Gary Pegoda’s novel begins with a question posed on the title page: “If computers were human in every way, would it be human? How would you know?” In this day of messing around with IA, it is a question to be considered. The first character we meet is Sam, “I am Sam, the Star Bright Machine…” a computer activated in 2020 who is, in its/his own words, “intelligent,” and “conscious” although he/it is a quantum computer in reality. The second character we meet is Fred, who is escaping from Sam, in a series of fast-paced, action-filled escapes and near-escapes as Fred tries to decide whether he, Fred, is a human or a figment of Sam’s creation and imagination. When Dylax, who speaks strangely and is a bit hard to follow until one gets used to her disjointed, out-of-syntax speech, comes on the scene, she is the love-match for Fred, and…
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It sounds like it’s a read that you can’t predict what’ll happen next with it. That can be good 🙂
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It is very unpredictable because it is in the future, but the author does a fine job of “taking us along” while keeping our interest with lots of action. The “philosophizing” that occurs in the book, both about what humanity is determined by and thoughts about life in general, is really excellent as well.
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