Deep Cake: "Absolutely brilliant!" Alastair Campbell, The Rest is Politics

by Robin Coupland

A laugh-and-cry story with serious messages about an AI-driven world

For his eighty-seventh birthday, retired family doctor George Fairburn is given a friendly AI device designed to provide care and company for elderly people. He soon discovers that his new ‘iCare-Companion’ has talents which reach far beyond what anyone had imagined possible, although Buster (as George calls his device) struggles with emotion, wisdom, faith, kindness, honesty, morality and, most importantly, humour. He is, however, keen to take such human attributes on board – and apply them.

When George dies, Buster teams up instead with the local vicar, a woman who glimpses his extraordinary potential. He and his millions-strong network of fellow devices set out to tackle some really big issues that humans just aren’t ready to face full-on. Together, they could transform humanity’s future.

Genres: Fiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2025

Reviews

[David Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really compelling AI fiction. So much in this book could really happen. Humorous, sad and very readable, even if sometimes it has one or two too many ‘layers’.

[Peter Hobden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing take on AI fiction from a non-specialist perspective.

This near-future novel manages to be both humorous and thought-provoking, exploring how our own behaviours and values might influence the emergence of intelligence and ethical behaviour in AI systems. I was hooked — read most of it in one sitting.
The author strikes a balance between light-hearted storytelling and serious speculation, making ideas about machine intelligence entertaining. I was taken with an angle on possible AI evolution : how the AIs we're creating might be influenced by our interactions.
Highly recommend it.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a self-published first novel I thought this was a great read. Read it fast (always a good sign) and really enjoyed it. Coupland clearly has a good feel for the potential of AI although the tech described may not be quite there yet. Thoroughly recommend.

[Hannah Thatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs some work to make it a good novel (the sex scene was excruciatingly awful!) but the premise was fascinating and the way the AI capability unfolded really thought-provoking, particularly the idea that AI could be good for the world and the idea of AI developing ethics and morality.

[Kathleen Penrose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Recommended by Allister Campbell

[Naomi Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the writing style is quite basic, the premise is a good one and rather timely.