Jonathon Munros

First Contact Trilogy #3

by Ian J. Miller

Dreams of revenge are sweet, but the consequences are not, and there was plenty of revenge going around. Jonathon Munro rather pointlessly wanted revenge on his wife, while others wanted revenge on him. Prolonged revenge required a substitute, in this case an android programmed to be just like the original. Jonathon Munro always tried to cheat the system, therefore so did the android. Jonathon Munro was inherently evil, therefore so was the android. Jonathon Munro had access to spyware that informed him of everything the authorities were doing, therefore so did the android. One mistake, then there were androids. Multiple Jonathon Munros meant multiple revenge attacks, first on a number of people he disliked, then on those who tried to stop him. Worse than anything else, Jonathon Munro knew the secret of the Cydonian face. Once that secret was exposed, a treaty that protected Earth from nearby aliens with far greater technology and who desired Earth would expire. The clock was running, and unless the Jonathon Munros could be stopped, all civilization on Earth was at risk, either from the androids, or the aliens, or both.

371 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2013

About the author

I am a semi-retired chemist, PhD from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and during this PhD my results came out on the wrong side of a scientific debate that was going on at the time. This story is being told on my scientific blog http://my.rsc.org/blogs/84 from October, 2012 onwards. The net result of this was I became perhaps a little skeptical of how science proceeds, and later, when invited to write a scientific book, I began "Elements of Theory". I was somewhat too slow, and the fact the editor found out that I was not a professor did not help. The project was orphaned, but I continued, and four volumes are now available on Amazon as ebooks. The first shows how to form theory, and provides seventy problems to test theory-forming skill. The second involves an alternative theory of planetary formation and biogenesis. The third elaborates on my alternative interpretation of quantum mechanics, while the fourth surveys biofuel technology, an area in which I have spent much of my scientific career

I had also tried writing a novel as an undergraduate, which was rejected four times, after which I gave up, however some time later I revisited this, and later self-published. However, I was barred from publicity through a different commercial venture, and I found selling this novel without any advertising somewhat difficult. About 1990, with spare time, thanks to the financial crisis, I began writing a future history, which is now being self-published as ebooks. Two of these, Puppeteer, Troubles involve a future in which we do nothing to address declining oil supplies, and hence involve a dystopian future. Red Gold, and the "First Contact" trilogy involve a future with Martian settlement and a major Federation of countries, and is thus also involving an economic future in which resources become scarce. The last, Jonathon Munros, illustrates the problems of evil androids. The Gaius Claudius Scaevola trilogy is partly about military strategy, partly about what science is really about, and partly about how humans could live in an advanced alien society.

Reviews

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ian Miller combines three flavors of thriller--revenge, political, and sci fi--in one exciting mix in Jonathon Munros! Munros is quite the villain, having exacted revenge on his wife for no apparent reason. Now the android copies of himself are seeking to destroy all of human society in his wake. I love a good revenge thriller, but the depth of thought Miller has put into his world and plot takes it to the next level! This book is a wonderful house of cards that is so mesmerizing to watch tumble as Munros makes his downfall! If you love sci fi with a fine dose of political thriller, this one’s for you!

[Brian Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ian Miller knows how the world works, which makes him an intriguing author. But what’s even better, he knows how the world doesn’t work, which makes him an entertaining one as well. As a result, while reading his novel Jonathon Munros, we’re constantly reminded of what screw-ups we all are. That it’s humanity’s own flaws—our ignorance, indifference and greed—that have always been, and always will be, our ultimate enemy.

Set in a late 2200’s, the book begins by establishing that its title character is an unredeemable cad, only to then pose a question: what if this deeply flawed human were to serve as the template for a self-replicating race of super-powered androids? The answer, it turns out, is that mankind would respond in kind, trading in noble heroics for corporate intrigue, political machinations, and the age-old art of covering one’s ass. No, it’s not a pretty picture, but it is an accurate one, as well suited for a world of Trump and Brexit as it is for some imagined future.

But lest you think it’s all doom and gloom, be prepared for the book’s lighter touches. Beneath Miller’s scathing reportage lurks a wicked sense of humor, a delight in admitting that our foibles and failures are part of what makes us human, and the key as well to defeating the android menace he so convincingly evokes. And though the final resolve is too rounded, too nuanced, to qualify as “happy”, it still provides hope that despite all our bungling, we’ll eventually reach the stars