Customer Reviews

Cybernetica

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I just finished Michael Cavallaro's first novel, Cybernetica. It is a fast-moving, thoroughly engaging novel. The story was enticing and interesting, creating both an "inner" and an "outer" landscape into which the reader is enveloped as the story progresses. In this way, it reminded me of a kind of mixture of a 21st century Blade Runner (an outer landscape with interesting appeals to all the senses) and the Matrix (an inner landscape involving cyber realities and machinations leading to moments of surprise and revelation).

It really was an enjoyable novel, the kind that takes you away for the time you are amongst the pages; and the kind which you find yourself re-visiting as daydreams in the time before re-opening the pages. I would recommend to anyone, not just sci-fi fans. I'm looking forward to his next work.

At the peak of the technological revolution there was a war between governments and large corporations over computer access codes, privatized data, and net security. Breaking down firewalls and stealing from competitors became routine. Corporations and governments world-wide stole from one another, hijacked enemy mainframes, spread viruses, and sabotaged networks. "Netrunners" were hired continuously to either create better cyber defenses or break into newly created cyber defenses. History calls it The Encryption War. Since that time the world has lived through three encryption wars. A fragile treaty is the only thing that stands between peace and a fourth war.

Needless-to-say, the public evolved during it all. Most people in the world now have chips in their heads. It began as a mental performance inhibitor (or at least that is how the government sold it to the public). It is now called Sublimation. A DNI transmitter can subliminally activate the functions of brain operation controlling abstract thought, sending commands into the unconscious mind without the host ever knowing it. The world does not realize that the classic fictional story "1984" by author George Orwell has finally come true.

Galaxy Pictures holds their latest movie premier, starring Annalise DeSoto, at the Omega Theater. The audience plugs their chips into the stems and actually feel as though they are inside the movie. This will later be noted as the first successful cyber attack in history. There is only one survivor, Annalise. The Onyx/Enigma Group owns Galaxy Pictures. They hire a solo named Nisha to protect Annalise. (To put it simply, a solo is an altered person, super human.) But Annalise and Nisha are soon marked for death by their own corporations.

A group of insurgents called "drifters" (immune to sublimation) are launching their long-planned for revolution to destroy their version of Big Brother. The question now is not whether Annalise or Nisha will survive, but will the world.

**** Fans of the Matrix Trilogy films will adore this novel. There is much more going on within the book than I explain in the synopsis above, as well as other major characters. But to even touch upon them would triple the size of this review. The story begins with the cyber attack at the movie premier. But afterward the story slows down a lot. This is necessary to help the reader understand how society functions in this futuristic time line. Once the reader comprehends it all, the pace picks back up. From there on, it is non-stop action. In fact, should this novel ever be made into a film, it would probably rival "The Matrix". Excellent hard core science fiction! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Thirty-five years have passed since the destruction caused by the Encryption Wars devastated much of society. In direct reaction, the computer based subliminal animation, known as sublimation was created to regulate actions. All humans living in Cybernetica were expected to undergo the surgical implant of a chip to control the behavior of the law abiding citizens.

However, there exist those outside the domination of the implants. These are lumped together as criminals and hunted down by the leaders of the corporatism that rule the city. That in turn has led to some banding together of the fringe element. One particular group, the Drifters, plans to tear down sublimation and return civilization to its roots of freedom, but this revolt will be fought mostly in cyberspace, which is owned and controlled by the Cybernetica corporatism. However, no one is prepared for the spark, an assassination attempt of an actress or the results of the hiring from shadows of two con artists to investigate the murder.

CYBERNETICA is an intriguing science fiction cautionary thriller that brings 1984 into the cyber age by depicting a society in which computers do the thinking for people. The story line moves forward on several fronts including the who-done-it, but deftly comes together with a battle to determine the future of mankind; one side wants programmed cattle while the other prefers free will. Orwellian fans and anyone who appreciate a well written exhilarating warning tale about the government-industrial-media complex telling us when to go to the bathroom will want to read this dark futuristic thriller.

Harriet Klausner

"Cybernetica" is a fast paced science fiction novel. The author Michael J. Cavallaro incorporated all of the elements of a good story into one action packed adventure. He incorporates science fiction, suspense, technology, espionage, and of course his character development is excellent. I was able to jump right into the story. His descriptions of the places and events happening are very well written. I could "see"
what he was writing.

The story takes place in the future when the government has managed to sneak its way into our minds through a technological process referred to as "Sublimation." People who are unable to be affected by this technology are said to have "Blindsight." They live on the fringe because the government cannot touch their minds.

I loved how the science fiction technology gets incorporated into the thriller/espionage aspects of the story taking the plot to a higher level. The characters have extra abilities. The corporate and
government corruption are also all taken to a higher level because of the additional capabilities brought about by the technology that is included in the story. I highly recommend this novel to science fiction fans
and to espionage fans who are looking for something "a little more" in their stories.

Five out of Five spaceships

Reviewer: Paige Lovitt for Multiverse Reviews

Cybernetica by writer and editor Michael J. Cavallaro, is an original science fiction novel depicting the possibilities, if not probabilities, of a futuristic concept of technological mind control. Providing the read with an intricate and enthralling plot, Cybernetica tells of the intertwining stories of the assassination of a famous actresses, a couple of con-artist paired together for an important investigation, an "in-book" of modern technology which enables neurotransmissons to communicate with computer interfaces, and the ethical issues of a biologically enhanced bodyguard. Engaging its readers from the very beginning with an ever-intriguing plot, Cybernetica is very highly recommended to all readers with an interest in science-fiction for a remarkably gripping, vivid, and intimate depiction of future people's lives and conspiracies.

This is some hard core science fiction! The details were extremely technical, but obviously well understood by the author because he did a very good job of making it easy and fun to read. I loved the idea of this world that has evolved in the story and was unable to set it aside until I found out how it all ended. Very well done, and for all science fiction fans, a must read!

Michael J. Cavallaro's Cybernetica is a particularly impressive debut novel, a multi-layered work of science fiction that both challenges and entertains the reader. It's a rich and detailed story that draws upon a variety of socioeconomic and political themes, features particularly complex characters (several of whose true natures remain a mystery throughout the bulk of the story), and takes place in a near-future world in which technology threatens to trump individuality permanently. In Cybernetica, the populace is largely controlled via the technological wonder of sublimation, a computer-to-brain connection that controls the thoughts and actions of those plugged into the system. All is not peaceful in this brave new world, however. Over the years, three Encryption Wars have been fought, and a significant number of freedom fighters still work and plan in an area called the Free Side, continually seeking a way to stop the process of sublimation and restore free will to those being controlled by the government. In the middle of things are those with blindsight, men and women immune to the effects of sublimation. In this novel, many things are afoot on a number of levels, all of it leading up to an impending showdown between the free will forces, the government, and the corporation responsible for the sublimation process.

Jake Radigan is a blindsight who lives by his wits until he and his partner are hired to find a certain person on behalf of the National Crime Center. They have no idea what they are getting themselves into by accepting the job, but it doesn't take all that long for them to begin questioning their actions and putting their trust only in themselves. In time, they find themselves working alongside Annalise DeSoto, a famous vid star suddenly targeted for assassination, and her chip-enhanced Zero bodyguard. Jake and Annalise are linked, both having witnessed and survived a brash cyber attack aimed at the company behind sublimation. As the deadly fighting in the encroaching Brawl Zone draws ever closer to the heart of Intercity itself, their journey becomes a struggle to survive and, when the time comes, to fight. The story takes a number of twists and turns, largely because the motives of the three principals in the struggle (the government, the chip corporation, and the drifters on the Free Side) are sometimes quite difficult to judge. The subconscious effects of sublimation make it hard to trust many a character, and all sides in the fight seem to have justifiable reasons for what they are doing.

Like all good science fiction, Cybernetica explores complicated themes drawn from modern-day technologies and future possibilities. The growing connection and interdependence between man and machines conjure up notions of a technological line somewhere in our near future that should not be crossed. In Cybernetica, that line has been unquestionably crossed, creating a society in which technology supersedes the individual. The system certainly has its benefits - a controlled population free of the strife and problems caused by free will - but its problems are even more obvious. He who controls the technology controls the minds of the citizenry. Blindsights have little place in this society, having to live by their wits while enduring a measure of discrimination by those who are plugged in. Then there are the drifters who are working to put an end to sublimation and thus give the gift of free will back to their fellow man - but how far should they go in their anti-technology zeal, and how quickly? How would they keep someone else from exploiting the anti-technology changes they would make? Who should have the power in society? The people? The government? The corporations who built the technology? Michael J. Cavallaro poses these and a number of other probing questions in Cybernetica, even as he fills the pages with increasing suspense and action. In other words, this is cutting-edge science fiction written in the best tradition of the genre.

In a futuristic world, where man's emotions are controlled by a system called 'sublimination', in order to keep them in check, we meet Jake Radigan. On one of his usual cons for survival along with his sidekick, Billy, they discover the perfect victim, Ian Van Curen. Soon enough Jake discovers there's more to Van Curen, a side to him that will have Jake plunged right into the chaotic struggles of domination. Enter into this scenario Annalise DeSoto, a famous and well-liked actress, along with her 'solo' bodyguard, Nisha, and the complex plot thickens.

Cavallaro's dark science fiction suspense thriller takes you for a ride into a futuristic world of power, a world where governments and big conglomerates vie for power, where humans are toys to be manipulated. Perhaps a future not too far off in reality. We now have our rebels who struggle and fight for what they believe in, as we see in Jake Radigan. But the most chilling aspect of Mr. Cavallaro's book is the connection between man and computer. The idealistic thought of a human race controlled by a chip heightens the realistic aspect to his theme. With the speed our computer technology is now racing at, who is to say whether or not this will be one of our futures to look forward to.

Although not a sci-fi reader, more into watching sci-fi movies, Michael's Cybernetica was easily visualized as I read it, almost in frame by frame movie clips. His descriptive details were thorough, offering as much information to place the answers to the five W's further into the book. The comparison to Matrix and Total Recall in the opener was to expound the similarities: a human race fooled into believing they are in control, a chip utilized for the 'better' of the world. Cybernetica is the perfect book to be made into a movie.

A very good read but with a warning: you need to be an avid sci-fi reader in order to appreciate the technological descriptions without getting lost.

Lea Schizas - AllBooks Reviewer

We are living in rapidly changing world, in which the boundaries of nations, peoples, and even basic ethical rules seem to be in flux. Not on this, the pace of change also seems to be quickening. Into this world, many science fiction writers have ventured, some with dire predictions of doom, some with utopian visions of hope.

Michael Cavallaro has elements of all of these in his book, 'Cybernetica'. Set in a future that has seen a major war of a different sort (the Encryption Wars, in which information and information technology was both a cause and a weapon), most people in Cavallaro's story are linked to a major network in brain-to-computer fashion, something that can combine elements of Big-Brother-esque monitoring and mind control. Beyond this, there are independent persons who refuse to be part of the grand networking, striving to maintain independence and privacy, striking out against the megalithic force of Cybernetica.

Cavallaro rolls different characters together in intriguing ways - there are criminals and more saintly persons, and the lines between the two are not always distinct. Cavallaro creates a deliberate blur between the two poles because life itself exists more in the gray zones than the black or white sections.

Some may see Cybernetica as a cipher for American corporate culture, but it is more than this. It does not fit precisely as an attack on Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, for the temptations to power and control for their own purposes reside within each group in uneasily similar ways. The lop-sided economic growth in the world coupled with a disparate level of technological advance sets the preliminary stage for all manner of possible future scenarios - Cavallaro presents one such here.

Those who are science fiction fans should find this a great read. Those who like to explore the future, or find stories that pick up upon and critique current society will also find elements of interest here.

In the realm of sci-fi reading, I really like near-future/cyber style novels. I was contacted by Michael J. Cavallaro, the author of Cybernetica, asking if I would be interested in reviewing his work. Of course I accepted, and it's a pretty good read with a couple of minor cautions.

The basic storyline revolves around an escalating war between a group called "drifters" and the government/corporate areas that control the population via "sublimation". Sublimation involves chip implants that modify behavior and actions via an enormous computer networks. Drifters are unchipped individuals that aren't affected by sublimation, and they want to overthrow the control of society. Control of the network is key to the war effort, and both sides need to maintain/gain that control. It's very easy to see plot and stylistic elements from both The Matrix and Total Recall in the book.

On the positive side, Cavallaro does an excellent job painting a scene. Becoming immersed within the story happens with little effort. There were only a couple things that I would offer to prospective readers. The first item is that the editing of the book is pretty bad. I'm used to seeing one or two misspellings or incorrect word usages in a book of this size. Cybernetica seems to have these errors much more frequently. I'm not sure if this is a self-published effort, but it certainly seems as if that was the case. (Edited 03/12: The author contacted me and said the first print run was rushed. These errors have been corrected in the second printing. Thanks, Michael!) The other suggestion I'd make is to try and read the book without interruptions. I had a number of books going on while reading this one, and I was having problems following the story line at times. If I had read this through in two or three days, I'd have had less problems tracking the story.

But even with those caveats, it's an interesting read for fans of cyber sci-fi...