Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Have I got a treat for you. This week I was given an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) of Conscience by Jonathan Pongratz. He is an amazing author so I was thrilled to get the copy and read it. Here are my thoughts on the short story:
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 could see this short story easily adapted to Netflix or Hulu as a series.
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My short review with no spoilers. You need to buy this short story (released August 27, 2020) and give it a read. Please remember to drop me a heart/like letting me know you stopped by. Do you have question for Jonathan? Leave it below. If you want to help support me and my writing efforts please consider sharing this post on your social media platforms to help keep the conversation going. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week.
Everything you need to know about Conscience:
Title: Conscience
Release Date: 8/27/2020
Genre: Scifi/Dystopian/Short Story
Blurb:
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.
Excerpt:
“We’re losing him,” the surgeon’s tense voice cut through the viewing room’s speaker.
Rory Bennels leaned against the glass to the operating room as the surgeon barked orders at the nurses and red plated medbots tending to the man splayed out on the surgery table. The patient's body seized in violent tremors, blood oozing through wounds in his forehead, chest, and abdomen. Rory stared on in concern, his skin tingling as he recognized the man.
Epher Lore, the last leader of the Free Thinkers movement.
From his digital news updates, Rory knew of the Corporation's efforts to track down this anarchist. However, as he looked upon Epher’s broken body, curiosity sparked in his mind.
This man, dangerous? He couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. What was it about him that made the Corporation nervous?
A sharp zap at the base of his neck made Rory clench his teeth. Heart pounding, he looked to the watch on his wrist. It flashed red in quick bursts. Crap! That was the second time this week. If he kept upsetting his emotion-monitoring implant, they’d come to clean him. Like the Corporation said, ‘Emotions lead to questions. Questions lead to independent thought. Independent thought leads to anarchy.’
Rory straightened his back, reciting the Corporation’s Preamble to suppress his deviant thoughts. We, the subordinates of the Corporation, in order to form a more perfect human, establish authority, ensure uniformity …
He glanced at his black-banded watch again and gave a sigh of relief. Blue skies.
The harsh monotonous buzz of the heart monitor blared through the speakers, demanding Rory’s attention. The surgeon took off his gloves and told the one-eyed medbots to record the time of death. He exited the operating room, Rory mulling over the peculiar situation before the surgeon entered the viewing room moments later.
“I take it you’re Rory Bennels?” the surgeon asked in a cold, clinical tone.
“That’s right.”
He handed Rory a thin tablet that activated upon his touch. “Retrieve this man’s mind. Upload it to the Corporation mainframe.”
Rory scanned the digital dossier, then gazed upon Epher's covered body on the gurney.
“Is something wrong?”
"Epher Lore, isn't he--"
“That information is not relevant,” the surgeon snapped. He grimaced at Rory with calculating gray eyes. “Are you sweating?”
Stay calm, stay calm. Rory maintained eye contact. “Minor synaptic misfire,” he explained, flashing his watch that glowed a healthy bright blue.
The surgeon nodded, ushering Rory to follow him to collect the body.
About Jonathan Pongratz:
Jonathan Pongratz is a writer and author of captivating horror, fantasy, and other speculative fiction stories. When he’s not writing, he’s busy being a bookworm, video game junkie, and karaoke vocalist. A former resident of Dallas, he currently resides in Kansas City with his halloween cat Ajax. By day he works magic in finance, by night he creates dark and mesmerizing worlds.
Where to buy Conscience:
Amazon click here.
GoodReads click here.
