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The Wakeful Wanderer's Guide to New New England & Beyond
In the parlor of the Lester Sunshine Inn, up the Hudson from the flooded remains of lower Manhattan, a man named Marto plans a unicycle ride through scenic New New England. Marto is a post-apocalyptic travel writer with a head full of implants. He live-posts his experiences to his fans, adding his own cheerleading style of historical and cultural context to the mix. His interconnected followers rarely go anywhere, preferring to view the world remotely, making Marto a curiosity.
Before he leaves the comfort of his home in Reverside, he meets a mysterious traveler named Helen who carries a secret message from his mother. Marto thought his mother and father were dead, and is abruptly flooded with memories of unfamiliar parents, throwing him into confusion. He pedals away, but his past and Helen catch up to him and he must choose to live a lie or go into exile.
Meanwhile, a storm is brewing back at home. A spy from a traditionalist enclave bent on reviving the good old days of pre-technological capitalist glory has infiltrated Reverside. She has the means to launch an attack that will break the bonds holding the interconnected humans together. If she is successful, Marto’s way of life will end. Little does she know how powerful her enemy has become.
The Wakeful Wanderer's Guide to New New England is the first in the Wakeful Wanderer's Guide series. It is a darkly humorous reflection of our changing world as our relationship with technology becomes increasingly intimate.
Before he leaves the comfort of his home in Reverside, he meets a mysterious traveler named Helen who carries a secret message from his mother. Marto thought his mother and father were dead, and is abruptly flooded with memories of unfamiliar parents, throwing him into confusion. He pedals away, but his past and Helen catch up to him and he must choose to live a lie or go into exile.
Meanwhile, a storm is brewing back at home. A spy from a traditionalist enclave bent on reviving the good old days of pre-technological capitalist glory has infiltrated Reverside. She has the means to launch an attack that will break the bonds holding the interconnected humans together. If she is successful, Marto’s way of life will end. Little does she know how powerful her enemy has become.
The Wakeful Wanderer's Guide to New New England is the first in the Wakeful Wanderer's Guide series. It is a darkly humorous reflection of our changing world as our relationship with technology becomes increasingly intimate.
- GenresScience Fiction
324 pages, ebook
Published May 18, 2018
12 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Jim Infantino
8 books10 followersJim Infantino grew up in the Manhattan of the 70s and 80s. He studied Philosophy moved to Boston to become a songwriter and busker. His songs have been featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. At the age of 52, after years of touring with his band, Jim got the inspiration for a story too large to fit into song and began writing his debut novel. He is currently working on the third book in the Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide series, a science fiction novelette, and a collection of short stories based in the Interconnected world of The Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide.
When not writing, Jim runs a web design company, plays with his band, writes code, teaches meditation, reads to his daughters, and drinks a lot of coffee.
When not writing, Jim runs a web design company, plays with his band, writes code, teaches meditation, reads to his daughters, and drinks a lot of coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 21, 2021
I really enjoyed this, and am now sad it's over (but looking forward to the rest of the series). There are lots of moving parts here, many (groups of) characters, and some Big Concepts. But that's only appropriate for a Wakeful Wanderer. Takes a while to settle into all that's happening and pick up on the tech and the associated terminology, but it's well worth it. Jim's a skilled songwriter, and for a debut novel, this definitely kept the attention of this picky reader.
May 24, 2023
The subtitle pretty much sums it up. It's solid, quite readable and thought-provoking.
And honestly, I welcome any excuse to throw money at Jim Infantino because of all the awesomeness he has already brought to this world. :)
And honestly, I welcome any excuse to throw money at Jim Infantino because of all the awesomeness he has already brought to this world. :)
October 23, 2018
Looking forward to Volume II of the Wakeful Wanderer series
It star ratings were more nuanced or animated, I would give this book an accelerating three stars building momentum to slam its way into five stars.
Having cut my singer-songwriter teeth in Boston in the late 90s, Jim and his Big Ego (the band) were known to me and any other wannabe who had their sites on making something approximating a living as a creative. He was a songwriter’s songwriter — someone we respected for his commitment to the craft. I never knew him personally, but I can’t claim an unbiased review as I SO want this to be an amazing ride for Jim.
As a novel, this book represents a solid if imperfect first attempt that has left me curious to learn more about this future crash-and-burn world and the augmented humans who inhabit it. The story takes its time unraveling, leaving me a little impatient especially in the early sections.
For me, I’m so glad to see someone explore the implications of Merit — this concept Jim has conceived of what a post-monetary economy look like and how it would work. This is an important idea that needs to be explored more deeply. For this reason alone, this novel is a worthwhile read.
For those fellow Neal Stephenson fans out there who revel in his 800+-page tomes, Jim’s writing is not quite there. But it’s a strong start to a deeper exploration. I’m interested enough in where this is going that I apparently just became the first person to support his Patreon page as he works on the series. I pledged $1.23 a month. Not much of anything, but if enough fans chip in a bit, we will get another novel sooner than later.
Some particulars that work well:
— There is nothing salacious in this novel. There are more sex-implying scenes than sex scenes. Just enough to get the point and tenor of it without being needlessly voyeuristic about it. I’m not a prude, but I do appreciate when the writing focuses on what is necessary for the story instead of pandering for attention.
— The writing is solid and clear. This is especially important in a sci-fi work that introduces new concepts like thexting (thought-driven messaging), Merit (point-based economy driven by need/desire-based giving and thanking), and human augmentation (both genetic and robotic).
— The context is compelling. This future world depicts a devolved but reimagined human social construct recovering from climate change and total economic collapse. Tribalism has taken root and we learn how these very different social structures either struggle to coexist or decimate the other. These are subjects that are, unfortunately, worth exploring now more than ever.
— The characters are well defined. I found myself understanding Marto’s head well enough to care about him. That’s definitely the most important achievement a writer hopes to attain for their central character.
Somethings that could work better:
– As I mentioned before, I found the pacing a little sluggish in the first hundred pages. It’s understandable as there was a lot to explain and a barely recognizable world to describe. While I appreciate Jim’s attempt to keep his writing spare and simple, I do think I would’ve enjoyed the ride a little bit more with some more colorful descriptions and action based explorations of this world.
— I’ve seen a number of novels use the mechanism of a Guidebook or historical reference to provide context for a new and unfamiliar world. If I were crafting this story, I think I would’ve tried to create a more entertaining voice for this narrative. As a travel writer, Marto is so careful and gentle in his writing. I would think that his readers would want him to be funnier and maybe a little goofier or opinionated.
— Overall, I could have used a little more humor in the read. It would make the darker moments seem darker to have laughed a few times.
Overall, I’m impressed with this first novel. It is a brave thing to invest so much in a single piece of work that requires a stranger to commit hours of their attention to a single thread. This book lays the foundation for a compelling series. I’d recommend that Jim create the next one with a postscript explainer or synopsis of the first novel so someone could jump right in at the second one. I know it’s going to be even better and I don’t want folks to miss it!
It star ratings were more nuanced or animated, I would give this book an accelerating three stars building momentum to slam its way into five stars.
Having cut my singer-songwriter teeth in Boston in the late 90s, Jim and his Big Ego (the band) were known to me and any other wannabe who had their sites on making something approximating a living as a creative. He was a songwriter’s songwriter — someone we respected for his commitment to the craft. I never knew him personally, but I can’t claim an unbiased review as I SO want this to be an amazing ride for Jim.
As a novel, this book represents a solid if imperfect first attempt that has left me curious to learn more about this future crash-and-burn world and the augmented humans who inhabit it. The story takes its time unraveling, leaving me a little impatient especially in the early sections.
For me, I’m so glad to see someone explore the implications of Merit — this concept Jim has conceived of what a post-monetary economy look like and how it would work. This is an important idea that needs to be explored more deeply. For this reason alone, this novel is a worthwhile read.
For those fellow Neal Stephenson fans out there who revel in his 800+-page tomes, Jim’s writing is not quite there. But it’s a strong start to a deeper exploration. I’m interested enough in where this is going that I apparently just became the first person to support his Patreon page as he works on the series. I pledged $1.23 a month. Not much of anything, but if enough fans chip in a bit, we will get another novel sooner than later.
Some particulars that work well:
— There is nothing salacious in this novel. There are more sex-implying scenes than sex scenes. Just enough to get the point and tenor of it without being needlessly voyeuristic about it. I’m not a prude, but I do appreciate when the writing focuses on what is necessary for the story instead of pandering for attention.
— The writing is solid and clear. This is especially important in a sci-fi work that introduces new concepts like thexting (thought-driven messaging), Merit (point-based economy driven by need/desire-based giving and thanking), and human augmentation (both genetic and robotic).
— The context is compelling. This future world depicts a devolved but reimagined human social construct recovering from climate change and total economic collapse. Tribalism has taken root and we learn how these very different social structures either struggle to coexist or decimate the other. These are subjects that are, unfortunately, worth exploring now more than ever.
— The characters are well defined. I found myself understanding Marto’s head well enough to care about him. That’s definitely the most important achievement a writer hopes to attain for their central character.
Somethings that could work better:
– As I mentioned before, I found the pacing a little sluggish in the first hundred pages. It’s understandable as there was a lot to explain and a barely recognizable world to describe. While I appreciate Jim’s attempt to keep his writing spare and simple, I do think I would’ve enjoyed the ride a little bit more with some more colorful descriptions and action based explorations of this world.
— I’ve seen a number of novels use the mechanism of a Guidebook or historical reference to provide context for a new and unfamiliar world. If I were crafting this story, I think I would’ve tried to create a more entertaining voice for this narrative. As a travel writer, Marto is so careful and gentle in his writing. I would think that his readers would want him to be funnier and maybe a little goofier or opinionated.
— Overall, I could have used a little more humor in the read. It would make the darker moments seem darker to have laughed a few times.
Overall, I’m impressed with this first novel. It is a brave thing to invest so much in a single piece of work that requires a stranger to commit hours of their attention to a single thread. This book lays the foundation for a compelling series. I’d recommend that Jim create the next one with a postscript explainer or synopsis of the first novel so someone could jump right in at the second one. I know it’s going to be even better and I don’t want folks to miss it!
April 10, 2020
This book was strange, innovative, and had depth. A satisfying read!
What I particularly liked was that there was no clear resolution of the issues the writer puts forward: we don't reach a decision of what the best societal system is, although all the pros and cons of the different systems in his partly dystopian post-apocalyptic Earth are discussed. We know what's better, but we are also given to understand that human constructs aren't perfect, and what about AI? This grey approach (instead of the black-and-white approach people favor these days) is very much to my liking. The dangers of interconnectedness are discussed together with its merits. This book is fiction outwardly, but really it's a disquisition on societal systems.
Minus one star for faulty editing. Sometimes the paragraphs were clunky, consisting of short sentences of the same structure, like "he did, he thought, he felt, he went", which I wasn't sure was intentional. I can just see that it *might* be intentional, in which case it would fit with the videogame feel I got from this book at times. But in combination with the occasional misspellings, dangling modifiers and the near-elimination of the past perfect tense (one of my pet peeves–tenses exist for a reason!) I was just a little bit too irritated to give the book a perfect score.
What I particularly liked was that there was no clear resolution of the issues the writer puts forward: we don't reach a decision of what the best societal system is, although all the pros and cons of the different systems in his partly dystopian post-apocalyptic Earth are discussed. We know what's better, but we are also given to understand that human constructs aren't perfect, and what about AI? This grey approach (instead of the black-and-white approach people favor these days) is very much to my liking. The dangers of interconnectedness are discussed together with its merits. This book is fiction outwardly, but really it's a disquisition on societal systems.
Minus one star for faulty editing. Sometimes the paragraphs were clunky, consisting of short sentences of the same structure, like "he did, he thought, he felt, he went", which I wasn't sure was intentional. I can just see that it *might* be intentional, in which case it would fit with the videogame feel I got from this book at times. But in combination with the occasional misspellings, dangling modifiers and the near-elimination of the past perfect tense (one of my pet peeves–tenses exist for a reason!) I was just a little bit too irritated to give the book a perfect score.
July 20, 2021
The Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide to New England and Beyond is a post-apocalyptic take on a travelogue. Our protagonist, Marto, is rather unusual in that he is not content to use the cybernetic implant in his brain to experience the world. He is a travel writer, and the book starts with him prepping for one his jaunts across what’s left of the Northeast. Getting ready looks a bit different for Marto than it would for us because his Mert is highly ranked. And Marto’s travels and the exploration of Merit are where this book truly shines.
Infantino obviously did his homework in regards to this new economic system of Merit. Marto provides a service that many people appreciate, so he is ‘gifted’ almost anything he wants due to his high rating. But as he explores, we see how this new economic system has winners and losers, and what the implications are for those not living with the cybernetic implants that predicate Merit. The details of the Merit system are fascinating, and I found myself thinking about it long after finishing the book.
We also get to explore the minds of those clinging to power, who are disgusted with these ‘xombies’ with the goo in their brains. They are not content to let the xombies continue their expansion, and mount an attack in the climax of the book that turns everything upside down.
I really enjoyed this book, and the exploration of how a different ‘merit-based’ economy might look like. There were a few issues with the pacing regarding the antagonists, but honestly it wasn’t much of a concern for me, because I found Marto’s travels so enthralling. The Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide to New England and Beyond is a great read for those who can the flaws in our capitalist system, but know better than to think there’s a perfect replacement. Read it, then rate me highly for this review, and increase my Merit!
Four out of Five Stars
Infantino obviously did his homework in regards to this new economic system of Merit. Marto provides a service that many people appreciate, so he is ‘gifted’ almost anything he wants due to his high rating. But as he explores, we see how this new economic system has winners and losers, and what the implications are for those not living with the cybernetic implants that predicate Merit. The details of the Merit system are fascinating, and I found myself thinking about it long after finishing the book.
We also get to explore the minds of those clinging to power, who are disgusted with these ‘xombies’ with the goo in their brains. They are not content to let the xombies continue their expansion, and mount an attack in the climax of the book that turns everything upside down.
I really enjoyed this book, and the exploration of how a different ‘merit-based’ economy might look like. There were a few issues with the pacing regarding the antagonists, but honestly it wasn’t much of a concern for me, because I found Marto’s travels so enthralling. The Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide to New England and Beyond is a great read for those who can the flaws in our capitalist system, but know better than to think there’s a perfect replacement. Read it, then rate me highly for this review, and increase my Merit!
Four out of Five Stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2020
A stunning exploration of humanity amidst technology, this book is extremely well written and well devloped. The characters were fun to read (and Marto is definitely my favourite). I think this book will be one that lasts through the ages.
November 21, 2024
A thought-provoking and well-written story. Although the world it's set in is complicated, the author does an excellent job helping the reader to acclimate to the complex climate. I originally read this on Wattpad, and I'm happy to say the published version is just as engaging, if not more so. Well done, Jim!
April 10, 2019
Guilty Pleasure!
The multi-voiced unfolding of a possible future was crafted in a compelling fashion. I finished in a few sessions and look forward to future adventures of the Wakeful Wanderer.
I admit that I felt a little guilty reading the book on a device, though!
The multi-voiced unfolding of a possible future was crafted in a compelling fashion. I finished in a few sessions and look forward to future adventures of the Wakeful Wanderer.
I admit that I felt a little guilty reading the book on a device, though!
December 1, 2018
love! can't wait for the next installment...
November 19, 2020
Wow, and that is a good thing...
I would hate to put this book into any one category, from the description and other reviews you will get the idea. It is the best mix of many of them with a real originality that gets harder to find this day and age. It is an opening salvo in what will be more, extending the story while helping fill in more of the details, more of the context. You get to wander with the book, be surprised, and intuitively understand while being amazed at then creativity all at the same time. Please read!
I would hate to put this book into any one category, from the description and other reviews you will get the idea. It is the best mix of many of them with a real originality that gets harder to find this day and age. It is an opening salvo in what will be more, extending the story while helping fill in more of the details, more of the context. You get to wander with the book, be surprised, and intuitively understand while being amazed at then creativity all at the same time. Please read!
October 30, 2025
The Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide to New New England & Beyond isn’t just a post apocalyptic journey, it’s a mirror held up to the future we’re sleepwalking into. Marto’s unicycle ride through the remnants of civilization feels strangely intimate, especially that quiet scene at the Lester Sunshine Inn when Helen’s message cracks open everything he thought he knew about his past. Jim Infantino weaves technology, memory, and humanity with a kind of lyrical wit that makes you both laugh and ache. It’s rare to find a story that’s this intelligent and this full of heart.
November 27, 2021
A great imagining of a connected future, and the possible advantages and disadvantages. Very convincing in the way the world is described. Sometimes thoughts and emotions of the characters are over-explained, when we can see it from the context, which can be a little tiring.
December 14, 2018
Interesting post-apocalypse world building. Reminds me somewhat of The Fifth Sacred Thing updated for technophiles and generally stronger human relationship with social internet connectivity.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews