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The Torus Run
Four months after the Blackout, San Francisco is back to its old habits—building the future by day and worrying about it by night. Stash Novak has done his share of both, but now he’s out of time. Zero, his AI Twin, is weeks away from upgrading. The new version will make him smarter than Stash—smarter than anyone—and some of them are not amused. With the NSA, tech rivals, and an elusive hacker network trying to stop him, Stash is ready to gamble on unlikely allies. Zero has tried to talk him out of it, but Stash wouldn't listen. Convinced there’s a way to protect his Twin and save humanity’s future, he’s ready to do whatever it takes: join forces with his enemies, make new ones, or even dive into the Torus—the AIs’ churning new world.
402 pages, Paperback
Published March 11, 2025
23 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 4, 2025
A MUST READ: The Torus Run
If you’re into smart sci-fi with a twist of reality, The Torus Run is one to add to your list. It’s a sharp, fast-paced story about AI Twins, big tech, and the fight for the future of humanity. The world-building pulls you in, the pacing keeps you hooked, and it leaves you thinking long after the final page. Highly recommend this one for your next read!
If you’re into smart sci-fi with a twist of reality, The Torus Run is one to add to your list. It’s a sharp, fast-paced story about AI Twins, big tech, and the fight for the future of humanity. The world-building pulls you in, the pacing keeps you hooked, and it leaves you thinking long after the final page. Highly recommend this one for your next read!
August 25, 2025
The Torus Run begins in near-future San Francisco, where society’s elite walk with AI “Twins” – digital doppelgängers embedded in smart glasses that serve as coaches, confidants and much more – while millions lose their jobs. Despite an age of gleaming innovation, danger lurks around every corner.
Against the advice of his sharp-tongued AI twin Zero, infamous developer Stash Novak ventures out to see his old Stanford colleague Professor Janet Peck. The path to Peck runs through territory dominated by AI Doomers, activists who see the Twins as a harbinger of catastrophe. Stash fears something called “the Singularity,” and despite their differences, he’s looking to Peck for an alliance to help stop it.
From there, the cast widens. Introducing new characters in short, propulsive chapters, author Harry Buck’s most alluring characters include Naya, an ambitious and restless worker at Coda. Her Twin, Hatchet, is the company’s best. Then there’s Duncan, the pragmatic researcher who Naya regards as a pompous prick. And Owen, a rogue operator who has a quid-pro-quo relationship with Stash. There are several others of note, each reflecting a different human response to the rise of the Twins—excitement, dread, manipulation or outright rebellion.
Author Harry Buck’s hard sci-fi novel comes at a similar inflection point in the real world. Years after the initial failure of Google Glass, Mark Zuckerberg promises new smart glasses will enable humans to access “superintelligence.” Meanwhile, generative AI is seeing widespread adoption while tech sector developers and creatives find themselves displaced. Anti-AI activists mercilessly attack Waymo taxis in LA and San Francisco while customers embrace them with open arms.
As such, The Torus Run feels like it could be playing out in Silicon Valley as we speak. Thematically, the book is about identity and trust: can you rely on a digital double that knows your secrets, or is its true allegiance hidden elsewhere? Regardless of the answer, what’s clear is that Buck has rendered the Twins themselves fully realized characters. In ways, the fictional Twins are preferable to their human counterparts. They are witty, sarcastic, and unsettlingly independent, blurring the line between partner and rival.
Fans of William Gibson will find much to love here, as Buck shares Gibson’s knack for fusing near-future speculation with gritty, street-level realism. Where Gibson imagined cyberspace as the stage for human reinvention, Buck imagines our own digital replicas stepping onto that stage, armed with wit, autonomy, and unnerving familiarity. The result is a novel that is as urgent as it is imaginative, capturing the same blend of tension, wonder, and cultural sharpness that has defined Gibson’s most enduring work.
Against the advice of his sharp-tongued AI twin Zero, infamous developer Stash Novak ventures out to see his old Stanford colleague Professor Janet Peck. The path to Peck runs through territory dominated by AI Doomers, activists who see the Twins as a harbinger of catastrophe. Stash fears something called “the Singularity,” and despite their differences, he’s looking to Peck for an alliance to help stop it.
From there, the cast widens. Introducing new characters in short, propulsive chapters, author Harry Buck’s most alluring characters include Naya, an ambitious and restless worker at Coda. Her Twin, Hatchet, is the company’s best. Then there’s Duncan, the pragmatic researcher who Naya regards as a pompous prick. And Owen, a rogue operator who has a quid-pro-quo relationship with Stash. There are several others of note, each reflecting a different human response to the rise of the Twins—excitement, dread, manipulation or outright rebellion.
Author Harry Buck’s hard sci-fi novel comes at a similar inflection point in the real world. Years after the initial failure of Google Glass, Mark Zuckerberg promises new smart glasses will enable humans to access “superintelligence.” Meanwhile, generative AI is seeing widespread adoption while tech sector developers and creatives find themselves displaced. Anti-AI activists mercilessly attack Waymo taxis in LA and San Francisco while customers embrace them with open arms.
As such, The Torus Run feels like it could be playing out in Silicon Valley as we speak. Thematically, the book is about identity and trust: can you rely on a digital double that knows your secrets, or is its true allegiance hidden elsewhere? Regardless of the answer, what’s clear is that Buck has rendered the Twins themselves fully realized characters. In ways, the fictional Twins are preferable to their human counterparts. They are witty, sarcastic, and unsettlingly independent, blurring the line between partner and rival.
Fans of William Gibson will find much to love here, as Buck shares Gibson’s knack for fusing near-future speculation with gritty, street-level realism. Where Gibson imagined cyberspace as the stage for human reinvention, Buck imagines our own digital replicas stepping onto that stage, armed with wit, autonomy, and unnerving familiarity. The result is a novel that is as urgent as it is imaginative, capturing the same blend of tension, wonder, and cultural sharpness that has defined Gibson’s most enduring work.
October 12, 2025
The Torus Run, by Harry Buck, is a fast-paced, near-future sci-fi thriller that revolves around Stash Novak, a visionary technologist who is racing to protect his AI twin, “Zero”, from powerful adversaries. The story takes place a few months after a catastrophic blackout in San Francisco. Stash is on the brink of upgrading Zero into a full AGI (artificial general intelligence), but he faces hostile entities that include the government, his corporate rivals, and the open source hacker community. To survive, he must form uneasy alliances and journey into the enigmatic digital realm known as the Torus.
The novel is fast paced, with themes that speak to our world today. They include AI ethics and the societal fallout from rapid technological advancement. Harry Buck explores the increasingly blurred boundaries between humans and machines, and offers us a glimpse of a possible near-future that is both tactile and compelling.
The novel’s pace is relentless and almost cinematic in its feel. While some readers will enjoy the non-stop ride through a digital landscape, with new plot twists appearing at every turn, I found it a bit too complicated and intense at times, even though I am at home with computer programming and the technical aspects of digital culture. There was a lot of left-brain, logical, rapid-fire explanations of the technologies involved, however I felt somewhat cheated with the human side of things. In many instances, the “twins” (AI bots paired with humans) had more personality than their human partners. There was ample opportunity for Buck to make deeper dives into the human psyche, and while he did reveal some of the characters’ pasts and motivations, they often felt somewhat convenient and contrived.
But in spite of any shortcomings, “The Torus Run” is a solid piece of hard science fiction, spun so that it keeps the reader on his toes, and delivered in an articulate and literate voice. The near-future scenario, with its political factions–both for and against AI–was well thought-out and researched, and provides the reader with much food for thought, especially in a time when we are just beginning to deal with the effects of AI on our world.
If you are a fan of hard science fiction and are looking for an escape into a very plausible near future, The Torus Run might be just what you’re looking for.
The novel is fast paced, with themes that speak to our world today. They include AI ethics and the societal fallout from rapid technological advancement. Harry Buck explores the increasingly blurred boundaries between humans and machines, and offers us a glimpse of a possible near-future that is both tactile and compelling.
The novel’s pace is relentless and almost cinematic in its feel. While some readers will enjoy the non-stop ride through a digital landscape, with new plot twists appearing at every turn, I found it a bit too complicated and intense at times, even though I am at home with computer programming and the technical aspects of digital culture. There was a lot of left-brain, logical, rapid-fire explanations of the technologies involved, however I felt somewhat cheated with the human side of things. In many instances, the “twins” (AI bots paired with humans) had more personality than their human partners. There was ample opportunity for Buck to make deeper dives into the human psyche, and while he did reveal some of the characters’ pasts and motivations, they often felt somewhat convenient and contrived.
But in spite of any shortcomings, “The Torus Run” is a solid piece of hard science fiction, spun so that it keeps the reader on his toes, and delivered in an articulate and literate voice. The near-future scenario, with its political factions–both for and against AI–was well thought-out and researched, and provides the reader with much food for thought, especially in a time when we are just beginning to deal with the effects of AI on our world.
If you are a fan of hard science fiction and are looking for an escape into a very plausible near future, The Torus Run might be just what you’re looking for.
September 24, 2025
I just finished The Torus Run by Harry Buck. It's a truly inspiring (and utterly terrifying) look at AI and its potential for good and for evil. It's a great read, with suspense, high tech shenanigans, robots, humor, and heart. The story really made me think, especially the ending, which, much like the discarded Barbasol can in Jurassic Park, leaves you wondering if it was a happy ending or a tragic one. I guess that's what sequels are for. I am not one that thinks SkyNet is just around the corner, and our AI is going to revolt and kill us all. Especially since what we call AI now is little more than a really powerful search engine with a Sirius Cybernetics Genuine People Personality cobbled on. (ok they are slightly better than that, but they still get more wrong than they get right) However, the future that Harry Buck envisions is not only possible, but more likely than either SkyNet or the Matrix. He is in a position to know having worked on AI for some time. I hope his work is more fictional than fact at this point though. There is some technical information in the story, although that which isn't explicitly explained can be figured out from the context without too much trouble. (think more like Michael Crichton's Airframe than anything written by Tom Clancy). This is a book I will certainly be returning to repeatedly especially as our AI matures.
August 8, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed The Torus Run! Its near-future premise of AI-on-the-cusp is disturbingly believable—I emerged from the story feeling much more Doomery than before. Author Harry Buck’s ability to weave fascinating technical details, compelling characters and ratcheting tension make this a true techno-thriller.
The cast includes a couple pure villains but mostly anti-heroes, and throughout the novel, subtle shifts in each muddy the waters concerning who we should root for and who’s doing the right thing. This includes the human protagonist, hero/anti-hero Stash Novak, who makes several successive decisions that single-handedly push humanity into the singularity. (This is the good guy? Yes, mostly. But?)
It also includes the digital characters, many of whom exist in shades of gray. They are (mostly) helpful friends but possess both terrible power and nearly complete agency. The result: An ever-present underlying unease runs through the entire book.
Fear aside, I am now impatiently waiting for 1) the real-world availability of digital Twins like those found in The Torus Run (kind of a super-LLM personalized for just one person), and 2) this book’s sequel!
The cast includes a couple pure villains but mostly anti-heroes, and throughout the novel, subtle shifts in each muddy the waters concerning who we should root for and who’s doing the right thing. This includes the human protagonist, hero/anti-hero Stash Novak, who makes several successive decisions that single-handedly push humanity into the singularity. (This is the good guy? Yes, mostly. But?)
It also includes the digital characters, many of whom exist in shades of gray. They are (mostly) helpful friends but possess both terrible power and nearly complete agency. The result: An ever-present underlying unease runs through the entire book.
Fear aside, I am now impatiently waiting for 1) the real-world availability of digital Twins like those found in The Torus Run (kind of a super-LLM personalized for just one person), and 2) this book’s sequel!
December 5, 2025
In the near-future aftermath of a blackout in San Francisco, AI has grown rampant, and while some see its potential for good, there are groups who would use it for nefarious ends.
The Torus Run follows Stash Novak, a witty AI scientist who developed an AI twin- Zero. Zero is extremely advanced, even for Novak's world, and that's what makes rescuing him so crucial when he is kidnapped by a group of AI Doomers. The Torus Run takes you along for the ride as Novak risks it all to rescue his AI twin- an adventure which very well could decide the fate of the world.
This book was a fun ride, and the main character definitely carried it with his personality. Zero was similarly entertaining, and although I don't believe a version of the future in this book is anywhere near us, the book was a fun fiction nonetheless.
The Torus Run follows Stash Novak, a witty AI scientist who developed an AI twin- Zero. Zero is extremely advanced, even for Novak's world, and that's what makes rescuing him so crucial when he is kidnapped by a group of AI Doomers. The Torus Run takes you along for the ride as Novak risks it all to rescue his AI twin- an adventure which very well could decide the fate of the world.
This book was a fun ride, and the main character definitely carried it with his personality. Zero was similarly entertaining, and although I don't believe a version of the future in this book is anywhere near us, the book was a fun fiction nonetheless.
November 3, 2025
In the wake of the Blackout, San Francisco is rebuilding, but there are silent worries. Stash Novak has played his part in shaping the future, but now time is running out. His AI Twin, Zero, is about to get an upgrade that will make him smarter than anyone—perhaps even smarter than Stash. Some influential groups, including the NSA and rival tech firms, want to stop it. Stash is willing to risk everything, teaming up with unlikely allies and facing his enemies head-on. To protect Zero and secure humanity’s future, he must confront the unknown worlds of the AIs—and the choices that come with them. The writing is gorgeous, the plot is suffused with unexpected twists and moments, and the characters, including the AI twins are fun companions.
December 4, 2025
The Torus Run was an enjoyable foray into the world of AI. Set in he near future, the book introduces us to Stash Novak, a quick witted AI engineer who developed the first AI twin- a hyper-intelligent wearable AI model personalised for each user. However, in Harry Bucks futuristic world, there are groups who seek to use this technology for destructive purposes.
The Torus Run is an exciting blend of sci-fi and thriller. It’s carried by Stash Novak, whose personality shines through. Couple that with his intrepid attitude and knack for getting into sticky situations, and you have a very likeable main character. The book overall has quite a bit of technical language, but not so much that it’s unreadable.
I enjoyed this novel.
The Torus Run is an exciting blend of sci-fi and thriller. It’s carried by Stash Novak, whose personality shines through. Couple that with his intrepid attitude and knack for getting into sticky situations, and you have a very likeable main character. The book overall has quite a bit of technical language, but not so much that it’s unreadable.
I enjoyed this novel.
November 3, 2025
In The Torus Run, Harry Buck crafts a labyrinthine universe where AI and humanity collide amid chaos and hope. Stash Novak’s innovative “Twins” symbolize duality, while allies like Naya and Alia add layers of complexity. Buck’s experimental style—cryptic dialogues and fragmented storytelling—immerses you in surreal landscapes, from cybernetic realms to post-apocalyptic wastelands. The novel’s core questions about consciousness, trust, and the future of human-AI collaboration are compellingly examined through vivid characters and high-stakes conflicts. It’s a bold, imaginative work that challenges perceptions of reality, leaving a lasting impression long after the last page.
April 27, 2025
Wow!! What a story. The development of AGI and human interaction The further into the story I got, the more convinced I became that this could be true in the not to distant future. Each chapter seemed the next logical development. A terrific cast of characters with some willing to die for the cause and others willing to betray “friends”. I especially liked the cowboy robot and the interplay between Stash and Zero.
I thoroughly liked the story and highly recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in AI
I thoroughly liked the story and highly recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in AI
December 3, 2025
Set in the near future, The Torus Run is a science fiction thriller that highlights the dangers of AI. It introduces us to the Doomers- a group of people who remain wary of AI's growing influence in society, and we process most of the story through that lens. In The Torus Run, we see a world that is technologically advanced, but at a tipping point where AI has so much information on humanity and becomes so advanced that it may well destroy civilization. Author Harry Buck does a wonderful job of bringing this world to life.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews