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Auto Series #9-16
Auto 2
THE AUTOMATIC AFTERLIFE
Digital detective Joanna O’Donnell’s investigation into a dangerous hacktivist group has ended with her partner dead.
But death is no longer the end. Your auto can keep running after you’ve gone, interacting with those you left behind. So Greg Randall’s auto – Greg A – lives on as a digital echo of the man Joanna loved. The man she got killed.
Joanna discovers Greg A holds the key to the catastrophic revolution the hacktivists have planned. When every auto in the world will betray its user, exposing all secrets publicly on the internet.
A revolution that history will call the First Auto War…
Auto 2 is the second full-length novel in the Auto Series.
Digital detective Joanna O’Donnell’s investigation into a dangerous hacktivist group has ended with her partner dead.
But death is no longer the end. Your auto can keep running after you’ve gone, interacting with those you left behind. So Greg Randall’s auto – Greg A – lives on as a digital echo of the man Joanna loved. The man she got killed.
Joanna discovers Greg A holds the key to the catastrophic revolution the hacktivists have planned. When every auto in the world will betray its user, exposing all secrets publicly on the internet.
A revolution that history will call the First Auto War…
Auto 2 is the second full-length novel in the Auto Series.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 23, 2015
4 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
David Wailing
23 books59 followersI was born in Nineteen Davidey-Dave (all the best people were born that year) and live in London. I write contemporary fiction, a blend of mystery, thriller and humour.
My most recent novel is Under, a horror/mystery set on the London Underground. Both it and Signal Failure - a prelude short story available for free - are the result of a long-held fascination with the London Underground and its history.
As a native Londoner I have travelled on the Tube thousands of times, but it always feels like inhabiting a slightly different world to the city on the surface. The facts and figures of the Underground are just as fascinating as its mysteries and shadowy corners, and I hope my book does justice to both aspects.
I have five other novels available as Kindle ebooks: Auto, Auto 2, Bang, Duallists and Fake Kate.
My most recent novel is Under, a horror/mystery set on the London Underground. Both it and Signal Failure - a prelude short story available for free - are the result of a long-held fascination with the London Underground and its history.
As a native Londoner I have travelled on the Tube thousands of times, but it always feels like inhabiting a slightly different world to the city on the surface. The facts and figures of the Underground are just as fascinating as its mysteries and shadowy corners, and I hope my book does justice to both aspects.
I have five other novels available as Kindle ebooks: Auto, Auto 2, Bang, Duallists and Fake Kate.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 23, 2015
Reading anything labelled '2' generally means you've read the first book and I really enjoyed Auto. This has bells on - and icing and sprinkles. I received an ARC for an honest review and, honestly, it's fantastic. They say 'be careful what you wish for'. This scarily close future sees us all with our autos (like super-smart phones) running our lives and making decisions for us and people love it. They can't imagine managing without. There's even an online church and because hosting space for the autos of the dead is expensive, this cyber-church can offer free immortality in the EternalCloud. We come across characters we've met in Auto and some of them are up against the police and the church.
Auto brought together a group of speculative stories in an amazing manner, crafting a whole from what appeared to be disparate parts. Auto 2 is a more coherent story with the various individual parts acting more like traditional chapters. I read this in a couple of days because it was so unputdownable. It's full of little twists and turns, links to the earlier book and clever speculation on what our addiction to the internet could lead us to. Read this!
Auto brought together a group of speculative stories in an amazing manner, crafting a whole from what appeared to be disparate parts. Auto 2 is a more coherent story with the various individual parts acting more like traditional chapters. I read this in a couple of days because it was so unputdownable. It's full of little twists and turns, links to the earlier book and clever speculation on what our addiction to the internet could lead us to. Read this!
November 23, 2015
Whilst Auto 2 follows Auto, it is more of a linear story as opposed to Auto 1's individual stories only tying-in in retrospect.
Auto 2 follows the stories directly from the first book with the distinct chapters telling the story from different character's viewpoint.
Joanna has lost Greg but nobody knew they were seeing each other. Her sister, Siobhan, has come to stay with her own problems. But there's an even bigger problem on-line.
I love these stories set in the early 2020s. Seeing the youngsters in work tapping on their social media makes me think of how things will be just 5-7 years down the line. In fact whilst reading this book on my kindle, I had to leave the house to go fetch a curry and made sure I synced it on my phone so I could read it whilst waiting for my order. Each little thing makes me wonder how historical the Auto series will become.
Auto 2 follows the stories directly from the first book with the distinct chapters telling the story from different character's viewpoint.
Joanna has lost Greg but nobody knew they were seeing each other. Her sister, Siobhan, has come to stay with her own problems. But there's an even bigger problem on-line.
I love these stories set in the early 2020s. Seeing the youngsters in work tapping on their social media makes me think of how things will be just 5-7 years down the line. In fact whilst reading this book on my kindle, I had to leave the house to go fetch a curry and made sure I synced it on my phone so I could read it whilst waiting for my order. Each little thing makes me wonder how historical the Auto series will become.
February 24, 2016
Before I start I should declare that I've worked with the author as he's edited some of my work. However it is his original Auto series that was the clincher to working with him and my opinion of his latest release isn't coloured by that collaboration.
Quite simply I loved this.
No surprise there you might think (after the opening paragraph of this review), but let me explain why and then see what you think!
This is one of those rare sci-fi books that slips a science fiction story by you without realising it. The core premise is very grounded in current technology with devices called 'autos' that manage our digital lives. This includes identification, social media, finances - everything in the digital realm. The technology has become so ubiquitous that everyone relies on it and it's become ever more autonomous.
In the first book there was a series of short stories that focused on specific aspects of what such devices would means to us. It was quite clever in that as you read it it you started seeing connections between the stories until it evolved into a cohesive whole by the end. Here we have a similar format, but the overall narrative is more linear than the first book. This makes it more accessible, but for me I preferred the the more abstract approach of the first book.
A core component of a believable world is that it makes sense, the technical grounding here is very solid and transparent to the reader, but how the characters live in that work highlights some of the issues visible in society today.It's their actions and feelings that make it a living, breathing world. There is a complimentary blend of characters here, which represent a microcosm of society. They contrasted each other nicely and the short story format allowed the differing views to be handled with greater depth.
For me the only weakness was the police officer Young - she felt a little cliched. Not because such characters don't exist, but more because they tend to get used so much. She does fill the role well though, adding some physical menace to the story.
I especially enjoyed the exploration of online religion as party of the story. It's an interesting development that in many ways echoes the evolution of more traditional beliefs in the physical work.
Last, but not least is the quality of writing and it was this that first encouraged me to work with the author with my own projects. The writing is crisp and keeps the momentum going and makes this book a joy to read.
Quite simply I loved this.
No surprise there you might think (after the opening paragraph of this review), but let me explain why and then see what you think!
This is one of those rare sci-fi books that slips a science fiction story by you without realising it. The core premise is very grounded in current technology with devices called 'autos' that manage our digital lives. This includes identification, social media, finances - everything in the digital realm. The technology has become so ubiquitous that everyone relies on it and it's become ever more autonomous.
In the first book there was a series of short stories that focused on specific aspects of what such devices would means to us. It was quite clever in that as you read it it you started seeing connections between the stories until it evolved into a cohesive whole by the end. Here we have a similar format, but the overall narrative is more linear than the first book. This makes it more accessible, but for me I preferred the the more abstract approach of the first book.
A core component of a believable world is that it makes sense, the technical grounding here is very solid and transparent to the reader, but how the characters live in that work highlights some of the issues visible in society today.It's their actions and feelings that make it a living, breathing world. There is a complimentary blend of characters here, which represent a microcosm of society. They contrasted each other nicely and the short story format allowed the differing views to be handled with greater depth.
For me the only weakness was the police officer Young - she felt a little cliched. Not because such characters don't exist, but more because they tend to get used so much. She does fill the role well though, adding some physical menace to the story.
I especially enjoyed the exploration of online religion as party of the story. It's an interesting development that in many ways echoes the evolution of more traditional beliefs in the physical work.
Last, but not least is the quality of writing and it was this that first encouraged me to work with the author with my own projects. The writing is crisp and keeps the momentum going and makes this book a joy to read.
December 10, 2015
This one carries on where Auto left off and to get the very best from this sequel, it really is best to have read the first. Although at a push you could pick most of it up from this one but I really wouldn't recommend doing that.
It's no surprise how much I really enjoyed this book being as I have read and enjoyed everything that this guy has written (and published). I love how the world he has created spills over between this series and his previously published novels Bang and Fake Kate. There is crossover of characters as well as venues and this all makes for a familiar reading platform for all things Wailing!
As with the rest of the books and stories in the Auto series, the thing that stands out most about the technology is that these things could possible happen and that's what also makes it a little bit scary! Unlike the previous book, this one contains fewer previously published stand alone stories and so it comes across as a lot smoother to read. The characters here, as indeed with all characters this author has created, are all very well defined and some even continue the "identity" theme that Mr Wailing is so fond of and does very well!
As well as the technological / sci-fi / thriller aspects of the book, it is also very funny in parts. It really does have a little for everyone as it defies being genre pigeonholed.
The book is very tightly plotted, well written and held my attention from first to last page. Pacing is good and there is also a good balance between description and story. In fact, the only thing I don't like is that now I have to start my impatient waiting for the next book all over again :(
Oh and to continue the theme of how technology changes, especially wrt shopping habits, this book was my first ever "borrow" as part of the KU scheme.
It's no surprise how much I really enjoyed this book being as I have read and enjoyed everything that this guy has written (and published). I love how the world he has created spills over between this series and his previously published novels Bang and Fake Kate. There is crossover of characters as well as venues and this all makes for a familiar reading platform for all things Wailing!
As with the rest of the books and stories in the Auto series, the thing that stands out most about the technology is that these things could possible happen and that's what also makes it a little bit scary! Unlike the previous book, this one contains fewer previously published stand alone stories and so it comes across as a lot smoother to read. The characters here, as indeed with all characters this author has created, are all very well defined and some even continue the "identity" theme that Mr Wailing is so fond of and does very well!
As well as the technological / sci-fi / thriller aspects of the book, it is also very funny in parts. It really does have a little for everyone as it defies being genre pigeonholed.
The book is very tightly plotted, well written and held my attention from first to last page. Pacing is good and there is also a good balance between description and story. In fact, the only thing I don't like is that now I have to start my impatient waiting for the next book all over again :(
Oh and to continue the theme of how technology changes, especially wrt shopping habits, this book was my first ever "borrow" as part of the KU scheme.
November 9, 2017
An excellent story that picks up just after where Auto finished. Many of the same characters are in the book, and there is a good mystery at its heart. The on-line church makes a superb villain and it is interesting to follow the plot and see just who is pulling the strings. The characters are well-written and the plot moves at a fast pace, with many twists and turns along the way. Am already looking forward to Auto 3 - the finale to this series.
July 17, 2017
Utterly brilliant. I love Wailing's writing, and this book was no exception. Wailing's Auto series, set slightly in the future, is one that never fails to surprise. I highly recommend reading all his books because he plants fun little Easter eggs for readers who've read beyond the Auto series, including a hell of a nice twist at the end of this one. I can't wait for Auto 3!
September 1, 2021
Not a stand alone book
You need to read auto first to understand the plot but found auto VERY hard to get into both these books could be condescended into one and would have worked better
You need to read auto first to understand the plot but found auto VERY hard to get into both these books could be condescended into one and would have worked better
Currently reading
March 25, 2020Starts with a bang (keep Kleenex handy) and jumps back in time.
Update 6* 3/11/20 (39) #9 - Enfield (London suburb), October 16th, 2022 - cliffhanger ending
Hotspot 3* 3/11/20 (20) #10 - London, June 18th, 2022 - either I don't get the end of unfinished
Tag 4* 3/12/20 (43) #11 - London, June 18th, 2022
Save 6* 3/17/20 (73) #12 - London, October 16th, 2022 - chilling
Profile 3* 3/20/20 (50) #13 - London, October, 8th - October, 19th, 2022 - low rating due to the reversed meaning of blessing someone & the MC (I hate her in the meantime) & Siobhan (can a person really be so ignorant and act so stupid?)
Run ?* 3/20?/20 (47) #14 -
Shutdown ?* 3/21?/20 (40) #15 -
Escape ?* 3/21?/20 (43) #16 -
*
Update 6* 3/11/20 (39) #9 - Enfield (London suburb), October 16th, 2022 - cliffhanger ending
Hotspot 3* 3/11/20 (20) #10 - London, June 18th, 2022 - either I don't get the end of unfinished
Tag 4* 3/12/20 (43) #11 - London, June 18th, 2022
Save 6* 3/17/20 (73) #12 - London, October 16th, 2022 - chilling
Profile 3* 3/20/20 (50) #13 - London, October, 8th - October, 19th, 2022 - low rating due to the reversed meaning of blessing someone & the MC (I hate her in the meantime) & Siobhan (can a person really be so ignorant and act so stupid?)
Run ?* 3/20?/20 (47) #14 -
Shutdown ?* 3/21?/20 (40) #15 -
Escape ?* 3/21?/20 (43) #16 -
*
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews