Edge of the Wire

by Scott Kenemore

A Science Fiction Thriller That Exposes Our Dependence on the Internet, Technology, and All Things Artificial.  An elite crew known as Silkworms are sent to an unknown planet. Their mission is to wire the planet—incorporate it within the all-encompassing and all-knowing system of artificial intelligence—The Goo. It’s hard to remember a time before The Goo and even harder to imagine a future without it. The Goo anticipates wants, needs, and desires—it is unfailing in its omniscience. But when Rowe, a member of the Silkworm crew, discovers mysterious secrets beneath the surface of this unknown planet, his faith in The Goo begins to wane. One twist after another turns Rowe’s mission into a quest for answers and a fight for survival. Scott Kenemore’s incredible style incorporates elements of horror and satire within a work of science fiction, delivering an entertaining yet thoughtful look at our modern condition and the existential crisis of the moment—artificial intelligence. 

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2024

About the author

Scott Kenemore lives in Chicago. He attended Kenyon College and Columbia University. He is the drummer for the pop-punk band The Blissters."

Reviews

[Jo Kaplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling mix of cerebral and survival sci-fi horror, Scott Kenemore's Edge of the Wire is a compulsively readable peek into the far future of humanity's dependence on AI technology, a ubiquitous force whose name--The Goo--closely resembles "God" for a reason. EVENT HORIZON meets ANNIHILATION as we follow a crew of men to an alien planet where something terrible befell the previous ship that landed there, leaving its crew dead. The mysteries of the planet, however, contain more than the crew bargained for: mysteries that probe the very nature of consciousness and what it means to be human. This is thoughtful space horror at its finest.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the far future, and humankind has stretched out into the galaxy, religiously connecting each planet we encounter to our far-reaching telecommunications and society-management array, The Goo. When a group of wiring technicians disappears on a mysterious new planet, our protagonist and his fellow crew are sent in after them to find out what went wrong, and to wire this new planet. Things do not go as planned.

A few thoughts:
- We're already starting to experience a weird ahistoricism in which we rely on powerful search engines to tell us things, and with the quickly rising A.I. toolsets, we're poised to become even more dependent on such technologies. Kenemore explores what the world several centuries hence might look like when we're very, very dependent on these technologies.
- The book does an excellent job dancing from space exploration adventure to claustrophobic horror to sci-fi meditation on life, the universe, and everything. The book provides many moments of dread, and builds an environment where, as a reader, you find yourself feeling just as paranoid as the characters themselves.
- I would have liked to see the book give a bit more room to expand our narrator's relationship with his fellow crewmates and his captain. The stakes later might have been a bit higher if we cared more about those other people. That would, of course, have slowed down the book's fast, satisfying pace, so consider this critique tenuous.
- As usual, Kenemore infuses the book with fast-paced storytelling and aptly placed humor. Both keep you turning pages. I read this book in three sittings in less than 24 hours.

Edge of the Wire is a tasty, creepy snack of a book. It's engaged and engaging from beginning to end, and will have you re-thinking your relationship to your favorite search engine. Well worth a read.

*Full disclosure: Scott Kenemore and I have been on convention panels together and he has visited my class several times to speak about his work on zombies.*

[Daniel Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. The ending will definitely keep you thinking about this book.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a sci-fi lover and someone who struggles with long books, this was excellent. A lot of the usual filler writing was removed, which led to a more engaging reading experience. I'm not a big fan of the ending, but overall, it is worth a read.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read by Scott, his style stood out. Not a Sci-Fi guy tho Scott pulled it off. Another planet & AI was smooth as silk.

[Mim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounding up! Not sure how I came across this but I’m glad I did. If you’re considering reading it, do. It’s a page turner , adventurous, fun and gave me a lot to reflect on.

[Rikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

normal but easy to read

[Michelle Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, could not put this book down. I read it in two days. Scott Kenemore the author is like Clarke or Baxter. His sweeping view of what AI would be in our future was so unexpected, so fascinating and creative and in reality, so possible! I enjoyed the Goo and the ARK how and why planets are wired up by they 'Silkworms' and what that means to fabric of who we are as a human species. And there are a few GREAT twists to the story and VERY surprising ending. Like WOW. This is a book I will be thinking about forever. Especially the 'why' of why they have not encountered any other intelligent life on the other planets... and the line at the end, "I am never going to know, am I?"

The characters were unique and well done. I loved how the protagonist had a friend, and the author DID NOT KILL him off in the end! Noyes, the AI, Rowe, Waverly, the Commander Collins, Cortez. All a real joy to read and each was differnt in thought, and word. And the dialogue was great. So was the pacing and the build up of the tension. And the mystery they were trying to solve, what killed 90+ Silkworms in the first landing really kept you HOOKED to the end. This is a great SciFi read I recommend it to anyone who really loves this genre and great characters and plotting and storytelling.