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Milo Behr
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Beowulf: A Bloody Calculus Kindle Edition

by Milo Behr (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 31 ratings
GRAND PRIZE WINNER! Book Pipeline.
WINNER! IPPY Gold Medal for BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR.
WINNER! Independent Author Network SCI-FI BOOK OF THE YEAR.
WINNER! London Book Festival BEST SCI-FI.
WINNER! Beverly Hills Book Awards BEST SCI-FI.

"The genius is apparent from page one. . . . A seamless fusion of virtuosity and insight. . . . If William Wordsworth were alive today and writing cyberpunk, this is what he might write."

—David Farland
NYTimes Best Seller
Lead judge for the world's largest
genre writing competition

"Like all great works, it manages to be great without trying to be brilliant. It just is, and effortlessly so. . . . [Has a] rhythm that's sophisticated in its subdivisions of time and its impeccable sense of proportion and pace."

—James Guymon
Film Composer
VP, Composers Guild of America


Welcome, he says, to the "fabulous fabulous" Lawrence Booth show. His flamboyance is well-practiced. They all know him, he's world-renowned (he reminds them). Then he calls them the faceless masses, says he doesn't care who they are. It's a familiar deadpan, his particular brand of sensationalism through effrontery. Then he gets more personal, but it isn't sincere—how could it be? I'll be your guide, he says, your mentor, your guru, your spiritual advisor, leading you along the "sordid paths of the sublime, the seedy, and the sensational." And it's true, he will be.

This is Lawrence Booth, host of a 22nd-century variety show; an ultimate evolution of vaudeville; a tangible expression of social media and a venue for the people's justice. And his favorite toy is a superhero—a popular bounty hunter called Beowulf.
When New York's paragons turn to violent crime, it falls to Booth and Beowulf to restore order (and, more importantly, to make a good show of it). Is this an unraveling of the social fabric? Have our leaders turned, as parasites on a host? Or are they victims themselves of a society dependent on the wonders—and the dangers—of high technology?

BEOWULF: A BLOODY CALCULUS, is a frenetic exploration of logical extremes. It's about superheroes as the products of marketing machines, social media as a fundamental and frightening social adhesive, summary justice as a Utilitarian exigency. It's part mystery, part thriller, all in the plugged-in context of a cyberpunk future.

And it's one a helluva ride.
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  1. Print length
    198 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 9, 2014
  4. File size
    428 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Milo Behr grew up in New York, Central America, Europe and the Middle East. His short-form fiction has appeared in the MechMuse Anthology alongside David Farland, Kevin J. Anderson, Eugie Foster, and others. He is an entertainment technologist, musician and writer. He has published academically through IEEE and others, and spoken at SIGGRAPH, BIA/Kelsey's ILM, VFX and elsewhere. He invented DigiClay Animation, Cryptocast streaming encryption, and a variety of other tech-nologies. As a musician, Milo is a classically-trained countertenor, singing the works of Bach, Händel, Monteverdi, Babbitt, Britten and others. He lives among the Rocky Mountains with his wife and three children.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NH0PFH8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ East India Press; First Digital Edition (September 9, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 9, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 428 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 31 ratings

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Milo Behr

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
31 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Since1791
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pick it up and read it - it won't disappoint
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Beowulf: A Bloody Calculus is, on its surface, a simple action packed novel that is easy to chew. It's salty, buttery popcorn at the theatre that you pop in your mouth and are disappointed when you get to the bottom of the bag. Dang, should have bought the large.

    The good news is this is an appetizer, an origin story, a tale to whet your appetite. You don't know what it is, but you can tell you'll be biting into something meaty next time. On the other hand, it fully stands on its own, and you won't be left hanging when you get to the last page.

    Worth your time and money.
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  • Travis Pike
    4.0 out of 5 stars Beowulf utilizes this this extensively and it feels like it could be real
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2014
    So the cyber punk genre has always been a niche market with it’s own problems. Cyberpunk is rarely done right, and often is misunderstood as a genre, a lot of cyber punk these days are stuck in the 1980s/90s vision of the future and in reality it’s simply not believable. Beowulf incorporates an elevated and expanded vision based on today’s technology and culture and days it quite right.
    This includes reality shows, the current crop of ‘journalists’ who essentially use blood and carnage to draw an audience, as well as us, as people who view pain, carnage, and drama enthusiastically. Beowulf utilizes this this extensively and it feels like it could be real, it feels like an evolution of current culture to an extreme and undesirable level, but a real level. Also the sheer amount of advertising we all face on a daily basis is implemented here and without giving away too many spoilers does involve our hero giving a product shout out in the midst of a fight.
    The story doesn’t dive headfirst into politics, but touches on it here and there, and again it’s not overblown or overly dramatic, but feels like a natural evolution to an undesirable effect. For example private ownership of firearms is looked down upon, and even seen similar to pornography in terms of the shame you may face if caught with it.
    One thing I liked is the book didn’t treat the reader like he or she was stupid regarding technology. The book introduced technology smoothly and seamlessly, showed how it worked without having to explain over several paragraphs how it worked. An excellent example of show me, don’t tell me is in effect regarding technology.
    The world itself was built brilliantly. The evolution of society from politics, to video games, journalism, advertising, video games, and our fascination with electronics, and of course our own human nature that is struggling to keep up with it all. The story addresses all that as well as addressing our current and growing dependence on technology. It addresses the dependence without trying to shame the reader against technology, but merely a warning that too much of a good thing is not a good thing.
    Unfortunately I feel the same is applied to some of the characters. They are introduced and feel somewhat shallow. I was left wanting to know more about them, about who they are and I wanted to see more character development. The characters all felt vaguely glanced over outside of the main character, and even he had only a little back story or development.
    I have small issue, near the end of the story there are a series of flash forwards back and forth to the present. My problem was the flash forwards could become somewhat annoying. For example initially the book flash forwards to a particular time, then back to the present, and then a flash forward again, but half an hour earlier than the initial flash forward. It just felt jumpy and ruined the pacing.
    Overall the story was excellent, well paced, interesting characters(we needed more time with them) and the vision felt real, the store is an excellent introduction to Behr’s work and I look
    forward to the sequel.
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  • Mangohomer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Literary Mandalorian!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2024
    This story has a distinct writing style that, while intelligent and literary, is both very digestible and unique. It's a one-of-a-kind read with a fresh take on a near-future dystopia where everyone is connected and a serial killer takes advantage of that in a surprising way. The main character is a bold, capable, and jaded bounty hunter who does his bloody work for a talk show host in order to get the most views. I don't normally read literary but despite that, I highly recommend this story for anyone looking for something different and quick. The action never stops.
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  • Phil K
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, brilliant author!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent book, brilliant author!
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  • MoonArisa
    3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting futuristic world worth continuing
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2015
    I was offered an e-copy of this book after having lost the win in the Goodsreads First reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

    I found this story to have a very interesting concept of a futuristic world, some details not being overly futuristic in fact, which had a great plot that could be further developed (thus, I suppose, the fact that this can/is a series). I see a lot of potential, but what made it less enjoyable for me was the style itself - the present tense narrative seemed awkward at times (as if not entirely sure that this was what the character in fact thought), the lack of quotation marks made it difficult to follow at times, and the last chapter being so different in length and back-and-forth confused me (I'm still not quite sure if I got the time line correct).

    Regardless of these complications and couple of typos, once you get the awkward style, you get into the story and it is a very interesting read with a good concept that makes you want to know more. The fact that it's a short read is also alluring, and the preview of the second book at the end grabs you attention just enough that you wish you had the second book there.

    I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi novels and likes short but captivating stories. This new author deserves the exposure to develop and find his style in his fascinating world!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Stewart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Australia on November 24, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Action, philosophy and hard boiled one liners. And to top it off ... Well crafted writing.
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