Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Audible sample
Follow the author
OK
The Pedestal Kindle Edition
A riveting sci-fi thriller from the award-winning author of The Wandering Tree.
Wilson Abby is just another happy consumer, content to chase the carrot of new-budding technology. But when the universe delivers a swift kick to the diodes with the mysterious death of his closest friend, Wilson can't resist the urge to play detective.
Peeling back a veneer of half-truths, Wilson makes a startling discovery—one that people will kill to bury. Abruptly, life as he knows it is thrown into unimaginable chaos.
The Pedestal is a thrilling glimpse into a society madly infatuated with integration and endless consumer upgrades. Wilson must battle gangsters, conspiring politicians and hordes of flesh-eating creations before civilization is toppled from its pedestal.
2016 USA BEST BOOK FINALIST
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 9, 2014
- File size6180 KB
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Very well written. The writer has talent and wisdom to boot."
From the Author
What if the whole world came together as one super community? No more racial or economic disparity. No more war or starvation, violent crime. Sounds pretty good, right? Only, what if--to help govern this vast and diverse society--each of us was implanted with a tiny device shortly after birth?
And the good old Internet we've all come to love, what if it streamed data to and from your implant 24/7, journaling every moment of your life? You know, like that time at the office when you didn't quite make it to the bathroom in time, and--well, let's just say we all know there was no sudden family emergency.
Don't get bent out of shape, though. Only a person with something criminal to hide would demand privacy... right?
To be fair, your implant is pretty useful; it monitors your health and burns off those excess calories while you sleep. It handles all your financial transactions, provides instant access to information and entertainment. Reminds you of the difference between illusion and allusion when you're trying to impress the ladies.
Come on, what's not to like? Unless, of course, your implant was to actually influence your behavior. Make you a calmer, more productive you. A good little consumer. Yikes.
And what if this technology could be abused, hacked even? What if a perfect storm of arrogance and scientific prowess could bring it all crashing down on us?
Well, I dare say we're halfway there. The Pedestal aspires to take us the rest of the way, spurring existing technology into the foreseeable future through the sarcastic musings of a protagonist you can't help but love.
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B00ICSYXDW
- Publisher : Design Vault Press, LLC; 1st edition (February 9, 2014)
- Publication date : February 9, 2014
- Language : English
- File size : 6180 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 382 pages
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Daniel Wimberley lives with his wife and children in northeastern Oklahoma. He enjoys building useless gadgets, exploring the outdoors, watching scary movies and snoozing when he should be doing something productive.
The Wandering Tree
>2017 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS FINALIST
>2017 INTERNATIONAL BEST BOOK FINALIST
>2017 OKLAHOMA BOOK AWARDS FINALIST
>2016 USA BEST BOOK FINALIST
The Pedestal
>2016 Best Book Awards Finalist
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the story engaging and well-written. They describe the book as an enjoyable read that takes them to unexpected places. Readers praise the writing quality as well-crafted, with a talented author's rich use of language. They appreciate the wonderful characters and how the story keeps them hooked until the end.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the engaging and well-written futuristic tale. They find the sci-fi elements believable, making it a must-read for tech enthusiasts. The book is described as an action-packed science fiction thriller with thought-provoking themes.
"...This novel has everything you look for in a great read. Suspense, mystery, love, betrayal, corruption, greed, family and a great set of characters..." Read more
"...This is pure sci-fi, with hardly anyone `off grid', alien planets, genetically-modified organisms, betrayal, corruption, and even tosses in one..." Read more
"...The story kept me twisting and turning with a new mystery presenting itself just as I thought all were solved...." Read more
"The Pedestal is a very original, thought-provoking futuristic thriller...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it an interesting and enjoyable journey that keeps them hooked from beginning to end. The book is thought-provoking while entertaining, and they consider it a good first book.
"...This novel has everything you look for in a great read...." Read more
"...The book takes you to unexpected places and it's an enjoyable journey...." Read more
"...Great book!" Read more
"...Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable to read. It just could've been more." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They find it fascinating and exciting, offering an intriguing glimpse into the future. The book takes readers to unexpected places and makes them reevaluate their views on technology.
"I grabbed this book as a Kindle freebie. The book takes you to unexpected places and it's an enjoyable journey...." Read more
"...An interesting and exciting glimpse into our future where evil will still exist and humans will still refuse to learn from history...." Read more
"...Fascinating stuff. Of course, this is what the future of life on earth could look like in a little more than a hundred years...." Read more
"...same old sci-fi, you will enjoy taking your time through this thought provoking and action filled book that is written with intelligence and a..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's writing quality. They find the author talented and a master of words. The rich use of language is attractive, and the book doesn't contain bad language.
"...Daniel Wimberley is such a master of words that I could easily see every person and scene he described...." Read more
"...Wimberley is a talented writer, that shows in his work...." Read more
"...The main character was endearing. I loved that it didn't have bad language in it. I'm actually passing it along to my 12 year old son...." Read more
"...This one was totally different than last weeks, but just as well written and great." Read more
Customers enjoy the characters' development. They mention the characters are wonderful and liberated by technology, yet confined to the web spun by those who control.
"...page turning read that kept me glued to the storyline and the wonderful characters till the eye opening conclusion...." Read more
"...The reader will enjoy other characters and action, the story, and the conclusion...." Read more
"...The characters were so well created that I felt as if I knew them personally...." Read more
"...It did not disappoint! The main character was endearing. I loved that it didn't have bad language in it...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's page-turning style. They find it exciting and interesting, keeping them hooked until the end.
"...at times but they all pulled together to make a fascinating, page turning read that kept me glued to the storyline and the wonderful characters till..." Read more
"...It was exciting, different and kept you turning the pages!!!! Wimberley left me wanting more. Hope he has another book out soon!" Read more
"Well written and witty. Definitely keeps you turning the page. Fun! Would definitely recommend. Got it free but would not have regretted buying." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2015While this novels storyline resides in the future, it's premise could equally represent the past ,present or future. If you aren't into books that give you the urge to read a part of the story again to get a clearer understanding of events; or storylines that require, not only your imagination but gray matter as well, then this isn't the book for you.
More often than not you read a book and feel like you had just finished reading the same book not long before or that it's premise is in every other movie you've seen. While this novel leaves you with flashes from a much older one, War of the Worlds (also made into a movie for those of you who would rather see it in a theater than read the words on paper), the ingenuity and the characters will leave you with the feeling of having just read something that's so powerfully different than what you've ever read before.
Although the premise is not new I found myself seeing our world and our miraculous advances in technology and medicine in a totally refreshing way. And what happens when our lives are no longer being lead by whims or imagination but controlled by the very inventions we created to make our lives simpler and give us more time to "smell the roses".
When you have no health worries because your body has implants that make sure you never get sick, get cancer or have a heart attack; when every second of your life is being recorded so you won't forget a moment of it; when information needed is available at the blink of an eye; wouldn't you think living, loving, working and playing would be so much easier? That we would have so much more time and freedom to enjoy the gifts themes new inventions give us?
Living in a world where the most important work is that of finding new ways to prolong life. New medications created and new computer programming that will administer them directly into our bodies through this implant. Everything done to increase our time here with loved ones; to live happily and disease free. With so much less to worry about wouldn't life be perfect?
This novel explores both sides of this age-old question and what people are willing to do to protect this lifestyle or the one they believe is their right to have. What do you do with the people who don't want every moment of their lives recorded? What if some people don't want a device in their body that controls every emotion they feel or prevents them from living a life that they believe is the life they were meant to live, not one fixed by some computer program?
If there are people willing to do almost anything to live their lives "free", as nature intended...what great lengths will the people who created and control this system be willing to go to protect their investment? How far would you go to protect yourself from what you believe might be a corrupt government? Would you try to warn people when you have no idea who's on the "right" side or if they are part if it? Would you travel all the way to a harsh almost uninhabitable planet, like Mars, just to stay alive until you can figure out what to do? When the people you love most have been dying around you would you kill to protect the only person left that you know you don't want to live without?
This novel has everything you look for in a great read. Suspense, mystery, love, betrayal, corruption, greed, family and a great set of characters that you become intimately connected to. Some of the Good guys are bad...some of the bad guys are good. Some, like most of us, have the ability to be both in then. You don't find out till close to the end who is or isn't who you thought they were.
I gave this book a 5 because it made me really think about which of these two lives I'd rather live if I had the choice. There were a few chapters setting up the storyline and then another when the main character escapes that are a little long and slow to get to where they needed to be. But it was well worth pushing through them. Some of the ideas seemed slightly incredulous at times but they all pulled together to make a fascinating, page turning read that kept me glued to the storyline and the wonderful characters till the eye opening conclusion.
I will definitely read this book again and I recommend it to anyone with a like-minded fascination with what the future could hold for us.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014I grabbed this book as a Kindle freebie. The book takes you to unexpected places and it's an enjoyable journey. Wimberley's "The Pedestal" shows the potential evolution of our technological advances, which comically, can be destroyed by nature (well, modified nature). Plausible? Yes, in a far-reaching way; but still should provide the reader a moment to reflect on our `advancement'.
As a whole, Wilson Abby, the main character is a bit of a slacker and self-defeatist. His redeeming quality is his ethical position, but otherwise he is a cog in a broader group of interesting characters and plot. The reader will enjoy other characters and action, the story, and the conclusion.
The NEXUS framework is parts Google Glass, human implants, virtual reality, Big Brother akin to a communist state, with select capitalism running the show. Even in a quasi-utopian future, power and corruption still pull the strings.
The Pedestal offers the philosophical question: What would an advanced, high-tech society do when the lights turn off?
This is pure sci-fi, with hardly anyone `off grid', alien planets, genetically-modified organisms, betrayal, corruption, and even tosses in one transgender employee that Wilson must navigated around.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2014From the start you are drawn into the life of Wilson Abby and you begin an adventure that takes place in the future, yet a future that is not so far out of our reach that we can't identify. The characters were so well created that I felt as if I knew them personally. Daniel Wimberley is such a master of words that I could easily see every person and scene he described. The story kept me twisting and turning with a new mystery presenting itself just as I thought all were solved. An interesting and exciting glimpse into our future where evil will still exist and humans will still refuse to learn from history. This book has it all: Sci-fi, mystery, political espionage, family, friendship, romance, action. Great book!
- Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014The Pedestal is a very original, thought-provoking futuristic thriller. Computer nerds will undoubtedly enjoy the vision of a "Nexus" framework that everyone on earth is connected to via surgical implants. The Nexus provides a programmed response to each person's needs, whether physical, mental, emotional, or financial. Fascinating stuff. Of course, this is what the future of life on earth could look like in a little more than a hundred years. But Murphy's Law still exists, even in this high-tech world.
Our main character is a young programmer with few social skills and fewer friends. When his two closest friends die under mysterious circumstances, he begins to question everything he has always taken for granted in his life. He uncovers corruption that makes him a danger to the powers that be, and he's forced to escape to a research laboratory on Mars where he is faced with horrors he never dreamed of.
The author's vision of a future life on earth is as fascinating as it is frightening. A must for Sci Fi lovers.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014This book, unfortunately, feels like 2 different books grafted together. When I finished reading, I could see the attempt at cohesiveness and I understood what the author was going for. That doesn't change the fact that, while reading, it feels like you start a completely different book halfway through. Wimberley is a talented writer, that shows in his work. I just think he maybe had too many ideas and instead of writing a few shorter stories, he found a way to combine them. Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable to read. It just could've been more.