Wow. I mean... just... wow.

This is such an amazing book. It takes it a little bit to get going in the very beginning, but once it does? Holy hell, does it ever! And it just doesn't let up. It's not all action--far from it--but it's such an intriguing plot, told in a nonlinear format and interspersed with personal interviews and excerpts from the "Three Grams of Elsewhere" textbook, and I didn't want to stop reading. I just *had* to see what happened next. And then next. And then after that.

I will most definitely keep my eye on this author, because if he keeps writing things like this, I want to be on the front lines as soon as they're available.

5 stars

**I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.**

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It’s not often we see a super thoughtful exploration of empathy in Science Fiction. At least not that I’ve seen. Especially in a setting that has also weaponized the ability. Three Grams of Elsewhere tells that story. What if empathy was weaponized? We learned where it came from, how to train it, and how to use it in conjunction with technology in wartime and peacetime alike?

The story follows Bibi, an elderly man, who once upon a time was part of the military. After washing out in a what he felt was a dramatic fashion he became a detective and now lives in a small retirement community. He’s swept up in a military investigation and along the way we begin to see snips from the past, present, and how it all amounts to so much more than expected.

The story is fast paced, with only a bit of a lag in the middle. I was incredibly impressed with how the different timelines and stories wove together, and the ideas that Mr. Giesler presented. I especially enjoyed the idea of empathy, the other and self, and how technology might one day change that. This is one I plan on purchasing a copy of to reread and highlight and annotate. I’m excited to see what else we see from this author.

If you’re a scifi fan, pick this one up!

This book was such a lovely read. A winding journey through the 'retired' life of our main character, Bibi, who unknowingly was the catalyst for a massive technological development, but has since isolated himself from society and everything he helped to create.

The book is chock full of mysteries, staring off with a murder mystery that Bibi finds himself a suspect in, but then even more mysteries for us readers to sink our teeth into. Don't worry, all are solved in a satisfying way by the end! The book is primarily told from the perspective of our protagonist telling his story, interspersed with flashbacks, extracts from books, and interviews. I enjoy this form of storytelling and thought the story was weaved together in a clever way that kept me intrigued throughout. It is science-heavy at times, but in a pretty easy to read, accessible way. I loved the world building and would definitely be happy to return and learn more about this futuristic and slightly dystopian Earth.

Recommended for sci fi fans who would enjoy a puzzle of a story, put together piece by piece.

I liked this book. The book had an interesting concept. I liked the interviews and excerpts mixed in with the story. Took me a minute to figure out the worlds terminology. Overall it was a unique experience.

Three Grams of Elsewhere isn't your typical science-fiction, dystopian future mish-mash. Instead, reminiscent of literary classics such as 1984, combined with overruling governments similar to Animal Farm. Andy Giesler weaves an astonishingly intricate story surrounding the governments newfound research of the empathy bridge, and the technology linking the vast majority of the human population together. Think of Snapchat, Facebook Messenger combined with Instagram all in a conveniently user-friendly interface appearing instantly in an interface in front of you. Oh, the joys of consistently being connected.. right?

"But since you're not lynked? I am the only human being who matters, and I, myself, am the wrath of God."(Wow! Isn't that peachy?)

Instead of giving us your typical, coming-of-age story about a young adult ready to burn the government down, we have Bibi. One of the original "mote" testers and prodigies from the Mosaic Wars 50 years ago, the one who made weaponizing empathy possible.
Bibi is an old man, 70 or so, living in a retirement home. Not your typical protagonist, right?

But the story woven by Andy isn't about the woes of a restrictive government, or how technology is truly the up and coming big bad in ours lives. Instead, we're given a storyline told from multiple POVS - each with interlinking stories from the past, the present, and the future, and how important empathy is.

The seemingly disjointed POV's admittedly caused me confusion at first. There were quite a few characters that needed to be kept track of, and one of the mysterious interviewers in Bibi's story didn't remotely make sense to me until the end. Let me tell you - the ending was wonderfully crafted and genuinely surprised me. I wasn't even able to guess what it was - simply because for me, it was just that unexpected.

One of my critiques for this story is firstly - it rambled. Bibi rambles. Everyone rambles. Especially about biking up hills.
This has got to be the most vexatious hill ever devised by an ornery god for the torment of some sad, old, pasta-legged, flabby-cored, ossified, prune-faced cyclist trying to get a little distance from all the other residents of that godforsaken retirement community."

Also, I could tell with a few mentions of Kwik-Trip, Rhinelander and Milwaukee that this obviously took place in Wisconsin. Nothing wrong with that - I live here! and I definitely relate to the summer comments. But at times it was a little much.

"I'd pass through unexpected banks of cool air in the middle of the muggy soup of southern Wisconsin's summer. I'd always loved the peace and ease of the prairie, loved feeling its peaceful, planty mind."

And Bibi. Glorius, sarcastic, nonsensical Bibi. I loved him. He was a funny, good-natured old man who just wanted to enjoy his retirement.

"It's too early for this nonsense. No murdering till happy hour."

One things for sure - this book is NOT what I expected it to be at all. I came in expecting guns blazing, and being able to understand how empathy could even be weaponized in the first place.

Instead, I got a book discussing the intricacies of how technology COULD impact our very future. A future where everyone is constantly connected, where simple tasks are done by robots, and the day-to-day life of in-person human interactions is diminished. Extreme government surveillance. All the secrets. I got a book discussing war, the PTSD a soldier faces after, and how empathy was weaponized. I got a book that was greatly empathetic to those who are naturally emotional, and are hypersensitive to others emotions.

Overall, Three Grams of Elsewhere was an amazing book. While it meandered, it didn't detract from the story much. It was heartfelt, touching, grief-ridden, and devastating all at once.

I got a copy of this from Netgalley for an honest review.

This was a nifty sci-fi that explores aspects of what it means to be human and empathy between people. Everyone (in this reality) has part of their brain, The Bridge, that connects them to emotionally to those round about them. The Bridge can also be used to make a connection to some technology. There has been an attack, using "motes" (drones controlled via Bridge tech) and Bibi is brought in to help get to the bottom of what happened.

Most stories will feature a main character/chosen one that is teenage, or at the least in the prime of their life. So it makes a refreshing change for a sci-fi story where they are an old age pensioner. They have a richer back story, their past experiences colour their current actions and situation, and most importantly... they aren't entirely clueless! (or for that matter falling into silly love triangles).

It was a great story, admittedly got a little heavy handed with the empathy discussions in a couple of places, but I would definitely still recommend it!

Thanks to Humble Quill and NetGalley for the chance to read and review Andy Giesler's 'Three Grams of Elsewhere.'

This is quite an original tale and the premise is intriguing, especially the not-difficult-to-imagine splintering of the United States into a series of new countries populated by like-minded individuals.

I struggled with it, though. The structure is fractured with interjections from a various sources - an academic treatise on the science of 'bridges' and a socio-political treatise from the Yoonies. I didn't feel like these added to much to the narrative and they broke up the flow of the story.

It's a pity because there are some great characters here - Bibi (and his three mothers), Dys - but ultimately the story is fairly thin.

In the near future, the old USA has fractured into four distinct countries. Everybody has a bit of empath in them, some more than others. There are a handful of powerful empaths and then there is Bibi who is so empathic he isolates himself from people and technology. Then someone kills the four most powerful empaths in the world and then there is Bibi who unwittingly weaponized empathy.

It's hard to write a summary as the book is full of science that I only sort of get. But that's just the way I am with science. You say why it worked and I say ok, I'll trust you on that. This was very good as politics play the six countries of North America against each other. The populace is divided between those who have empathy and those who don't. Then there are those trying to bring about world peace through empathy. This was a slow read for me but one I dived deep into. Certainly worth reading if you like dystopia or science fiction politics.

Is it weird that I can't wait to pick this up again in a few months and reread it? Three Grams of Elsewhere is such a great Science Fiction read. Set in the not-so-distant future, it follows Bibi, a retired detective and an unregistered powerful empath (in a world where it seems like most people have some emphatic ability) living in a retirement village when he's called on by his government to solve an assassination that killed three but also potentially uncover something deeper that could risk his own life.

I love how this is told through Bibi's meandering POV as he tells a story, following a reporter on a quest to learn more about Bibi, and through excerpts from a textbook entitled Three Grams of Elsewhere. Giesler's world is vast, but you don't feel lost or in the dark at all with how the story progresses. I also felt like you got the information pretty organic with how Bibi follows storytelling conventions to keep it interesting and dynamic, and it wasn't just a big info dump. It's easy to get in the characters' heads and like them. I really enjoyed this book.

Here is the story of Bibi and how empathy can influence the world. Set in a near futuristic divided United States this seventy retiree lives in peace until an attack that killed four people he knew puts him under investigation. Unraveling his past and its connection to his unique empathic ability.

The science fiction part of this tale is the bridge technology and lynks that even the scientists don’t have a clear understanding of. Trying to rationalize why humans are empathic into scientific terms and using it in war.

The narrative is split into three parts: Bibi talking to an unknown audience, Three Grams of Elsewhere, and interviews for a documentary about Bibi.

Bibi, our main character, is a storyteller who does not deliver facts straight and follows the rules of entertainment to relay his story to the unknown audience. Each section of his narrative brings the dramatic flare that the scientific paper and interviews don’t deliver.

Three Grams of Elsewhere is the scientific paper that helps the audience understand the scientific advancements the near futuristic setting has come to achieve. By making Bibi an elderly man who has experienced the closest to our timeline we can deduce how society has evolved in the span of his seventy years.

Meanwhile the interviews are shrouded in mystery that only by following Bibi’s plot line would the audience try to puzzle together bits of his story that he himself does not relay.

Giesler’s characters are not one dimensional and with Bobbi’s unique perspective we get insight into them a third person narrative would not give. Of the side characters I adore Dys. She is such a hoot and everytime she comes on screen I know we are in for a thrill ride. Giesler’s decision in her introduction and limiting her appearance by not having her constantly by Bibi’s side makes the reader not grow bored of her.

Overall the story was entertaining with a charismatic main character and philosophical questions to keep in the back of the reader’s mind.

A thought provoking dystopian adventure set in the future on Earth fractured by war and human conflict. This book was literary, with very human characters and a read that drew you into the world. One of the best books I have read this year. Five stars. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

(4.5 stars)
"Few things in this world are more irksome than an expensive street drug with a short half-life." Drawn in by the quirky title and cover, and a desire for a bit of escapism from my usual gritty book diet of Aussie noir, I was actually quite take with Three Grams of Elsewhere. Andy Giesler also defies my usual love of woman-centred books using elderly male protagonist, Harmony “Bibi” Cain. He's a bit cantankerous: "When I suspect somebody with power over me is pushing me around, I'm difficult." Though, as Giesler points out, boredom means this isn't uncommon with older people: "when you get to be our age, when every day is awfully hard to tell from the day before and the day after, it's no longer easy to distinguish a darned-near catastrophic event from one that's ever-so-slightly inconvenient or merely somewhat out of the ordinary."

Giesler does some rapid world-building to depict a postwar America fractured into warring nations. They are protected by a defence system that uses empaths for killing in a way that is similar to drones, except they occupy living beings called motes: "A swarm of organisms that were being lived by someone." The operators use their ordinary habitual empathy (part of a bridge, that usually weighs about 3 grams) with a harness to strengthen the connection and connect with non-proximate beings (bioempathy) in a extra-spatial non-place called "the Elsewhere". It's a difficult process, for which (in his younger days) Bibi had unmatched skills: "no matter how they tried to clean it or disguise it, a merge room smelled of panic sweat with undertones of vomit."

In this book Bibi is plucked from a drug-addled retirement where he tries daily to dampen his empathy for a bit of piece using "novocaine for empathy". He's taken not entirely willingly, to help his nation-state combat a new threat to stability. Some of the best bits were seeing how empath's "kenning" might be weaponised in political game-playing to detect lies: "Somebody could lie to me but feel awkward in just the right way that I couldn't tell whether they were lying about the thing I was asking, hiding something different, or just feeling awkward. Somebody could lie to me because they believed the lie to be true."

The structure of the book is also quite well handled, with chapters from a textbook filling in some of the gaps in Bibi's narrative for the reader. The science behind this science fiction feels plausible and explicable. All in all, Three Grams of Elsewhere is a convincing and entertaining parallel universe that I enjoyed decamping to each evening. I liked it so much I went and bought Giesler's earlier book, The Nothing Within, straight after finishing it.

Good stuff. This has a good mix of straight literature and scifi for me. I enjoyed the premise and stayed engaged with the story and the characters.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

I found the premise of this book very intriguing, a realistic take on science fiction with the use of current technology and a hint of fantasy. The world building was well established, jumping in timelines so the reader can learn the history. I enjoyed the dystopian mood set by the author as well as the characters introduced to us.

As a powerful empath, Bibi Cain is among the few able to control weaponized drones used in the Mosaic Wars. Living in seclusion at a Senior Cozyminium, Bibi likes to keep to himself. Until strange killings committed by drones put him at the center of an investigation.

The pacing on this novel was slower than what I expected. The technology and the idea of a split America was engaging and pragmatic. What I liked the most was Bibi’s general attitude towards life, the friendships he had with his close neighbors and the sacrifices he had to make as an empath.

Overall an interesting read, thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

thank you to the author publisher and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

wow. wow. wow. 11 out of 10 stars. i cannot share how amazing this book is nor my enjoyment from it in words. speechless. Andy Giesler crafts an excellent and enthralling mystery / thriller set in a future post civil war united states with amazing Sci-Fi concepts rooted in reality. full of interesting, well-developed characters, and a strong theme of interconnectedness . A thought provoking book certainly. has no political leanings in the writing. book narration format is a fun different approach that breaks up the story into great little chucks while also deepening the mystery or answering questions in a timely manner.

For a hard-science book, the ending is a little hand-waving magic, but still a remarkable story.

A near future story of people living their lives, the characters move the story along. From guessing at pronouns to living with technology, Giesler does a great job predicting how humanity will adjust to everything changing all the time. Only time will tell if he got it right, but it's a future that *feels* real.

Empathy is determined to exist in another dimension, so humans and other vertebrates (and some fungus) evolved to access this dimension with a piece of the brain; the larger that piece, the more empathy you have for other people. This is measurable, follows a square root law, and then the world falls apart.

In an America that broke into faction countries in a pre-story civil war, our main character gets brought out of retirement to a peace talks between these new countries. Of course he is super-special, because if he wasn't he probably wouldn't be the main character. Things get revealed slowly, then all at once, then in pieces, letting the story ramp up in bursts like real-world stress develops, I appreciate that everything revolves around the people. Laws and customs developed with the technology, and people made adjustments as people tend to do. The technology feels real and practical, like something I can see developing in a few years. But the tech never drives the story, it's always people and their decisions... is there a valuable technology that one group wants before another group? It's not the technology that causes a bunch of high profile murders, it's people wanting a new toy before anyone else. And Giesler does a great job writing this and not getting lost in the tech, as some sci-fi tends to.

Absolutely love the story, the ending is pretty final, so I'm not expecting a sequel. Though I am looking forward to more from Giesler.

**I received this book from NetGalley, this is my honest review.

Although I was confused for a while, I ended up enjoying this book a whole lot.

The author kept moving between excerpts from a textbook, a roving interviewer talking to people about the main character, the main character telling his story and excerpts from a cult, a.k.a. religion, a.k.a. whatever you want it to be’s “holy“ book. These transitions were done in a somewhat regular way and effectively build a cadence that kept the book moving along. And by the end, the part of the book that was confusing me, was explained!

There were several mysteries throughout – which makes sense as the main character spent most of his life as a private investigator sort of. The author did a really nice job of wrapping these up with several surprises that I thought added a lot to the story.

The story took us from retirement community to underground top-secret facilities to the UP (extra points, if you know where that is) to a reimagined St. Louis, with a much bigger arch, that served as a neutral ground for a fractured United States, that has turned into a half a dozen smaller countries, full of folks who have “self-selected“ their neighbors. It doesn’t make things work better

At the heart of the story is artificial intelligence, A universal gestalt, the battle between governments and personal freedoms, and a very creative approach to the value of empathy. I especially liked the homage to Asimov; A very relevant nice touch.

It all worked really well. It was written well. It was a joy to read and I’m glad I came across it.

A folksy, meandering story of the history of the main character Bibi. Set in the near future, Bibi lives in a low-end retirement community where his empathic abilities means he’s bombarded by his neighbours emotions. Although in his 70s, Bibi becomes targeted for his unique abilities. As political tensions rise in a fractured America, will he and his friends survive the machinations of governments bent on winning the impending war?
This book is full of interesting, well-developed characters, tech advances that seem just around the corner, a strong theme of interconnectedness . A thought provoking read that, while not an edge of your seat thriller, kept me hooked. Thanks NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I’ll be looking for other books by this author. Highly recommend.