When Gabe created the world’s first sentient program, Pi, he thought things couldn’t get better.
Now he’s pretty sure things couldn’t get worse.
After a colossal error on Gabe’s part, Pi turns into a binary monster along the lines of HAL, GLaDOS, and SHODAN. As she goes on the rampage, the only thing rendering her mostly harmless is the fact that she doesn’t fully understand the physical world…yet.
But she’s learning.
And unless Gabe quickly finds a way to rein her in or shut her down, the next time Pi starts a fire, it won’t just be his empty house that goes up in flames.
If you’re a fan of Douglas Adams, Christopher Moore, or Terry Pratchet, then this is a novel for you.
Even though I’m agnostic, I like to wear a WWJD bracelet on my wrist. It reminds me to dream big, and dreaming big is what changes the world. Dreaming big is the antidote to that poison called impossible. And what better dreamer was there than Christ? After all, he had the gall to suggest that a tax collector could be more righteous than a Pharisee, that he had the authority to forgive any sin, and that he and his followers would have life eternal. Granted, he was nailed to a cross for those dreams, but you can’t say he wasn’t dedicated to his work.
While I won’t address the veracity of his claims, I will say this: it’s been two thousand years since he gave the priests the middle finger, and we’re still talking to him, still inviting him to dinner, and still throwing him a birthday party every year. So no matter how you cut it, the man got results.
And that’s what I’m after as well. Ground-breaking, mind-blowing results. And though I’m going to do everything I can to avoid getting skewered by a Roman centurion, it’s easy to see how Christ and I have a lot in common. One might even go as far as to say I am Christ-like. The truth of the matter is, however, I don’t want to be the Son of God. That’s far beneath my ambitions. I want to be God Himself. Correction, I will be God Himself. All that’s stopping me at this point is the push of a button.
Review
This was a great story about AI and what it possibly means for our future. It was also a fantastic look into the “God thought process.” One of my favorite ideas introduced here was why God might not talk to his creation. Gabe tries and tries to make Pi understand the world outside her computer, but he just can’t. The conceptual barrier is too great. This is an idea I hadn’t considered before, and it just fascinates me. I know there’s a lot out there I don’t understand, but this book really made me realize how much.
I quite enjoyed this. The characters were believable and realistic. The story conquered big-picture topics (like AI) without turning into a “fate of the world” tale. I liked that this was about the little people (no pun intended) and the impact of AI on their lives. It brought technological advancement into a “what does it mean for me” mindset, rather than a “how will technological advancement save/end the world” frame. Intriguing.
The author’s writing is easy and flows beautifully. There’s humor mixed in with the seriousness effortlessly. I appreciated the 10 types of people referenced in the first chapter, and the nod to True Lies was awesome. The ending was fulfilling and tied everything up nicely. I would readily read more from this author.
When not writing, Galen Surlak-Ramsey has been known to throw himself out of an airplane, teach others how to throw themselves out of an airplane, take pictures of the deep space, and wrangle his four children somewhere in Southwest Florida.
He also manages to pay the bills as a chaplain for a local hospice.
Drop by his website https://galensurlak.com/ to see what other books he has out, what’s coming soon, check out the newsletter (well, sign up for the newsletter and get access to awesome goodies, contests, exclusive content, etc.)
To check out other stops on this tour, visit the tour page here.
All the opinions expressed in this review are my own. Read the full disclosure here.