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Richard Dee
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We are Saul: Second chances come with a price. Kindle Edition

by Richard Dee (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
Saul’s old life is over. His new one is just beginning.

Saul wakes in a hospital bed, unable to move. As despair sets in, a doctor offers him a way to get his life back. All he has to do is join his research project. There are no other details until he agrees, he’s either in or out.
What choice does he have?

Agreeing is just the beginning. Saul undergoes drastic nanosurgery, only then are the full possibilities of the project revealed. Saul can live a full life again, but there’s a price to pay. He has to keep his recovery a secret, from everyone he used to know.

As time goes on, Saul’s new life becomes increasingly difficult. Everything he does makes it harder and harder to avoid revealing what he really is.

In the end, he has to leave it all behind as he learns the truth.

You can only ever go forwards.

"A truly captivating story that will stay with you long after you’ve closed the book."
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  1. Print length
    287 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 1, 2022
  4. File size
    1.4 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09RT7SK2F
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ 4Star Scifi (June 1, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 287 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the author

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Richard Dee

Richard Dee

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I’m Richard Dee and I’m from Brixham in Devon.

I write all kinds of speculative fiction, from Science Fiction and Steampunk to sci-fi crime and psychological thrillers.

Forty years at sea gave me the ideas, I just changed the names and set them in the future or in an alternative now.

All my work is fuelled by black coffee and homemade digestive biscuits.

You can keep up with me at https://richarddeescifi.co.uk/ where you’ll find free short stories, regular features on writing, book reviews and guest appearances from other great authors.

I can also be contacted at richarddeescifi@gmail.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
17 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Gilbert M. Stack
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of Dee's Best
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2022
    Saul is a pretty good guy who is paralyzed from the neck down after being hit by a vehicle. With absolutely no hope of every regaining the use of his arms and legs, Saul is tempted into an experiment which might make him feel useful again but has to agree to participate without knowing any pertinent details about what he will be doing. I expected the novel to veer into the realm of LitRPGS at this point with Saul being wired into some sort of gaming world, but Richard Dee had a much more interesting direction planned for his hero.

    The experiment (or “the project” as it is called) is run by a Dr. Tendral who will immediately strike the reader as having shady ethics. It’s not just that he is keeping almost all of the elements of his project secret. He has inserted a nurse into Saul’s original hospital to influence him to agree to join Tendral’s project. And he is clearly cutting Saul off from all real contact with the outside world at least for the first stages of the experiment.

    Tendral also has a sort of childish pique, getting angry when Saul acts like a human being with reasonable questions rather than serving as an automaton who simply unquestionably does everything Tendral wants. But what does Tendral want? It’s as difficult for the reader as it is for Saul to tell at times. About the only certainty is that Saul will undoubtedly choose wrong again and again (just as I think the reader would in Saul’s place).

    I’m trying really hard to write this review without giving away the central surprise of the story (i.e. the key to the project). That being said, Tendral and his lack of ethics becomes an increasingly disturbing force in the story and Saul (as a quadriplegic) is really in a vulnerable position when they confront each other.

    This is one of Dee’s best stories. The problems Saul has are easy to relate to, as are the hard choices he is forced to make—especially the last two. All of this results in one of Dee’s best novels with an ending that really took me by surprise.
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  • Norats Inthecorn
    4.0 out of 5 stars Inventive, Imaginative and Absorbing Sci-Fi Suspense
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This inventive and imaginative novel about Saul, a completely disabled young man transported into the body of an artificial human/robotic being through means of genetic engineering is astounding. The subject brings up many questions, among them: Is this technology in the right hands or the wrong hands? What is their ultimate goal?

    We Are Saul is absorbing and suspenseful Sci-Fi reading written by a true Visionary of what may come.

    Recommended.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mish Medhat
    5.0 out of 5 stars A truly captivating story that will stay with you long after you’ve closed the book Phenomenal!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    The premise of ‘We Are Saul’ is fundamentally astounding in its concept. Enabling a person who has been completely disabled physically, but who has a fully functioning brain, to live their lives again, is the central theme in the book. It is beautiful in its originality. Use of Science, Engineering and Technology to create something that can enable a person to enjoy everything they used to when they had full use of their limbs seemed to be such an uplifting, ground-breaking idea. It should have projected a wonderful sense of altruism and achievement. It should have, but it didn’t. From the start and throughout the book, there was a constant state of unease, reflecting the main protagonist, Saul Wilstreet’s state of mind. Nothing was sugar-coated. There was no panacea of ‘live your life again’. There were ultimatums, raw and brash in their delivery from a mysterious doctor, just known as Tendral (a very apt name considering his tendrils wove into so many different areas from financial to medical to sociological). A man who carried a deep obsession for ‘the project’. Although Saul was part of ‘the project’, Tendral shared very few confidences on the true nature of what was the endgame. The conspiratorial vibe coupled with darkening events made Mr Dee’s latest literary venture completely absorbing and utterly compelling.

    The main plotline focuses on Tendral with a brilliant artificial intelligence and neuroscience genius Dawn Le Gan (a tongue-in-cheek nod toward AI and Generative Adversarial Networks – GANs) who have created the ability through nanotech, biotech and neuroscience melded with superior cyber-synthetics and autonomous robotics to produce an artificial human or as it is known in the book, an Autonomous Replicant Persona or ARP. Through the application of nanobots (metal based) and xenobots (stem cells based) a neural net is created around Saul’s brain, linked to bots in his spine. Through practice, the net is programmed. An understanding of Saul’s neural activities, through working with his memories and emotional stimuli is built. A form of deep learning AI takes place, with Saul’s ARP uplinked to the network in Saul’s brain constantly reinforcing and generating further responses to learn from. Personally, as someone who works in the world of sci-tech innovations, I found this incredibly fascinating.

    There was a feeling of karma woven into the story of We Are Saul. The fact that Saul lived life constantly on the edge. His physiology playing an important, if not a key role in his life. He enjoyed being an engineer working in various charities, bringing power and infrastructure to places that had suffered disasters – natural or manmade. He loved and left by the bucket load, not wanting to commit to anyone, apart from the one who was in his life at that moment. He was into extreme sports, and was a constant thrill-seeker. An adrenaline junkie. And then in a blink, a freak accident with a truck driver losing control, and he is robbed of everything. His spine is broken. His life is seemingly over.

    As Saul lays in his hospital bed he reviews why he was there on that pavement. He’d run from Fearne, the woman who’d fallen in love with him, but whom he was too scared to commit to. Instead of sneaking out of the hotel bedroom and taking a flight to the UK, he could have stayed, been in her arms, and had a full life. His fear is ironic given the type of man Saul is – his love of danger, but it is somewhat typical of those who enjoy facing down situational danger, but cannot face the fear of loss within their souls. Everything had to be under Saul’s control, and he had to be the one making the decisions. Everything on his terms, was the way he controlled his emotions. This thought gnaws at Saul. It is as an underlying vibration that remains with him. What he fails to even appreciate (and something that was apparent as I read) is that he was saved. Six people lost their lives when the truck mounted the pavement. He spent his life helping others, saving others, and now, against all odds, someone found a way to save him. Yes, karma bit him on the backside, but it also gave him a way to face his own fear, and come to terms with who he really was.

    The characters in the book have a dark edges to them. Tendral never tells the whole truth. At times, it feels like the relationship is one of Tendral as the handler and Saul as his asset. Just giving Saul enough information to keep him in play, but not so much as to give him cause to be a threat to the project. After reading the denouement, I appreciate Tendral’s attitude, however, I don’t countenance the measures he engaged to keep the project secret. Tendral was a driven man, he had an ultimate passion, one that couldn’t even be imagined, but could be made real through the technologies he and Dawn were devising. The sheer scope, when the denouement arrived was phenomenal, but as I saw the way the storyline was progressing, not entirely something that couldn’t be considered in the realms of possibility. For me, living in my world of innovation, this wasn’t sci-fi anymore, just an extrapolation of using such tech described to achieve the art of the possible.

    I found Angie to be a very unusual, and captivating character. Kind and carefree on the outside, but the syntax of her words, the delivery of her actions, and her general nature, when the caring veneer was pulled back held a sinister undertone. Her commitment to the project was as singular and all consuming as Tendral’s. However, as events rolled toward their natural conclusions, her shadows of compassion still emerged, and it was reassuring to see this.

    One aspect that resonated with me was understanding what it means to be human. In one scene when Tendral is talking to Saul’s ARP he makes reference to the ‘outward appearance is all’ that’s what people care about. ‘Nobody cares what’s inside, except poets.’ He is referring to the soul. His judgement is that humans care little about what makes them tick, and more on what they look like. Such a view shines an uncomfortable light on our obsession with social media, getting likes and celebrity status. It’s all in what you look like. Look the part, as Saul did, with his ripped physique and easy going nature, and he’s accepted. Tendral’s point shows how endemic our acceptance of the artificial is in society, and how, feasibly, such a thing as an ARP could easily infiltrate among us without causing others around it to blink.

    I’m not into spoilers, but there are a number of stunning revelations that hit throughout the story. Saul’s previous behavior with his girlfriend Fearne influences his future actions, and it is truly heart-breaking. By the final chapter, I was gasping, but very pleased to see what I read. This book will stay with you as you consider the implications of that ending. A truly captivating, lingering story that will drill deep into your brain, spark your synapses and give you cause to consider what the future may really hold for humanity.
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  • L. C.
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I'll begin with a confession. I'm not a science fiction fan. Nothing wrong with the genre. It's just my brain can't take in all the technical terms and science type stuff. I approached We Are Saul with some trepidation on this score, but I wanted to read it because the main story seemed intriguing and I wasn't disappointed.

    This book isn't just sci-fi. It's an exploration of morals, relationships, ambitions, love, failures, and mental health. For those who like character-driven stories, this is a book for you.

    I particularly liked how Saul was portrayed as a flawed character who was aware of his weaknesses and learned what to do about them.

    Although no one would ever wish an accident upon someone, the accident that paralyses Saul is the making of him in more ways than one. It was interesting to read how he wrestles with decisions for how to live again, albeit as another version of himself.

    I didn't anticipate where the story was headed. It made sense how the project evolved and offered another level. The ending was perfect.

    Thank you, Richard Dee, for expanding my reading horizons through Saul whose horizons were also widened.
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  • Sim S
    5.0 out of 5 stars Out of this world!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed this release from author Richard Dee.
    Not only was it the first of his novels I'd read, but it was also my first Sci-Fi read.

    I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I was so pleasantly surprised. The story had me hooked from the start with the introduction to Saul Wilstreet, and the accident that leaves him pretty much entirely incapacitated. From there, we're introduced to the mysterious Doctor Tendral who offers Saul a second chance. But at what cost?

    Every details of this story was intricately constructed and thoroughly researched. Dee is a master at pacing, and provided enough breadcrumbs throughout to keep me hooked chapter by chapter.
    The best part about this novel is the reader is just as in the dark as Saul.

    We experience the shocks and revelations right there with him.

    I absolutely loved this story. The characters all brought something to the table, and the over all message got me thinking about what the future could hold for all of us. And if faced with an offer from Doctor T, which path would I choose?

    The ending was incredibly satisfying. The only negative was the fact I didn't want it to end. The last lines gave me genuine shivers. I cannot wait to read more from this incredibly talented author!

    HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!
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    Sim S
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Out of this world!

    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2022
    I thoroughly enjoyed this release from author Richard Dee.
    Not only was it the first of his novels I'd read, but it was also my first Sci-Fi read.

    I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I was so pleasantly surprised. The story had me hooked from the start with the introduction to Saul Wilstreet, and the accident that leaves him pretty much entirely incapacitated. From there, we're introduced to the mysterious Doctor Tendral who offers Saul a second chance. But at what cost?

    Every details of this story was intricately constructed and thoroughly researched. Dee is a master at pacing, and provided enough breadcrumbs throughout to keep me hooked chapter by chapter.
    The best part about this novel is the reader is just as in the dark as Saul.

    We experience the shocks and revelations right there with him.

    I absolutely loved this story. The characters all brought something to the table, and the over all message got me thinking about what the future could hold for all of us. And if faced with an offer from Doctor T, which path would I choose?

    The ending was incredibly satisfying. The only negative was the fact I didn't want it to end. The last lines gave me genuine shivers. I cannot wait to read more from this incredibly talented author!

    HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!
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  • marjorie mallon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Premise, Fantastic story!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I've had the pleasure of beta reading an advance copy of We Are Saul by Richard Dee. Every time I read a new story from Richard Dee I am always struck by his ability to create wonderful new story lines, worlds and characters. He is one of my favourite indie authors. Hats off to him!

    And We Are Saul was a thoroughly entertaining read from start to finish. What a fabulous concept for a story. I absolutely loved how this explored fascinating medical technological advancement in the form of robotic 'humans.' The main protagonist Saul has a terrible accident leaving him paralysed but is given the chance to live fully again by becoming an ARP - a robotic enhanced version of himself - using cutting edge technology.

    But Saul begins to wonder at what cost? And what do they expect in return and are there others like him? This tale has love, heart, thoughtful observations and sci fi too! The ending was ace. Loved it and think it would make a great film. Well done Mr Dee!

    My rating 5 stars.
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  • Amanda GRIFFITHS-JONES
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Extraordinary Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The author has created such an extraordinary read in this book & is to be commended on his imaginative storyline & novel idea. I’ve never read a book connected to ARP’s before, basically artificial humans, but this is a really convincing tale that has you wondering whether ‘Saul’ & his compatriots are the future. Dee’s upbeat writing style makes for a real page-turner & the unexpected events and twists are a bonus. I will definitely be seeking out more of his work.
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