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Conscience
Utopia comes with a price.
Rory Bennels lives in a world ruled by a business entity known as the Corporation. For years he’s executed cerebral uploads for the recently deceased, but when the famed anarchist Epher Lore ends up in his lab, a series of events occur that shakes Rory’s world to the core.
Rory Bennels lives in a world ruled by a business entity known as the Corporation. For years he’s executed cerebral uploads for the recently deceased, but when the famed anarchist Epher Lore ends up in his lab, a series of events occur that shakes Rory’s world to the core.
- GenresDystopiaShort Stories
37 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 27, 2020
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Pongratz
8 books219 followersJonathan Pongratz is a writer and author of action-packed horror, scifi, and other speculative fiction stories. His bold characters are resilient against the sinister and mysterious forces confronting them, but in real life Jonathan is afraid of bees, attics, and large bodies of water. Let’s face it. Jonathan wouldn’t last five minutes in one of his dark tales.
Visit him at www.jonathanpongratz.com.
Visit him at www.jonathanpongratz.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 26, 2020
I've been a science fiction fan since before I hit double digits in age, and I read across the board in the genre. As a fan of this author's horror novella, I was immediately interested in checking out his venture into sci-fi.
Cerebral upload isn't a new concept to me, but the author puts a different spin on it. What happens when the upload is from a wanted anarchist who has repeatedly eluded authorities and is accidentally transferred into a robot?
Rory is a follow-the-rules type of guy who's just keeping his head down and doing his job, but then everything he believes about his world changes almost in the blink of an eye. He's forced to make a quick decision that will forever alter his life, and you'll cheer him on until the last page.
Although this is a quick story, the author does a wonderful job with character development, and there's plenty of action to go along with it. If you're a sci-fi/dystopian fan, I highly recommend this novella. I'd be interested in seeing what happens next to these characters.
I was an early reader of this novella and received a complimentary copy from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Cerebral upload isn't a new concept to me, but the author puts a different spin on it. What happens when the upload is from a wanted anarchist who has repeatedly eluded authorities and is accidentally transferred into a robot?
Rory is a follow-the-rules type of guy who's just keeping his head down and doing his job, but then everything he believes about his world changes almost in the blink of an eye. He's forced to make a quick decision that will forever alter his life, and you'll cheer him on until the last page.
Although this is a quick story, the author does a wonderful job with character development, and there's plenty of action to go along with it. If you're a sci-fi/dystopian fan, I highly recommend this novella. I'd be interested in seeing what happens next to these characters.
I was an early reader of this novella and received a complimentary copy from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
August 21, 2020
This is a wonderful SciFi/Dystopian short story that has excellent character development and a lush world that you want to explore more of. What is creepy about this story is how you can see where, if we are not careful, this world could come to be. In fact, I’m sure there are people out there who would argue that we are already there. You can’t help but cheer on and care for the main character. This is an outstanding attribute of the author Jonathan Pongratz, he can suck you in with his incredible characters within the first few paragraphs of his story, which is needed for a short story.
I can see this short story easily adapted to Netflix or Hulu as a series.
I can see this short story easily adapted to Netflix or Hulu as a series.
December 20, 2020
Review:
I love SciFi. It is probably my second favorite genre and this year, I’ve been particularly invested in short stories. So, when the opportunity to review Conscience by Johnathan Pongratz came about, I jumped at the opportunity.
What is amazing to me is that this author was able to pack a scifi story into a short story. Upu typically think of scifi and fantasy as these epic novels, and in this case, this was an epic short story! I was on the edge of my seat. The adrenaline rush was real.
The only downside is that I want more. And I wouldn’t really call that a downside! Easy five stars. So glad I could read this one. Highly recommended for SciFi lovers!
Rating:
5/5☆
*I received a free copy of this book from R&R Book Tours in exchange for an honest review on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
I love SciFi. It is probably my second favorite genre and this year, I’ve been particularly invested in short stories. So, when the opportunity to review Conscience by Johnathan Pongratz came about, I jumped at the opportunity.
What is amazing to me is that this author was able to pack a scifi story into a short story. Upu typically think of scifi and fantasy as these epic novels, and in this case, this was an epic short story! I was on the edge of my seat. The adrenaline rush was real.
The only downside is that I want more. And I wouldn’t really call that a downside! Easy five stars. So glad I could read this one. Highly recommended for SciFi lovers!
Rating:
5/5☆
*I received a free copy of this book from R&R Book Tours in exchange for an honest review on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*
August 13, 2020
I had the privilege of reading and advanced copy of Conscience this month, and I couldn't be happier with it. Pongratz has created another wild world of speculative fiction, this one far in the future with AI, dystopian governments, and advanced cybernetics. It is COOL. The antagonists take their place among the most despotic of science fiction villains--think the government goons in Firefly and you'll get the feel--and the reader desperately wants Rory to win. The premise itself is interesting in its own right, with a young lab tech accidentally uploading someone's conscience into a robot. It's a fast read, but a good one, and I highly recommend it.
September 1, 2020
4.5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ecopy via R&R Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
I don't read a whole lot of science fiction books because they typically go over the top with the science aspect and it usually goes over my head. That was not the case with this short story though. While there is talk of the science side I never felt like I needed to skim through the story.
Also short stories are typically hit and miss for me because it's hard to convey a whole story in a short amount of pages that pulls me in. Again that's not the case here. I was immediately drawn and I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome and I was a little emotional in the end which I didn't expect at all.
For what this is it was freaking amazing. The author gave me everything I wanted however I loved it so much that I wanted to know more. I wanted the back story on the world and the characters and I wanted to know the after of what happened in this book. basically I just wasn't ready for the story to be over. For that reason I am giving it 4.5 stars but again for what it is it's amazing.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ecopy via R&R Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.
I don't read a whole lot of science fiction books because they typically go over the top with the science aspect and it usually goes over my head. That was not the case with this short story though. While there is talk of the science side I never felt like I needed to skim through the story.
Also short stories are typically hit and miss for me because it's hard to convey a whole story in a short amount of pages that pulls me in. Again that's not the case here. I was immediately drawn and I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome and I was a little emotional in the end which I didn't expect at all.
For what this is it was freaking amazing. The author gave me everything I wanted however I loved it so much that I wanted to know more. I wanted the back story on the world and the characters and I wanted to know the after of what happened in this book. basically I just wasn't ready for the story to be over. For that reason I am giving it 4.5 stars but again for what it is it's amazing.
June 18, 2022
This was a well-written short that explored what it means to be human, as well as what it means to be dehumanized for the "collective good." I enjoyed the lingo and the well-paced balance between exposition, action, and tension.
May 8, 2022
The story gripped me instantly and held me tight till the end. Would that there was more of it! Yet, it works brilliantly as it is.
August 27, 2020
Holy uploaded brainwaves, Batman! This story was amazing. It's got an evil enterprise, it's got people fighting against mind control, it's got brain uploads into robots, it's got action, and it's even got a touch of romance.
It's a long short story, but it's so perfectly paced that those pages just fly by. The action scenes truly make you feel like you're there. The dialogue is engaging. And the whole concept of the story plays out perfectly.
It's a long short story, but it's so perfectly paced that those pages just fly by. The action scenes truly make you feel like you're there. The dialogue is engaging. And the whole concept of the story plays out perfectly.
November 19, 2020
In this science fiction short story, Epher, the leader of the Free Thinkers is dead. The Corporation has the rebel’s body in their lab, and Rory Bennel’s job is to conduct a cerebral upload of Epher’s mind into data storage. When things go wrong, Rory makes a frantic adjustment, and the next thing he knows, he’s on the run.
This is an entertaining story of a brutal governing corporation, the manipulation of the masses, and the power of one person to make a difference. The story moves at a quick pace with a cohesive plot and empathetic characters. Recommended to readers of sci-fi short stories.
This is an entertaining story of a brutal governing corporation, the manipulation of the masses, and the power of one person to make a difference. The story moves at a quick pace with a cohesive plot and empathetic characters. Recommended to readers of sci-fi short stories.
August 27, 2020
Pongratz has created a world in which technology rules over humankind, and most individuals seem complacent to leave the status quo as is - rocking the proverbial boat is frowned upon. And complacency is expected - human emotions are discouraged. However, as with any dictatorship/overlord type situations, there are bound to be those who actively fight against the regime and an even larger number of those who question their lot in life.
And here's where we find our main character, Rory, caught between an internal battle between being a good citizen, and struggling to assert his own individuality.
The short is an entertaining read of about an hour or so, but it's not light-hearted. Given the current state of our world, and the serious and hard swing to Right-Centered politics and beliefs, and given that globally we've become dependant upon the internet and our handheld devices, there are some striking parallels between Pongratz's short and our own lots in life. One could even say this was a cautionary tale of things to come for the human race.
I had the opportunity to read this as a beta reader, and for those of you who don't know what that is - it's assisting the author by reading the work in a near-finished state. I was able to weigh in on points throughout the story and pick the author's brain. It's an interesting exercise and I would encourage anyone who had the opportunity to jump all over it, dive in, and rip your way through the story.
I would have loved to see more development in this world. I desperately wanted to know how society got to where they were and was it social media that took them down? Was there an all-encompassing app that everyone downloaded that started the dystopian nightmare? But despite wanting more, the author was steadfast on their decision to maintain the story length as a short. And in some ways, I have to agree.
Conscience is a haunting look into the possibility of our own future, and the questions it makes you ask about how and why made me evaluate our current society.
I think we're headed down the wrong path, and right into a dystopian technological horror.
Read this and prove me wrong.
Well done.
And here's where we find our main character, Rory, caught between an internal battle between being a good citizen, and struggling to assert his own individuality.
The short is an entertaining read of about an hour or so, but it's not light-hearted. Given the current state of our world, and the serious and hard swing to Right-Centered politics and beliefs, and given that globally we've become dependant upon the internet and our handheld devices, there are some striking parallels between Pongratz's short and our own lots in life. One could even say this was a cautionary tale of things to come for the human race.
I had the opportunity to read this as a beta reader, and for those of you who don't know what that is - it's assisting the author by reading the work in a near-finished state. I was able to weigh in on points throughout the story and pick the author's brain. It's an interesting exercise and I would encourage anyone who had the opportunity to jump all over it, dive in, and rip your way through the story.
I would have loved to see more development in this world. I desperately wanted to know how society got to where they were and was it social media that took them down? Was there an all-encompassing app that everyone downloaded that started the dystopian nightmare? But despite wanting more, the author was steadfast on their decision to maintain the story length as a short. And in some ways, I have to agree.
Conscience is a haunting look into the possibility of our own future, and the questions it makes you ask about how and why made me evaluate our current society.
I think we're headed down the wrong path, and right into a dystopian technological horror.
Read this and prove me wrong.
Well done.
August 30, 2020
Conscience is a great quick read that will send shivers down your spine. I don't know how to express just how creepy this story is. With the way corporations are gaining more and more power, and the way technology is advancing, it's not hard to imagine this being a glimpse into our future. The story may be short but it has plenty of depth with great character development.
November 4, 2020
A lovely romp into a cyber world full of possibilities. The characters are well developed in this short story and the plot is a page turner. I think this book could easily be expanded upon, the story line is fascinating. If you’re looking for a quick read that’s fun and engaging, this is it!
I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 27, 2020
Excellent
Great sci fi short story.
In a future world, Rory Bennels is tasked with uploading the memories of recently dead anarchist, Epher Lore, but things don’t go as expected.
I love stories about corrupt regimes and those who fight against them. It’s a staple of science fiction for a good reason.
The story is full of action and well paced. Rory is a good character and I was surprised at the level of emotion I felt at the end of the story.
Highly recommended.
Great sci fi short story.
In a future world, Rory Bennels is tasked with uploading the memories of recently dead anarchist, Epher Lore, but things don’t go as expected.
I love stories about corrupt regimes and those who fight against them. It’s a staple of science fiction for a good reason.
The story is full of action and well paced. Rory is a good character and I was surprised at the level of emotion I felt at the end of the story.
Highly recommended.
November 2, 2020
I really wanted to love this (and it seems from the reviews that others do). However, for me, this didn't hit the mark as a short story and just left me feeling a bit lost.
Basically, there's a great setup here with a dystopian world that holds a lot of potential. Then the story itself is packed with action and flows smoothly and quickly. Sounds great, but there's a problem (for me). There's just too much here. The backstory is very complex and we, as readers, are given a lot of snippets of information that build understanding of that. However, the short story then plays out...and ends. I was left with a feeling of disappointment because I'd begun trying to piece together the world in which this is set, and the storyline gave a lot of suggestion as to what was to follow. So it was confusing when the story ended and obviously none of this had been further explained or explored. I did a quick search wondering if this is merely an introductory novella to a series as that was more the feel I got from it. Either that or it's a fantastic first chapter. As a stand-alone, it didn't work for me.
It is a good story. It is well-written. I think I hated every character (personality-wise) but that's not always a bad thing. It just, for me, didn't work in this format.
If you are into short stories with lots of action and some interesting themes, then maybe give it a go. The world would be very dull if we all liked the same thing!
Basically, there's a great setup here with a dystopian world that holds a lot of potential. Then the story itself is packed with action and flows smoothly and quickly. Sounds great, but there's a problem (for me). There's just too much here. The backstory is very complex and we, as readers, are given a lot of snippets of information that build understanding of that. However, the short story then plays out...and ends. I was left with a feeling of disappointment because I'd begun trying to piece together the world in which this is set, and the storyline gave a lot of suggestion as to what was to follow. So it was confusing when the story ended and obviously none of this had been further explained or explored. I did a quick search wondering if this is merely an introductory novella to a series as that was more the feel I got from it. Either that or it's a fantastic first chapter. As a stand-alone, it didn't work for me.
It is a good story. It is well-written. I think I hated every character (personality-wise) but that's not always a bad thing. It just, for me, didn't work in this format.
If you are into short stories with lots of action and some interesting themes, then maybe give it a go. The world would be very dull if we all liked the same thing!
May 25, 2021
Conscience was a short science fictions story. It was light and easy to read, with a fairly simple premise. Rory is in charge of uploading the brainwave activity of criminals after they die to a main server for analysis. With Epher though, a criminal of special interest to the government, he accidently uploads his brain into an android. Epher then shows him the evil of the current regime and he switches side immediately and they race against time to get this information out to the public before they are caught.
This has a really interesting premise. Uploading brain activity to a server? Cool! However the book as whole was too short and the world not fleshed out, I wanted to know more! Also the protagonist switched sides too easily to be convincing and it all wrapped up too quickly.
The writing was good and easy too read. I just wish it were longer.
I received a free copy of this via book funnel in exchange for my review.
This has a really interesting premise. Uploading brain activity to a server? Cool! However the book as whole was too short and the world not fleshed out, I wanted to know more! Also the protagonist switched sides too easily to be convincing and it all wrapped up too quickly.
The writing was good and easy too read. I just wish it were longer.
I received a free copy of this via book funnel in exchange for my review.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews