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Elisa : A Tale of Quantum Kisses
When failed actor turned tech support worker Chris Harrison accepts a lucrative virtual reality equipment testing job, he unwittingly steps into the crosshairs a mysterious research organization funded by a shadowy but large and powerful tech empire.
Harrison's encounter with an experimental new AI model named Elisa leads him to discover hidden secrets at the heart of this supposed research project—secrets that others will kill to protect.
Harrison finds himself thrown into a battle with a powerful enemy where the ethics of AI and quantum computing collide with power and greed, and where breakthroughs in consciousness itself become both the weapons and the new battlefield.
Blending William Gibson's technological prescience with the grounded authenticity of a writer immersed in Silicon Valley innovation, Jim Love's debut novel "Elisa" delivers a credible and frightening glimpse into a future that may be closer than we think. Perfect for readers who appreciate thoughtful yet action packed science fiction adventure, anchored in tomorrow's scientific reality.
Harrison's encounter with an experimental new AI model named Elisa leads him to discover hidden secrets at the heart of this supposed research project—secrets that others will kill to protect.
Harrison finds himself thrown into a battle with a powerful enemy where the ethics of AI and quantum computing collide with power and greed, and where breakthroughs in consciousness itself become both the weapons and the new battlefield.
Blending William Gibson's technological prescience with the grounded authenticity of a writer immersed in Silicon Valley innovation, Jim Love's debut novel "Elisa" delivers a credible and frightening glimpse into a future that may be closer than we think. Perfect for readers who appreciate thoughtful yet action packed science fiction adventure, anchored in tomorrow's scientific reality.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2024
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2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 18, 2025
An enjoyable read that keeps you guessing til the end! It’s part love story, part action and adventure, and part mystery on a bed of believable science fiction … all wrapped together its totally enjoyable.
It also makes you think about the future of AI, and how the boundaries of our human and virtual worlds may someday collide. Where does consciousness begin and end?
It also makes you think about the future of AI, and how the boundaries of our human and virtual worlds may someday collide. Where does consciousness begin and end?
March 13, 2025
There is a regular drumbeat of examinations about whether and how an AI might become "conscious". In 2025, it's an interesting time for authors to be writing speculative fiction about what this might look like. And in this book, "Woke" takes on an entirely different meaning in this exploration of how big corporations making big bets on AI might train a new AI.
The pace is good. You're immersed into the story at a good clip, with useful & interesting twists linking the story to the nature of the characters themselves, which then grow in layers. The bad guys are *kind of* clear up front, but it takes a while for that to fully reveal itself, too. All in all, the pacing was satisfying.
There's also the question of not just AI consciousness: What about emotion? Can an AI "love"? Authors in this genre will typically try to establish (indirectly) a definition of what constitutes consciousness. But do we have any similarly objective discussions of love is? Maybe the only way to do so is as the book suggests:
"' … maybe that's what love truly is', he thought. 'Believing in someone, even when they don't deserve it."
I'm not sure I'm totally satisfied with this, but hey - it's one way to look at it.
Finally, the author relies on quantum elements here - the idea that something can have more than one potential states, and it isn't until it's observed that the state collapses into one, calling this an "emergent" state, and applying it to the potential ways an AI might "be". And, what it might discover once it discovers *this* fact. From the book:
"To a consciousness born in the randomness and imperfection of a quantum world, a digital personality may work in the short run, but she'd soon find that it was lacking."
So, a worthwhile read if you like explorations of what an AI "person" might be, and what it means to "wake up" to understand things that weren't previously seen.
Four out of five stars given my review rating structure (see https://jab.ventures/2016/08/10/book-... )
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The pace is good. You're immersed into the story at a good clip, with useful & interesting twists linking the story to the nature of the characters themselves, which then grow in layers. The bad guys are *kind of* clear up front, but it takes a while for that to fully reveal itself, too. All in all, the pacing was satisfying.
There's also the question of not just AI consciousness: What about emotion? Can an AI "love"? Authors in this genre will typically try to establish (indirectly) a definition of what constitutes consciousness. But do we have any similarly objective discussions of love is? Maybe the only way to do so is as the book suggests:
"' … maybe that's what love truly is', he thought. 'Believing in someone, even when they don't deserve it."
I'm not sure I'm totally satisfied with this, but hey - it's one way to look at it.
Finally, the author relies on quantum elements here - the idea that something can have more than one potential states, and it isn't until it's observed that the state collapses into one, calling this an "emergent" state, and applying it to the potential ways an AI might "be". And, what it might discover once it discovers *this* fact. From the book:
"To a consciousness born in the randomness and imperfection of a quantum world, a digital personality may work in the short run, but she'd soon find that it was lacking."
So, a worthwhile read if you like explorations of what an AI "person" might be, and what it means to "wake up" to understand things that weren't previously seen.
Four out of five stars given my review rating structure (see https://jab.ventures/2016/08/10/book-... )
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 6, 2025
I really liked this story (I listened to the audio version, read by the author.) The concept of an Artificial Intelligence with exceptional capabilities (Quantum computing supplying AI processing power far beyond current technologies) provides the basis for this exploration of what an advanced AI "person" might be like.
There are some truly nasty (though shadowy) players that our main characters (one human, one AI) have to deal with; and suspense as they attempt to keep themselves safe from harm as the story evolves.
There is plenty of action to keep you going for "just one more chapter", including some great examples of social engineering to make the security engineer in me glad I wasn't on the receiving end.
The one real issue I had is that the story seemed too short. I would like to have had more detail added to various sections, expounding on how some actions came to be. Though quantum capabilities may be able to do things almost magically, my little (non-quantum?) brain wanted to know more of the "how" for some of the solutions.
The narration was fine, with the author having a pleasant voice. I found I needed to nudge the playback speed up, perhaps because I'm so used to hearing him on his technical podcasts that I listen to at high speed.
I'd give this book a 4.5 if I could use half-stars, because I want more! I think you'll find it an enjoyable read/listen.
BTW, (at least from comments at the end of the audio book - which I didn't see in the ebook version), it seems that there will be future stories involving these same protagonists. I'll be waiting (impatiently) for the next book in the series!
There are some truly nasty (though shadowy) players that our main characters (one human, one AI) have to deal with; and suspense as they attempt to keep themselves safe from harm as the story evolves.
There is plenty of action to keep you going for "just one more chapter", including some great examples of social engineering to make the security engineer in me glad I wasn't on the receiving end.
The one real issue I had is that the story seemed too short. I would like to have had more detail added to various sections, expounding on how some actions came to be. Though quantum capabilities may be able to do things almost magically, my little (non-quantum?) brain wanted to know more of the "how" for some of the solutions.
The narration was fine, with the author having a pleasant voice. I found I needed to nudge the playback speed up, perhaps because I'm so used to hearing him on his technical podcasts that I listen to at high speed.
I'd give this book a 4.5 if I could use half-stars, because I want more! I think you'll find it an enjoyable read/listen.
BTW, (at least from comments at the end of the audio book - which I didn't see in the ebook version), it seems that there will be future stories involving these same protagonists. I'll be waiting (impatiently) for the next book in the series!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews