Printed People

by Dean C. Moore

Come face to face with the breakaway science that spreads humanity throughout the solar system in record time, from its humble beginnings as a means to rescue one man from locked-in syndrome, so he could pursue his lady love.

The Printed People technology rapidly finds many other applications, all alarming.

But none so much as the birth of a solar system empire and war machine—as much the greatest purveyor of peace and enlightenment ever, as of wanton death and destruction.

Meet Elektra, a product of CRISPR engineering with a four-digit IQ, the general in command of the space fleet that goes toe-to-toe with far more evolved alien empires—even as the solar system infrastructure is still being set up.

Meet the Printed People and androids who will hold both the Athenian, peace-loving, and the Spartan, war-loving factions together.

And meet the detectives who unravel the mysteries whose hidden truths neither side wants found out.

Get your copy today. No need to wait for the sequels as each story in the series is a stand-alone book with a full story arc.

***

“A pageant of poignant characters painted on a canvas of epic scope—not unlike those Napoleonic paintings that fill an entire wall in a museum, with just one chair in the room from which to sit a while and take it all in.” –anonymous reviewer

OTHER SPACE OPERAS BY THE AUTHOR:

THE STAR GATE (SPACE COWBOYS 1)
MOVING EARTH (SPACE COWBOYS 2)

OTHER MILITARY SCI-FI:

MIND OF A CHILD: SENTIENT SERPENTS (OMEGA FORCE AND ALPHA UNIT, BOOK 1). THE SPACE COWBOYS SERIES WAS SPUN OFF FROM THIS.
MIND BENDER (IT TAKES TWO, BOOK 1)

1993 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 17, 2021

About the author

While action-packed sci-fi/techno-thrillers set in the near future are my forte, I also stray into other genres from time to time, such as space operas, paranormal fantasy, and detective stories. All my novels can be described as action-thrillers, no matter the sub-genre.

You can sample my writing with a free sci-fi e-book set in the near future by visiting my website https://deancmoore.com and signing up for my email list.

I live in the country where I breed bluebirds, which are endangered in these parts, as my small contribution to restoring nature's balance. When I'm not writing, or researching my next book, I may also be found socializing with friends, or working in the garden.

If you'd like to know what compels me to write, it's simple. I write as a force for peace. Fiction has a way of engaging our whole minds, not just our intellects, but various layers of our conscious, superconscious, and unconscious. Novels also encourage our left and right cerebral hemispheres to get in sync and, with just enough magic and wizardry, can help to transform people into more enlightened souls (the writer included) better than a hundred years of therapy or rational arguments to the same ends.

I've remained a lifelong student of philosophy, spirituality, psychology, science, and the arts.

Mark Freeman Enterprises (MFE) is my company. I sometimes publish under that label or simply under Amazon Digital Services.

Reviews

[Norman Hirschman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read. Satire plus in any classes making me fall over in laughter. The plat is amazing and I congradulate the author on his amazing use of technoligy in presenting an incredible , imaginable future.Well written and well worth the time to read.

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars--PRINTED PEOPLE is an adult, sci-fi, space opera by Dean C Moore that focuses on the fall-out of one brilliant but mad man’s desire to reunite with the woman he once loved but in doing so set into motion a series of events that would result in a catastrophic, universal tsunami of death and destruction.

Told in eleven acts, following several time lines, using intersecting and connected paths PRINTED PEOPLE focuses on immortality in the form of ‘ printed people’. In the early twenty-first century, genius Gunter Friq designed bioprinters that could be configured to ‘print’ hybrid lifeforms both silicon and carbon, in which one’s mind could be uploaded for a longer if not immortal life but Gunter’s earlier trials were a disastrous failure, claiming the lives of a billion people in a matter of days. In an effort to stop Gunter Friq, and the future fall-out of an inter-stellar war, womb-crawler, CRISPR modified warrior, engineered and omnipotent Elektra returns to the past to warn Bella, her younger self, that all is not well in the distant future, and the future of the universe is in the literal hands of two humans who must uncover the truth, and stop a madman before he destroys the world.

PRINTED PEOPLE is a complex, detailed and lengthy ‘space opera’ with a very large cast of characters including the 1000 IQ or four-dij wizards of brilliance and genius: a tale of technology, physiology, biology and of philosophical conundrums but moreso a look at the sociological theory of ever evolving interactions and patterns at both the macro and micro levels. PRINTED PEOPLE prompts the reader to ask questions of how, why or should we, resulting in a conflict between worlds in a war for power and control. Sentience, or consciousness not only of the biological but of the silicon based lifeforms, AI, avatars, spaceships, otherwordly aliens, the ether and more. By referencing historical philosophers, mathematicians, geniuses (including Elon Musk), PRINTED PEOPLE asks the question …what if?

Prepare to have your mind blown…

My only complaint is the overall length of book one. I think perhaps a three-part trilogy may have been easier to digest than all at once.

www.thereadingcafe.com

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of action, humor, ideas, concepts and philosophies in this Science Fiction Space Opera, and a lot of fun people to boot!

We follow the key players in this ascension wave, expanding outward from earth. Ascendancy of what? Technological, biological, spiritual? The author combines them all, including time-lines, godhood and darkness, reincarnation and modern gestation in biological, carbon- or silicon based printers to generate upgrades, tweaked lifeforms and clones. Intelligence and plans versus spontaneity and unpredictability. Does technology lead us away from our spiritual development. Does it lead humanity to be less connected to itself. Or only parts of it, that lead to a totally controlled or supervised life, and then who does the controlling? Friends or foes, which group of ET’s were send to help us and which to hinder us, or maybe they’re following their own agendas. Wheels within wheels, comes to mind. Ancient rediscovered knowledge gained over lifetimes, eons and galaxy's versus rapid technological, biological, emotional and spiritual development, the scope of this book is astounding! And biological isn’t limited to mammalian or even animal either...

On a personal note I was wondering who I would add to my pantheon of warrior god generals?
Horatio Nelson, to direct large fleets and ambush opposing fleets.
Napoleon and Hernando Cortés, to lead and inspire.
Shaka Zulu for technical progress and warfare development with Louis Botha for guerilla warfare.
And where is Miyamoto Musashi? He was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin.

I also liked the stories and adventures of the robot detective(s) and Leonidas, the famous and slightly clueless Spartan!

Looking forward to further adventures of Elektra and her extensive circles of sidekicks.

Recommended for science fiction readers, readers who like their books to have a lot of pages and readers who like some spirituality with their water-, land-, moon-, inner-earth- and space-based fiction.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read a couple of Dean’s other series I thought I knew what I was in for when I started reading Printed People and in part, I was right, he incorporates a lot of current science information, pseudo-science information and story line that is near impossible to not get caught up in. Now that being said, I sure didn’t anticipate where this story was going nor how well it would flow even with the various time jumps and points of view from the variety of characters. Once again Dean got me hooked on a space opera that made me feel like he and I read a lot of the same books/ watch the same videos and even think alike. If you enjoy space opera stories that are complete – i.e., not a piece of a story that leaves you hanging – this is one for you. Fair warning though, this isn’t a book you can power through in a couple of days. I received a review copy of this book from the author and chose to provide my review.

[Daphanne Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Dean C. Moore does not disappoint by giving us a world full of rich characters, beautifully set up backstories, and the ultimate question. Just because we can do something, should we do something? This is a story that delves deep into science fiction of what could be possible for the human race in the future. The story follows multiple timelines while setting the basis for an entire literature universe. This is just the first book. Every time I picked it up, I had to force myself to put it down. I'm excited to see where Dean C. Moore takes the storyline in the next books!

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Printed People: Elektra Book 1, my sixth read from author Dean C. Moore. Entertaining, well written, & by far the longest read at almost 2000 pages. I can't recall the last time a book took me a week to read & I had to slow my reading speed so as to not miss a thing. Diana Gabaldon & Kate Mosse are the 2 authors that come to mind with thos kind of length. “I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I'll definitely be reading more from this author and in this series. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come face to face with the breakaway science that spreads humanity throughout the solar system in record time, from its humble beginnings as a means to rescue one man from locked-in syndrome, so he could pursue his lady love.
Fantastic plot ,lots of action.
A sinister doctor kills a billion people when he tries to print organs needed to get his ex-wife back and his antibiotic that makes the body accept the organ goes horribly wrong.
Such a good book ,highly recommended.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a mind blower!! This space opera is long, but keeps you busy trying to figure out who’s the good guy, and who’s the bad guy. It includes a universal war between species, gives you an in depth look at alien worlds, and encourages you to consider which entity is the “real” God. If you like the writing style of Tom Clancy, you will love this storyline! The good news is there is more coming with additional e-books- be on the alert!!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book. Humour, a bit of action, everything you could want in a story of this type. Don’t miss out once it’s released.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 5 star read

This is one of those books that you can't put down.
A story of rapid technological changes, a story of war and peace, of the 'printed' people, androids and aliens.
A really great read and I look forward to reading more in this series.

[Marlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stupendous space opera. I enjoyed this book. I was drawn into the story immediately. I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary review.

[James Frederick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one has been on my "reading" list for the better part of a year. I got into it and tried REALLY hard to plow through it. But it is REALLY LONG. Like 3,000 pages on my e-reader. You need to be REALLY committed to a book to slog through 3,000 pages.

The author tends to write these huge epic books and if you love the book...

We have ALL read books that we keep turning pages because we want to find out how it ends, but we also hate turning pages because we do not WANT it to end. For me, this book was kind of in between that. By about 1/3 of the way through, I was enjoying the creativity of the book, but I REALLY wanted it to be done.

I read a lot. I try to get through about a book a week. This book took me WAY too long.

And it is supposed to be the first book in a series. Gasp!

This is one of those epic tales like the Odyssey or the Iliad. It has a fascinating premise that I really loved. But then there is also a lot of stuff in there that just gets glossed over and it kills my suspension of disbelief. Plenty of this borders on stream of consciousness writing which is fine. But some of it seems like stream of consciousness on serious drugs.

There is a LOT going on, in this book, which is to be expected, when dealing with thousands of pages. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. It is hard to see the interrelationship between characters and events as there is a LOT of jumping around.

The stuff I LIKED was the idea that not only parts of people, but people themselves could be printed using 3d printers. And after a while, of course, you would print famous historical figures, because that would be more fun.

But this also is where some of the "cheating" started. Initially, it seems like people can be printed, but the print (or clone?) is somehow tied to the original. The original person is kept prisoner while the printer person runs around and does stuff...much of it dangerous or fatal. The initial printed people live only a very short time and the process is also exceptionally painful/torturous for the human "master original." After a while, it seems like the originals are no longer needed. The copies end up sticking around longer and there can be millions of copies of copies.

And then things go off the rails a little bit. The writer lost me when he started talking about "sentient stars." And I think he also lost a lot of opportunities by not exploring the sentience of the printed people and how it was even possible. Were they "programmed?" It seemed like they WERE, in the beginning. Certain copies were preferred over others, because they possessed certain traits in greater quantity than other copies.

I did not get this at all.

The book is also subcaptioned (Elektra, #1). One of the main characters is a girl; initially a very young girl. But the girl seems to be almost immortal in many ways. She grows much faster than others and perceives a world and many other characters that no one else is even aware of. She is aware of aliens that are drawn to Earth either as a result of the technologies we are uncovering or simply because there are races that want to conquer us.

There are others who were raised to be 1000 IQ people and they are working with one of the deranged baddies in the book who is at the forefront of the printed people invention. He is clearly insane, but one of his motivations is to reunite with his former wife, who has left him. He intends to win her back initially, but when she dies, he instead prints a new copy of her. How he can do this with her dead is unclear.

There are probably too many moving pieces here for one book. My preference would have been to have this broken down into much more manageable bits. If this was part of a 10 book box set, it would have been easier for me to get through. As it is, I cannot imagine reading another one of these, any time soon. I feel beat up and worn down.

The author gets 5 stars for creativity and great ideas. But then the implementation of it and the morass of exposition without sufficient explanation or perhaps exploration of the concepts diminishes what would otherwise be a literal epic.

As it is...if you know that you are going to be marooned on a desert island for a couple years with nothing else to do...grab a couple of books like this and take your time under a shady palm tree with LOTS of margaritas.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frenetic and Excluding Very Little!

An hour or so after I first started reading this book, Kindle told me that there were 32 hours to go. I figured there must be a software glitch. Well, there wasn't. So out-of-the-gate, be prepared to invest a lot of time in the book.

Dean, the author, has done a lot of research and it shows in the breadth of material covered by the story. The conceit of the book is that all (or almost all) of the religious, Sci-Fi, and even mystical beliefs are all, in reality, tied together into one unified actuality.

The pace starts off with some slow introductions of a few threads of the story before they all take off at a rate that tries to keep up with the surging Singularity Wave. In spite of this, there are points where the story gets stuck in repetition that hammers home a point but doesn't add a lot to the overall story.

My rating is partly due to poor editing that was disruptive to the reading. In mid-paragraph, the narrative might change form Matt talking to Trent talking when only one of them was in a scene. This happened enough that it became annoying. I've been informed that this was fixed in the final version and, as a result, I've increased the rating.

The character development was well-done and the worldview was very clearly developed through the narrative and dialogue. While Bella/Elektra is clearly at the center of the story, she is not the only major player. There were a lot of references to contemporary and even historical writings that provided some basis for the story but, on occasion, were a bit distracting.

Although it does not espouse a religious view, the overall story probably feels most comfortable to someone raised on Christian theology. That wasn't a negative but something that informs the reader of the story's progression.

The has the heft of A Tale of Two Cities or War and Peace, but wasn't as satisfying.

I think that there are a lot of people that will get greater enjoyment out of this book that I did. Perhaps knowing what I now do would have improved my experience.

[Carol Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be upfront, I didn’t finish this book. I do love sci fi, but the dizzying array of almost magical technology was a bit much. The premise was interesting, but I found it a bit hard to follow the philosophy. There was some swearing, and some sexual innuendo – probably not offensive to most readers. It was interesting to follow Elektra as a child, and see her in the future, and then what happened in the present to make it happen. If you like technology, and the premise of good and bad aliens, and mankind’s evolution toward oneness with God, then this is for you. I received a free copy of this book, with no obligation.

[Dean C. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t want anyone to be terrorized by the number of pages. I had to laugh myself. According to my word count in the original document, Printed People would fit comfortably, with room to spare, in the first half of your typical Michener novel. The only reason his books weigh in at 1200 pages or so, by comparison, is that traditional publishers look to save money by shrinking the font size down. Also, by way of giving you perspective, Printed People would easily fit inside the pages of your typical R. R. Martin novel. And in the case of his A Song of Ice and Fire series, it takes 7 of those books to complete one story arc. With Printed People you get a complete story arc inside of one book. So, yes, Printed People is big, but by the standards of Michener and R. R. Martin, I’m still a “short story” writer.

Keep in mind also, as the above paragraph implies, I chose a generous size font and generous line-spacing, which makes this book seem a lot bigger than it is.

The novel is 504,614 words. At 525 words/page (typical soft cover in 5.25” x 8” format) that translates to 961 pages.

So breathe in deep, know that you’ll be pleasurably occupied for a few weeks (unless you’re a power reader.) Printed People still moves very fast. I sincerely hope it will engage you for the duration. And at whatever price it sells at, you know you’re getting a heck of a bargain for the money.