ATL: Stories from the Retrofuture

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In a future of robots and CRTs, Atlanta is the most powerful city in the world. And in that city, twentysomething slacker Morgan Harding dreams of being able to live a normal, peaceful life... until they're given cybernetic superpowers and forced to become a hero. Together with a mysterious sentient robot and an overworked college student, they must keep Atlanta safe from the technological threats that arise... pretty much constantly... Sigh.

ATL is divided into several novel or novella-sized stories, and the entire first season is online on Royal Road for you to gobble up like a robot filling up at a power socket.

And if you're itching for more, always know you can read the storyat its official websitetoo.

Please vote onTop Web Fiction!You can vote once a week on each device for this story (and any others you enjoy!).

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2019
Author: B. A. Baker (Thedude3445)

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 246
Views: 366,413

Chapters(241 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

sleeplessbanterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have seen the author chatting a lot in Discord so I decide to check out his story and man was it a surprise. it's witty, funny and well written. I not really into cyberpunk type story, but this story got me hooked. If you are on the fence about this one, go and head and jump it, it's worth the read.
BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The title is sarcastic btw. There is without a doubt a very large amount of sarcasm in this story. The main character is pretty much built from the ground up just so that he could make remarks about everything in the world. Honestly, the guys spew so much of it that one would have to think that it was his only goal in life.
Going away from the most important trait of the entire story, I would give a nod over to the world-building of this story. While the style puts the plot as something more light, the detail on the background is amazing. Sure, it's about robots taking da jobs, but who really cares about that. It's awesome, it has great detail, and there is nothing obvious to be negative about. The grammar is great as well. It's better than what this website deserves. Definitely above average.
Overall, I would give this story a solid 9/10, but due to my inability to do that on this website, I'll just give it 5/5 instead.
M. R. AzeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Disclaimer: Finished first arc only.
This is great! It's a really good story with a slight noir feel to it and to be honest, I'm loving it! It has some really witty humour that makes up for the slow start.
8/10 social media influencers would recommend it if they read it!
TheWitchOfTheRockRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Well.
This is the first time I've given 5 stars in everything. The tone grabs me immediatly and sets the stage for the story we're about to read. Stars off kinda like the setup for an episode of Black Mirror, which is DEFINATLY a good thing in my books. It also feel like the kind of world we could possibly live in within our lifetime!
Style: Excellent. At no point did I disengage from the story, and the tone had me pulled in and interested. There were some literary techniques here and there that I noted and appreciated
Story: As I said, has a Black Mirror kinda vibe to it, which I like. Starting off with this Social Media Killer also really draws on the whole call-out culture stuff we see today. Could be a real thing in another 20 years (maybe less)
Grammar: At no point did the grammar draw me out of the story, so 5 stars.
Character: Character Is ALWAYS the most important factor for me. I like this Morgan Harding. He's super relatable and realistic. The way he feels about his life in general hits hard to home, and I want to see good things happen for him, becuase it'll give me hope!
Will keep reading. Thanks for writing.
ilvaltarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Just a little recommendation to anyone that want a really good cyberpunk story.
At the end of the first arc, I must say that I don't find anything bad, the plot is very good and is progressing rapidely. I didn't feel bored at all and was always looking for the next chapter (and there is only one or two cliffhanger). Peoples and company are each working for they one goal. But making a conspiracy is never easy in this world ^^ Our character is traped between the company and the peoples that threaten them.
And for the character, we're well served, each one is unique and intersting, even for the side-side-character :D And furthermore we see a real growth in the MC.
And in opposite of @ARTHICERN, I really liked the idea of a character that already exist before. He had lived amazing thing and when we discover some bits, we start to imagine what could have happened before, and each time, the author puts an additional info we start to get a more precise picture of what happened. We discover their relation and the event that happened before; the story dosn't star at the first chapter, but way before.
The world itself is well builded and the story talk about really important topics like the online privacy, and how each human has some little secret and what is the result when you show it to evryone, the effect on your life. And with that come a real interogation about the ethics as for each character have his own view about the privacy.
Anyway, I really push anyone to start reading this story, really glad i've read it.
(Since i'm not english, I can't really tell for the grammar)
Rachel-RuthRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is something one can look for a lighthearted, action-paced and enjoyable read!
But one can also appreciate how well-thought out the story can be.
The Author has written a fitting story for our times, with a story that delves into a futuristic world that may be not too far off from us. The worldbuilding done in this is quite developed enough to have a picture of what our world can be like when filled with AIs, robots, and other technological advancements. It's interesting to see that it's not completely farfetched and that it even tackled the struggles of reaching an impasse in terms of technological development.
The protagonist in Social Media Killer has a rather interesting point of view, a bit snarky and with troubles that rings true for the society that he lives in. The other characters, also make for good and developed characters but certainly helps focus the attention to the protagonist.
There's certainly more to this, as one would delve in and think more about it, and it clearly has gotten me thinking about it... but whether or not you do, it's clearly written for a good and fun collection of stories to read!
Have an enjoyable read!
Rustle RootsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
ATL: Stories from the Retrofuture is quite a wonderful work of the Author that I definitely urge you to read!
I consider myself as a fantasy-reader and tend to graviate away from sci-fi stories but this story has got me hooked with its captivating world and characters.
The vivid storytelling and the fun perspective of the characters certainly gives the narrative its own charm that flows smoothly. Each character from major to minor has their own desires, goals and needs that is portrayed in the chapters and intrincally weaved together. In Social Media Killer, the story starts with a rather normal protagonist but we soon see that there's more to them than meets the eye.
Perhaps some would like to see how our protagonist became not-so-normal but there is certainly enjoyment as we learn more of the protagonist's history. There's this air of mystery around it that we get to discover as we continue to read. It definitely seems that we've started in media res but it's also the start of an inciting event so I leave the others to decide for themselves what to think of it. It's a fresh take for me to have a character that's already been through one adventure and is onto another chapter of their life.
I've only read Social Media Killer so far, but I only have the highest expectations that the other stories are as good, or even better than this one.
I'm looking forward to reading more of ATL: Stories from the Retrofuture!
SereminarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Do you enjoy cool settings? What about corporate espionage? Maybe you are just looking for great characters looking for trouble? If so than story is definitely a story for you!
This review is made after having read the first book.
The style is perfectly competent, with smooth prose, good dialogue and banter, and exciting action scenes! The humor is well written and adds a lot to the story, while the more serious parts still get across as important.
The story itself is well structured and it's readily apparent that the whole thing was well planned out from the beginning. Starting in-media-res (in the middle of the action) was a fun addition and added some nice mystery as you slowly uncover Morgan and friends history along with the novel and interesting setting. All the while the media killer is on the loose and everyone is on the hunt.
The grammar is pretty dang solid, while there are a couple of little errors here and there it's not distracting enough to pull you out of the story. And the formatting is spot on. As far as sheer readability this story is absolutely on the high end for this site :p
Characters are where I think this story really shines! Morgan out over worked and under paid mc is painfully relatable while still being positive, smart, and funny. Their humble disregard of their super cool past is a running joke as you coffee to learn just how action packed it is. Karina is the best friend anyone could ask for while being a 3d character in her own right. Perpetually busy with a daily schedule that gives me a stomach ulcer just thinking about it she still makes time for some thrilling adventure in her life supporting her best friend that just can't stay out of trouble. R8PR is a kick but sapient robot who escaped from captivity and is now hiding in the outskirts of the city trying to keep it all from tumbling around their heads.
This is an absolute romp and well worth your time!
AllantherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
A Young Adult Cyberpunk Mystery...
Read to chapter 33, end of first book / arc.
Morgan Harding isn't your normal bank teller. But he wants to be.
What is he then? He's a bio-enhanced human amateur private investigator and secret hero. Part of a team of three. With R8PR, who might be the very first sentient robot, and Katrina, his best friend and potential love interest, they tackle cases that the normal citizens of Atlanta would shudder to learn about. Even in the future, not everything in the city is safe.
This story is the first and only story I've read that would fit into a young adult cyberpunk mystery genre. Something that makes it new and different.
Style Score: Stylistically, the story is told in a first person POV, that of Morgan Harding. We learn very soon in the story that he isn't exactly what he seems, and that adds a bit of the unreliable narrator quality to the story that makes it that much more intriguing. Would prefer more scene setting, but that's a personal preference, and most YA stories generally are very thin in scene-setting.
Story Score: I found the story to be well plotted out with well constructed dialogue and action scenes. There were small things I came across and pointed out to the author in the comments where the pacing seemed off. Another gripe was the overuse of ellipsis.
Grammar score: There were a few typos found in text, but nothing overwhelming. Less likely than my own work. A proofreader could clean it up quickly.
Character Score: I wanted to like the MC, I really did. It just felt that I didn't get to know him well enough to do so. It's likely the downside of an unreliable narrator style, that it takes longer to feel an attachment to the character. Otherwise, there were no issues with voice (i.e. all the different characters talked like different characters).
Overall, I felt that the story is only one good edit away from submission to a publisher. (Or the hiring of a professional editer if going the self publis
MejiroRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This is a well-written, fairly solid teen cyberpunk story, set in a near-future Seattle. It’s less gritty and full-on noir than the genre can get, but still has the street finding its own use for things, the social upheaval caused by technology and the divisions between the haves and have-nots. While the main character may not be a chain-smoking private eye that gets in trouble thanks to a dame, he does have his own mysterious background, backstory and contacts, as well as getting in a lot of trouble even if he could walk away!
There are a few minor errors typing and grammar errors, but it’s pretty well written and easy to read, and delivers the story well, working through itself without falling apart, becoming overly vague or drifting into pointless side-stories.
The politics of the setting are interestingly fleshed out, although the importation of the English education system seems a bit strange (complete with the distinction between school sixth form and college).
In summary, if you’re looking for well-written, YA-ish cyberpunk with a decent hook and a fun main character, then this is probably worth your time!