REDCROSSE

Check out this terrific new review of Redcrosse on Amazon:

Great story, thoughtful tech philosphy

You can find the original here.

How delightful!

Mike Brown, an old friend from my EarthLink days, just posted a review of “Redcrosse” on Amazon.

Excerpt: “Tonight I finished reading the immensely satisfying, big beefy novel “Redcrosse” by my friend Brad Berens.”

Read the rest at Amazon.com!

Looking for something fun and interesting to read this weekend?

Try this free sample of the first three chapters of Redcrosse!

(You may have to click twice… sorry.)

A new review of Redcrosse just arrived on Amazon! It’s short but OH SO SWEET, so here in it’s entirety:

Imagine the most compelling and paranoid Philip K. Dick future, a hard-boiled mystery that starts like a James Elroy story but spins wide and large like an old Loren Singer novel, likable but credibly-flawed protagonists, delightful supporting characters, and just a touch of classic Jim Thompson grit, and you’ll have Redcrosse. The dialogue is witty, the sci-fi hauntingly plausible, and the prose compulsively readable. There’s a ton of action, plenty of betrayal and mayhem, and just the right touch of optimism to make this a very fulfilling read.

Thank you Mitch Earleywine!  Here’s a link to the original.

Tom Hespos has generously reviewed Redcrosse on Amazon– thank you, Tom!

Here’s an excerpt:

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this book for me was wondering to myself about how Berens’ day gig shaped the version of the future he paints. As a guy who has to keep his finger on the pulse of digital technology and how it affects all of us, Berens is able to craft a futurescape where privacy is gone, the world is run by mega-conglomerates and the demarcations between the haves and the have-nots have crystallized and created an underclass of sick people with no access to healthcare and no way to function meaningfully in society. As it is with most great scifi, readers extrapolate from our society’s technological and sociological trajectories and can see that Berens’ imagination might not be too far off.

And click this link to see the whole review!

Brian Bulkowski, CEO of database company (& ad:tech exhibitor!) CitrusLeaf and who tweets as @bbulkow, has reviewed Redcrosse on Amazon!  THANK YOU, BRIAN!

Here’s an excerpt:

I’m very happy I found this book. With fewer books coming out, and the demise of my local booksellers, it’s hard to get recommendations that point me to something new and amusing. Mr Berens has a new voice, and has created a fun read.

Stylistically, the dystopia in Redcrosse is closer than is common in science fiction. Mr Berens doesn’t see as far ahead as is common in strict science fiction. I’m reminded of Neil Stephenson’s The Big U, the under-appreciated first novel set in a “megauniversity”, instead of the slightly later and more developed wild ride of Snow Crash.

Read the rest here.

Brian is now the second reviewer to compare me to Neil Stephenson, which is high praise indeed.

Please download the free sample of Redcrosse, and if you like it, please buy the digital ($4.99) or physical ($18.99) copy and read the rest!

Special Hardback Limited Edition Coming Soon!

Great news! Eric Picard (a.k.a. @ericpicard on Twitter who is both a technologist and a connoisseur of SF) has reviewed Redcrosse on Amazon!

Here’s an excerpt:

This is a great read – with clear influences from Neal Stephenson, David Brin, and many others. It is a good take on a futurist view of society in a future where privacy is shattered, healthcare and financial services companies have merged, and a series of plagues have been unleashed on the world, causing huge amounts of suffering. Against this backdrop, Redcrosse has fully fleshed characters and very nice pacing.

You can read the rest here…  & thank you, Eric!

I’m thrilled to announce that the first review of Redcrosse is now live on Amazon.com.

My thanks to Jim Nichols for writing it!

Please read it right away!

I’m thrilled to announce that my first novel, Redcrosse, is now available for purchase! Click the “Buy” links on this site to learn more.

I had the first idea for this novel on a train ride to Norwich in England in 1997, and today — 14 years later — the book is finally a reality!

Learn more about the book on this site, download the first three chapters on Amazon for free, and let me know what you think!  Much more to come!

–Brad Berens

Los Angeles, 2023. CyberPlagues — incurable technology-epidemics — have swept the country crippling victims whenever they’re near electro-magnetic fields, amplified sound or petroleum fumes. The credit card industry has merged with the health insurance industry, making it impossible for a person with high cholesterol to order a pizza without losing his benefits or for a person with a family history of lung cancer to light up a cigarette.

When disgraced police detective Diana McNight hires on with Drakanis Consulting, her street smarts and tech savvy complement the more cerebral skills of former professor John Drakanis. Their first case: famous scientist Dr. Samuel Wilkes has suffered a fatal heart attack while sitting in a sophisticated diagnostic device he invented: the Redcrosse Chair. Where the health/credit companies track every ailment, purchase and move their subscribers make, Redcrosse promises clear, actionable medical advice with no data trail.

The project had been a holy mission for Wilkes, but now he’s dead and it looks like Redcrosse killed him. Was it really an accident or was it murder? As Diana and Drakanis investigate, more and more accidents happen to them and the people around them– can they find the truth before it’s too late?

Action, suspense, intrigue and a too-near-to-the-truth future world combine for a thrilling and thought-provoking read!

Explore this site to order today and learn more about author Brad Berens.