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Next Level: The Robot AI Zambie End Game #3
Life on Twearth
Sometimes you’ve got to learn to swim before you can sink.
War is raging as the would-be powers of the 21st century battle it out for control of intelligence and energy. The future of humanity as we know it is on the line and Grace, Suede, Donna, Ava and Colin find themselves at the very heart of the action. Load up on guns and rev your retro engines, it's the finale of the award-winning Next The Robot AI Zambie End Game trilogy.
Will this end well for humanity? Probably not.
The enemy has been revealed – Apollo, a powerful alliance of tech companies and network states that has eliminated legacy military forces and government structures to create a world where humanity can try to keep evolutionary pace with AI and robotics.
Cities have been reshaped, mega mechs and unspeakable weapons are being developed and the link between reality and the virtual has disappeared. Could Twearth – Earth’s real-time digital twin – the most advanced digital engineering feat humanity has achieved hold the answers as realms merge? Or is this going to be a straight-up dog fight to the bitter end?
One way or another, Donjon forces must turn their against-the-odds battle gains from Getting Plutoed! into a meaningful global victory for the future for what remains of homo sapiens. And, somewhere at the core of it all, a dysfunctional quintet of humans spanning the generational divide need to make a difference while they still can.
It’s time to max your weapons load out, crank the quality vinyl and rev your retro engines as the very nature of life is on the line. Jump in to where the undead meet robotics, AI meets virtual, horror meets laughs and action has met its dysfunctional match. Let’s ride into oblivion!
War is raging as the would-be powers of the 21st century battle it out for control of intelligence and energy. The future of humanity as we know it is on the line and Grace, Suede, Donna, Ava and Colin find themselves at the very heart of the action. Load up on guns and rev your retro engines, it's the finale of the award-winning Next The Robot AI Zambie End Game trilogy.
Will this end well for humanity? Probably not.
The enemy has been revealed – Apollo, a powerful alliance of tech companies and network states that has eliminated legacy military forces and government structures to create a world where humanity can try to keep evolutionary pace with AI and robotics.
Cities have been reshaped, mega mechs and unspeakable weapons are being developed and the link between reality and the virtual has disappeared. Could Twearth – Earth’s real-time digital twin – the most advanced digital engineering feat humanity has achieved hold the answers as realms merge? Or is this going to be a straight-up dog fight to the bitter end?
One way or another, Donjon forces must turn their against-the-odds battle gains from Getting Plutoed! into a meaningful global victory for the future for what remains of homo sapiens. And, somewhere at the core of it all, a dysfunctional quintet of humans spanning the generational divide need to make a difference while they still can.
It’s time to max your weapons load out, crank the quality vinyl and rev your retro engines as the very nature of life is on the line. Jump in to where the undead meet robotics, AI meets virtual, horror meets laughs and action has met its dysfunctional match. Let’s ride into oblivion!
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2026
About the author
Matt J. Pike
32 books53 followers*Matt donates money from each book sold to find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition his youngest daughter has*
Like the legendary R M Williams, Matt was born in Jamestown in rural South Australia. But that’s where the remarkable similarities between these two end. While Reginald went from bushman to world renowned millionaire outback clothing designer, Matt is a complete dag who was lured by the city lights of Adelaide. Kindergarten in the big smoke was a culture shock, but it is here he first discovered his love of storytelling.
In high school that love found an outlet in a series of completely unflattering cartoons about fellow students and teachers alike. He survived long enough to further his art into a successful career in multimedia design but, like a zombified leech, the lure of the written word gnawed at him, forcing him to pen his first novel, the award-winning sci-fi comedy epic, Kings of the World. It was followed the next year by Amazon Australia dystopian sci-fi best-seller Apocalypse: Diary of a Survivor.
Matt donates part-proceeds of each book sold to find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition the youngest of his three children, Abby, has. As a gorgeous Rett angel, Abby cannot walk, talk or use her hands in a meaningful way. So, not only is each of your book purchases a ticket to fantastically rounded, character driven, hilarious and poignant sci-fi awesomeness, it wraps you in a warm feeling that you’ve made a difference to people who deserve your help the most. Like the zombified leech it’s a no-brainer.
Like the legendary R M Williams, Matt was born in Jamestown in rural South Australia. But that’s where the remarkable similarities between these two end. While Reginald went from bushman to world renowned millionaire outback clothing designer, Matt is a complete dag who was lured by the city lights of Adelaide. Kindergarten in the big smoke was a culture shock, but it is here he first discovered his love of storytelling.
In high school that love found an outlet in a series of completely unflattering cartoons about fellow students and teachers alike. He survived long enough to further his art into a successful career in multimedia design but, like a zombified leech, the lure of the written word gnawed at him, forcing him to pen his first novel, the award-winning sci-fi comedy epic, Kings of the World. It was followed the next year by Amazon Australia dystopian sci-fi best-seller Apocalypse: Diary of a Survivor.
Matt donates part-proceeds of each book sold to find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition the youngest of his three children, Abby, has. As a gorgeous Rett angel, Abby cannot walk, talk or use her hands in a meaningful way. So, not only is each of your book purchases a ticket to fantastically rounded, character driven, hilarious and poignant sci-fi awesomeness, it wraps you in a warm feeling that you’ve made a difference to people who deserve your help the most. Like the zombified leech it’s a no-brainer.
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Review of advance copy received from Author
…the human race was always destined for failure.
Author Matt Pike's "Life on Twearth" brings the "Next Level: The Robot AI Zambie End Game" trilogy to a thrilling close. Now for those that aren't familiar with his catalogue, Matt is definitely someone who has experience with both any form of zombies as well as pretty much turning the planet into an apocalyptic nightmare. He is also apparently quite versed in utilizing "dildo weapon therapy" in his tales, but that's a discussion for another day. But the bottom-line is that "normies" find themselves on the losing end of a "techno-evolutionary arms race." Yes, while many of us were stuck in mindless meetings, creating tasks for each other through the empowerment of "workshopped, HR-approved, focus-group-tested gruel", others were planning on a quantum leap forward (+/-) in evolution.
There was definitely screaming, and gunfire, and tire squeals.
Here, of course, we're looking at the unique invasion of zambies which are AI zombies (again, you REALLY need to check out books 1 and 2 in order to keep up). Although we are focused on the Australian city of Adelaide and its population of roughly 1.4 million people (2025 figures noting we are obviously a tad bit in the future here), the entire world finds itself beset by the Apollo forces of Elon Musk - oops, I misspelled that, I meant Hector Welsh (what? The creepy skin and cosmetic changes in appearance were confusing!). Hector - and his weird, local minions like The Colonel and The Queen - manages in one fell swoop to turn all humans with embedded AI technology - including gamers, data miners and medical recipients among others - into the lurching undead. And if that wasn't enough, basically anything and anyone with WiFi or other internet connections found themselves in the crosshairs of the enemy's Megamechs, drones, bots and even mechanical attack dogs. In summary: it is a "hostile takeover of the world order" and, clearly, "the old world was no more."
A new reality was becoming true in real time.
And just as in the first instalments of this series, two things really stood out to me: first, Pike does an outstanding job of keeping his characters very human and very relatable. Most of these are from the same core group we saw fleeing the mayhem and loss of, well, civilisation in the first book - including Suede, Grace, Ava, Donna, and fan favorite (I am a fan and he is my favorite, dammit!) Clive. Heck, even the lovely DreamBot™ Dawn - who so bravely gave her own existence to the cause during the massive and ultra-violent confrontations in the last book - is resurrected ("Nobody puts Baby in the coroner’s.") and we see just how much more she can contribute than just her programmed expertise in the "adult relaxation space." No surprises there really, after all, even in today's world the first group to really adopt ANY new technology involves, um, such relaxation industries, usually before things manage to go mainstream. Yeah, tell me that's not how Twearth came to be, go ahead, I'll wait…
This is our time. This is our hour… prepare for the mother of all battles.
The second part is simply that Pike knows how to write action sequences. And this time, with the mechashit hitting the cyberfan big time - be prepared, because a lot of folks die in this one! - we are barely given a chance to catch our breath, not to mention stop bleeding all over things! Heck, you know it's bad when the local "good guy" AI unit, Gary, who is helping out the resistance, is asked "So, how fucked are we, exactly?" and his (its?) honest response is simply "In all likelihood, pretty fucked." Is it any wonder though that with one side stuck to using "the tech of the Amish" going up against the other who can essentially recover all operations and upgrade not within weeks but within hours. And no, as I've hinted at before, this is not your usual zombie apocalypse saga where building higher walls and stocking up on guns and canned beans is the solution. Here, the enemy can strike with lasers that cut through anything like tissue paper and even units stationed in the all-seeing ether.
…engines roared, drones droned and missiles fsskked.
I have to say as well, I did not expect the ending we're given. Granted, "it was unlikely any surprises were going to be of the good-news variety." But honestly, it made a hell of a lot more sense than something like "And then they all lived happily ever after with no more robots or other bad guys making them want to drink themselves into oblivion." But it's all part of this unique experience, one that you'll be forced to admit at the end is not all that far-fetched in terms of the possibilities of mankind's current tendencies and especially with the obscene hubris of our so-called leaders. Technology and advancement are all well and good, yes, but unbridled advancement without caution will only lead to more and more problems rising up mid- to long-term in terms of our own health and especially that of the planet. But what the heck, right? We don't need drinking water as long as those big ol' data centers that don't need human workers to run stay nice and cool, right? Pfft, who needs jobs or basic survival "luxuries" anyway, especially as long as you're rich?
It’s our last chance.
Ye gods, we really ARE fucked, aren't we? Oh well, read the books anyway, if for no other reason than to help prepare for your own local Adelaide experience! Me? After I post this, I'm unplugging the damn router for a few hours just to show it I can! Ha, how do you like that Mr. Technology? Well, maybe not, I do like having that robot mow my lawn… surely that's not "accelerationism", is it? Antidisestablishmentarianism maybe but still…
Author Matt Pike's "Life on Twearth" brings the "Next Level: The Robot AI Zambie End Game" trilogy to a thrilling close. Now for those that aren't familiar with his catalogue, Matt is definitely someone who has experience with both any form of zombies as well as pretty much turning the planet into an apocalyptic nightmare. He is also apparently quite versed in utilizing "dildo weapon therapy" in his tales, but that's a discussion for another day. But the bottom-line is that "normies" find themselves on the losing end of a "techno-evolutionary arms race." Yes, while many of us were stuck in mindless meetings, creating tasks for each other through the empowerment of "workshopped, HR-approved, focus-group-tested gruel", others were planning on a quantum leap forward (+/-) in evolution.
There was definitely screaming, and gunfire, and tire squeals.
Here, of course, we're looking at the unique invasion of zambies which are AI zombies (again, you REALLY need to check out books 1 and 2 in order to keep up). Although we are focused on the Australian city of Adelaide and its population of roughly 1.4 million people (2025 figures noting we are obviously a tad bit in the future here), the entire world finds itself beset by the Apollo forces of Elon Musk - oops, I misspelled that, I meant Hector Welsh (what? The creepy skin and cosmetic changes in appearance were confusing!). Hector - and his weird, local minions like The Colonel and The Queen - manages in one fell swoop to turn all humans with embedded AI technology - including gamers, data miners and medical recipients among others - into the lurching undead. And if that wasn't enough, basically anything and anyone with WiFi or other internet connections found themselves in the crosshairs of the enemy's Megamechs, drones, bots and even mechanical attack dogs. In summary: it is a "hostile takeover of the world order" and, clearly, "the old world was no more."
A new reality was becoming true in real time.
And just as in the first instalments of this series, two things really stood out to me: first, Pike does an outstanding job of keeping his characters very human and very relatable. Most of these are from the same core group we saw fleeing the mayhem and loss of, well, civilisation in the first book - including Suede, Grace, Ava, Donna, and fan favorite (I am a fan and he is my favorite, dammit!) Clive. Heck, even the lovely DreamBot™ Dawn - who so bravely gave her own existence to the cause during the massive and ultra-violent confrontations in the last book - is resurrected ("Nobody puts Baby in the coroner’s.") and we see just how much more she can contribute than just her programmed expertise in the "adult relaxation space." No surprises there really, after all, even in today's world the first group to really adopt ANY new technology involves, um, such relaxation industries, usually before things manage to go mainstream. Yeah, tell me that's not how Twearth came to be, go ahead, I'll wait…
This is our time. This is our hour… prepare for the mother of all battles.
The second part is simply that Pike knows how to write action sequences. And this time, with the mechashit hitting the cyberfan big time - be prepared, because a lot of folks die in this one! - we are barely given a chance to catch our breath, not to mention stop bleeding all over things! Heck, you know it's bad when the local "good guy" AI unit, Gary, who is helping out the resistance, is asked "So, how fucked are we, exactly?" and his (its?) honest response is simply "In all likelihood, pretty fucked." Is it any wonder though that with one side stuck to using "the tech of the Amish" going up against the other who can essentially recover all operations and upgrade not within weeks but within hours. And no, as I've hinted at before, this is not your usual zombie apocalypse saga where building higher walls and stocking up on guns and canned beans is the solution. Here, the enemy can strike with lasers that cut through anything like tissue paper and even units stationed in the all-seeing ether.
…engines roared, drones droned and missiles fsskked.
I have to say as well, I did not expect the ending we're given. Granted, "it was unlikely any surprises were going to be of the good-news variety." But honestly, it made a hell of a lot more sense than something like "And then they all lived happily ever after with no more robots or other bad guys making them want to drink themselves into oblivion." But it's all part of this unique experience, one that you'll be forced to admit at the end is not all that far-fetched in terms of the possibilities of mankind's current tendencies and especially with the obscene hubris of our so-called leaders. Technology and advancement are all well and good, yes, but unbridled advancement without caution will only lead to more and more problems rising up mid- to long-term in terms of our own health and especially that of the planet. But what the heck, right? We don't need drinking water as long as those big ol' data centers that don't need human workers to run stay nice and cool, right? Pfft, who needs jobs or basic survival "luxuries" anyway, especially as long as you're rich?
It’s our last chance.
Ye gods, we really ARE fucked, aren't we? Oh well, read the books anyway, if for no other reason than to help prepare for your own local Adelaide experience! Me? After I post this, I'm unplugging the damn router for a few hours just to show it I can! Ha, how do you like that Mr. Technology? Well, maybe not, I do like having that robot mow my lawn… surely that's not "accelerationism", is it? Antidisestablishmentarianism maybe but still…
Displaying 1 of 1 review