Michael Oliveri

During the great Southern snowpocalypse of this year of the Covid crisis, I read the ultimate book for freaking a reader out during a pandemic.

Restore from Backup by J.F Gonzalez and Mike Oliveri was originally released in 2007 and rereleased in 2016, and the technical jargon reflects that. However, if one keeps that in mind, the story is timeless and downright frightening in 2021. The suspense and intrigue are as compelling as one would expect from such masters of the genre, and the characters are interesting and evocative. But the story itself the real gem.

I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed the story. It is, of course, expertly told and flows with a good pace. It is both visual and evocative. And it is interesting, entertaining, and ultimately downright horrifying. There is enough situational and workplace realism to make things relatable and draw you in. Things both are and are not what they seem. What is going on at Kaiser Development Systems? I found myself wanting Carl to leave it alone; I was that drawn into the characters, caring that much. That scared of what he was going to find.

This is a fantastic horror story. It is listed as a technothriller and occult horror, but it defies those labels. Highly recommended for all horror fans.… (més)

This book was a fun and entertaining read. There were a few moments where I doubted the story and being in the tech industry, there were flaws in some of the technical aspects but nothing terminal or that distracting. And enough of those elements were told accurately enough that I thought "Well, maybe."

After being laid off, Lyle has been out of work so long that his bills have started piling up significantly. His wife's income couldn't cover them plus the medical bills for their sick infant son. Luckily, Lyle hits up an old friend Carl who recommends him for a job at his current company and Lyle gets hired. The pay is great. The benefits are great. Lyle is super happy, until Carl calls him up and tells Lyle to quit the job right now, just walk away and quit. That's when Lyle gets suspicious and starts to uncover the secrets behind his new job.

The story and especially the reasoning behind the secrets is a good idea; you can tell where Gonzalez steps in with his knowledge and research of the occult, conspiracies, and mysticism. The research Gonzalez put in to this book, and all of his books, really showed. The events in the last third of the book seemed to happen really fast, but then again that might have simply been me. I was fully engrossed at that point and couldn't read the pages fast enough. With the book recently back in print, finding a copy should no longer be a problem. Buy it and read it!… (més)