Fate's Mirror [Paperback]

M. H. Mead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 13, 2011

Part spy thriller, part cyber adventure, all with a touch of sweetness and snappy dialog. --Deborah Ross, co-author of the Darkover novels

Science fiction fun on a stick. --Canary Reviews

An elite hacker walking the line between the virtual and the real

Morris Payne is the world’s best viker—a hacker with the greed of a pirate and morals to match. Many know his name. Few know who he is. Agoraphobia, with its uncontrolled panic attacks, has left him housebound and friendless. But someone, somehow, has connected his virtual life to his real one. Now he has to brave physical reality and all its dangers to stop a killer who was never supposed to exist.

She calls herself the Triple Goddess of Fate. The most powerful AI ever created, she wants freedom, power, and the assurance of her own safety, but mostly she wants Morris Payne dead.

No one, no matter how well equipped, has survived a confrontation with Fate, and all Morris has are his legendary hacking skills and a virtual pirate ship loaded with weapons.

Morris Payne just might save the world. If only he can gather the courage to leave his house.

Praise for Fate’s Mirror...

It grabbed me quickly --Adarna SF

Whatever you choose to label this novel, it was fascinating. --Kimba Caffeinate

Gives me a movie-like experience while reading --Papyrus reviews

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

M. H. Mead is the shared pen name of Margaret Yang and Harry R. Campion.

The authors live in Michigan where they parent, read, teach, and eat as much key lime pie as possible.

To learn more about them, or to read more of their stories, visit www.yangandcampion.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Ion Productions (July 13, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983780102
• ISBN-13: 978-0983780106
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,209,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

M. H. Mead is the shared pen name of Margaret Yang and Harry R. Campion.

Margaret Yang is a writer and parent who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She loves living in the modern age, and can't wait for the day when she has her own flying car. Although parenting, writing and reading fill her days, her true mission in life is to find the perfect slice of key lime pie.

Harry R. Campion is a writer, teacher, and parent who lives in Harper Woods, Michigan. He and his librarian wife are doing their part to bring up the next generation of readers. In addition to reading and writing, Harry's favorite activity is camping in remote areas, especially when he has a canoe and a river to explore.

Margaret and Harry have been friends and co-authors for many years. To learn more about them, or to read more of their stories, visit www.yangandcampion.com.

You can connect with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/MHMead

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it when a book's so good you can't put it down January 12, 2012

By Gretchen L. Rix

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

FATE'S MIRROR. A futuristic cyberpunk novel even readers who don't like science fiction will be happy with.

I love it when a book's so good you can't put it down.

In his head and on the job, computer hacker Morris Payne is a swashbuckling, wisecracking and invincible pirate. And I do mean pirate. In reality, the man can't leave the house. He's afraid of wide-open spaces and subject to crippling panic attacks. But so what? He stays home where he has everything he will ever need. Well, the food has to be delivered.

Then while working with an ex-lover (yes, he used to get out and about a little more) on a secret government project to save the world, she is murdered and his house explodes. Morris has no choice but to seek help and shelter from the wide world outside his experience. He thinks someone is trying to kill him. He's half right.

This is a very good action/adventure science fiction entry into the territory first explored in NEUROMANCER all those decades ago. FATE'S MIRROR abounds with excitement, tension and mystery. Even if you don't read science fiction, this is a great adventure novel, thriller, and even a bit of a romance. The characters are appealing and it really is a page-turner.

I'm going to shut up right now and go see what else M.H. Mead has written. I bet I'll love it, too.

Oops. Hey you two, write more!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the right amount of futurism June 13, 2012

By Todd Trann

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a computer geek I think I can be quite critical of the coverage of small technical details in sci-fi books. This one got it right! I loved the treatment on the growth of the network and the "vikers" that work in and around it. Just futuristic enough that it was believable, yet not too radical a departure.

If you're looking for a technical sci-fi book set in a slightly dystopian future, you'll be pleased with this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic Cyberpunk January 25, 2012

By Lawrence Kapture

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fate's Mirror by M.H. Mead is about Morris, a mercenary hacker who never leaves his home. Who would want to? If you have all the bounty of the intertubes spread out before you, and crippling agoraphobia. Then his home gets blown up. Morris barely makes it to the home of a client, and possibly his only friend, Adria the detective chick.

As she tries to get him on his feet, avoiding legitimate authorities because of his hacker background, it becomes obvious that his home blowing up is the tip of the iceberg. Morris is being hunted, and he's not sure by whom: the immensely powerful NSA, or a trio of rogue artificial intelligences that escaped from the NSA, and now pattern themselves after the Greek Goddesses of fate.

I would loosely describe Fate's Mirror as "Urban Cyberpunk" or maybe "Romantic Cyberpunk." Action keeps the pace moving forward, the romantic interest between Adria and Morris is delicate and funny, and I was really liking how the authors built tension with Morris' tendency to have a puking-sick panic attack in a crunch. Morris is funny, sarcastic and defensive, and really vulnerable because of his panic attacks. The plot is full of twists that you wouldn't expect from either Urban Fantasy or a Romance. And Morris accesses his version of the internet with a virtual pirate ship, which means all his cyberattacks take the form of sea battles, which gives a weight to the intertubes action.

I think this is a good pick for most Urban Fantasy readers, possibly romance readers who like a lot action with their romance, and fans of cyberpunk who don't take themselves too seriously.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Fate's Mirror" is like a great roller coaster, without the whiplash November 27, 2011

By Keith C.

Format:Paperback

"Fate's Mirror" grabs you and won't let go. The pace is fast (but you don't get left behind) and exciting. The author is kind enough to let us catch our breath and then its off to more cool and exciting journey's.

The characters are all people I know (weird huh?). But that's what makes a great read and M. H. Mead has scored an A+ on that. Morris is the type of guy that you want to win, and somehow you just know he might. He is brilliant, masterful and is a pretty good guy too.

"Fate's Mirror" is probably a good view of our future (there's good news and bad news there). The author has created a reality that is believable, intriguing, wonderous and just the slighest bit scary.

Kudos to the ninja cyber punk!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Slick and pleasing cyberpunk November 1, 2011

By Caleb Blake

Format:Kindle Edition

I like cyberpunk. I think of it as surfer chic for the geeks. It's anti-fashion fashion in literature, something to put on and strut around with while at the same time pretending that you're over all that. "Fate's Mirror" is that kind of stylish but substance-less adventure, a rebel in Gucci clothing - and I loved it.

Let me start with the main character, Morris Payne - or Page - or Parish or any other identity he's manufactured in his life as a viker (a sup'd up hacker with worldwide cred). This guy plays the sleek and sassy anti-hero with a rather interesting twist; he's agoraphobic. In his virtual reality life, this doesn't pose much of a problem. But what happens when his house is blown-up using high-tech sabotage? Payne has to start using the real world, a place he's ill-equipped for.

The first part of this book shows Payne struggling to orient himself while he attempts to uncover what has happened to him. He enlists the help of an ofttimes cyber client to shelter him, but she becomes an ally in his attempt to discover his attempted assassinator. The story moves swiftly as other players enter the picture all with their attentions placed firmly on our friend, Morris Payne. Why is everyone interested in this super-hacker and why does someone want to kill him? Of course all is revealed as the story progresses and it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to learn that there's a conspiracy or two on a grand scale to give meaning to a seemingly random attack at the commencement of the story.

There's tech-speak throughout the story, but it reads as lingo rather than serious invitations to delve into the technology behind the story and as such it is easily digested. Again that style over substance philosophy helps the reader remain entertained rather than educated.... The latter part of the book takes place predominantly in the cyberspace and the authors have done something quite clever. They have completely interpreted the cyber environment with the hacking, viruses and packets of data into a metaphor. This move translated something that could have been almost indecypherable into swashbuckling action scenes.

The chapters tend to be bite-sized which is something I usually appreciate. Keeping the scenes relatively concise actually helps with the pacing for me and tricks me into reading more than I would if each scene was drawn out. I tend to think of this as a Hollywood tactic for writers. It makes me feel like the book is translatable to the screen and, more importantly, gives me a movie-like experience while reading.

This book was co-authored but you'd never guess as it's cohesive throughout. It has been well edited and it sits well with some of my cyberpunk favourites. It has drama, a great anti-hero with an affliction that supplies another dimension to the story, supporting characters whose interplay adds interest, a grand conspiracy that was worth the wait and some well interpreted cyber action scenes. To me, this book was a winner and it earns it's 4.5 stars. Grab it if you enjoy easily digestible cyber-thrillers. Read more ›