White Wings: A Near-Future Sci-Fi Technothriller Novel … (2024)

Gates’s latest SF thriller takes readers on a chilling ride into the near future.

When Detective Booker Vaux arrives home to discover his family has vanished without a trace, with forensic clues wiped clean, he knows there are bigger forces at work. His investigation leads him to Solis, the largest corporation in the world and creator of the AOL, a contact lens that augments reality. He has determination and resources, but how to fight an enemy who can distort your dreams and bend reality?

The twists are ceaseless, and the tension rises as reality and illusion begin to merge, pushing Booker onto the edge. The imaginative juxtaposition of present and futuristic detail keeps the readers intrigued. Gates offers plenty of creepy and devastatingly disturbing moments as the plot snowballs toward a shocking, satisfying ending.

Full of genuine thrills and chills, the novel should appeal to readers other than habitual SF users as well.

Throughly gripping and entertaining!

“Another bang, and this time the tall man in the suit collapsed in a ragged heap. From his prone position, Booker couldn’t tell where the man had been shot. His friend let out a screech of dismay before a spray of red erupted from the back of his suit jacket, dropping him to the ground as well .....” Another of Brian Gates fantastic books I’ve greatly enjoyed. Recommend to lovers of this genre.

A sci fi wild thrill ride! Half buddy cop Lethal Weapon-ish, half android conflict Blade Runner-ish, this book stuffs it all in, just like at the movies. Shoot-outs, car chases, tough guys, mysterious freaks, nerdy basem*nt-dwelling hackers, evil villains manipulating chess pieces as they please. Angst-ridden heroes, beautiful family needing rescue... Author Brian Gates does an excellent job of juggling all the elements, reeling you in and keeping you flipping those pages as fast as possible to find out: Can Detective Booker solve the mystery, find his family, and save the day? "Go to Eden" and find out for yourself!

Booker Vaux and his friend and partner Sam Murphy are best buddies and super cops, you know the kind who wisecrack when facing down violent criminals armed to the teeth intent on killing them and a host of innocent bystanders. Outnumbered, outgunned, they take down the bad guys without even losing their sense of humour.
When Booker’s devoted wife and two loveable kids are kidnapped without motivation or ransom, he and Sam will stop at nothing to get them back. With the help of an anti-establishment hacker who feeds him clues, they set out on a search that includes a prerequisite car chase, numerous shootouts and gruesome murders all leading toward the high-tech mega-maniacal corporate mogul with plans to take over the world by introducing humanoid artificial intelligence who are programmed to do his bidding.
Project Renaissance: White Wings by Brian Gates is notable mostly for the morphing of several genre tropes into one seamless story. The introduction of some imaginative next-generation social technology also has to be appreciated, though unless you’re a gamer or have a keen interest in this area you may find the author’s extended explanations tedious. Plot twists keep the story interesting, but the outcome is never in doubt no matter how impossible it may appear to be.

There is a lot to unpack here. On the surface "Project Renaissance" is a cop buddy novel. Booker's family is abducted, and it's up to him and his partner to get them back. But that explanation is only scratching the surface. The story is set about twenty years from now, and the author's vision of what our world may (will?) look like is striking. A lot of jobs have been outsourced to robots (sound familiar?) and traditionalists are none too pleased. A wealthy businessman has created a new operating system--AOL--that tracks and records every finite detail of a person's life. Fans of the brilliant "Black Mirror" episode, "The Entire History of You" will find numerous parallels here.

Sure, this is a thrill ride with the usual good vs evil storyline, but the best way I could summarize this is...pretend George Orwell's publisher said, "You've written a fine book whose premonitions are frightening, but we need you to turn it up to 11." This is that book. It'll keep you guessing until the end, it will keep you thinking past the end, and you may even find yourself siding with the villain when he gives his astute analysis of society (similar to Obrien's insight when he's interrogating Winston in 1984).

I remember being excited about the Tom Hanks/Emma Watson movie, The Circle. The idea of a mega tech firm digging into so many areas of our lives that it can control the world without us noticing seems more timely than ever. Where The Circle failed in execution, Project Renaissance succeeded. The company, Solis, has gradually expanded its reach through initially helpful technology. Its latest move (Project Renaissance) is truly the one where it will assert itself as puppet master over all of humanity (if they can pull it off). Gates manages to simplify highly complex and futuristic technology so that it is accessible for anyone. All the while, the plot is driven by a very traditional cop/partner relationship and the duo will fight the bad guy in their own way regardless of how sophisticated that bad guy may be. You will guess "what's next" the entire book, and you'll probably be wrong most of the time. The characters are all believable and genuine. They remain true to themselves throughout which leads to good decisions and bad decisions, but ultimately a thriller in the truest sense of the term. Thriller enthusiasts will anxiously await the sequel.

Well what a twisty turny topsy-turvy joy ride this was for me. I’m not big on sci fi thrillers (you know how easily I get confused sometimes), but this is what I like to call “accessible sci fi.” The futuristic thingamabobs, what-d’you-call-its, and doohickeys are described and simplified in a way that any reader can understand. Ugh and it is all so creepy too. There is a sense of unease and tension filling this not-too-distant future world, and I really enjoyed how it was all rendered. The ideas and creativity on display here kept me engaged and intrigued. At times it did feel a bit excessive and indulgent and tropey so it by no means is perfect. However, I do feel that it may be enjoyed by people other than sci fi fans.

Gates' third novel sees him combine just about everything - classic buddy-copisms, thrills, aggressive and fast pacing and nicely prescient. It may play with some of the tropes of your typical sci-fi thrillers, however, Gates consistently takes things into the future whilst paying homage to many great films and books from the 70s through to the 1990s. It reads like Verhoeven and K. Dick, plays out a bit like Black Mirror and folds into a gleefully mad cacophony of genres - a very fun escapist read that remains connected to the real world in some great, eye-opening ways.

Thrilling futuristic crime drama! Great read! This book is well paced and hooks you in early, set in an eerily believable technology driven futuristic society. The characters are well developed and you are rooting for Booker and are invested in his cause. I really enjoyed the author's writing style - the chapters flowed well and kept me wanting to continue reading at each chapter's conclusion (many times thanks to well placed cliff hangers). I highly recommend and will definitely look for other books by this author!

All I can say is...WOW! Brilliant!! I loved this writing style. I loved the story. If you're into rollercoasters, run out and pick up this timely novel. The twists and turns keep you guessing through this tale in the not-so-distant future, where things aren't always as they seem. The characters fleshed out, are well written, and relatable. Well done, Brian Gates!

This book has sci-fi, humor, action and AI’s that seem real! Set in the not so distant future this book was full of action from the start! I loved the references that connected it to current times and the humor that filled conversations between the cop buddies! Great read! Look forward to reading more from Gates!

Great read

This book was really well with interesting characters and some great relationships between them, there were some funny scenes and some plot twists as everything wasn't as it seems

An excellently written sci-fi thriller that kept my interest with three-dimensional characters, clever dialogue and a near future world setting. I definitely look forward to reading more books by this author!

very clever plotline and non stop action thriller in the near future

The ending of this book ties everything together - but it just takes a long time to get there.