The Organ Scrubber

The Defragmenting Daniel Trilogy #1

by Jason Werbeloff

Welcome to the Bubble, where orphans are used for spare parts, and transplanting organs is like changing a pair of socks.

They harvested Daniel’s body when he was a child, leaving him with cheap cybernetic replacements. Now that he's grown, his body is failing. The gears in his knee grind, his synthetic cornea weeps, and his 3D-printed lungs spasm in winter.

Daniel needs the organs he was born with. But their new owners won't give them back.

Not without a fight.

Set in the year 2064, if you enjoy the mind-bending science fiction of Philip K. Dick and William Gibson, or heart-pounding dystopian thrillers like The Hunger Games, you’ll love this dystopian sci-fi thriller.

Find out why Jason Werbeloff’s books have been downloaded over 75,000 times. Slice into Defragmenting Daniel today. Your brain will never be the same again.

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror, Dystopia, Mystery, Cyberpunk, Dark

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 24, 2016

About the author

Human. Male. From an obscure planet in the Milky Way Galaxy. Sci-fi novelist with a PhD in philosophy. Likes chocolates, Labradors, and zombies (not necessarily in that order). Werbeloff spends his days constructing thought experiments, while trying to muster enough guilt to go to the gym.

He's the author of the sci-fi thriller trilogy, Defragmenting Daniel, two novels, Hedon and The Solace Pill, and the short story anthology, Obsidian Worlds. His books will make your brain hurt. And you'll come back for more.

Subscribe to his newsletter to receive a free book, and a lifetime of free and discounted stories.

**Amazon Author Page - download all of Werbeloff's fiction from Amazon.
**Facebook and Twitter - follow Werbeloff for release date information on upcoming novels.
**Website - read about the author, and the philosophy behind his fiction.

Reviews

[Nanette Tredoux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Daniel. He needs to find himself. But in his case, it is more than a spiritual journey. Daniel is all over the place, pieces of him. Cut up, mixed up. And he wants to be whole. I really feel for him. And this is remarkable because I really don't like violence and gore. Reading this book, I had to wade through a lot of it, up to the eyeballs, so to speak. Daniel's reality is like stepping into a holographic Picasso painting. One with agonised, distorted faces and bodies, and lots of glowing red and green, and sound effects. It is an unjust world. Daniel comes from the exploited underclass. The privileged live in the bubble, the underprivileged live in the gutter. The privileged feed off the underprivileged in many ways. Their society is so depraved that I almost want to describe it as "beyond belief". But I believed it. Because the concepts ring true. Imperfect people wanting to be perfect, androids wanting to be human, old people wanting to be young forever. And someone has to suffer for it.

There are many layers of meaning and irony in this book. Each reader will experience it through a different lens. I believe it is an important book that speaks to today's society on many levels. I appreciated the slivers of South African reality I picked up in the book, and I was amused by the direct transplanting of current and recent social media and popular culture references into this near-future world. It reminded me that although bizarre, this alternate reality is perhaps not that far-fetched - if not on a physical level, philosophically and politically.

I am very glad I read this - it challenged me and expanded my consciousness. An author to watch. Although I worry about anyone who can think up stuff like this.

I received a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Eric Jewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading an advance copy of the e-book. I will echo some of the other reviewers that Mr. Werbeloff is an author to watch. Possibly also for the authorities to watch, as his creative mind is definitely twisted. I have read several other pieces by him and it is consistently mind-stretching.

Daniel's quest is set up in such a way that the preposterous becomes inevitable. The gore is there, but mixed with the absurd or ironic, so that it is not off-putting, like Prokofiev juxtaposing grotesque and comic in his music. The plot progresses evenly, with side trips to shape other characters. The writing is colorful without being overblown. Part 1 is definitely part of a whole; plan on following with the rest or you will be disappointed with the "end of the episode" feel.

Werbeloff is one of the "tastiest" writers in this space; I heartily recommend reading him out loud, listening to an audio version, or at least focusing on the imagery in the text, even when not describing visuals. His topics may be a little too "adult" for a high school composition class, but they would be better writers for seeing, hearing, and tasting the possible.

[aubree · Rating 5 out of 5]

gruesomely beautiful. great world building, and a writing style that reminds me a lot of red rising. i think making it a trilogy was a mistake— one cohesive book would make the story more concise and keep the same tempo throughout the plot.

[Manami Amamiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a pre-release free copy of the e-book version in exchange for providing an honest review.

Defragmenting Daniel: The Organ Scrubber presents a future where the gulf between the rich and the poor has gotten significantly worse. While the rich live in a literal bubble (created from force-fields), the poor toil in the shadows outside of that bubble. At least some of the poor, mostly orphans from the orphanage, work processing human organs. And where do these organs come from? Many come from the poor orphans processing them. They receive generic replacement organs in their place, replacements that never work as well as the real organs they lose.

The rich bubble dwellers are the recipients of these organs, not only to replace failing organs, but also to freshen up the body, making them look and feel younger than they really are. Inside the bubble, lives are largely hedonistic with every vice available, from drugs to fulfillment of one's darkest fantasies. The contrast between what the poor endure outside the bubble and what the rich experience inside the bubble is nauseating.

That said, Defragmenting Daniel is a thrilling read. The characters are complex, and are well fleshed out. You quickly come to care for the titular Daniel, and hope he succeeds in his bloody quest to defragment himself. The story itself can be violent at times, but it all serves the narrative and never feels like gratuitous violence. One scene in particular quickly makes you lose all sympathy for one of Daniel's victims, and serves to showcase just how depraved the bubble dwellers can be.

I enjoyed every minute of the book, and am looking forward to the sequels. I can't wait to find out if Daniel will succeed in his quest, and how he'll go about doing so.

[Smitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance ebook copy of this book. This is my honest review. Daniel lives in a world in which orphans are the lowest members of society. The Elite members of this society live in the "bubble" and the rest live in what is called the Gutter. He has a job but, must still "donate" parts of his body in order to pay for his room and board in the orphanage. This is an interesting dichotomy because his job is to process 'donated' organs. He reaches the age of 18 and his world starts to change. He suffers from two deep longings wanting to know who his parents were and where his 'donated' body parts are. He feels incomplete. He hopes to locate all of his missing parts with the hope of having each of them re-implanted. So, his journey begins. Along the way Daniel meets people in both the Bubble and Gutter. He even meets an Android that wants to be human and does so by replacing her cybernetic parts with human parts. This presents an interesting contrast between the Android and Daniel since Daniel seeks to replace his cybernetic parts with his own original parts.

I read this book over a weekend. I often found it very hard to put down. The book often describes in great detail violent acts but it is not too gory. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a brilliant book! I love a brilliant book filled with gore, deception and intrigue. I really get that this book combined all of them, with a great hint of longing and passion.

I loved the way the author created an entire world with problems far greater than our own, but close enough for us to be able to connect with them. We could easily see our world heading in the same direction and it is that small possibility of a link that makes the book so easy to connect with.

I found the main character exceptional. There was a great amount of depth and personality, throughout the story. He truly gave you a feel for the longing he had, his need to solve his past and the fear and pain of living in the time and poverty he was. All of this created a character who was very rounded, very easy to understand and connect with, which made me want him to have everything he was looking for.

I thought the pace was perfect. It really brought out the lasting pain and longing in each character, the waiting and hoping for answers and kept me guessing and wondering just where things were going next.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

**I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Geneva Handleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sci-fi look at what could easily be our future. An orphan is used for his body parts and his labor as the rich abuse themselves and need replacement parts.

Seriously awesome book. a little slow to start, but got really interesting really fast. I am looking forward to picking up the rest of the trilogy. As an independent reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock, this one gets a firm four and a half hearts, the characters are interesting, the premise is scary as hell, and once the action picked up, it kept me turning pages!

[Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced ereader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jason Werbeloff is one of my favorite fresh sci-fi/horror writers and this book didn't disappoint. His stories are always imaginative, gruesome and populated by compelling characters that you can't help but root for. Heart and horror at the same time can be tricky to pull off, but he manages to do so quite deftly. I can't wait for the next installment in this series!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel has just turned eighteen. It is a significant day for him and serves to lift his expectations from the drudgery of organ scrubbing, a task he has performed for years, preparing harvested organs for rich recipients living in The Bubble. If these opening sentences have produced a disconnect in your mind, then welcome to yet another alternative reality envisioned by the fertile imagination of Jason Werbeloff.
Werbeloff’s previous works, The Solace Pill and Obsidian Worlds opened Weird Fiction readers to a harvest of new delights, and this latest series of books sees him develop his unique ideas on a larger canvas. Werbeloff has the ability to create speculative, futuristic worlds by observing trends in modern society and extrapolating them to horrific proportions. The resultant feel is similar to the excitement I felt from reading early 2,000 AD comics or Stephen King’s ‘Long Walk’ or ‘Running Man.’
So, back to the story. The future holds many luxuries if you live in The Bubble: Door to door hovering taxi service, 3D-printed meals, spectacles that give a continuous internet feed of information and analysis of the surrounding environment, walls that mould themselves into your every sensual desire; oh – and the extension of life through rapid organ transplant. Of course there has to be a supply for this ever increasing demand, and this is met by The Gutter. If you’re born the wrong side of the tracks then your body is destined for organ removal by degrees, just to meet payments for your continued existence. Your replacements are sub-standard artificial implants that leave your lungs wheezing for breath and your joints creaking like a pensioner’s.
On Daniel’s eighteenth birthday, he earns the right to discover his parent’s identity. Like so many of the lowly, he is an orphan. After several traumatic experiences he resolves to acquire his organs back. Only then can he feel whole once more. This path leads him into making ever darker decisions as he tracks down the recipients of his cornea, knee and a host of other organs and tissues he lost over the years.
As we follow Daniel’s journey, Werbeloff paints a dystopian world with the most succinct and visceral of descriptions. Take this for example:

“About a hundred yards into New Settlers Ways, the sweet stink of burning flesh competed with the smoke. Daniel remembered that smell from the operating theatre, when they’d removed his amygdala. But it was stronger here. Omnidirectional. As though the entire area were a seeping wound, and the sun its surgeon.”

Make no mistake, there are some deeply dark moments in this gripping read. From ‘Amputating Amy’s’ emporium (I won’t add any extra detail here, only the advice not to read this chapter on an empty stomach) to the dismal scenes from The Gutter, the reader is left in no doubt that a decent life expectancy is the preserve of the rich only.
Werbeloff’s characters are complex and quickly imprint themselves on the reader’s mind, whether they be Daniel’s friends, androids, incidental acquaintances or his nemesis. Speaking of which; Kage, a transgender investigator has a lifestyle that forms a photographic negative of Daniel. While our protagonist is looking to retrieve parts of his body, the antagonist is looking to exchange his as he aspires to metamorphose from his female body to that of an adonis.
All these ingredients make for a complex but not over-complicated plot. The ending leaves events at a junction of sorts, leaving the reader salivating for more in Fragment (Book) 2: The Face In A Jar, and fragment 3: The Boy Without A Heart.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have previously read several of Jason Werbeloff's novel Hedon and his short stories. Here in Defragmenting Daniel #1, he continues his exploration of philosophy via gory sci-fi. This time around he asks: what makes us alive, human, ourselves? Or are we really merely the sum of our parts? Daniel believes so. That's why he has to get them all back.

The book is full of set-ups for the rest of the trilogy, not to mention some smirk-generating ironic twists. I will therefore largely leave the storytelling to the story.

The Organ Scrubber is, first off, well written and immediately engaging. It's exceptionally and darkly funny without ever delving to the depths of a comedy book. It's first act establishes the particular palette of this dystopian portrait well. It's an idea rooted in Dick and Heinlein and, well, reality: in which Utopia is only Utopian for the rich and well-bred. Outside of the Bubble, the world is a still-smoking crater full of designated victims, scrambling for every meal while marketing executives slash them up for sport. And organs, of course. It also, like good satire should, presents the future as an irony-steeped present, one of invasive advertisements, body image issues, seemingly circular bureaucracy, police hunting criminals through Facebook.

For a book with no heroes - only different flavours of villain – Werbeloff does manage to care for, and make you care for, the characters. Daniel has been robbed of that which is dear to him: himself. His quest to recover his parts is noble, even if his body count is far from it. Those that help him on his way to the Emerald City-like Bubble are in turns two-dimensional but nuanced. They leave tales in their wake, like the true meaning of the Sect of Seven, and why the Holier-Than-Thou Bubblers are still willing to put their lives in Gutter hands. Margaret, the designated-android-at-birth woman, is sweet but simple and a worthy partner in Daniel's crime. Kage has made some poor, possibly illegal decisions in his career, but he is a good detective trying to get his life back on track.

It is the introduction of Kage that shows the skill in Jason Werbeloffs' writing. When Kage is around, the story turns from standard sci-fi into a cat-and-mouse detective tale. His story's seriousness meshes well with Daniel's farcical bumbling, as the net tightens around him. There are several kinds of story at work and they are perfectly pitched. For such a relentlessly gory book, it is interesting to see how Werbeloff can play the frequency of violence. As the reader, I can still tell shocking gore from hilariously bloody scenes and even - though a good world should not allow such a thing - mundane and everyday violence. I did have an issue with the latter, as I did with the final act of Hedon: reaching a threshold of darkness, after which the only emotion that can be emitted is exhaustion.

But my only real issue with the book is that it has thirteen chapters. One more would have made it two sevens. These things really matter.

[Carolyn Injoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Defragmenting Daniel: The Complete Trilogy by Jason Werbeloff Defragmenting Daniel: The Complete Trilogy by Jason Werbeloff is a fascinating, futuristic story about Daniel. I enjoyed it tremendously and highly recommend it.
 
Fragment 1 The Organ Scrubber by Jason Werbeloff is a mesmerizing, yet somewhat creepy book. I gave it five stars.
 
"After six years working in the Organ Farm, Daniel still didn’t know why it was green – the Rejek they pumped through the organs. They’d said something in class about photosynthesis. All Daniel knew for sure was that after you ran Rejek through an organ, it was good for transplant."
 
Even those who work with harvesting organs have had many of their own taken away.
 
"The knee was cybernetic, and you’d think it wouldn’t mind the cold. But ever since they’d harvested it when Daniel was nine, winters had been difficult. It was summer now, but the cold air in Administration wasn’t helping."
 
Daniel changed after they removed a segment of his brain. "He counted the full 49 seconds this time. Didn't feel the icy jets on his back. Daniel stood resolute against the arti spray. Even as the tears streaked down his cheeks, his mind tucked into itself. Numbed within a crease of a fold of a distant dream."
 
Fragment 2 The Face in a Jar picks up where The Organ Scrubber left off. Daniel is in a cab talking about boredom with the Helios taxi driver. "Like a fish'...said Daniel, staring out the window. 'A fish doesn't think about the water it swims in, because that's all it knows. It's been swimming in water all its life.'"
 
Daniel is on his way to Margaret, the android's apartment and describes it like this: "Twenty stories. The acrylic strap of the duffel carved vicious lines into his shoulder.
 
"Margaret was on the thirty-fourth.
 
"Daniel's lungs struggled in the stairwell's dust. He scrambled up the metal stairs, climbing above the rising dust cloud beneath him, but each footstep polluted the air more. The dust gnawed at his ankles. Clawed at his jeans."
 
Since Daniel now was aware the Bubble Police were after him, he made a bargain with Margaret to stay there. His next goal was to reclaim his own tongue.
 
Kage is a consultant detective determined to find the perpetrator of organ theft. He was talking to Una. "He couldn't stop. The words rushed out. They clung to the air for a moment, then seeped into Una's careful gaze. Words. Who knew they could be so heavy? But how light once spoken."
 
Fragment 3 The Boy Without a Heart
 
I received a complimentary kindle copy from the author. That did not change my opinion for this review.
 
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073RX6BF6

[Sleestak13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if John Waters wrote Science Fiction and dystopian fantasy?

Certainly, this is not your father’s Science Fiction. This may be, however, your crazy uncle’s Science Fiction. You know, the one that bricked that wall closed in the basement and we never saw the family cat again? Yes, him.

Those looking for the classic Sci-Fi and adventure literature of Burroughs and Verne, Clarke and Wells, A(simov) through Z(elazny) might scratch their heads and loosen their collars at Jason Werbeloff’s writings. There will be little of the White Hat punching out the 6 armed Space Alien thereby saving the screaming buxom beauty (also saving Mother Earth, but just as a side effect).

What you probably will find, however, is writing that is seemingly without boundaries, both physical and social. Werbeloff seems to be at ease bringing the cannibal to dinner, and letting the parents meet the sex-bot you took to prom.

Some might say that this style of writing falls into the “shock and gore for shock and gore’s sake” catagory, and they may be partially right. But all I know is that what I have read from him makes me think, and I tend to remember the characters and situations long after other books jumble together in my memory.

This first book in the “Defragmenting Daniel” trilogy, titled “The Organ Scrubber” deftly mashes the procedural “chase and catch” of Stephen King’s newest Bill Hodges series, the Utopian bureaucracy of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, and decadent commercialism of Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan graphic novels with the moral sensibilities from movies The Island and Boxing Helena.

Yes, all that. AND, I am fairly certain that this is at least partially inspired by The Wizard of Oz. I just can’t figure out at this point weather Dorothy and Toto (sorry, “Daniel and Odin”) will get to peek behind the curtain in Emerald City (whoops, Bubble City). I’ll stop there, because I don’t believe in spoiling things, but I will say that I am very interested in seeing just how far the OZ correlations go as I read on in books 2 and 3. I am definitely “all in” for this series.

Note: I have received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

[Gnondpom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is set in a society where class separation is extreme: the lowest class (Gutter people) not only serves the highest class (Bubble people) but even has to pay for their bad accommodation and food – for instance by mandatorily “donating” their organs. The main character, Daniel, is one of those low-class person who suddenly decides to take back what is his (the organs he’s been taken), whatever the consequences.

Daniel’s journey is fascinating, because it makes us discover more and more the dystopian universe he lives in, with all its contrast between the Gutter and the Bubble, and the excess committed by the Bubble people – perfectly legally. The various characters are well described and credible, which made me care for them. Even some of the Bubble people are lovable, despite or maybe because of their flaws – like the transgender detective who struggles to find his place. I must admit having a soft spot for the android characters, that are quite funny. In general, Jason Werbeloff's sense of humour allows the book to not be too heavy, even in such a terrible society. And it is a real page turner, I always wanted to know what would happen next.

One warning though: the descriptions are quite graphic at times, with gory details. So it is not for every audience, but if you don’t mind some gore that is well integrated in the universe, it shouldn’t deter you from reading this book.

As always with Jason Werbeloff, this story is at the same time disturbing and fascinating. His writing makes the reader uncomfortable, all the better to make them think. The universe is extreme but there are many parallels with our world that make it good food for thoughts, while also being entertaining.

This novel was a quick read, but it is only the first part of a trilogy. And while some trilogies are three different stories set in the same universe, this one feels more like three acts of the same big story. Which means that I’ll go and get the other two parts ASAP – and I’m looking forward to reading the rest!

I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[BookzBookzBookz · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Book Launch**

Mysterious author, Jason Werbeloff is at it again! With another book out, he's found a way to mystify and gross you out at the same time! Today he's exploding from about thirty-five (35) blogs, his newsletter, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, Barnes & Noble- everywhere with this fantastic, new release: Defragmenting Daniel, Fragment 1: The Organ Scrubber and it's just... Wow!

The story is of a dystopian society where those with money are seeking perfection. If an eye goes bad, they can purchase another one. If they broke a hip, they got a new one. If their lungs were damaged from smoking, they got new ones! Yeah- it's easy.
As long as there's someone out there willing to offer up their own.

The world is broken into two societies, the Bubbles and the Gutters. In a world where the elite can have anything they want is where you find Daniel. An orphan who's just turned sixteen. Instead of liking girls and getting his license, he's working in an organ plant on an assembly line. He scrubs organs, a disgusting process, for a living. He's been working since twelve and all he wants is a better life. A well-rounded life, like everyone else- but he's incomplete. He may never be whole again because in order to survive as a ward of the state, he's had to give up certain particulars, like the rest of the destitute . These particulars are what those who dwell in The Bubble desire.

It's only when he sets out to find his mother that he discovers what the world is really like...

*For the full book review: http://tinyurl.com/j8tyegk
**Book from author, Jason Werbeloff for an honest review.​

[Leah (White Sky Project) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy, graphic, horrific, awesome science fiction

At the heart of the story is Daniel - orphan, resident of the Gutter and organ scrubber. That is, he "cleans" organs with a green chemical called Rejek to make sure they're good to go as transpants for the upper class or the folks living in the Bubble. Daniel himself has been forced to "donate" some of his parts as payment for food and lodging at the Orphanage. When he turns 18, he finally sees his file and finds out who his parents are. His search for his folks makes him realize that he wants to be whole and wants his parts back. His mission leads him from the Gutter to the Bubble where he searches for those who now live with his parts so he can take them back by any means.

I read Jason Werbeloff's collection of stories, Obsidian World, and really loved it for all its craziness and weirdness and I was expecting more of the same with The Organ Scrubber. I was right and wrong at the same time. The Organ Scrubber is the same kind of crazy, weird, bizarre, horrific, graphic and out-of-this-world science fiction and it is also so much more. The whole thing is sick and ingenious and I love it.

This book really is something else. There are some truly horrifying concepts in this book, but it's intriguing, original and hard to put down. Jason Werboloff has a crazy mind and is a clever writer. I can't wait to read more of his work!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

[Taf Kadd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of the not yet released eBook in exchange for an honest review.
As always with Werbeloff, I was hooked from the beginning and read it in one sitting. And I instantly went to preorder Fragment 2 and 3 the moment I finished this Fragment 1...
The whole thing abounds with strange, macabre, gruesome, gory, interesting, funny details and ideas that make the world absolutely and frighteningly believable, in fact one of the more believable worlds ever:
Bubble people and Gutter people (Apartheid),
Bubble using Gutter for organs and body parts (organ trafficking) and Gutter leather for shoes, jackets, sofas, etc.,
Gutter orphans used to scrub organs having to pay their debts by "donating" organs,
Bubble existing in various phases ("realities") with frequency modulators used to pass from one phase to another,
Gore bars and Killing bars (both officially licensed),
clothes that fit themselves to the body size and can change look and colours,
a robot trying to become human by exchanging her parts with human parts,
a detective whose sex change did not go quite as planned

And one of my favourites: the police climbing all over a mountain of body parts in the limb pit ! (Had a hard time not to picture that one too clearly...)

Certainly not one for the faint of heart, although the gore and violence is never gratuitous but fits exceedingly well into this bleak dystopian future of our own world where Daniel has got every episode of "Law and Order" on a flash disk.

This is Werbeloff at his very best.

[Fred Bosman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic Werbeloff

As in most of his work, Werbeloff presents us in Defragmenting Daniel a shrill dystopia. The world is divided into the Bubble, where the elite lose themselves in unthinkable pleasures. The Gutter is where the exploited live.
Live in the Gutter is especially hard on the children. They have to perform slave labor and their organs are harvested for the Bubblers who waste their organs on drugs.
Daniel is one of these children. He has already 'donated' 7 body parts. When he turns 18 he sets himself a task: regaining all his original body parts. He wants to become whole again.
In the Bubble Daniel is not the only one with a quest. Everyone has his or her 'project alpha': to become what he/she really wants to be. The difference between them and Daniel is that they want to become someone else, Daniel wants to become his true self again.
Defragmenting Daniel is packed with ideas. Just when you think you can settle into the story, something utterly wild and unexpected happens.
Werbeloff uses a lot of gory details. But these are not what requires a strong stomach. The underlying ideas themselves are what is mist disturbing and unsettling.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly. There are however a few minuses. For one the description of how the Bubble works is hard to understand. Another minus is the use of current technologies like Facebook and Instagram, while the story takes place in a future at least a few decades from now.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book and was hooked. Werbeloff offers us a view into an unnerving and corrupt world centered around harvesting human body parts and organs. Though written from the perspective of an 18 year old boy, I was pleasantly surprised that the writing style was not juvenile, as often happens with teen fiction. The story has the perfect balance of horror without being excessively gory and left me feeling disturbed but wanting to know more. It's clear the author carefully constructed everything about this world with great thought. The story flows naturally from one outrageous and strange event to the next. I am planning on continuing the trilogy.

My only negative critique, and the reason I didn't give the book 5 stars, is that the story abruptly ends. It's as if the author wrote one big book and then chopped it into three pieces to make a trilogy. Even if you are writing a trilogy, each book needs an ending unto itself as well as an ending for the entire trilogy and I was so absorbed in the book that I didn't notice I was nearing the end. And then boom, it was over without any sense that something was wrapping up. However, don't let this dissuade you from reading the book - if you like stories about haunting, macabre alternate worlds, you will not be disappointed.

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel lives a grim, futile existence of endless work as an organ scrubber – flushing and preparing human organs slated for reuse by the wealthy and privileged. Orphaned at birth, Daniel grew up in The Orphanage with others in the same circumstances, selling his own organs as required to pay the high debt that even his meager existence incurs, replacing them with inferior cybernetic parts.

On his 18th birthday, he is entitled to receive the identification of his parents. Father unknown, but Daniel receives his birth mother’s name and last known address and leaves the relative safety and security of The Orphanage to find her. Along the way he discovers the fate of his mother and encounters people living outside the control of the known government. More importantly, Daniel decides he wants his own organs back.

Defragmenting Daniel: The Organ Scrubber is the first in of a trilogy by the talented Jason Werbeloff, and it is one heck of a beginning. Daniel's world comes to life, grim and horrific. Characters of a wide variety populate it and the action is non-stop. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the story!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I thought of 'Never Let Me Go', by Kazuo Ishiguro. But the donors here get cheaply 3D printed or mechanical organs in return for their donations, rather than just getting killed. That's not an improvement, it's so they can work every day. Then the story moves on, to show different parts of society. There are some absolutely gross scenes, some that are just grotesque, with some humour. There is satire about police brutality and inequality. I thought the idea of having little dials that varied the frequency of your experiences was original. Daniel is mainly a sympathetic character, though he does start having some problems once he's had a amygdala transplant. He turns 18 and leaves home, so there is some coming of age story. He starts out naive but his experiences are coarsening him. Kage is also a very interesting character. He is also pretty sympathetic, but his interests are diametrically opposed to Daniel's, so one of them will lose. I just want to read the second book to find out what happens next. Jason Werbeloff's writing is improving, it's smoother, while keeping the shock value and suspense.

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize it was a horror story! I don't LIKE horror! I finished reading it because it was a free book from the author, for which I thank him. It's too gory, and the description is so realistic, like in 3D, I couldn't stomach it. The plot is great, the story very credible. It's so realistic, reflecting a major problem of organ traffic in our days. The main character is a lost teen in search of parts of himself; humanity at its worst! I'm sorry to say this, but it's not my cup of tea and won't read the rest of the series. People who love horror, I recommend it, absolutely!
After been dreaming last night about this story, I would like to add some thoughts: it's not an actual horror story; actually, it's a very sensitive and emotional one. Daniel's life really affected me and felt great empathy. It's sad and mournful, cruel as in only rich people can be to better their own lives at the expense of the poor and orphans. And, I've decided that I'll give it a go and read the whole series, in the near future! (I still have to assimilate and digest this one first). The author has really nailed it! In all aspects! Congrats!

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The draw to read a free advanced e-copy of Jason Werbeloff’s “Defragmenting Daniel: The Organ Scrubber” was bigger than my fear of writing a fair and honest book review. Here goes...Loved it.

I’ve read “Falling for Q46F” more than once and wasn’t disappoint by this first book of the Defragmenting Daniel trilogy about Daniel and his missing parts. The first page had me hooked. I knew I was going to enjoy this journey. Reading every stolen moment I could find, the book was finished in sort order. Found two words new to me, lugubrious and petrichor which I looked up. Of course they were the perfect words in the perfect spots to economically show me the world Daniel lives in.

I can picture this world in my mind. With another reading I’ll be able to smell it. This peek at the natural extension of our current technology had me thinking of Ursula K LeGuin’s books and her exploration of society and people.

I'm planing to buy the paperback three book set as soon as possible. I just love holding a real book when I read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I will be honest - this book is seriously disturbing at times. As the title leads you to believe, we are dealing with internal organs. Lots and lots of internal organs - as well as their removal and insertion from one physical body to another. However, readers will soon discover as the story unfolds that the true heart of the tale is less about the organs themselves (or the bloody and hasty removal of them, which is often depicted in grisly and vivid detail), but more about the existential question at the heart of it: are we really more than just the sum of our parts?

This is a fast-paced and heart pounding visceral experience I have not had in some time. It starts off with the foot on the accelerator and does not let off until the end... I am eagerly anticipating diving into the next book in the series and will continue following the work of Mr. Werbeloff with eager anticipation.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel is an organ scrubber. He scrubs organs and makes sure they are healthy for use in transplantations for wealthy beings living in the Bubble. Daniel is the lowest of the low, an orphan, who lives in the Gutter.

This is 'Real life' mirrored on these fictional pages. The poor, disabled, and unwashed, ignored, exploited and starving. Giving a 'part' of themselves for food and a roof over their heads. The over privileged living in a different world, a different phase, always reaching for their idea of perfection with the help of others' bits. Unaware. Uncaring. Following like sheep.

This is another fabulous book, full of Werbeloff's trademark ingenuity. His wonderfully bizarre, yet grounded, imagination taking you kicking and screaming where you really don't want to go...nevertheless, you'll enjoy the ride and come back for more.

I received this copy from the author in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Bring on Books Two and Three!

[David Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is undoubtedly Werbeloff's strongest writing yet! I've read most of his published works and this one is the most entertaining. It's an engrossing dystopian science fiction tale of a class-based society where the rich take the organs of the poor in an effort to stay young and healthy. Certainly not for the squeamish! The plot centers on one of the citizens from the "Gutter" who decides to seek out and reclaim all the body parts that he was forced to sell in order to pay back his debts to the orphanage he calls home. The world-building is first-rate and there is a plethora of details that immerse the reader in the author's twisted imagination. This reminded me somewhat of the work of Philip K. Dick, which I would consider high praise indeed. I am very interested to see what happens to our protagonist in the second entry in the series. Note: I reviewed this book in exchange for an advance copy.

[Sandy Koullas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I will say about this book is that the pacing makes for very enjoyable light reading. My attention was held throughout, the story constantly moves forward, and there is still time enough to feel as if you have some acquaintance with the characters. Werbeloff also does an excellent job of building – if not quite suspense – certainly a strong sense of curiosity.
The dystopian world Werbeloff has created is in many ways all too believable. It is horrifying, gruesome, and disturbing. But Werbeloff’s delivery is also often surprisingly funny. Overall, the book is entertaining, thought-provoking, and unsettling. Well worth a read for anyone with an interest in sci-fi or horror. I look forward to the second instalment!
I received a free copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

[Cat_on_a_hot_tin_roof · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of 'The Organ Scrubber'by Jason Werbeloff for an honest review.

The first book in Mr Werbeloff's trilogy will appeal to the seasoned sci fi fan. it is a fast and action packed story of a Harry Potteresque anti-hero who wants to avenge an omnipresent mother figure. More deeply though it is an exploration of a young man's quest to find meaning and wholeness. A question we as a society must ask.

I found the characters to be well crafted. Kage is an especially wondrous creation. The kind of person one would expect to consider an evening spent in the company of Patrick Bateman, comparing business cards, a fun time to be had.

A truly enjoyable work by a fearless voice.

[Ava Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarrely intriguing! Had the fantastic opportunity to read this book as an advance copy for an honest review. So believe me when I say, this is the book for you if you like your fiction with heavy does of creativity. If you like out of the box thinking and a unique point of view-this is the book you should already have in your hands. The storyline keeps you captivated chapter after chapter, making you wonder what Daniel is going to do next. And as the world he lives in is slowly revealed - this bizarre and obscene world (speckled with hints of South African trivia) - you start to sympathize with what is turning into an anti-hero. As always expected of Jason Werbeloff's work, expect the unexpected!

[Ann Salmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the strangest book I have read in a long time, I did like it in a weird way and I would love him to get the rest of his organs back but what will he have to do to get them.

[Colleen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fresh read in to the world of fantasy. Rich with several world building 'galaxies', this book is seriously awesome.

It can get down right gory, VERY GORY! So if you don't like that, stop now.

I love the worlds the author created though I feel like this...well, you have to experience it for yourself!