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Dispatches from a Future War
There are worse fates than death.
There was Mike who had 'died' three times and he didn't want to do it again.
There was Maria who was having a hard time distinguishing between virtual deaths and the real thing.
There was Juan who salvaged the 'dead' only to see them returned to the front. He didn't know how much longer he could do it.
Christian McCloud was a cyberpunk journalist he was no soldier. He fashioned downloads from celebrities memories. People all over the world paid good money to experience someone famous for a few hours. Now he was in the middle of a war. Instead of celebrities memories he was downloading the memories of the young men and women fighting this war but technology had changed the rules. War had always been about living and dying now technology was blurring the lines between the two.
Christian found himself straddling that line with these young soldiers trying to tell their stories.When Christian downloaded their memories they were changing him in ways he didn't understand. He was becoming one of them. He wasn't sure he could survive their memories.
Readers
"Having been in combat I could relate to being at "the dance"...It was like a futuristic version of Apocalypse Now.""This book blew me away...the one I use to judge other books and stories..."
"Dark, poignant, visceral, it has it all. You can feel the humanity and despair in every character."
"It could be this centuries version of All Quite on the Western Front. Not for the timid or weak readers.""Mr. Carstens has written a story that grabs ahold of you and doesn't let go. Buy it and read it, if you dare."
There was Mike who had 'died' three times and he didn't want to do it again.
There was Maria who was having a hard time distinguishing between virtual deaths and the real thing.
There was Juan who salvaged the 'dead' only to see them returned to the front. He didn't know how much longer he could do it.
Christian McCloud was a cyberpunk journalist he was no soldier. He fashioned downloads from celebrities memories. People all over the world paid good money to experience someone famous for a few hours. Now he was in the middle of a war. Instead of celebrities memories he was downloading the memories of the young men and women fighting this war but technology had changed the rules. War had always been about living and dying now technology was blurring the lines between the two.
Christian found himself straddling that line with these young soldiers trying to tell their stories.When Christian downloaded their memories they were changing him in ways he didn't understand. He was becoming one of them. He wasn't sure he could survive their memories.
Readers
"Having been in combat I could relate to being at "the dance"...It was like a futuristic version of Apocalypse Now.""This book blew me away...the one I use to judge other books and stories..."
"Dark, poignant, visceral, it has it all. You can feel the humanity and despair in every character."
"It could be this centuries version of All Quite on the Western Front. Not for the timid or weak readers.""Mr. Carstens has written a story that grabs ahold of you and doesn't let go. Buy it and read it, if you dare."
376 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2015
62 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 12, 2021
The Future Present War
The first several chapters of this book may be the best modern SF war story ever written. And the rest is pretty damn good.
Christian, an techno journalist who taps into the emotions and fears of his subjects finds his higher calling, choosing to be a war correspondent who shares the raw emotions and deadly experiences of his subjects in techno war where dead soldiers can be salvaged to fight again and virtual reality drone pilots die from too much of a good thing—while the rest of society parties on.
The only complaint might be that the book ends too soon, avoiding the high price PTSD levies on the survivors. Instead, Christian licks PTSD and severe drug addiction overnight “thanks to the love of a good woman” and goes back to covering the men and women in uniform who have “been to the dance.”
It’s the kind of cop-out ending Hollywood loves and it does a disservice to a book that otherwise deserves a place on your bookshelf next to “The Forever War” And “Ender’s Game.”
The first several chapters of this book may be the best modern SF war story ever written. And the rest is pretty damn good.
Christian, an techno journalist who taps into the emotions and fears of his subjects finds his higher calling, choosing to be a war correspondent who shares the raw emotions and deadly experiences of his subjects in techno war where dead soldiers can be salvaged to fight again and virtual reality drone pilots die from too much of a good thing—while the rest of society parties on.
The only complaint might be that the book ends too soon, avoiding the high price PTSD levies on the survivors. Instead, Christian licks PTSD and severe drug addiction overnight “thanks to the love of a good woman” and goes back to covering the men and women in uniform who have “been to the dance.”
It’s the kind of cop-out ending Hollywood loves and it does a disservice to a book that otherwise deserves a place on your bookshelf next to “The Forever War” And “Ender’s Game.”
December 31, 2023
A journalist downloads the memories of soliders in a future war in order to accurately tell their stories, despite backlash from the propaganda machine of the media.
This book is dark, disturbing, and bleak. It delves deep into the psyche of numerous characters, and at first this formatting is clear-cut; the stories of the soldiers being reported on have a clear beginning and end. But as the book progresses, the lines begin to blur as the journalist finds himself unable to unplug - literally - from their lives. He turns to p0rnography, much like his subjects turned to drink and drugs to cope with the front lines.
I really liked this book up until the ending. I found it abrupt and somewhat negating the themes of the book; the journalist just decides to cope because his model girlfriend loves him and he has a goal to fight for. Bit of a tone switch after 350 pages of showing war and trauma preventing the subjects from doing that exact thing.
This book is dark, disturbing, and bleak. It delves deep into the psyche of numerous characters, and at first this formatting is clear-cut; the stories of the soldiers being reported on have a clear beginning and end. But as the book progresses, the lines begin to blur as the journalist finds himself unable to unplug - literally - from their lives. He turns to p0rnography, much like his subjects turned to drink and drugs to cope with the front lines.
I really liked this book up until the ending. I found it abrupt and somewhat negating the themes of the book; the journalist just decides to cope because his model girlfriend loves him and he has a goal to fight for. Bit of a tone switch after 350 pages of showing war and trauma preventing the subjects from doing that exact thing.
August 16, 2021
What a read!!
Without giving too much away. In a future where wars are fought in urban areas exclusively a reporter becomes a journalist and then becomes a realist.
Doesn’t matter the timing for this book being the future the story is the same. Young men and women suffering through older people’s greed. This story is in the future in a war that doesn’t seem to be going to end.
The story is quiet smart, the characters well defined and the main characters trip to knowledge is very powerful.
Quirky and really good read.
Without giving too much away. In a future where wars are fought in urban areas exclusively a reporter becomes a journalist and then becomes a realist.
Doesn’t matter the timing for this book being the future the story is the same. Young men and women suffering through older people’s greed. This story is in the future in a war that doesn’t seem to be going to end.
The story is quiet smart, the characters well defined and the main characters trip to knowledge is very powerful.
Quirky and really good read.
Read
April 26, 2022Dark, disturbing, and brilliant!
Dark Mirror in literary form. A series of Sci-fi vignettes that make a fair commentary on the effects of war, popular culture and how they are perceived. Though far from perfect, this story does move me.
Dark Mirror in literary form. A series of Sci-fi vignettes that make a fair commentary on the effects of war, popular culture and how they are perceived. Though far from perfect, this story does move me.
March 25, 2022
Fantastic!
This is one of the best novels I have read in a long time. Kudos to the author for making the main character come to life
This is one of the best novels I have read in a long time. Kudos to the author for making the main character come to life
April 15, 2022
realistic
Been there, done that, brought back feelings I had thought I had had learned to live with. Very powerful and sad.
Been there, done that, brought back feelings I had thought I had had learned to live with. Very powerful and sad.
August 29, 2023
Gets into your head
Painful to read. Surprised at the depth of emotions I felt when it ended, still processing. WELL WORTH IT!! I have added the author to my follow list.
Painful to read. Surprised at the depth of emotions I felt when it ended, still processing. WELL WORTH IT!! I have added the author to my follow list.
February 7, 2024
The writing is very real. If Rod Carstens hasn't been in the shit he has access to those who have. This a brilliant read. I'd recommend it to any who like a good read.
February 7, 2024
Required reading
Damn. This book was gutwrenching. Incredibly well done. Marvelous job of showing it from the viewpoint of different MOS's. Very emotional. I wish I had a Berry.
Damn. This book was gutwrenching. Incredibly well done. Marvelous job of showing it from the viewpoint of different MOS's. Very emotional. I wish I had a Berry.
October 19, 2021
Recommended for anyone that loves Cyberpunk with a strong focus on human-machine interfaces and futuristic battleground warfare. Awesome insights into a possible future of war. Especially the interconnection of the soldiers with their armor and the consequences of dying and being salvaged and stitched back together only to be sent back into the grind again.
October 16, 2015
Good Read
Michael Herr, look out! You've got some competition.
Reminded me a lot of Dispatches, which is one of my favorite Vietnam novels.
The tech and tactics felt just right. Some interesting SciFi mixed in but done before one way or another. Characters were stereotypes but no need to reinvent -- ground combat (despite many who believe will be different due to technology, whatever), combat issues and the people who do the real fighting and dying -- that will remain the same.
Generally I read mil SciFi that has us humans against aliens of any kind. I didn't think I would go past sample but the story just grabbed hold and didn't let go. I guess flashback time back to WWW.NAM.
Story was simple, not hard to grasp, enjoyable to read.
Michael Herr, look out! You've got some competition.
Reminded me a lot of Dispatches, which is one of my favorite Vietnam novels.
The tech and tactics felt just right. Some interesting SciFi mixed in but done before one way or another. Characters were stereotypes but no need to reinvent -- ground combat (despite many who believe will be different due to technology, whatever), combat issues and the people who do the real fighting and dying -- that will remain the same.
Generally I read mil SciFi that has us humans against aliens of any kind. I didn't think I would go past sample but the story just grabbed hold and didn't let go. I guess flashback time back to WWW.NAM.
Story was simple, not hard to grasp, enjoyable to read.
August 30, 2016
This book blew me away. I had to stop reading for a day to give myself a break from the intensity of it all. It felt so real emotionally that I had to give it a rest. I think this will be one of the few books that will stick with me for a long time, the one I use to judge other books and stories with.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews