CYBERDROME [Kindle Edition]

Joseph Rhea (Author), David Rhea (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

A disturbing glimpse into a digital future, not far from now.

Mathew Grey is a brilliant scientist who accidentally unleashed a man-made plague that ravaged America’s heartland, and now threatens the rest of the planet. Riddled with guilt and running out of time, he decides to use a dangerous technology to enter a computer-generated reality called Cyberdrome, hoping to unravel a mystery that could be the key to Earth’s survival.

Alek Grey was an athlete whose career was cut short by a near-fatal accident. Now he is a software hacker with the unique ability to outsmart the best Artificial Intelligence programs of his day. When he is called in after one of his programs inadvertently attacks Cyberdrome, he is shocked to learn that both his father and ex-fiancée have become trapped inside the simulation, unable to be removed without risk of death.

Alek knows of only one way to rescue the people he loves, but will he risk all of humanity to save them?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This novel reminded me of the earliest Foundation books by Isaac Asimov, with Alek's father using technology the way Harry Seldon used psychohistory to predict the course of human development, and the hundred simulated worlds of Cyberdrome replacing the galactic civilization of that SF classic. I highly recommend Cyberdrome." —Dianne K. Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead

From the Publisher

Winner of the 2008 PODBRAM Award for Best Science Fiction of the year!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1288 KB
• Print Length: 292 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: CreateSpace (January 10, 2008)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0012Q6G5Y
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,293 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Believable Science Fiction January 27, 2010

By Michael Gallagher HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This came recommended on one of the discussion boards here at Amazon, so I picked it up to give it a try after liking the free Kindle sample. I was not disappointed - one of the points I really need for science fiction novels is for it to be believable. In other words, if there is going to be some futuristic theme or plot in the novel, rather than taking a leap of faith I need to be able to conceptualize it. The authors didn't disappoint in the case, and combined with nice character development and interaction I was sorry to see this book end.

I did like how the authors left you hanging at the end with unfinished business, which I hope will turn out to be a sequel!

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Scifi! December 17, 2009

By P. J. Salisbury

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Real Scifi!

What a thrill ride! Just finished Cyberdrome. The sample convinced me to buy the full download right away. Top notch, highly original, this should be selling in bucket-fulls.

Cyberdrome is relentlessly fast-paced. It is very imaginative, with multiple environments and scenarios, and a multitude of potential bad guys. Separating out the heroes, anti-heroes and out-and-out bad guys from the rest, while keeping abreast of the twists and turns in this fascinating plot, is a job and a half! The film Tron comes to mind here, with humans trapped inside a giant computer but there the resemblance ends. Instead of low-res graphics, Cyberdrome is the equivalent of fully rendered 3D action, with protagonists pitted not against a guy on a cycle but against a megalomaniac computer program with versatile adversaries at its command.

Being ex-IT myself I liked all the computer references but understanding these was not essential to following the thrust and heady zest of the novel.

Reminds me also of Ghost in the Shell, where variously cyberised humans inhabit a hazardous future world somewhere between program data and reality. However, Cyberdrome has the benefit of humans fully integrated with the computer and non-stop, heart-pumping action along the way. If you like the film `Avatar', you will almost certainly like this.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Plot + Fascinating Technology + Great Artwork = Worth Reading March 18, 2008

By GeorgeWJ

Format:Paperback

The book is even better than I remember.
(A while back, I read the "sample" content that was available online.)

I got my copy just before a business trip. I had 3 planes to fly, but it was a night flight, so I was SUPPOSED to get some sleep. I compromised: I read during leg 1, slept on leg 2, and read/slept on leg 3.

I finished Part One (Earth) just before my final airport.

Then I planned to read just a chapter or two each evening in my hotel.
Well, the next night I read several chapters.
Then, I figured I might as well just finish Part 2.
Then, it sure looked like Part 3 was short enough to include.
Then there was only one part left. (Yes, I finished the entire book that night.)

As I got sucked into the world of Cyberdrome, I just couldn't put the book down. As each chapter ended, there was a sense of concluding, but then it drew me forward to the next one.
I enjoyed the story and enjoyed the ending.
(It was a satisfying ending, yet still left the Rhea's with a very smooth transition to a sequel.)

One of the great things about the writing style is the clues that are given out ahead of time. (I really dislike it when a book suddenly comes up with a solution "out of nowhere" -- it usually makes me think the writers were just too lazy to weave it into the fabric of the story.)

Another aspect that I really appreciated was the great background information that was peppered throughout to help us turn a science fiction story into a "science believable" one. The smooth blending of engaging story-line with just-enough realistic technology allowed me to travel effortlessly with the characters in their world. (If the technical descriptions had been left out, I would have cut off at least one star.)

More About the Author

Joseph Rhea (pronounced "RAY") is an oceanographic scientist and software developer who dabbles in creating artificial life inside computers and writing science fiction novels in his spare time. His first released novel is the award-winning science fiction thriller, Cyberdrome, which was codeveloped and illustrated by his brother, mechanical special effects artist and 3D computer modeler, David Rhea. Joseph's next projects include a futuristic undersea series that will again be illustrated by his brother, a couple of short stories that might be turned into screenplays, and of course, the Cyberdrome sequels. Learn more at www.JosephRhea.com