what was truly there。 We're never quite sure what we're seeing is what's really， well， real。 And every single part of this book can be taken as a clue as to what is truly happening or going to happen next。 But whereas this book may not have the visceral anger and accelerated sense of violence - or even the all-too-present smell of raw sewage and blood pouring from it as it frantically did in "The Roach"， it is no less of an emotional journey。 And I'll tell you this upfront as well: it is not an uplifting book per se - and truth be told I found myself in tears at the ending - but the feelings we have for these players are no less powerful and no less sympathetic。 What would any of us do when faced with these decisions or actions？ Would we even want to open our eyes or be satisfied to continue to live a seemingly sterilized existence merely in the name of existing？ Can any of us deny that part of our daily lives can be construed as already being on this path of instant gratification without true fulfillment or even any concern whatsoever for anything vaguely resembling truth？ I'll conclude here because I would not want to reveal any parts of the book to future readers。 I will add this - somewhere I read that the book could be compared to "Ready Player One" （not even close and I'll only acknowledge the mildly entertaining book in this regard） or even "The Truman Show" （meh， not really， but if it helps to imagine that multiplied by a million then sure， go for it）。 Obviously I don't agree with this synopsis but if that helps you move ahead， then fine。 Personally I think it was as unique as the very naming of Mission and all the others that we meet including Helix， Asher and so many more。 Oh to be witness to whatever the future holds for our "star" and all the others。 I'd watch that any day。**[I received an ARC of this book in exchange for honest reviews incl。 goodreads and Amazon France once the book is released there （they only accept reviews for foreign language books once these are released and proven to have been purchased）] 。。。more
Karl Hakimian
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It took a while for me to figure out what to think about this one。 There were so many characters that I didn't like and they were doing or had done things that were down right evil。 Even the characters that were likable were behaving in ways that left me a bit cold。 Even so， the story was compelling enough to keep reading。While I didn't really see any way the story could resolve into a satisfying ending， I was proved wrong and Rhett managed to bring the entire thing to a very satisfying ending。 It took a while for me to figure out what to think about this one。 There were so many characters that I didn't like and they were doing or had done things that were down right evil。 Even the characters that were likable were behaving in ways that left me a bit cold。 Even so， the story was compelling enough to keep reading。While I didn't really see any way the story could resolve into a satisfying ending， I was proved wrong and Rhett managed to bring the entire thing to a very satisfying ending。 。。。more
Kavita Favelle
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Could not put this book down！ A fascinating premise that feels very believable given today's obsession with reality TV and being plugged in。 Such a good plot and the characters are really varied and interesting。 Great read！ Could not put this book down！ A fascinating premise that feels very believable given today's obsession with reality TV and being plugged in。 Such a good plot and the characters are really varied and interesting。 Great read！ 。。。more
Lee Inks
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I loved this book。 The story was so original。 The concept of this is genius。 The characters were interesting and I loved them all！ I recommend this book the first chance you get a copy or see it released！
CosyReads
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Unfortunately this book wasn't for me as I struggled to stay engaged with the protagonist's POV （although I quite enjoyed the POV from the ship）。 I love the big brother style technology and setting but the story didn't take the direction I was personally hoping for。 DNF 50%*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review。 Unfortunately this book wasn't for me as I struggled to stay engaged with the protagonist's POV （although I quite enjoyed the POV from the ship）。 I love the big brother style technology and setting but the story didn't take the direction I was personally hoping for。 DNF 50%*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dave Milbrandt
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I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest evaluation of its merits。 With the obsessive focus on virtual reality and "reality" television， this story is a perfect tale for our times。 The multiple POV usage was not distracting and a nice way to tell story and the ending begs for a sequel。 Please don't leave us hanging， Mr。 Bruno。 Please。。。 I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest evaluation of its merits。 With the obsessive focus on virtual reality and "reality" television， this story is a perfect tale for our times。 The multiple POV usage was not distracting and a nice way to tell story and the ending begs for a sequel。 Please don't leave us hanging， Mr。 Bruno。 Please。。。 。。。more
Scott
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Great Scifi Thrills at its bestRhett has always done well with the main characters of his stories and this is no different， especially for a single book。 The story is simliar to the 100 as it showcases the thin line that a colony of survivors live with strict rules on population and freedoms。 Unfortunately it is a Truman show esqe betrayal of their struggles as every moment is recorded and manufactured to give better ratings to a VR addicted culture on Earth who love the manipulation of this pop Great Scifi Thrills at its bestRhett has always done well with the main characters of his stories and this is no different， especially for a single book。 The story is simliar to the 100 as it showcases the thin line that a colony of survivors live with strict rules on population and freedoms。 Unfortunately it is a Truman show esqe betrayal of their struggles as every moment is recorded and manufactured to give better ratings to a VR addicted culture on Earth who love the manipulation of this population who are unaware they are in a carved out asteroid made into a Ark。 Only getting by narrowingly on its way to populate another world creating plenty of tensions and thrills as we live their journey with only the Show director to stand up for them， especially one particular illegally conceived child who is their rising star that he is engrossed with。An excellent journey from both these two main characters and worryingly something we can only imagine in a elite jaded world who care nothing for their fellow humanity and what it may cost these unwillingly actors。 。。。more
Donna Sanders
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I was among the few to receive a review copy from the author。 Planet Earth has been decimated by humanities greed。 The survivors band together to save what's left of humanity by constructing an Ark to ferry a small group to a new planet。 Unknown to them， they never leave Earths orbit but end up being a source of entertainment for the residents of High Earth。 An interesting read from a wonderful author。 A futuristic， sci fi， dystopian， post apocalyptic novel。 I was among the few to receive a review copy from the author。 Planet Earth has been decimated by humanities greed。 The survivors band together to save what's left of humanity by constructing an Ark to ferry a small group to a new planet。 Unknown to them， they never leave Earths orbit but end up being a source of entertainment for the residents of High Earth。 An interesting read from a wonderful author。 A futuristic， sci fi， dystopian， post apocalyptic novel。 。。。more
Curtis Johnson
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I Enjoyed Vicarious An Interesting spin on a futuristic post apocalyptic society where everything on an ark ship is controlled by the society of cloned survivors on earth who use the lives of the ark ship people as part of their cyber/video entertainment network over generations AN INTERESTING READ
Michael Spano
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