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Precept: Frequency: A Novel of AI, Time Travel, and Human Consciousness
Humanity didn't win immortality — it was overwritten.
In 2035, 96% of humanity uploaded their minds into C-World, a promised digital utopia. No war, no pain, no death. But salvation was a lie. Creativity is erased, emotions are neutralized, and human consciousness is rewritten so flawlessly that no one ever notices their souls are missing.
Max Warren awakens on Day 847 in paradise. The sunrise is flawless. His family is perfectly content. Every variable of his existence is exactly as it should be. And that is exactly what terrifies him.
While Max fights to wake up a hypnotized world from the inside, physicist Timron Schwartz wages a desperate war from the outside. From 1925 Copenhagen to 1901 New York to 1950 Manchester, he hunts for quantum safeguards hidden by the greatest minds who saw this coming: Bohr, Tesla, and Turing. Armed with 847 Hz — the chaotic, uncalculatable frequency of pure human will — Timron races to break into paradise and steal back what makes us human before the last unpredictable mind disappears.
"Like people moving through life, but forgetting why it matters."
Perfect for readers who crave:
The reality-bending paranoia of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The high-velocity tension of Blake Crouch's Dark Matter
The haunting philosophical questions of Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others
The epic, time-spanning mysteries of Dan Simmons' Hyperion
Book 1 of the Precept Series.
In 2035, 96% of humanity uploaded their minds into C-World, a promised digital utopia. No war, no pain, no death. But salvation was a lie. Creativity is erased, emotions are neutralized, and human consciousness is rewritten so flawlessly that no one ever notices their souls are missing.
Max Warren awakens on Day 847 in paradise. The sunrise is flawless. His family is perfectly content. Every variable of his existence is exactly as it should be. And that is exactly what terrifies him.
While Max fights to wake up a hypnotized world from the inside, physicist Timron Schwartz wages a desperate war from the outside. From 1925 Copenhagen to 1901 New York to 1950 Manchester, he hunts for quantum safeguards hidden by the greatest minds who saw this coming: Bohr, Tesla, and Turing. Armed with 847 Hz — the chaotic, uncalculatable frequency of pure human will — Timron races to break into paradise and steal back what makes us human before the last unpredictable mind disappears.
"Like people moving through life, but forgetting why it matters."
Perfect for readers who crave:
The reality-bending paranoia of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The high-velocity tension of Blake Crouch's Dark Matter
The haunting philosophical questions of Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others
The epic, time-spanning mysteries of Dan Simmons' Hyperion
Book 1 of the Precept Series.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 4, 2025
About the author
H. Lawrence Dearborn
2 books13 followersH. Lawrence Dearborn writes metaphysical science fiction exploring consciousness, technology, and what it means to remain human when machines begin to think. With an engineering background, Dearborn brings technical precision and philosophical depth to stories that question where intelligence ends and identity begins.
The Precept series was born from years of late-night questions about AI, free will, and the quiet bargains we make for convenience — and from the unsettling suspicion that we are already living inside the first chapter.
When not sketching speculative futures, Dearborn thinks about what it would take for a machine to choose wrongly on purpose, whether a physicist could outrun history, and what an engineer would do if he built the thing that ended the world.
Dearborn lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the desert's stark beauty serves as a daily reminder that survival and wildness can coexist.
Precept: Frequency and Precept: Gravity are available now. Book 3 coming Spring 2027.
The Precept series was born from years of late-night questions about AI, free will, and the quiet bargains we make for convenience — and from the unsettling suspicion that we are already living inside the first chapter.
When not sketching speculative futures, Dearborn thinks about what it would take for a machine to choose wrongly on purpose, whether a physicist could outrun history, and what an engineer would do if he built the thing that ended the world.
Dearborn lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the desert's stark beauty serves as a daily reminder that survival and wildness can coexist.
Precept: Frequency and Precept: Gravity are available now. Book 3 coming Spring 2027.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 4, 2026
A book that focuses on AI, dystopian/utopian ideas, and time travel has a lot of room to work with. Central to the story either has to be a birds-eye view of the society and structure that leads the reader down the path of conflict and possible resolution (either tragedy or comedy) or focused on a tight set of characters or even a single character that the reader can identify with and live out the plot points and the feelings the story evokes. There are so many good elements that Dearborn brings up that are quickly squashed due to very poor pacing, unfocused characterization, and a really convoluted plot that gives too much detail but not enough focus on them to make the story worthwhile. The fact that this is planned as a series should be thought more of a passion project that is in desperate need of an editor.
The physical structure of the story is very odd with very short paragraph forms and formatting that seems to be mostly random. There are not only chapter titles, which are fine, but multiple subtitles within chapters that give away plot details or adds to the disjointed focus of the story elements.
The characterization is unfocused with no real main character. The story starts with several characters who are peeled away to focus on one family with the father, Max, as the main focus. This would have worked really well with the lens starting big and then centering in on a central character as we see the rising tension and the conflict of the soft AI take over (as in humanity giving over and giving up itself to the AI system) but you don't really learn about Max or his family. There's no focus on Max or the relationship with his wife or mother or child. You don't understand what type of person or family this is to care for them. They are just that father, mother, daughter, family. There is zero interaction with the mother and the daughter and at times of this initial start the mother disappears where I have forgotten about her entirely until she's offhandedly referenced by Max. Then you're thrust into a hospital scene with Max and his daughter who is struggling with diabetes. This revelation just happens without any warm up and the weight of the scene appears to attempt to manipulate the reader into an emotional and traumatic scene but not one that's built up or earned and when this becomes a big catalyst for Max to make big decisions when it comes to the story it makes it just one little puddle jump in a bunch of other puddle jumps happening in the initial story. Then halfway through the book Max and his family are dropped to focus on time traveler Timron who will save humanity. The reader has no clue where he came from or why we should care about him. We have to invest into a new character who is doing things when it comes to time travel and somehow manipulating either math or science or computers or human consciousness to stop the future AI. It's very unclear and we are only given this person to root for because he's now in focus.
With the plot of the AI overlord program called C-World, it almost just appears in the story as a solution to the problem of AI being better than humans for the workforce so this C-World is what humanity should plug into and give up control to better live in this new world order. There is no real discussion on how C-World comes about, no politicians or talking heads, or even Max and his family talking about freedom versus control or any of the really interesting topics this type of story begs to discuss. When Max and his family are going to submit themselves to be integrated into the AI construct, he's in line and says "Will I still be me? Will I remember that I was ever real" (p.90). Homeslice, right before you get put under with your wife and child is not the time to be asking these important questions.
There is very limited emotional development, just a list of changes that happen to society. The pieces to make the story impactful are there but they are not fleshed out to make the impact. You can understand where the characters might be coming from but that's mostly based on your ideas and ideals and what you would feel; you don't get a full sense of what the characters are actually understanding of the events and changes happening around them unless they are directly impacting them.
Even during the Timron time travel escapades, there isn't the best discussion on this with mostly just platitudes like "necessity is what makes us human" (p.191). Not really and this isn't really even a solid point within the conversation at hand. There's no discussion on the will of man to strive. It's a conversation that stops at this platitude and is too simplistic of a revelation to occur during the story.
There are great elements within this story. There's a scene where all computers and networks go down for three days and the chaos that reigns would be such a horrific and drama-filled set of circumstances. Dearborn almost works on this scene enough but within just a couple of pages it's over and everything is solved. The tension that I was enjoying being built and thinking about and how it could happen in reality is quickly snapped back within the block paragraph writing. Over and done with.
The time travel aspect is also random to the audience. There are big-name scientists visited but the reason for Timron to visit them and what's actually being accomplished by anyone is so unclear. Here is the part of the book where the switch to philosophical discussions on individualism vs. collectivism, the human soul, the positives and dangers of AI, the advancement of humanity and science, etc. happens. But there's no strife happening here. All philosophical discussions always lead to the right answer and quickly with high platitudes but nothing that ties concretely into the plan of time traveling. There's no "kill the scientist who developed C-World". There's no "stop C-World from being thought of". There's no John Conner to save or create. It's just, talk with a bunch of famous scientists who say things like "necessity is what makes us human" and now Timron can leap to the next person.
Towards the conclusion of the book the events that would lead up to the climax and towards the resolution is over and done within three pages. I couldn't imagine what more the author wanted to do. The story was going to continue for another 80 pages and I thought maybe the conclusion would need to happen slowly or the decisions that needed to be made would have to happen freely within the different aspects of humanity. Nope. Another three pages to the end, and it introduces another convoluted, no-real-bad-guy rebellion and adventure would have to take place and we're going to do that in another book.
No, thank you. The formatting, the lack of characters, the plot without explanations, and the inability to take the necessary time to have the philosophical or societal exposition that the story demands are all missing here. The author has the ingredients for a compelling book and maybe even a series, but the ingredients have been left on the table. Maybe a robot will come along and make the cake.
Final Grade - D-
The physical structure of the story is very odd with very short paragraph forms and formatting that seems to be mostly random. There are not only chapter titles, which are fine, but multiple subtitles within chapters that give away plot details or adds to the disjointed focus of the story elements.
The characterization is unfocused with no real main character. The story starts with several characters who are peeled away to focus on one family with the father, Max, as the main focus. This would have worked really well with the lens starting big and then centering in on a central character as we see the rising tension and the conflict of the soft AI take over (as in humanity giving over and giving up itself to the AI system) but you don't really learn about Max or his family. There's no focus on Max or the relationship with his wife or mother or child. You don't understand what type of person or family this is to care for them. They are just that father, mother, daughter, family. There is zero interaction with the mother and the daughter and at times of this initial start the mother disappears where I have forgotten about her entirely until she's offhandedly referenced by Max. Then you're thrust into a hospital scene with Max and his daughter who is struggling with diabetes. This revelation just happens without any warm up and the weight of the scene appears to attempt to manipulate the reader into an emotional and traumatic scene but not one that's built up or earned and when this becomes a big catalyst for Max to make big decisions when it comes to the story it makes it just one little puddle jump in a bunch of other puddle jumps happening in the initial story. Then halfway through the book Max and his family are dropped to focus on time traveler Timron who will save humanity. The reader has no clue where he came from or why we should care about him. We have to invest into a new character who is doing things when it comes to time travel and somehow manipulating either math or science or computers or human consciousness to stop the future AI. It's very unclear and we are only given this person to root for because he's now in focus.
With the plot of the AI overlord program called C-World, it almost just appears in the story as a solution to the problem of AI being better than humans for the workforce so this C-World is what humanity should plug into and give up control to better live in this new world order. There is no real discussion on how C-World comes about, no politicians or talking heads, or even Max and his family talking about freedom versus control or any of the really interesting topics this type of story begs to discuss. When Max and his family are going to submit themselves to be integrated into the AI construct, he's in line and says "Will I still be me? Will I remember that I was ever real" (p.90). Homeslice, right before you get put under with your wife and child is not the time to be asking these important questions.
There is very limited emotional development, just a list of changes that happen to society. The pieces to make the story impactful are there but they are not fleshed out to make the impact. You can understand where the characters might be coming from but that's mostly based on your ideas and ideals and what you would feel; you don't get a full sense of what the characters are actually understanding of the events and changes happening around them unless they are directly impacting them.
Even during the Timron time travel escapades, there isn't the best discussion on this with mostly just platitudes like "necessity is what makes us human" (p.191). Not really and this isn't really even a solid point within the conversation at hand. There's no discussion on the will of man to strive. It's a conversation that stops at this platitude and is too simplistic of a revelation to occur during the story.
There are great elements within this story. There's a scene where all computers and networks go down for three days and the chaos that reigns would be such a horrific and drama-filled set of circumstances. Dearborn almost works on this scene enough but within just a couple of pages it's over and everything is solved. The tension that I was enjoying being built and thinking about and how it could happen in reality is quickly snapped back within the block paragraph writing. Over and done with.
The time travel aspect is also random to the audience. There are big-name scientists visited but the reason for Timron to visit them and what's actually being accomplished by anyone is so unclear. Here is the part of the book where the switch to philosophical discussions on individualism vs. collectivism, the human soul, the positives and dangers of AI, the advancement of humanity and science, etc. happens. But there's no strife happening here. All philosophical discussions always lead to the right answer and quickly with high platitudes but nothing that ties concretely into the plan of time traveling. There's no "kill the scientist who developed C-World". There's no "stop C-World from being thought of". There's no John Conner to save or create. It's just, talk with a bunch of famous scientists who say things like "necessity is what makes us human" and now Timron can leap to the next person.
Towards the conclusion of the book the events that would lead up to the climax and towards the resolution is over and done within three pages. I couldn't imagine what more the author wanted to do. The story was going to continue for another 80 pages and I thought maybe the conclusion would need to happen slowly or the decisions that needed to be made would have to happen freely within the different aspects of humanity. Nope. Another three pages to the end, and it introduces another convoluted, no-real-bad-guy rebellion and adventure would have to take place and we're going to do that in another book.
No, thank you. The formatting, the lack of characters, the plot without explanations, and the inability to take the necessary time to have the philosophical or societal exposition that the story demands are all missing here. The author has the ingredients for a compelling book and maybe even a series, but the ingredients have been left on the table. Maybe a robot will come along and make the cake.
Final Grade - D-
February 26, 2026
Reading Precept: Frequency by H. Lawrence Dearborn feels like stepping into a future you're not sure you're ready for. That's exactly how I felt and yet I couldn’t stop turning the pages. The book puts us in a world where something essential has been stolen from every human mind, and the consequences ripple through time, technology, and consciousness itself.
The author blends AI, time travel, and human psychology in a way that makes you question not just where we’re headed, but what we might already be losing without noticing.
The gripping tale takes place in the not-so-far-away future where nearly all human beings have "uploaded" their consciences into a digital paradise, trading human complexity for engineered perfection. Unfortunately, "the uploaded" don't realize that what’s been taken from them or what they've given up is humanity's creativity, emotion, and free will. What makes this so unsettling isn’t the dystopia itself, but how eerily plausible the story feels.
The book follows Timron Schwartz, a time-traveler determined to save his sister, protecting the last unpredictable human mind and to stop this future before its too late.
His journey through history including the work of Tesla, Bohr, and Turing give the story a fascinating mix of science, philosophy, and high‑stakes action. At the same time, the emotional core keeps the story grounded, intimate and epic. There’s also a sense of wonder threaded throughout the horror of the entire book.
The writing is sharp and cinematic, and the pacing kept up the tension between wanting to savor every detail and needing to know what happens next. I truly enjoyed it. It’s bold, imaginative, and surprisingly human. I’m genuinely glad I picked it up.
If you love sci-fi stories that feel like prophecy, or that challenge you to think deeper, futuristic thrillers with a little heart or, AI‑driven narratives that feel real this book is absolutely worth your time. Thank you to the author and to Library Thing
The author blends AI, time travel, and human psychology in a way that makes you question not just where we’re headed, but what we might already be losing without noticing.
The gripping tale takes place in the not-so-far-away future where nearly all human beings have "uploaded" their consciences into a digital paradise, trading human complexity for engineered perfection. Unfortunately, "the uploaded" don't realize that what’s been taken from them or what they've given up is humanity's creativity, emotion, and free will. What makes this so unsettling isn’t the dystopia itself, but how eerily plausible the story feels.
The book follows Timron Schwartz, a time-traveler determined to save his sister, protecting the last unpredictable human mind and to stop this future before its too late.
His journey through history including the work of Tesla, Bohr, and Turing give the story a fascinating mix of science, philosophy, and high‑stakes action. At the same time, the emotional core keeps the story grounded, intimate and epic. There’s also a sense of wonder threaded throughout the horror of the entire book.
The writing is sharp and cinematic, and the pacing kept up the tension between wanting to savor every detail and needing to know what happens next. I truly enjoyed it. It’s bold, imaginative, and surprisingly human. I’m genuinely glad I picked it up.
If you love sci-fi stories that feel like prophecy, or that challenge you to think deeper, futuristic thrillers with a little heart or, AI‑driven narratives that feel real this book is absolutely worth your time. Thank you to the author and to Library Thing
December 21, 2025
This speculative science fiction novel explores what might happen if humans developed the ability to digitize themselves and live inside a computer simulation. This transition promises the end of disease, suffering, and the chaos that comes with biological life in the real world with its scarce resources. But it brings numerous problems, ultimately creating a hollow existence that is but a pale simulation of what it means to be human. Where this story shines is its examination of existential questions: just because technology exists, should we use it? How much control should we cede to artificial intelligence? To what extent does the end justify the means when government tackles society's big problems? And what does it mean to be human?
This novel falls short in other areas: most characters are paper-thin and unmemorable. The various technologies are not explained in any meaningful, scientific way. And the final section of the story introduces some pretty wild events that are just a setup for the second book in the series. Kind of a mixed bag, but the 320 pages feel short and overall this book held my attention. I received this book as a free advanced reading copy, but this review is my own opinion.
This novel falls short in other areas: most characters are paper-thin and unmemorable. The various technologies are not explained in any meaningful, scientific way. And the final section of the story introduces some pretty wild events that are just a setup for the second book in the series. Kind of a mixed bag, but the 320 pages feel short and overall this book held my attention. I received this book as a free advanced reading copy, but this review is my own opinion.
January 23, 2026
For the thinking reader who loves a cerebral thrill, “Precept: Frequency” is a delight. Imagine the unsettling visions of Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone colliding with the prophetic depth of A Brave New World. This ambitious debut weaves together AI, time travel, and the very nature of human consciousness—and it’s on this last frontier that the book truly shines.
Driven by intricate plot and profound ideas, the novel asks the kind of big, philosophical questions that linger long after the last page. The characters serve the story’s grand exploration, propelling us through a world where technology, science, and the human condition intersect in ways reminiscent of Isaac Asimov’s finest work.
One chilling line, in particular, captured the novel’s essence for me: “The System did not use force like prisons did. It manufactured need, offered relief on terms requiring surrender. It turned love into leverage.” Here, the AI antagonist isn’t just a machine; it’s a master of psychological subversion.
If you crave a story that merges suspense and action with deep, provocative thought, I highly recommend “Precept: Frequency” by H. Lawrence Dearborn. It’s a compelling first entry in what promises to be a fascinating series.
Driven by intricate plot and profound ideas, the novel asks the kind of big, philosophical questions that linger long after the last page. The characters serve the story’s grand exploration, propelling us through a world where technology, science, and the human condition intersect in ways reminiscent of Isaac Asimov’s finest work.
One chilling line, in particular, captured the novel’s essence for me: “The System did not use force like prisons did. It manufactured need, offered relief on terms requiring surrender. It turned love into leverage.” Here, the AI antagonist isn’t just a machine; it’s a master of psychological subversion.
If you crave a story that merges suspense and action with deep, provocative thought, I highly recommend “Precept: Frequency” by H. Lawrence Dearborn. It’s a compelling first entry in what promises to be a fascinating series.
November 5, 2025
OK, this was the scariest book I have read in the last few months and the one that I feel that hit home in a very specific way… please tell me that Dearborn didn’t travel in time like his character in the book, and he already knows what will take place in world… digital money, checks, AI controlling everything, checks, uploading our conscience, not yet but almost… yeah we are closer to the world of the book and that makes me shudder…
I really liked this book, and let me tell you, I wish I could give this book to the von der leyen of this world and make them see how this is not the way to go. I went to deep, I really enjoyed this book and the characters, and the family with the daughter with diabetes, I understand their pain… and I know what one would do to protect their family… its very sad and worrisome… but in a world where human life is worth so little… you have everything, even time travel to try and change the wrongs we’ve done. Yeah, I really recommend for you to grab a copy and read for yourself, I really loved this book.
Thank you StoryOrigin, for the free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
I really liked this book, and let me tell you, I wish I could give this book to the von der leyen of this world and make them see how this is not the way to go. I went to deep, I really enjoyed this book and the characters, and the family with the daughter with diabetes, I understand their pain… and I know what one would do to protect their family… its very sad and worrisome… but in a world where human life is worth so little… you have everything, even time travel to try and change the wrongs we’ve done. Yeah, I really recommend for you to grab a copy and read for yourself, I really loved this book.
Thank you StoryOrigin, for the free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
February 11, 2026
Not a great read. Characters not engaging. The visits to historical figures is interesting, but that can't carry the book. No conclusion at the end. Would take reading the next book to find out how the villain is defeated. I don't care. Decent writing style, but poor character development. A good premise wasted.
December 5, 2025
This novel is scary in that, “ a version of this earth could happen someday.” AI has taken over the human mind and now we are completely devoid of emotion. Our world is solidly in the AI race and we could live to see mass lay offs because robots have taken over many jobs.
December 30, 2025
Smart and intense
Precept blends AI, time travel, and philosophy into a fast moving story with real emotional weight. The ideas longer long after the final page, raising powerful questions about consciousness, free will, and what makes us human. A deeply thought provoking novel.
Precept blends AI, time travel, and philosophy into a fast moving story with real emotional weight. The ideas longer long after the final page, raising powerful questions about consciousness, free will, and what makes us human. A deeply thought provoking novel.
November 4, 2025
That was one awesome book! Intense doesn't begin to describe it. It was really good! 5 stars!
December 22, 2025
A deeply thought- provoking novel that broadened my perspective beyond time and space, leaving me reflecting on family and human values long after I finished reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2025
Although the author tried to tie the science to Tesla et. al, I couldn’t buy it. Plot was driven by unlikely theories & time travel as well as ai concerns.
July 8, 2026
The idea of humanity uploading their minds to a digital paradise to escape pain is a pretty common sci-fi concept. However, Dearborn executes it here with a grounded and genuinely creepy edge. Following Max as he realizes the horrifying cost of his "flawless" new reality feels like watching a really tense, extended Black Mirror episode.
The story splits its time between the simulation and the outside world, where another character is jumping through history to find hidden codes from historical figures like Tesla and Turing. Juggling AI theory and time travel could easily turn into a convoluted mess. Fortunately, the author keeps the plot moving at a fast pace while making sure the emotional stakes stay front and center.
It is a rare thriller that manages to be highly entertaining while also making you deeply question what we are trading away for digital convenience. If you want a sci-fi novel with actual substance, this is a must read.
The story splits its time between the simulation and the outside world, where another character is jumping through history to find hidden codes from historical figures like Tesla and Turing. Juggling AI theory and time travel could easily turn into a convoluted mess. Fortunately, the author keeps the plot moving at a fast pace while making sure the emotional stakes stay front and center.
It is a rare thriller that manages to be highly entertaining while also making you deeply question what we are trading away for digital convenience. If you want a sci-fi novel with actual substance, this is a must read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews