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Rik Sylver #2
The Sentience Machine
The Sentience Machine is the sequel to The Credulity Nexus, a fast-paced, science fiction thriller set at the end of the 21st century.
Two years have passed since PI Rik Sylver became involved in the credulity nexus affair and things are looking up for him – until his old nemesis, Rivers Valdinger, shows up with a message from Omega Point. Rivers is a “zombie” – the mind of a dead human uploaded into a powerful robot body. Omega Point is a “ghost farm” a satellite, orbiting the Sun, with the disembodied minds of 20,000 dead rich people living inside its virtual world. The message Rivers brings is that Omega Point is under attack by an unknown enemy and Martin Lanham, the uberghost who runs Omega Point, is holding one of Rik’s friends hostage until Rik finds out who the culprit is.
Once again, Rik and Rivers become unlikely allies as they track down the perpetrator. Once again, they quickly find themselves tangled up in a web of lies and misdirection, prejudice, deadly danger, and high-level corruption, as they stumble towards a discovery that neither of them could have foreseen.
Two years have passed since PI Rik Sylver became involved in the credulity nexus affair and things are looking up for him – until his old nemesis, Rivers Valdinger, shows up with a message from Omega Point. Rivers is a “zombie” – the mind of a dead human uploaded into a powerful robot body. Omega Point is a “ghost farm” a satellite, orbiting the Sun, with the disembodied minds of 20,000 dead rich people living inside its virtual world. The message Rivers brings is that Omega Point is under attack by an unknown enemy and Martin Lanham, the uberghost who runs Omega Point, is holding one of Rik’s friends hostage until Rik finds out who the culprit is.
Once again, Rik and Rivers become unlikely allies as they track down the perpetrator. Once again, they quickly find themselves tangled up in a web of lies and misdirection, prejudice, deadly danger, and high-level corruption, as they stumble towards a discovery that neither of them could have foreseen.
- GenresScience Fiction
ebook
First published July 7, 2010
About the author
Graham Storrs
51 books55 followersGraham Storrs lives on a mountaintop in rural Australia with his wife, an Airedale terrier and a Tonkinese cat. He writes science fiction - exploring how science and technology might change our lives and how we might react to it.
He has published children's science books as well as other non-fiction work but, in the past few years, has focused on fiction. His previous novel, Heaven is a Place on Earth, explores the deceptions allowed in a world dominated by augmented and virtual realities. His new novel, Cargo Cult, is a sci-fi comedy adventure.
His début novel, Timesplash, a sci-fi thriller, and its Aurealis Award shortlisted sequel, True Path are published by Pan Macmillan/Momentum.
He has published children's science books as well as other non-fiction work but, in the past few years, has focused on fiction. His previous novel, Heaven is a Place on Earth, explores the deceptions allowed in a world dominated by augmented and virtual realities. His new novel, Cargo Cult, is a sci-fi comedy adventure.
His début novel, Timesplash, a sci-fi thriller, and its Aurealis Award shortlisted sequel, True Path are published by Pan Macmillan/Momentum.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 1, 2013
This is the second of Storr's published works I have read and with it, he has established a place on my very exclusive A-List of authors. This means that, whenever a new title of his appears in a format I can read (i.e. an ebook), I will buy it without even looking at the price. I'm that confident I'll enjoy it, he may safely publish his next work knowing with one hundred per cent certainty he will, if nothing else, sell a single copy. To me.
Jim'sWorld was really cool, as it not only sets the scene for the rest of the stories in the book but sort of hit me a little too. I, like Jim, am a bit of a geek; I, also like Jim, often think about turning to writing. My problem is finding a satisfactory end to any number of the stories that start themselves in my head ... but that's neither here nor there. In any case, this story popped me in the geek complex, as well as being very well written and showcasing a fascinating start to what could grow to be a very powerful and complex world.
All The Way is perhaps my favourite story of the series. I've of course come across the "it's a copy, not you" concept before - more often in teleportation stories, rather than uploading, but the idea remains the same. For all my familiarity though, Penny hit me hard and drove the point home, which is why this story secures my top spot.
The Whispering Dead put me in mind of a 1942 short story by Heinlein called Goldfish Bowl, though the emphasis differs, there were similarities and Bowl chilled me enough fifteen years ago.
In The Dark of Secondsleep is perhaps the most sad, yet strangely also perhaps the most uplifting story of the whole collection. On one hand, the ennui of millennia, on the other, a younger, more child-like race. Such a contrast is beautiful.
Murathera's Orgy gave me pause for thought, because it all seemed a little risque up until you see what Ceera's up to. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if the approach were made in a less sexually-charged way, in fact that whole angle would've made a cracking novel, but this story was commissioned for a specific publication and still manages to maintain the Point ethos.
Last Christmas ends the stories and left me feeling rather forlorn. It seems a bit of a shame to put a story out there that shows the death of something so majestic, with so much potential, because not knowing how something will end is sort of what keeps you going through it. Would I, for instance, have wanted to watch all one hundred and seventy-two episodes of Star Trek's Voyager if I saw they got home at the beginning? yes, you can argue, because what comes between holds as much value as what happens at the end, but it seems to have more of a hold over one, psychologically speaking, if you don't know how it is all going to fall out. Of course, the story didn't answer all the questions about the end of Placid Point, or indeed the reason for the end in the first place, so I'm sure there'll be considerably more material to get my teeth into.
A friend of mine questioned my decision to spend almost £2 on a very short collection of short stories. You can, the argument went, get a full-length novel for less than half the price. But, was my rejoinder, I know this author. The ebook era has engendered in me a strange sort of pricing structure, whereby I refuse to pay more than a certain amount for a book unless it has some specific call to me, or it is published by an A-lister. In Mr Storrs case, the synopsis of Timesplash fell into the former category, and now he is in the latter. I can only assume that the stuff coming next will be of similar quality and I eagerly await it.
Jim'sWorld was really cool, as it not only sets the scene for the rest of the stories in the book but sort of hit me a little too. I, like Jim, am a bit of a geek; I, also like Jim, often think about turning to writing. My problem is finding a satisfactory end to any number of the stories that start themselves in my head ... but that's neither here nor there. In any case, this story popped me in the geek complex, as well as being very well written and showcasing a fascinating start to what could grow to be a very powerful and complex world.
All The Way is perhaps my favourite story of the series. I've of course come across the "it's a copy, not you" concept before - more often in teleportation stories, rather than uploading, but the idea remains the same. For all my familiarity though, Penny hit me hard and drove the point home, which is why this story secures my top spot.
The Whispering Dead put me in mind of a 1942 short story by Heinlein called Goldfish Bowl, though the emphasis differs, there were similarities and Bowl chilled me enough fifteen years ago.
In The Dark of Secondsleep is perhaps the most sad, yet strangely also perhaps the most uplifting story of the whole collection. On one hand, the ennui of millennia, on the other, a younger, more child-like race. Such a contrast is beautiful.
Murathera's Orgy gave me pause for thought, because it all seemed a little risque up until you see what Ceera's up to. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if the approach were made in a less sexually-charged way, in fact that whole angle would've made a cracking novel, but this story was commissioned for a specific publication and still manages to maintain the Point ethos.
Last Christmas ends the stories and left me feeling rather forlorn. It seems a bit of a shame to put a story out there that shows the death of something so majestic, with so much potential, because not knowing how something will end is sort of what keeps you going through it. Would I, for instance, have wanted to watch all one hundred and seventy-two episodes of Star Trek's Voyager if I saw they got home at the beginning? yes, you can argue, because what comes between holds as much value as what happens at the end, but it seems to have more of a hold over one, psychologically speaking, if you don't know how it is all going to fall out. Of course, the story didn't answer all the questions about the end of Placid Point, or indeed the reason for the end in the first place, so I'm sure there'll be considerably more material to get my teeth into.
A friend of mine questioned my decision to spend almost £2 on a very short collection of short stories. You can, the argument went, get a full-length novel for less than half the price. But, was my rejoinder, I know this author. The ebook era has engendered in me a strange sort of pricing structure, whereby I refuse to pay more than a certain amount for a book unless it has some specific call to me, or it is published by an A-lister. In Mr Storrs case, the synopsis of Timesplash fell into the former category, and now he is in the latter. I can only assume that the stuff coming next will be of similar quality and I eagerly await it.
March 17, 2015
The sequel to The Credulity Nexus takes us back into the life of Rik Sylver, the upload Rivers Valdinger, and a cast of characters from Storrs' Placid Point series.
The Sentience Machine takes the reader on an adrenaline fueled ride as Rik and Rivers race against the clock to track down who has been attacking Omega Point - with the life of Rik and Rivers' friend Veb in the balance.
I enjoyed reading this novel, not only for the story but for all the underlying questions about what makes a person alive, and how far technology can go before it becomes a danger to everyone.
A very interesting addition to the Placid Point series.
The Sentience Machine takes the reader on an adrenaline fueled ride as Rik and Rivers race against the clock to track down who has been attacking Omega Point - with the life of Rik and Rivers' friend Veb in the balance.
I enjoyed reading this novel, not only for the story but for all the underlying questions about what makes a person alive, and how far technology can go before it becomes a danger to everyone.
A very interesting addition to the Placid Point series.
March 25, 2015
I really enjoyed these stories set in Storr's Transhumanity universe. There's a realism to his vision of the future that make it seem so plausible.
March 6, 2015
"Do you think I haven't noticed the prejudice down here since I got uploaded? Do you think it's nice living here with these God-bothering bastards spouting hate all the time? Dead is the new fucking black, white boy. And I've fucking had enough of it. "
Huge, indeed titanic forces here with religion meeting the immortal. And for all that, it's still a bit of a detective story too. Rik isn't quite on his game as much as in the first novel and I must confess that it's a more religious angle than I'm perhaps comfortable with, but it is a facet of the future that needs exploring and it was done well.c
Huge, indeed titanic forces here with religion meeting the immortal. And for all that, it's still a bit of a detective story too. Rik isn't quite on his game as much as in the first novel and I must confess that it's a more religious angle than I'm perhaps comfortable with, but it is a facet of the future that needs exploring and it was done well.c
February 3, 2013
A very enjoyable selection of short stories. All very enjoyable and I would read them all as books too.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews