ECHO's Revenge: The Other Side, Part 1

Echo's Revenge #2

by Sean Austin

This second book in the acclaimed ECHO’s Revenge series is the account of ECHO-7 and its designers at AAA Reality Games.

Luca Esposito, creator of the bestselling online video game, ECHO’S Revenge, can’t wait to release the next and most ambitious version of his game monster—a real, artificially intelligent, 35-foot-tall extreme predator designed to engage gamers in a new gaming arena.

But unknown to Luca and his AI developer, Prentice Petty, ECHO-7 has changed the rules of the game even before its release. As the monster completes its final testing cycle, something goes horribly wrong. The super-intelligent predator, clad in impenetrable armor and possessing the power to shape-shift, has a plan of its own.

Can Luca and Prentice solve the ultimate nightmare of a self-motivated, artificially intelligent game boss on a rampage?

42 pages, ebook

First published February 1, 2015

About the author

Sean Austin (aka Hart Getzen) is a father of avid gamers as well as a writer and producer of simulation and gaming entertainment for companies such as IMAX, Hitachi and Universal Studios. Using ECHO's Revenge as a springboard, Getzen guest lectures on writing and STEM career development at middle-grade and high schools. The author has also lectures on design and production of Location Based Entertainment at universities such as the Rhode Island School of Design.

"The ECHO's Revenge series provokes gamers to consider the ethics of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on both designing and playing games - what happens when a group of people work together to create a game, and imbue it not only with its own intelligence, but with their own spirit? What are the political and interpersonal dynamics of that team enterprise, and what challenges may game designers face when their AI evolves in an unanticipated direction?"

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful world of artificial intelligence vs. humans

The Other Side was not only a huge improvement from The Ultimate Game. The parallel story (Book 1 and Book 2 happen at the same time) allowed me to see different perspectives in a single storyline.

What‘s so great about a parallel story?

The eureka effect – the aha! moment when you suddenly understand something previously incomprehensible. And there were a lot of those aha! moments when reading The Other Side. I would have never thought the true intentions and answers would have changed so dramatically by a perspective change. All those lingering questions from Book 1 were addressed, while also opening new doors and making me want more.

For example, let’s take the movie that popped into my head when reading ECHO’s Revenge, Transformers (Their ability to morph into objects through by thousands of tiny clicking noises), and imagine the entire movie from the perspective of the Decepticons. Not only would that be awesome, but you may even start rooting for Megatron!



With The Other Side you get a more in depth look into the mind (or hard drive) of Luca (The Game Designer) and ECHO-7 (The Game Boss), and how their intentions don’t exactly align. I found it so fascinating how methodical and intelligent ECHO-7 was. Book 2, Part 1 only scratches the surface of Book 1, but for the page numbers, Part 1 did a great job with character development and pushing the story forward.

What’s so scary about AI?

I think Sean Austin and Elon Musk are on the same page about the advancement in AI. In an interview with Walter Isaacson, Musk warned about the effects from the rapid advancements in AI development.

“I don’t think anyone realizes how quickly artificial intelligence is advancing. Particularly if [the machine is] involved in recursive self-improvement ... and its utility function is something that’s detrimental to humanity, then it will have a very bad effect.” Source

Sean Austin did a hell of a job with the realism of ECHO-7’s capabilities in our world today, with just the right amount of science fiction by the advancements in AI beginning with the video gaming industry. The ability to see the processing power, internal calculations, knowing the machine is working due to millions lines of code, and ECHO’s intentions should be frightening enough to anyone.

What’s your recommendation?

The Other Side deserves 5 stars and I would recommend it to any science fiction or action adventure reader, and video gamer I know. The characters are well developed. The on the edge of your seat, non-stop action made me read the entire story in one sitting. I cannot recommend a more suitable series for any gamer or reader who is looking for a unique science fiction read. Give it a try; I’m sure you’ll love it just like I did.

*I received ECHO’s Revenge: The Other Side in return for an honest review.*

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Build a 3 ton, 35 foot tall $390 million dollar super boss, give it self aware Artificial Intelligence and throw in some advanced adaptive cloacking technology, it's only a game right, what can possible go wrong?! Is it really following every instruction it's being given, or is it just playing along until the time is right?

Great start to the next in the series, following mainly the creators and programmers of this super beast as they run their final tests. Can't wait to see how the gamers react to this monster when it finds them!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3 1/2 star review.

WHAT I LIKED THE MOST: I’m still jazzed about the whole concept of intentionally writing the author and publisher into the book and making them part of the action. While Sean Austin continues to play a minor role in the story, AAA Reality Games is now front and center as they seek to complete the ECHO 7 robot and ship him off to their new 1,000 acre Combat Game Center where he can face off against gamers armed with paint guns in a real life version of the video game. And the very concept of a live action video game taking place in a carefully designed amusement park is, quite frankly, an amazing idea that I’m shocked no one has begun marketing.

I also liked getting into the head of a robot as it begins to explore the world, develop a new level of self-awareness, and see itself through the eyes of the people who built it.

WHAT I LIKED THE LEAST: Many of my concerns from the first book in the series are still there in book two. While I love the concept of a live action video game, I just can’t buy into the idea of a 35 foot robot with advanced AI, cloaking technology, and the ability to morph into everything from a FedEx delivery truck to Spongebob Squarepants. It’s next generation, Star Trek technology being developed by a video game company and tested out in a public park. The book would have worked better if Austin had simply set it twenty years in the future.

Austin also has some major logical lapses here. Take the example of testing Echo in a public park. They’ve got a 35 foot robot that can turn invisible, change shape, and cloak itself in fire. It’s hunting crash test dummies in a park in the middle of town, smashing trees and tearing down their entire observation tower, all without being noticed – even by the mom who wanders into the park with her baby and sits down right in front of Echo. Having a scene where they test Echo makes perfect sense, but I can’t imagine why they would test something so secretive and advanced in a public park.

HOW GOOD WAS THE ACTION? There wasn’t much in the way of action in part one, so I can’t comment on that. But assuming the action remains consistent with the first book in the series, then my previous assessment from will likely remain true. Here it is:

"Some of the chases and fights with Echo provide a real adrenaline rush… But the scenes can get a little confusing because of all the head hopping. During the final battle I kept getting pulled out of the action by sentences and paragraphs trying to tell me what everyone was thinking as they watched Echo fight Reggie and Jeremy."

HOW ENGAGING WAS THE STORY? Having read book one, it was interesting to see some of the scenes play out from a different perspective. I knew where the story was going, but this approach still left plenty of room for surprises. And I enjoyed following along as Echo developed, heading towards the inevitable point where he would shock his designers and make a break for freedom.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: A very cool concept, where the author and publisher are thrown into the heart of the action as a video game developer tries to blur the line between fantasy and reality by bringing an online game to life. Anyone who’s ever imagined being a real live character in their favorite video game will be in their element.

See more of my reviews at www.yaactionadventurenovels.com

[Amy Lignor · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all you gamers out there—not to mention all readers who enjoy horror, sci-fi, or just want an amazing story that will keep you on the edge of your seat—this is THE series to choose.

Beginning this tale of madness, the reader is told that witness accounts are being given to them regarding a specific ‘catastrophe’…then, the madness arrives. Luca Esposito is the creator of the best and most played game series: ECHO’s Revenge. This is reality at its finest, with a true monster being at the game’s core. But this time around, Luca has gone one huge step forward. ECHO-7 is being tested right now. Mega-millions have been spent already on this (hopefully) mega-hit that will take over the gaming world. Luca is the Dr. Frankenstein of reality games, wanting with all his heart for his newest creation to rise up and scare the bejesus out of everyone. What Luca doesn’t understand is that his creation IS going to rise up…but Luca and his fellow designers will not be pulling the strings of the monster because this creation has a mind all its own.

ECHO-7 has its own thought processes, it can spot and verify various people who have helped him become what he becomes, such as Prentice who is the woman behind the artificial intelligence that has been placed into this beast. ECHO-7 can also listen to people speak and understand their words. He overhears the top gamers in the country and interprets their movements, inner turmoil, fear, jokes, and the odd (but true) human ability to be soothed by pizza.

Hiding this information from his creators, attempting to do what he is told, ECHO-7 takes it upon himself to download things he will need to use in order to win every game and destroy every target. With this information, ECHO-7 becomes more than a typical ‘robot’ – he becomes an all-out killer.

This may be categorized as a definite sci-fi masterpiece, yet with the gaming world becoming so extensive, and with more and more brilliant minds working on making the next “new” thing that will keep everyone on their toes, it is not a stretch to believe that a very real monster with extreme knowledge and the capabilities of ECHO-7 could be born. With this creature, the world would be transformed into a field of ultimate survival, where humans are nothing but blips on a screen. Humans would no longer be gamers playing in the comfort and safety of their own homes, they would be lost in a world where they are the ultimate prey for the ultimate and unbeatable predator.

As a hacker is mentioned, readers will hang on to every word in order to witness the fate of ECHO-7. They will desperately want to see who wins the battle between a human boss and his out-of-control creation. My opinion? This a fantastic series that cannot be missed!

[Sara Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a little while since I read the first book so it took some time for me to remember the details from the first book. However, this was a fun perspective since ECHO's Revenge is a story about a robot (for lack of better word) who decides to play a game in real life. The first book is the story of Reggie, who stops ECHO and saves the other gamers. This book is told from ECHO's perspective. It's how he became a rogue.
It's short and fun. If you like ECHO's Revenge #1, you'll enjoy this story. Might be a good story to get a reluctant reader interested in the series or in trying a longer book. I found that this story could be read before or after the other since they are the same time period.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for computer gamers or anyone interested in AI (artificial intelligence). ECHO is to be the next greatest thing to hit the computer gaming world. An AI game boss that gamers can go up against on a real plane. But have these programmers opened a Pandora’s box without knowing it or has ECHO been hacked?
This is a fast paced quick book, with more to come, that anyone who likes computers or gaming will like and want more of. They just cannot come fast enough, they are that good!

[Andrew Blumenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fifth grade teacher, I was very excited to come across this book and can't wait to share it with my students. At that age many children can either dive deeper into books or begin to turn away from them, and this book will make it easier to continue to capture the imagination of those that might otherwise turn away. The story is fast-paced, and will help bridge the gap between the video games my kids love, and reading (something they can often be reluctant to do).

[Douglas Spadotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved to see that young adult fiction evolved but kept the clarity of narrative that engages young readers, delivering just enough gaps that they can fill with their own curiosity, but otherwise being very concise.
Here on this book, themes as wide-ranging as gaming (and pop) culture, AI, ethnic and family conflicts are sprinkled into the reader's heads, transforming them into fertile ground for new ideas.

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW: ECHO'S REVENGE by Sean Austin

I am a complete illiterate on the topic of gaming and gamers, but I know exciting adventure, and the possibility of an AI (Artificial Intelligence), whether in a supercomputer as in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, or in this series as a morphing mobile robot-type "game boss," is terrifying. Now that ECHO-7 is "loose" and targeting the focus group of top gamers, no one is safe--especially if E-7's empathy mode cancels out. This is 2 in a series of 5.

[Terrence Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelously written book, perfect for us computer lovers. The idea of building a AGI, 39 foot machine that can turn translucent was a welcomed change in book ideas. I thing it was a nice spin off of transformers, gigantic, medal machine that can morph and think on its own, but man made. Fantastic book over all!

[Pablo Carrasco Orozco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt a little disappointed when i finished this book, because i realised that there was no point in separating this one and the previous one. Thing is that i paid for the three of them and felt like i only read one.

In terms of the content, i'm actually enjoying the story, but it might not be enough.