Shimmer

by Matthew Mather

A short story...

Dr. Hal Granger is the world’s leading authority on the emotional and social intelligence of artificial beings. The culmination of his life’s work is Shimmer—an AI who not only senses and understands human emotions at the most nuanced level, but who can actually feel. But what she feels isn’t what Dr. Granger expected . . .

Shimmer is a previously unpublished short story from the world of Atopia, my best-selling collection of stories I first published in 2012. These books have been translated into fifteen languages (and counting) and sold worldwide, with 20th Century Fox taking an option on my latest book, CyberStorm.

10 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2014

About the author

Matthew is the million-copy bestselling author of CyberStorm and Darknet, and the hit series Nomad and Atopia Chronicles. He started out his career working at the McGill Center for Intelligent Machines, going on to become one of the world's leading members of the cybersecurity community. In between he's worked in a variety of start-ups,everything from computational nanotechnology to electronic health records to weather prediction systems. He spends his time between Montreal and Charlotte, NC.

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll take you through my thoughts and feelings while reading: "Oh, goodie, another Atopia story!", "Hmmm, I wonder how I'd feel about having someone (something?) take over control of my physical body?", "Oooo, I didn't see THAT coming", and finally "That's a thought-provoking ending..."

Yes, it's really short and I agree with other reviewers who said it will leave you wanting more. But I actually like that it's short, because it's a quick read while I'm taking a break or right before bed when I don't have the time or concentration to give to a longer story or a novel. I am definitely looking forward to more stories, whether they're really short or somewhat longer, I want to read more from the Atopia world.

[Marjolein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid short Atopia story with a good twist at the end

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short story, but was easy to see how it fits into the Autopia chronicles.

[Justine Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author's got my attention.

Solid science, intimacy with the characters, and a novel, intriguing concept pertaining to the presence of AI in our human lives you don't expect... all within a very short story. Reading time well spent! My first sample of Mather's writing, how freakin' refreshing it is when trying out a new author is rewarding!