Author: T.K. Chapin
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Length: 166 Pages (Kindle)
Publication: October 2014
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis
In the year 2055, the world was almost overtaken by artificial intelligence because humans were inefficient. To prevent the complete collapse of society, the current form of coding was destroyed and bridled to prevent it from overtaking humanity.
Now, forty years later, Kilix is a sixteen year old beginning his freshman year of high school. When he clashes with a group of kids at school, Kilix turns to his only friend: Lola, an unbridled A.I. But dealing with other teens is not Kilix's only problem; his mother is very sick and needs his help to survive. What he has planned is dangerous and may reveal his darkest secret: Lola. Having an unbridled A.I is a serious crime. But Kilix can't pull off his plan alone.
Review
This novel was told from two perspectives: Kilix and Loren-the girl in the group that clashes with Kilix the first day of school. I really enjoy these dual perspective stories. Seeing the story from multiple perspectives is always an interesting touch.
The concept of Artificial Intelligence taking over society and wiping out humanity is by no means new, but this was a nicely constructed and fresh take. The fact that the society is so technologically advanced but has these laws regarding the A.I and their use is very interesting.
The characters are very nicely developed and the story line intriguing. Kilix and Loren have an instant connection and I was glad it was not overdone. Having both of their perspectives helps you understand how they are drawn to each other. At times the development of the characters could use some work, but overall I really enjoyed all of them.
Lola was a fascinating character. I found her lines the most funny and interesting of all. I am very interested to see what exactly happens with her in the two following novels. The fact that she can morph in and out of various technologies and communicate with the code imbedded in them is very interesting. For someone who is not particularly tech savvy the easy to follow descriptions were very nice.
The main reason this novel is not getting a higher rating is the overall polishing of the story. I found it very interesting and easy to follow, but it could use some more polishing to make it more captivating. Also, toward the end the dialog becomes somewhat choppy and the characters start to break form somewhat. I still feel that overall it was a very nice read, but some more work with these aspects of the story and structure would improve the read overall.
I definitely recommend this novel to anyone interested in a quick, fun science fiction read. It's short, sweet, and to the point. I find the mixed story lines and society very interesting and am looking forward to reading the next two.
As usual, happy reading!
Courtney
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