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Laura Lam
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False Hearts: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Laura Lam (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 92 ratings

Laura Lam's adult sci-fi debut False Hearts: Two formerly conjoined sisters are ensnared in a murderous plot involving psychoactive drugs, shared dreaming, organized crime, and a sinister cult.

Raised in the closed cult of Mana's Hearth and denied access to modern technology, conjoined sisters Taema and Tila dream of a life beyond the walls of the compound. When the heart they share begins to fail, the twins escape to San Francisco, where they are surgically separated and given new artificial hearts. From then on they pursue lives beyond anything they could have previously imagined.

Ten years later, Tila returns one night to the twins' home in the city, terrified and covered in blood, just before the police arrive and arrest her for murder--the first homicide by a civilian in decades. Tila is suspected of involvement with the Ratel, a powerful crime syndicate that deals in the flow of Verve, a drug that allows violent minds to enact their darkest desires in a terrifying dreamscape. Taema is given a proposition: go undercover as her sister and perhaps save her twin's life. But during her investigation Taema discovers disturbing links between the twins' past and their present. Once unable to keep anything from each other, the sisters now discover the true cost of secrets.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tor Books
  4. Publication date
    June 14, 2016
  5. File size
    1.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Riveting.” ―F. Paul Wilson, creator of the. Repairman Jack series

“A taut futuristic thriller, set in a San Francisco where everybody is beautiful... and nobody is exceptional. Two unusual sisters are caught in a war for control of a society that quietly suffocates its outsiders, rebels, and the damaged. Taema and Tila are all three, and their strange past and unique bond make False Hearts a difficult book to put down.” ―A. M. Dellamonica, author of Child of a Hidden Sea

“False Hearts has an ingenious premise, and Laura Lam executes it flawlessly. Gritty and wise, your own pulse will be racing as you get caught up in this exciting tale.” ―Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Red Planet Blues

“A multi-layered, suspenseful thriller, False Hearts explores themes of identity and power in a breakneck plot that keeps the pages turning.” ―Ilana C. Myer, author of Last Song Before Night

“Gorgeous prose, vividly rendered characters, and a story that moves like a ballistic missile.” ―Wesley Chu, author of Time Salvager

“A smart debut from someone who's clearly got what it takes.” ―Peter F. Hamilton, author of the Commonwealth Saga

About the Author

LAURA LAM was raised in San Francisco and currently resides in Scotland. She is known for her young adult books, and her novel Pantomime was a Bisexual Award winner as well as being a Top 10 Title for the American Library Association's Rainbow List. False Hearts is her first novel for adults.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015W3Q0FS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books (June 14, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 14, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 92 ratings

About the author

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Laura Lam

Laura Lam

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LR Lam (who has also written as Laura Lam) was raised near San Francisco, California, by two former Haight-Ashbury hippies. Both of them encouraged Lam to colour outside of the lines and consider the library a second home. They moved to Scotland in 2009 and at times they miss the sunshine.

They are the Sunday Times Bestselling author of Dragonfall, Goldilocks, Seven Devils and Seven Mercies (co-written with Elizabeth May) False Hearts (a BBC radio 2 book club selection), Shattered Minds (an Amazon editor's book of the month), and the award-winning Micah Grey trilogy (Pantomime, Shadowplay, Masquerade). They also write geeky f/f romance under the name Laura Ambrose.

They currently live in Edinburgh and work as a book coach and lecturer in addition to writing.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
92 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this sci-fi novel engaging, with one review noting it never lets up on the intrigue. The book receives positive feedback for its pacing, with one customer describing it as a fast-paced read.

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6 customers mention "Intrigue"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the intrigue of this sci-fi novel, with one customer noting that it never lets up throughout the story.

"...Lam's intense, fast paced storytelling kept me captivated from the first page to the last. I cannot recommend this book heartily enough." Read more

"...murder, Laura Lam's False Hearts is a fast paced read that never lets up on the intrigue...." Read more

"I never read a fiction novel before and this was a great intro. I loved Tila and Taema but also Nazarin." Read more

"Good book, appeared to be in great shape when it arrived. As I started reading it, several pages started falling out...." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, with one mentioning its fast-paced storytelling and another noting how the plot grips the reader.

"...Lam's intense, fast paced storytelling kept me captivated from the first page to the last. I cannot recommend this book heartily enough." Read more

"...deep undercover to solve a murder, Laura Lam's False Hearts is a fast paced read that never lets up on the intrigue...." Read more

"...This is the perfect medium for this story to be told. I just am so amazed how much of an amazing storyteller Laura Lam is...." Read more

"I liked it. The story and flow moved along smoothly for me. Even with the switching between the two perspectives it was easy to follow...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kaitlyn Sage Patterson
    5.0 out of 5 stars I cannot recommend this book heartily enough
    Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I started this book with high expectations, and boy, did it ever meet them. Lam's intense, fast paced storytelling kept me captivated from the first page to the last. I cannot recommend this book heartily enough.
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  • Patrick Cleary
    4.0 out of 5 stars Truly Original
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The city of San Francisco serves as the backdrop to this original science fiction novel concerning a pair of conjoined twins who have been separated, but whose lives are still intimately enmeshed. Featuring futuristic drugs that allow for lucid dreaming, a sinister cult leader, organized crime and going deep undercover to solve a murder, Laura Lam's False Hearts is a fast paced read that never lets up on the intrigue. My only criticism is that we don't hear enough of Tila's story, which is fascinating in its sparse details and wraps up a little too neatly at the end. Still, a fine way to spend an afternoon, reading just to see what happens next.
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  • books and movies
    3.0 out of 5 stars simplistic YA/New Adult
    Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016
    2.5 stars

    Orphan Black meets Inception?! yeah... no. That's quite an ambitious comparison considering the similarities are incredibly shallow. There are twins. There's stuff in relation to a dreamscape and an evil organization trying to exploit it. Beyond that, forget it. This lacks the depth and mojo and heartfelt honesty of those other stories and does little more than ride upon their coattails for marketing purposes. Worst of all, these potentially very cool twins-- formerly conjoined and bisexual, no less-- were very bland and superficially characterized. I really couldn't even tell them apart when they switch off in narration and their similar names didn't help at all. Luckily one dealt primarily with the past and the other with the present... someone also mentioned the font was slightly different between the two. I had a hardcover and barely noticed if it was.

    What's more, this is indeed a YA book. Perhaps New Adult is more appropriate. The twins are in their 20s and there's little mention of parents. The author may say it's not YA, but it READS like a YA book!! The narrative voice is very young and the writing is rather hollow and simplistic. And there isn't much depth or explanation to any of the cool ideas that come up. Granted, it's readable and adequately organized. It's just very simplistic.

    Super cool ideas, though. It's what caught my attention. It's a futuristic setting that takes place around The San Francisco Bay Area... something like 40 years from now. Society has gone through some intense governmental shifts, and socially, technology has affected daily living to new heights. Great amounts of information can now be downloaded into your brain. Hovercars. Moving tattoos. Flesh parlors that can change your appearance quite easily. Replicators and chip implants etc etc... and even a drug that gets you addicted to dreamscape fantasies... because drug companies never stop being greedy, evil jerks, ever.

    Tila and Taema are born conjoined twins of mixed ethnicity (Samoan, white, black) who were raised on the fringe of this new society in a strange cult that shunned all modern medical practices and technology. When their shared heart begins to fail, they escape the cult at 16 and find their way to the new world where they get medical care. They get surgically separated and receive new, artificial hearts. Ten years later they get caught up in a murder drama that puts one twin behind bars and the other goes undercover as her sister to clear her name. Along the way we get their backstory and are introduced to all these neat futuristic ideas and technologies... but they are little more than passing ideas. As for the bisexuality... not much there either. I think maybe there was too much going on here and not enough pausing to give us vivid descriptions, dialogue, and emotional attachments. No real depth. As a result, I found myself caring not at all about these characters. meh.

    I was going to give it a solid two stars. However, I happen to be reading this book at one point in the waiting room of a doctor's office when a boy of about 13-14 sat next to me, smiled big, and said, "That's a great book!!" Didn't see that coming, LOL. It made me realize that it's probably a pretty decent YA book for a much younger YA crowd. MUCH younger, lol. So I will go easier on the rating... because, while I do enjoy the occasional YA or New Adult book with the older leads if done well, I really think I'm probably just the wrong audience for this one.
    One person found this helpful
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  • PWDecker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Laura Lam is an amazing Storyteller!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Laura Lam is awesome! If you haven't read Pantomime, you need to! Add it to the top of your tbr list right now! You have plenty of time to read it and its sequel Shadowplay before the third book comes out in March. Also, you should follow Laura Lam on twitter @LR_Lam. But I should get back to this book...

    False Hearts takes place in a near future San Francisco where a drug called Verge is popular. The worldbuilding, even from the start, has so much depth and realness. It is futuristic, but plausible. Laura Lam's writing is beautiful.

    The structure of the story is done in an interesting way. Tila is in the present. Taema tells the story of the past in parallel. This is the perfect medium for this story to be told. I just am so amazed how much of an amazing storyteller Laura Lam is.

    There is so much in this book that sounds weird out of context, but comes together so well. Conjoined twins. Feelings of loss. Togetherness. Cults. Technology. Drugs.

    Obviously, I give this book a 5/5. I HIGHLY recommend it and everything else Laura Lam does.
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  • Stefany
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good for fiction
    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2016
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    I never read a fiction novel before and this was a great intro. I loved Tila and Taema but also Nazarin.
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  • Adrienne
    2.0 out of 5 stars Good book, appeared to be in great shape when ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Good book, appeared to be in great shape when it arrived. As I started reading it, several pages started falling out. I was in no way, shape, or form, rough with the book. Read it through once, several pages are now not attached.
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  • XY
    3.0 out of 5 stars glacial
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2016
    The book has a good premise, but unfortunately the plotting is glacial. I skipped to the end of the book from halfway, and was surprised to discover that I didn't miss much.
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  • mac
    5.0 out of 5 stars I liked it. The story and flow moved along smoothly ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I liked it. The story and flow moved along smoothly for me. Even with the switching between the two perspectives it was easy to follow. Having the location in the Bay Area of course makes it easy to visualize. It also wasn't so far into the future that it seemed improbable. Perhaps in the not too distant future this kind of society could exist. The big brother aspect of it definitely has already started. Mostly I liked how the relationship between the two girls started and then changed with the physical separation. Not being one body limited the amount of information that was common to them both. The lack of knowledge caused them to question themselves and the other.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Cat Sparks
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Australia on March 22, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed this book.
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