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The Simp #1
Simple
Nothing simple is real.
You will look twice at people…and technology.
In a future that is the by-product of a digital era nightmare, the idea of making life simple appealed to the mainstream. After the economic collapse of the twenty-first century, the government latched on to technology like an economic life-line. Bio-synthetic humanoids integrated into society with relative ease. Taking on the menial jobs, humans grew dependent on their android counterparts, but the corporate sector took things too far. Wrapped in their one-click comfort zones, people trudged along with their latte’s and fashion trend blinders.
The dark side of genetic engineering is a harsh reality.
Humans are being hunted.
They don’t stand a chance.
No one seemed to notice that they weren’t acting as hospitable as they once had. They should have. They didn’t have weaknesses like we did, and, they were capable of clever, unimaginable cruelty.
Those that have survived call the rogue bio-synthetic humanoids "simps" because the company that started the mess had a cheesy marketing campaign that said they made life "Simple." They couldn't have been more wrong. When the war broke out, simps were used to spare human losses. It was viewed as a brilliant solution until a developer working for the enemy infected the simps with a virus that caused them to turn on the humans they served. They couldn't shut them down fast enough.
Fans of Isaac Asimov will appreciate this fast past thriller, although the three laws of robotics never applied to simps! This cyberpunk tale is set in the year 2038.
Hailey Pachello doesn’t do people. She relies on herself because it’s easier. It’s safer, and it’s less dramatic. That is until she meets Leonard ‘Gizzard’ O’Malley. Giz has connections and a plan, and it might just be a good one.
Join Hailey as she embarks on her wondrous adventure, in a timeless, powerful, and memorable cyberpunk thriller.
You will look twice at people…and technology.
In a future that is the by-product of a digital era nightmare, the idea of making life simple appealed to the mainstream. After the economic collapse of the twenty-first century, the government latched on to technology like an economic life-line. Bio-synthetic humanoids integrated into society with relative ease. Taking on the menial jobs, humans grew dependent on their android counterparts, but the corporate sector took things too far. Wrapped in their one-click comfort zones, people trudged along with their latte’s and fashion trend blinders.
The dark side of genetic engineering is a harsh reality.
Humans are being hunted.
They don’t stand a chance.
No one seemed to notice that they weren’t acting as hospitable as they once had. They should have. They didn’t have weaknesses like we did, and, they were capable of clever, unimaginable cruelty.
Those that have survived call the rogue bio-synthetic humanoids "simps" because the company that started the mess had a cheesy marketing campaign that said they made life "Simple." They couldn't have been more wrong. When the war broke out, simps were used to spare human losses. It was viewed as a brilliant solution until a developer working for the enemy infected the simps with a virus that caused them to turn on the humans they served. They couldn't shut them down fast enough.
Fans of Isaac Asimov will appreciate this fast past thriller, although the three laws of robotics never applied to simps! This cyberpunk tale is set in the year 2038.
Hailey Pachello doesn’t do people. She relies on herself because it’s easier. It’s safer, and it’s less dramatic. That is until she meets Leonard ‘Gizzard’ O’Malley. Giz has connections and a plan, and it might just be a good one.
Join Hailey as she embarks on her wondrous adventure, in a timeless, powerful, and memorable cyberpunk thriller.
338 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2014
1 person is currently reading
215 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 12, 2015
We’ve all seen numerous movies or read plenty of books about the downfall of the human race at the hands of our artificially created robots or, in this case, Simps. This book is no exception, just with a different spin.
We see the events through the eyes of Hailey, or Lee to her friends. She’s a young, snarky, Italian girl that’s seen her world destroyed and has survived by not letting herself get close to any humans again. If she can find any, that is. Unfortunately for her, she does. She runs across Giz, a computer geek, obsessed with building the code to stop the rampaging Simps. Against her better judgment, they team up and eventually finds herself becoming involved with a group of people that need her help to save humanity.
The futuristic world she lives in is a very detailed and believable place, the geeky information appeared well-researched and the story and characters were well-written. Dena Nicotra threw some subtle clues along the way that I later realized was misdirection. I kept waiting for the colossal reveal of what I thought was going on with one of the characters, but it never transpired. Clever girl, keeping me on my toes.
As in all post-apocalyptic storylines, people have to die, including the sweet and innocent ones. Of course, we have the villains, like Sonya, who we hope receive their just rewards. I thought the ending was somewhat anti-climactic so that effected my rating.
All in all, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it for people who like dystopian books. I give it 4 feathers
We see the events through the eyes of Hailey, or Lee to her friends. She’s a young, snarky, Italian girl that’s seen her world destroyed and has survived by not letting herself get close to any humans again. If she can find any, that is. Unfortunately for her, she does. She runs across Giz, a computer geek, obsessed with building the code to stop the rampaging Simps. Against her better judgment, they team up and eventually finds herself becoming involved with a group of people that need her help to save humanity.
The futuristic world she lives in is a very detailed and believable place, the geeky information appeared well-researched and the story and characters were well-written. Dena Nicotra threw some subtle clues along the way that I later realized was misdirection. I kept waiting for the colossal reveal of what I thought was going on with one of the characters, but it never transpired. Clever girl, keeping me on my toes.
As in all post-apocalyptic storylines, people have to die, including the sweet and innocent ones. Of course, we have the villains, like Sonya, who we hope receive their just rewards. I thought the ending was somewhat anti-climactic so that effected my rating.
All in all, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it for people who like dystopian books. I give it 4 feathers
September 6, 2014
Science Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic Story
For a price, humans could live anywhere and do anything in the simulations. Children couldn't tell the difference between what was real and what was a virtual simulation. As people wanted more "fake" time and less "real" time, IDE, Inc., found a cash cow. The company manufactured androids. They were much better than holograms. They were real. Unfortunately, the "Simps" turned on humanity.
It's the year 2038. Hailey is alone by choice, determined to survive in a world torn by war. Humans are hunted and killed by the Simps. She reluctantly joins forces with Giz.
She's not sure if he's going to be her destruction or her salvation.
Dena Nicotra's Simple is a great science fiction/post-apocalyptic novel. The book offers plenty of action and memorable characters. The grim setting is lightened by a bit of humor and fun. Although it's a great standalone story, the ending is left open for a sequel.
For a price, humans could live anywhere and do anything in the simulations. Children couldn't tell the difference between what was real and what was a virtual simulation. As people wanted more "fake" time and less "real" time, IDE, Inc., found a cash cow. The company manufactured androids. They were much better than holograms. They were real. Unfortunately, the "Simps" turned on humanity.
It's the year 2038. Hailey is alone by choice, determined to survive in a world torn by war. Humans are hunted and killed by the Simps. She reluctantly joins forces with Giz.
She's not sure if he's going to be her destruction or her salvation.
Dena Nicotra's Simple is a great science fiction/post-apocalyptic novel. The book offers plenty of action and memorable characters. The grim setting is lightened by a bit of humor and fun. Although it's a great standalone story, the ending is left open for a sequel.
January 17, 2015
I'm kinda split on how much I liked this book. The novel contains an excellent, complex plot; a blend of I, Robot and a great zombie story (there are no zombies, but the simps seemed to gather and attack as I'd imagine a zombie hoard would). There was a great amount of effort put into plot development, and characters, but I never liked Lee or appreciated her thought process-- she was impatient and illogical. More than anything, at the end, I still had no idea what Lee and Mic saw in each other-- they seemed to not share each others' values and world view, so a relationship seemed gratuitous. In all, I enjoyed the read, regardless of my dislike of the main character (or maybe in spite of it).
August 24, 2020
4.75 stars
Described as a cyberpunk thriller, Simple by Dena Nicotra is a must read for fans of WestWorld and The Walking Dead.
Loner Hailey thinks she’s managed to switch off her emotions. Don’t make a connection to anyone and you won’t get hurt when the simps get them! Join Hailey as she connects with a group of people you’ll not want to get too attached to either. Some of them might die, some of them might betray you, some of them might force you to confront your humanity, and some of them might even be simps in disguise.
Initially published in 2014 this has now been released on audio and both the story and the narration are strong. In the time of Coronavirus I think this is also quite timely. We’ve all perhaps decided we’d like a taste of the simple life and we’ve all seen articles warning of a robotics take over. In come the Simples…
Post ‘economic collapse’ bio-synthetic humans start off all helpful Disney employee but with no three laws to stop them from murderous rampage. Some of the depictions of how they turned on their humans were quite horrifying, especially as the bloody murders come with added movie quips.
We jump straight into the world and are quickly given a sense of what Hailey has had to do to survive but she soon comes across Giz and Fish - who are perhaps not as helpless or as innocent as they first seem. Together they come up with a plan to survive, or die trying.
The pace is well pitched and there are some quiet moments and a touch of romance too. The characters all seem, pardon the pun, fleshed out, and you can see why Hailey gets drawn into abandoning being alone.
Some of the simps are truly terrifying and a couple of the humans aren’t much better. One negative about the book was the focus on fat shaming a particular character. Their size is mentioned a few too many times and I do wish Hailey hadn’t needed to resort to physical dislike of a character seemingly more than the plethora of other reasons given.
There was a satisfying conclusion and an opening for another book, which I believe there is, although the audio isn’t yet available on UK Amazon. I’ll definitely be picking it up with a fingers crossed for the return of this narrator as she did an amazing job voicing Hailey, swears and all. I am also hoping for much more insight into the simps themselves, both the ones we’ve already met and the ones we probably don’t want to.
Shout out also to the spooky cover - it gave the feel of a crime novel when I first saw it but this is spooky science fiction and entirely my type of post apocalyptic read.
Thanks to AudioBookWorm Promotions and the author for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review.
Described as a cyberpunk thriller, Simple by Dena Nicotra is a must read for fans of WestWorld and The Walking Dead.
Loner Hailey thinks she’s managed to switch off her emotions. Don’t make a connection to anyone and you won’t get hurt when the simps get them! Join Hailey as she connects with a group of people you’ll not want to get too attached to either. Some of them might die, some of them might betray you, some of them might force you to confront your humanity, and some of them might even be simps in disguise.
Initially published in 2014 this has now been released on audio and both the story and the narration are strong. In the time of Coronavirus I think this is also quite timely. We’ve all perhaps decided we’d like a taste of the simple life and we’ve all seen articles warning of a robotics take over. In come the Simples…
Post ‘economic collapse’ bio-synthetic humans start off all helpful Disney employee but with no three laws to stop them from murderous rampage. Some of the depictions of how they turned on their humans were quite horrifying, especially as the bloody murders come with added movie quips.
We jump straight into the world and are quickly given a sense of what Hailey has had to do to survive but she soon comes across Giz and Fish - who are perhaps not as helpless or as innocent as they first seem. Together they come up with a plan to survive, or die trying.
The pace is well pitched and there are some quiet moments and a touch of romance too. The characters all seem, pardon the pun, fleshed out, and you can see why Hailey gets drawn into abandoning being alone.
Some of the simps are truly terrifying and a couple of the humans aren’t much better. One negative about the book was the focus on fat shaming a particular character. Their size is mentioned a few too many times and I do wish Hailey hadn’t needed to resort to physical dislike of a character seemingly more than the plethora of other reasons given.
There was a satisfying conclusion and an opening for another book, which I believe there is, although the audio isn’t yet available on UK Amazon. I’ll definitely be picking it up with a fingers crossed for the return of this narrator as she did an amazing job voicing Hailey, swears and all. I am also hoping for much more insight into the simps themselves, both the ones we’ve already met and the ones we probably don’t want to.
Shout out also to the spooky cover - it gave the feel of a crime novel when I first saw it but this is spooky science fiction and entirely my type of post apocalyptic read.
Thanks to AudioBookWorm Promotions and the author for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review.
August 28, 2020
4.5 stars
Ever since our first stay-at-home started, along about mid-March, I’ve had trouble getting much satisfaction out of reading and I know I’m not alone. I hear about it online and in Zoom book club meetings and it’s really frustrating; as best as I can explain it in my own case, it seems to be an inability to focus, to really get involved with what I’m reading. With only a handful of exceptions, most books have struck me as lackluster and, while I know the problem is me, not the books (for the most part), the end result is the same.
Then along came Simple and, oh my, Dena Nicotra, aided by Kendra Murray’s fine narration, has taken me to a place I’ve missed—booklove. Can I point to anything in particular? No, I just got completely caught up with a terrific plot and characters who grabbed my attention, brought to vivid life by Ms. Murray’s distinct voices and spot-on sense of pacing. Ms. Nicotra’s worldbuilding is pretty darned good, too—I’d like to know more about how people first became so dependent on androids but the author gave enough background that I didn’t really feel a lack.
Lee (Hailey) is a young woman I would love to know in real life, complex with a backbone of steel and a desire to not have to care about anybody. She fails at that but she also has the intelligence and street smarts to survive in this war against droids gone bad and, when she falls in with Mic and Giz, the action starts to ramp up seriously. Then there’s my next favorite character, Two, and a passel of bad guys who also just happen to be full of personality. Oh, and by the way, Ms. Murray’s interpretation of Sonya is, well, perfect.
Technically, this book could be a standalone but I want more so I’m very happy to know there’s a sequel, Real. Now I just need to hope there will be an audio edition…soon.
Ever since our first stay-at-home started, along about mid-March, I’ve had trouble getting much satisfaction out of reading and I know I’m not alone. I hear about it online and in Zoom book club meetings and it’s really frustrating; as best as I can explain it in my own case, it seems to be an inability to focus, to really get involved with what I’m reading. With only a handful of exceptions, most books have struck me as lackluster and, while I know the problem is me, not the books (for the most part), the end result is the same.
Then along came Simple and, oh my, Dena Nicotra, aided by Kendra Murray’s fine narration, has taken me to a place I’ve missed—booklove. Can I point to anything in particular? No, I just got completely caught up with a terrific plot and characters who grabbed my attention, brought to vivid life by Ms. Murray’s distinct voices and spot-on sense of pacing. Ms. Nicotra’s worldbuilding is pretty darned good, too—I’d like to know more about how people first became so dependent on androids but the author gave enough background that I didn’t really feel a lack.
Lee (Hailey) is a young woman I would love to know in real life, complex with a backbone of steel and a desire to not have to care about anybody. She fails at that but she also has the intelligence and street smarts to survive in this war against droids gone bad and, when she falls in with Mic and Giz, the action starts to ramp up seriously. Then there’s my next favorite character, Two, and a passel of bad guys who also just happen to be full of personality. Oh, and by the way, Ms. Murray’s interpretation of Sonya is, well, perfect.
Technically, this book could be a standalone but I want more so I’m very happy to know there’s a sequel, Real. Now I just need to hope there will be an audio edition…soon.
August 6, 2015
I found another book through buzz on Twitter. Simple by Dena Nicotra has an eye-catching cover (especially the single blue eye in the mask), and an interesting blurb. Here’s what I thought.
Synopsis (from the author): In a future that is the by-product of a digital era nightmare, the idea of making life simple appealed to the mainstream. After the economic collapse of the twenty-first century, the government latched on to technology like an economic life-line. Bio-synthetic humanoids integrated into society with relative ease. Taking on the menial jobs, humans grew dependent on their android counterparts, but the corporate sector took things too far. Wrapped in their one-click comfort zones, people trudged along with their latte’s and fashion trend blinders.
No one seemed to notice that they weren’t acting as hospitable as they once had. They should have. They didn’t have weaknesses like we did, and, they were capable of clever, unimaginable cruelty. People didn’t stand a chance.
Hailey Pachello doesn’t do people. She relies on herself because it’s easier. It’s safer, and it’s less dramatic. That is until she meets Leonard ‘Gizzard’ O’Malley. Giz has connections and a plan, and it might just be a good one.
What I liked: I liked the way Dena Nicotra took the technology that we take for granted and morphed it into a dystopian future where technology has basically destroyed the world. The simps hunt humans and kill them mercilessly (while using movie lines, which I thought was pretty cool). Hailey, our young protagonist, is brave, tough, and distrusting and I liked her character. Giz is a perfect geek, and the supporting cast, and Hailey’s love interest add a nice human touch to the story. Filled with action and cool technology, it was a great read!
What I didn’t like: I thought the simps were easier to destroy than they should have been, given the technology used to create them. I also thought the propensity for violence against humans was restrained at times, which confused me a little bit given the premise of the story.
Overall impression: I liked this book! I normally don’t read dystopian, but this one was worth the time. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story of triumph in a dismal future.
My rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded to 5 Stars)
Synopsis (from the author): In a future that is the by-product of a digital era nightmare, the idea of making life simple appealed to the mainstream. After the economic collapse of the twenty-first century, the government latched on to technology like an economic life-line. Bio-synthetic humanoids integrated into society with relative ease. Taking on the menial jobs, humans grew dependent on their android counterparts, but the corporate sector took things too far. Wrapped in their one-click comfort zones, people trudged along with their latte’s and fashion trend blinders.
No one seemed to notice that they weren’t acting as hospitable as they once had. They should have. They didn’t have weaknesses like we did, and, they were capable of clever, unimaginable cruelty. People didn’t stand a chance.
Hailey Pachello doesn’t do people. She relies on herself because it’s easier. It’s safer, and it’s less dramatic. That is until she meets Leonard ‘Gizzard’ O’Malley. Giz has connections and a plan, and it might just be a good one.
What I liked: I liked the way Dena Nicotra took the technology that we take for granted and morphed it into a dystopian future where technology has basically destroyed the world. The simps hunt humans and kill them mercilessly (while using movie lines, which I thought was pretty cool). Hailey, our young protagonist, is brave, tough, and distrusting and I liked her character. Giz is a perfect geek, and the supporting cast, and Hailey’s love interest add a nice human touch to the story. Filled with action and cool technology, it was a great read!
What I didn’t like: I thought the simps were easier to destroy than they should have been, given the technology used to create them. I also thought the propensity for violence against humans was restrained at times, which confused me a little bit given the premise of the story.
Overall impression: I liked this book! I normally don’t read dystopian, but this one was worth the time. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story of triumph in a dismal future.
My rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded to 5 Stars)
August 10, 2015
Who is going to start the post-apocalyptic world that we will eventually live in, and what will it look like? According to Dena Nicotra, we will be the cause of our own destruction, and it will be because of our laziness. In the future, we will create androids to do the menial jobs that we no longer want to do. This will give us extra time to look for more worthy pursuits. But it will eventually turn on us. A computer virus was released to the androids and they started to take over the world, killing any humans that they happened to come across. Whoever survived had to hide out and avoid the androids while they scrounged around for food. This is the world that Dena Nicotra introduces us to in the story Simple. Hailee found herself defending herself and avoiding human contact because she knows that it will only lead to more heartache. In the end, she must make the decision to join a group of humans seeking for a way to bring down the android threat, or making it off on her own and hoping that some day the world will return to the way it once was. The whole experience of reading this story was completely enjoyable. The characters are real, and the threat they experience is something that the reader can relate to. Dena Nicotra also does a wonderful job of bringing in relevant themes to her story that any modern day reader should be able to connect with. The ideas of humanity's increasing dependence on technology, the way we lose ourselves to the easy forms of entertainment at our fingertips, and the need for human contact are all the ideas that she explores in this novel. I was thoroughly satisfied while reading this book, and would recommend it to any sci-fi fans out there.
April 18, 2015
First off, I really liked this book! It reminded me of the classic sci-fi I grew up reading. Robots, Androids, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, to two of several authors who dared espouse the future with synthetic beings. ‘Simple’ gave action from start to finish. And since my own preference leans toward strong ballsy women... Wait till you meet Lee!
Written in a no-nonsense first person, Ms. Nicotra tells the story of a future filled with 'sims' - synthetic people. This is not an updated version of Asimov’s Robot series, nor is it another version of 'Do Android Dream Of Electric Sheep'; rather, it is a flat out statement that man will reap what he sows, in this case, make a synthetic person, using Artificial Intelligence and you stand the chance of creating the end of humanity. No zombies, no werewolves, no vampires need apply—
just AI gone wild. That's it, no spoilers, no teasers. Read it.
Written in a no-nonsense first person, Ms. Nicotra tells the story of a future filled with 'sims' - synthetic people. This is not an updated version of Asimov’s Robot series, nor is it another version of 'Do Android Dream Of Electric Sheep'; rather, it is a flat out statement that man will reap what he sows, in this case, make a synthetic person, using Artificial Intelligence and you stand the chance of creating the end of humanity. No zombies, no werewolves, no vampires need apply—
just AI gone wild. That's it, no spoilers, no teasers. Read it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews