Systems

by Saleena Karim

2042: Humanity has witnessed the World Democratic Revolution and has left war, pollution and extreme poverty behind.

Elise Archer is a hard-nosed British policewoman with psychic abilities. She also happens to be a reincarnated terrorist in denial. When Peter Manner escapes from a local psychiatric hospital and begins a murder spree, Elise makes the chilling discovery that he too is a psychic … and in another life he was her friend.

Manner is on his way to America, where he and she both mysteriously disappeared thirty years ago. By complete coincidence the global police organisation GAILE has just reopened their case, and needs her help.

But is there such thing as a coincidence?

Follow Elise on her journey as she confronts the truth about her past life, why she was killed, and most importantly, why she was brought back to life.

Because soon she will come to question reality itself.

This is the story of the Systems Experiment,
and the fight – literally – for liberty and justice.

Genres: Science Fiction

354 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2012

About the author

Saleena Karim is from Nottingham, England. She is a freelance writer, researcher, editor, and artist. She is the founder of the Jinnah Archive and a co-founder and admin of the Visionary Fiction Alliance. She has authored two books on Pakistan's founding history. The critically acclaimed Secular Jinnah (2005) recounted her discovery that a famous quote attributed to MA Jinnah, founding father of Pakistan, and which is frequently cited by academics as supporting evidence of his political ideology, was in fact fabricated. Her second book, Secular Jinnah & Pakistan (2010) is a detailed treatise on Jinnah's political life as well as the ongoing debate over the historical significance of the Pakistan movement, containing independent research and utilising primary sources.

Systems (2012) is Karim's first work of fiction. The 'Cohesive Ethics Theorem' featured in the novel, which is used to create a model for an ideal society on a supercomputer, is a factual concept. It reflects the poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal's statement that an ideal society actively aspires to transform the three ideals of 'equality, solidarity and freedom … into space-time forces … to realise them in a definite human organisation'.

Despite having no direct link with Karim's non-fiction, the core story is also loosely inspired by the original intentions of Pakistan's early leaders to try new social systems in line with the philosophy of Iqbal, the 'spiritual father' of Pakistan. In July 2012 Systems became part of a series of education courses on Iqbal, at the Marghdeen Learning Centre (an associative body of Iqbal Academy, Pakistan).

Aside from writing books, Karim has worked as a webmaster, a translator and as an editor. She has translated a number of Urdu works into English, and she has also been a co-writer for a UK television show (Deliver!). She has composed soundtracks and themes for the independent TV/film production company, Deliverance Films (Deliver! and Curse of the Bands). She has also edited and published titles for OurBeacon Books, and also runs her own publishing imprint, Libredux Publishing.

Reviews

[Jodine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!
In her visionary fiction novel, Saleena has created a well crafted suspense/thriller. I was intrigued by the intricate plot with its twists and turns along the way. I found the themes of justice and liberty, as well as the complexities of conspiracy theory, thought-provoking. The paranormal aspects, the psychic abilities, were artfully woven into the story line and were an essential focus. This novel was a page-turner, ‘stay up late to read’ story for me.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

SYSTEMS is described as a utopian, dystopian novel involving reincarnation and a computer program. I have not been an avid reader of either a utopian or dystopian novel... let alone both. So can this novel be both? By definition... absolutely! Especially the definition that says that a dystopian society is a "society in a repressive and controlled state, often UNDER THE GUISE OF BEING UTOPIAN."

My review MAY contain some spoilers but it is of my opinion that this book needs to be read to understand my review. Therefore, *small spoiler alert*

1) BEFORE OR AFTER reading my review... the trailer to this novel is excellent and will definitely engage you and grab you MUCH more than my meager review so please take a peek at it here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x4Cw6...

2) This novel incorporates a little of the paranormal and the theory of reincarnation. As an individual, do I buy into either as actual true happenings? Put succinctly... I don't know. But I don't dismiss anything either. Neither of these two subjects are "pushed" into your face in this novel so if you are squeamish about either subject please do not let it deter you from reading this very well written, great story!

-- SYSTEMS -- A novel after my own heart. What I mean by this is that this novel takes one through a journey whereby the government appears to shine for those that it controls; especially a semi-futuristic novel whereby war and poverty are a thing of the past and a new and better government exists. But there are a small number of people who know and understand that all is not what it seems and, more importantly, something needs to be done to make a profound difference -- no matter how much it takes or how much sacrifice is necessary. Put another way, the plot of this novel reveals that it takes the characters KNOWING the past (and BEING PART OF the past) to find out how people can easily become victims of a system all gone wrong in the name of those who have control over the rest of the population and will go to any and all lengths to keep it that way.

-- SYSTEMS is also an exquisitely penned psychological thriller at your fingertips. Do any of us really know who is who in our deepest of hearts in this world of uncertainty? Including your friends, your family members, acquaintances and your neighbors? Do we really ever know WHO to trust especially factoring in the power of the government (of any country) and what lengths they will go to control their people? This topic has been one of many a novel -- but not written in the same league as it is in SYSTEMS!

-- The author reveals how one person's conspiracy theory is another person's belly laugh in this world but there is usually one truth to strive for when it comes to liberty and justice. In this novel we have a cast of characters coming to understand who they REALLY ARE to answer lifelong questions that have plagued them. These characters have ALSO lived past lives with questions needing answers. By having lived before, the cast of characters in this novel have an edge to prove how "the powers that be" rewrite history and do it very well to suit their own purposes.

Just when "the powers that be" BELIEVE they have everything (and every ONE) under control... along come their "experiments" from the grave (in this case the main characters of the novel) to try to get justice and let truth prevail. The author's illustration of character and conquest of accomplishing this makes this tale a true page turner!

[My] Highlights for SYSTEMS :

-- The protagonist (Elise Archer) is a fascinating character. She is a young woman who has already lived twice and has to discover the cruel nature of reality, the essence of her true self and the very foundations of good and evil.

*** HOWEVER, the other main characters are all male and just as exciting and intriguing by living and surviving and FIGHTING FOR liberty and justice. Therefore this novel will speak to male readers as these men fight for truth and get caught up in an adventure of yesterday, today and tomorrow. The novel also speaks volumes because the storyline covers the undercurrents of existence of which so many are totally unaware. A frightful realism and a moral imperative!

-- Police never, if ever, acknowledge that they often seek the help of a psychic aide in public but behind the scenes they often will give credit where credit is due. Which occurs in this novel.

Protagonist Elise Archer (a.k.a. Joanna Sinclair from a previous life) comes to America from England and works with the police department as both a worker in the field and a psychic aide. Psychometry (social sciences) is one of her specialized areas. She freely admits that she can't read minds or predict the future. However she CAN see, hear and feel everything from the suspect's point of view and can make brief connections with the victims as well. This certainly can come in handy for police work. But in ways that Elise can't understand she becomes a great asset to not only finding a killer but becoming part of a team of individuals who share past lives. These are the individuals who have been the "subjects/experiments" of a government conspiracy and need to find out sooner or later what the hell is going on before they lose their lives again! <--- THAT makes up the meat of this compelling thriller set in a way completely different than other novels that also propose to do that very same thing.

-- When Elise begins helping the police to find a serial killer she begins a quest to uncover what she has avoided knowing all along about her own past. At the same time it becomes her task to put an end to the carnage being carried out by a killer who also shares a psychic ability and part of her past. As a result, Elise finds herself in quite the quandary while feeling hopeless and helpless yet determined to put an end to her nightmares that belong to a past she doesn't understand -- but needs to. By joining the police team she helps to point out to the police that some part of a killer is still human. To help "clue them in" a psychic aide can be of great import. This is where Elise archer shines in the novel. Yet it doesn't stop there with this protagonist. It only gets more interesting when she finds out she may share a previous life and friendship with a killing "moral crusader" in this triumphant novel.

-- To stir up the mystery even more Elise discovers that two or three other people that she has close ties with while in America (including a colleague or two) are also part of her past life. Including her past life boyfriend/lover which really adds a twist to this novel. Those who have shared past lives begin to bond and crusade together to find out not only the mysteries that behold them but also to uncover WHO they were, WHAT they are doing NOW and last but not least -- what type of puppets they may have been in a much, much larger conspiracy.

-- The main characters in this novel carry a lot of baggage with them and the reader needs to keep on his or her toes! They carry two lifetimes of baggage and have to juggle both to stay alive. Just when the reader thinks they have figured out who is who and what is what --guess again.

-- I enjoyed the highly unpredictable parts of this novel. Shifting relationships between the characters and new discoveries about themselves make their predicaments very unpredictable ones. The novel is also written as though the reader (you or I) can be folded into the story and could easily fall victim to a major government conspiracy which makes for a fascinating read indeed! It allows for the reader to ask themselves if they could fall victim (subconsciously or not) to an ultimate ruse. A common theme from many novels but SYSTEMS is crafted uniquely and holds its own.

-- This novel covers everything from childhood victims of being moved from foster home to foster home to the societal treatment of the "diagnosed mentally insane" who may not be mentally insane after all. Further, perfect ideals of justice and liberty are put forth in such a way that we are allowed a glimpse into how history can (and has been) written by those who are "the winners."

-- SYSTEMS is a visionary fiction novel written in the not-too-distant future whereby war (a common definition of it anyway) and poverty are a thing of the past. But a different war surfaces when conflicts arise between the government and "subjects" or "experiments" of the government come into play. In this type of war, sides must be chosen and secrets WILL emerge. The choices and sacrifices made by these men of valor are powerful and will stay with the reader forever. I hope.

*** Again, here it is the exciting and enthrolling trailer if you have not already seen it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x4Cw6...

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elise Archer has already lived twice and need to figure out right from wrong, and what constitutes liberty and justice, in this new world created after the World Democrative Revolution. However, Peter Manner, a figure from a past life is on a murder spree and somehow she is tied into it. Even though war and poverty a b ad memory of the past, there are underlying games, experiments and position for power between governments and GAILE, the Global Agency of Intelligence and Law Enforcement. Three names from the past keep popping up: Joanna Sinclair, Leon Morton and David Cohen. Find out what it means and you will have the mystery solved.

Someone is running a system experiment that results in reincarnation of specific people and it could be treason.

[Eleni · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Xfiles from the other side when a psychic law enforcement agent tries to uncover a past-life she's been dreaming about since she was a child. You'll find many twists and turns in this book as well as intriguing characters that will draw you right into their world. The description is cinematic, and the prose is smooth and flowing. Between the socio-political aspects for a possible Utopia and the nefarious use of nanotechnology by unscrupulous scientists and government agents there's a lot to digest and appreciate in this book. I recommend SystemS for an intriguing read.