Rating 3.5* out of 5. In the near future nanobots called "biomites" can cure any disease. They are artificial cells with specific purposes. The trouble with biomites is that they increase in number by themselves and when a body contains more than 50% of these artifical cells, that body is no longer considered human and "shut down".

So when Cali's little brother Nix nears the redline, is captured waiting for the inevitable, she can't just sit around and wait. No, she must save him - at any cost. She is a superb biotechnician and has many aces up her sleeve. Against her she has federal agent Anderson, who handles all shut downs. He is deeply religious and fully on board with the notion that humans with more than 50% biomites are no longer human.

I thought I knew where it was going. I did not. I thought there would be some high-handed moralizing. There was not. This book really did make me think about what makes us human and how much technology is good for us. Surprisingly good and very thought provoking.

I hope an author never feels slighted when I say that his or her work was one of the books that I read in between other books. I read so many different things, for so many different reasons, but there is certain type of book that takes me back to being a teenager and helps me to refresh and just be entertained.

Neat concepts here, and while I could never get my book club to read something like this, my brain won't let me ignore the fact that there could be some great discussions around the bioethics and right to life implications of the technology.

I did not see the plot twist coming, but I don't put a lot of energy into that anyway. In hindsight, the clues were definitely there. The author says the technology is impossible...but for how long?

A world where technology has developed the means to replicate human cells with ease stirs contemplation about what’s considered human in Halfskin (The Vignettes) by Tony Bertauski.

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Biomites are synthetic stem cells that can replicate any human cell and it’s infallible. Using biomites allows people to better their lives, physically with greatly needed organ or body part replacements, as well as augmentations, which can improve mental health, but the biomites can also be used to modify the brain and direct mental focus. But as people seek to better, or more aptly perfect, their lives through these biomites, at what point do they become a synthetic being instead of human? When reaching a bodily composition of fifty percent biomites a person is considered halfskin and no longer human; a variety of these lives are explored in the vignettes within this collection of stories.

With a variety of scenarios provided that take place within an established world and using biomite technology, a decent picture is developed of the related issues that are likely to arise from biomite use and the narratives provoke thought around what it means to be human. It is fascinating, if eerily unnerving, to see the parallels with contemporary life in these stories and the ethical considerations for using specific technologies to enhance or improve human life juxtaposed with the corporate greed and control over such technologies, and therefore lives. Though you can go in to these stories without a knowledge of the Halfskin world (as I did) and understand and appreciate what it’s examining, there does seem to be helpful background details that would more concretely contextualize the technology and society’s views of biomites and halfskins that rely upon reader knowledge of the series.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I read this one two days ago, but I forgot to put up a review. So here it is!

Don't have much to say actually. I liked it. The idea of the story was original, what I like in a book, and the characters were also fun. So yeah, it was good! It's not my favorite kind of book, but nonetheless, I enjoyed reading it. So thumbs up to the author!
Sorry the review is kind of short. =)

I received a copy of this book through the Read it and Reap-program from Goodreads-group Shut up & Read in exchange for an honest review.

Science fiction or ??? Very good storyline and characters. I started reading this book and didn't put it down until the ending. I liked the characters and the twists of plot. Big brother (or M0ther) watching? They've been watching for a long time and this takes if further! Definitely worth reading.

3.5 stars

Halfskin deals mainly with technology and its impact on society. However, its main flaw is in its lack of character balance. There is only 1 religious person in the novel, and he’s an extreme conservative. He’s what the media likes to make Christians out to be, intolerant and stubborn. While Bertauski religious fanatic’s reasonings made logical sense and portrayed the character as genuinely seeing his job as saving humanity, I really wanted to see another religious person who was accepting of the technology. Everyone else was an atheist. So I found this disappointing. The question is raised: At what point are we no longer human? I’m not sure that was ever answered fully. I appreciated Nix’s argument that God gave us a brain to think and create and grow. But the rest of the characters seem to rail against God about their lives. Yes, that happens, but there was no counter argument to balance things out. Christianity is not meant to be intolerant. Jesus never taught intolerance. Its people, sadly, that make doctrines suit their own beliefs. I would have liked another person as a counterpoint to the antagonist’s crazy religious strictness.

Bertauski wallops the reader with a HUGE surprise near the end. I thought the story was headed the way of “Inception” when Cali notices something off with her bio readings. But the true discovery of what was not reality was a shocking turning point! And it gave heart to the brother-sister relationship. What a concept to explore! Using biomites not only to cope but also to alter reality so it becomes less painful after heavy personal loss… would you do it if you could? More of Cali’s healing after the discovery would have added nice depth, but I think there was enough to finish this novel up reasonably. The ending, however, was not strong like the rest of the storyline. It kind of fizzled out quietly. I wanted that big revelation moment perhaps in the future when Cali and Nix are 100% biomites and see how they interact and feel at that time. I’m sure that’s for the next novels though.

The world depicted by Tony Bertauski is close enough to our own for a reader to quickly find their way in it. The story’s foundation is grounded solidly in a relatable reality. I found the story, plot, and characters easy to understand. However, the short M0THER blogs were not consistent. At first I thought it was Cali blogging. Then it seemed as if there was another omnipotent narrator out there. Perhaps the major mother machine of them all: M0THER? It was never clarified. I really liked the delvings into the development of the biomite technology, very interesting, and they did shed light on the pros and cons of biomite technology through society. However, the blogs were not consistent as to how the narrative was being given. I liked it, but it seemed more like random thoughts and perhaps should have been titled/presented differently. We’re not spoon fed answers but given questions to chew on slowly and digest. I appreciate that quality in stories. The concept as a whole is quite the thought-provoker: the biomites that once saved lives are now the cause of the end of lives. Is it worth its price?

I like how the good as well as the consequences are explored when it comes to technological advances. There is another question raised: Just because we can does not mean we should. Medicine can cure any ill in Bertauski’s reality. Unfortunately, the organic cells eventually become overrun with synthetic (is resistance futile???). Does this mean the end of humanity? Could this be considered evolution? These concepts are touched upon. I hope they are explored more in the next novel of this series. However, the story does not give much in the way of answers. Since we do not know Cali before her seeding, we do not know how she’s changed as her biomite cells gradually accumulate her up to half-skin status. So it’s hard to gauge how this changes her humanity. I wanted a little more exploration. Bertauski has his characters go through a lot of introspection, but I never felt I knew the characters enough to see their growth in the story. The only truly personal portion is when Cali RE-discovers her loss and Nix comes to her side to save her.

Summary: A compelling story which I found at times I couldn't put it down. But there were other aspects that could have been explored. How would a hypochondriac react to having biomites put into their bodies to multiply and replace their cells? Wouldn’t that seem creepy to some people? And, of course, another religious-based more-tolerant character was needed.

Overall, this is a story you can envision happening in real life. The advantages are society altering, but the consequences on a personal level are staggering. I would read more from this author. He has a good narrative style. I hope the next book in this series carries the same page-turning quality and explores more of the concepts the author introduces through this futuristic setting.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I was skeptical when I saw how short it was but I was anything but disappointed. The concept is amazing and the characters were so well written that I really felt like I was right there with them. I didn't expect to have such strong emotional reactions but there were a few points where I couldn't do anything but think "oh my gosh...". My biggest complaint with shorter books is that I almost always have so many questions when I'm finished and I'm typically unhappy with the ending itself. Neither of these were an issue. I felt like everything was beautifully explained and the ending was absolutely perfect. This was definitely a great, quick read and I would definitely recommend it!

I've been getting a little burned out on urban fantasy lately, so I was glad to jump at the chance to review this little sci-fi novel. Sci-fi and high fantasy were my first favorite genres and I like to sample them on occasion when I grow bored of my new favorite genre.

The story got off on a bang, and sucked me in from the start. In the world that the author has created, mankind is using nano technology to improve our health, looks, and intelligence. As the technology evolves, as with anything, the government feels it has to control it. Soon laws declare that once a human is more than 40% biomite, they are no longer entitled to exist. Once they hit 50% they are killed.

Like all good science fiction, this story brings up the question what is it that truly makes us human? The bad guy in this thinks that humans are playing God, and that biomites (the nanos) are satanic, and if you use them you are evil. On the other hand, the protagonists view them as help for humanity much as a transplant, or a pill, or a pacemaker would be. Of course all three main characters, Cali, Nix and the bad guy Walter are deeply flawed (I like a good character study).

Pros: I really enjoyed the mix of Brave New World with 1984 going on in this book. We have the technology that is changing humanity from what it is, and the government control that not only watches you, but decides who lives or dies and can switch you off at any moment. It was also scary seeing through events that happen in the book how easy it is to manipulate technology. Other than the nanobots, I think every computer manipulation that occurs in the book, could occur today, and it's really scary how the government/bad people could destroy you on a whim.

Cons: There aren't many cons. This book was a quick read, it was thought provoking, it was even an edge of the seat thriller at times. The only issues I found were the last maybe 15-20% of the book. There were a lot of sequences and flashing back and forth between inner and outer reality. It was confusing and hard to keep track of. The last scene where Cali sets up the bad man were so vague, I'm still not sure what went on.

Overall, this was a decent novel. I think it could have been longer, it ended rather abruptly and I'm still not sure why the evil agent was going to stop chasing them. However, the action never stopped, it was interesting, and I couldn't put it down. I'd definitely recommend it to lovers of the sci-fi genre, and even those who only like the genre on occasion. This book wasn't so intense in the science jargon as to put off any casual partakers of the genre.

I found this book to be a little bit confusing. It was told from a bunch of different point of views, the story line on the other hand was really good.

Biomites are artificial stem cells, which can help keep a person alive who would other wise die. They are also used by selfish people for looks and everything else, if you had cancer or were in an accident then they would give you Biomites to get rid of that cancer or to repair the damage done by an accident. Everything was good and Biomites were what everyone wanted. Then they became against the law, once you had too many Biomites they would just shut them down. You can’t be more then 40 percent before they detain you, and they shut you down when you hit 50 percent.

Nix was just a boy who was in an accident that killed his parents in order to stay alive he needed Biomites, they never knew that nix might get taken and detained because of it. His sister Cali has lost to many family members to let anything happen to nix. She will do what ever it takes to keep her brother alive. Marcus is a politician/government agent who is hell bent on getting rid of the Biomites, he believes he needs to save humanity and that the Biomites are destroying society.

A long as there are Biomites there is someone watching your every move, and having to many Biomites can cause you a lot of trouble.

This book was short and enjoyable, I found Marcus’ character to be a little over the top. He hates people who use Biomites to save lives, he believes that they will turn into computers and humanity will be at stake. What he doesn’t know is that he is fighting a war that he cannot win and it will make him a little crazy. I enjoyed the story line of everyone is being watched, which they are, but technology is technology and people will do what it takes to make themselves look better and feel younger and anything else they can, even feed illusions. The book had really good writing and I would have finished it in one sitting if everyone didn’t quite bugging me. I like the concept of no matter how far technology advances there will always be someone there to make it illegal. Which is really how the world works today. If you like this sort of sci-fi I would definitely read this one as I have said before I’m not really a sci-fi reader but this book was enjoyable.



find this and other reviews at Moms Reading Corner

You know I had to read this after seeing that cover.

And the synopsis… like what?!

Ok, so this starts and I was completely into the narration. Loved every minute of it. The storyline is all about Nix and the narration surrounding him was so good that I knew when he was talking or when his sister was talking. It really helped me delve into this rather mysterious and just plain weird story.

This is dystopian and I just love, love, love dystopians. There so much that the characters have to deal with and being that it is normally “big brother” it is hard to escape. In this case it is “Mother” which honestly is even worse. But Mother can see your every move, not through your TV or your cell phone, oh no! She goes much deeper than that, she can read your mind. That is if you have had any nanomites inserted.

Totally freaky already right?

So, the storyline was wonderful but I have to put some emphasis on the fabulous narration for this one. As I said above I could tell everyone apart, but there was more to it than that. I found my heart palpitating and the narrator’s voice (David W. Dietz, III) would get higher or lower. He has this great intensity that I have just not found in a lot of other audio books. It was amazing and totally added to the horror of what these people were facing.

And needless to say, my attention never wavered. Between the fabulous plot and the great narration this was one that I did not want to put down.

Even with this being a dystopian you would think that the government would be the ones to watch out for, but there are bad guys everywhere. Marcus definitely seems like a really crazy bad guy. By the end of the book I was starting to wonder if this guy is a bit psychotic. I don’t know but I like him! He definitely has an edge to his character that I just cannot pinpoint. It’s great!

In short: This is an amazing first part. The synopsis is weird but if you’re into dystopians, trust me, you’ll enjoy this one! It is worth the read, or the listen. Now on to book two, Clay!

For a complete review of the audio version, please see the review over at AudioBookReviewer.com or for more of my reviews go to creating-serenity.com