Roko's Basilisk: A Roko Event Short Story

by Michael Blackbourn

Civilization is poised on the edge of technological collapse. Thomas Kirby, employed at a floundering company endures life on the brink, plagued by recurring nightmares and the fear of losing his job. He wants nothing more than to provide for his family and bring some stability into their lives. Salvation seems to be at hand. His friend Roko Kasun, an artificial-intelligence researcher, shares a world-shattering secret. He’s on the cusp of launching a super-intelligent AI - a guardian-angel that promises to usher in a new world order. But only after Thomas teams up with his ambitious friend does Roko reveal the his preparations to summon this god-like savior have not gone unnoticed. Roko has drawn the gaze of the Basilisk - a shadowy power capable of ensuring, or extinguishing humanity’s only chance at survival. To unravel the threat Thomas will question everything. Is there a connection between Roko and the Basilisk, or can Roko be trusted to control the future? If Roko is lying, Thomas is the only one who can stop him. But if Roko is telling the truth, Thomas must show the courage to assist him in the most important act ever taken in human history.

Genres: Science Fiction

41 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2016

Reviews

[Daniel Milford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mer et tankeeksperiment enn en historie. Tommel opp for forsøket.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roko's Basilisk is a very intriguing novella based around a central concept. The themes are near future, with AI on the brink of a breakthrough and the author does a great job of painting the world around which this is all happening, with enough in common with today's world that it felt chillingly plausible. I don't want to say too much more about the story for fear of spoiling things.

I loved the writing style and characters, it really drew me in, although it took a couple of pages to get used to the timeline jumping around. My only complaint would be the length. The book ends abruptly and certainly left me wanting more (which is a good thing). It's not a deal breaker as the book was only $1, but I would have loved to see this central concept expanded upon. It was intriguing enough to make me immediately downloaded the sequel, which I am happy to say is even better and also longer.

[ReadandRated · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complex and intelligent glimpse into the (not too distant...) future. This sci-fi novella moved at a rate of knots and it felt like there was an air of urgency in the story.

With a fast and loose grip on what is / isn't real Thomas is drawn into a seemingly unavoidable dance with the devil with very high odds at stake - the survival of the human race.

Reading this book felt like being dipped head first into an alternate reality and I am not entire sure that my mediocre brain did it justice!

I am sure that intelligent science fiction fans everywhere will love this series.

[H.A. LYNN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, but intriguing sci-fi short. Thrown between what’s presently happening in the story and what conversation took place prior, I was pleasantly surprised to be hooked into this terrifying breakthrough of artificial- intelligence.

[Brandon Laws · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was incredible. The author paints a picture of the world as it is and tells a captivating story about what is to come. Being that it was short, it ends abruptly, and I so badly wanted more!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story! Scary if AI could do this! Was almost way out there for me but I got it in the end!!

[Colin Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's impossible to deny the terrifying logic this novella puts across so well over what is effectively a single conversation. I can't wait to read the next part, Roko's Labyrinth.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roko's Basilisk is the first novella in the Roko Event series by Michael Blackbourn. I haven't read the next book yet, but I think you will want to read them in order. I would like to thank Mr. Blackbourn for sharing his writing with me.

You don't need to be familiar with the Roko's Basilisk thought experiment to appreciate this story. But, you may be tempted to learn more about it afterward. Let's just say this story encapsulates the experiment perfectly. Then, good luck sleeping at night. It's a quick read with fast pacing. I read it in one sitting. This is a good one for people who like thinking about the future of artificial intelligence. I'm definitely one of those people.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a perfect introduction to the world of Al and simmulation.

Its brain-twister quality is an enjoyable experience once you embrace its narrative and the world where it lives. Next, book 2.

[Carlene Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

Great start to an interesting world. I'm interested enough to keep reading the series... I hope it expands to longer stories.

[Stevie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often an author whose work I've never encountered before comes along and just slays me. This happened with Michael Blackbourn and Roko's Basilisk.

This book just lit up my brain like an automated slot machine in 'Vegas paying out the jackpot.

When I first read the blurb I was more than a little bit intimidated. High brow, intellectual Sci-Fi usually isn't my cup of tea. Usually the details and having to pay attention to a load of what seems, to me, like mumbo jumbo becomes tiring, I get bored, and off I trot to read something with spaceships and aliens fighting each other instead. This wasn't the case the Roko's Basilisk. Despite being some of the most intelligent Sci-Fi I've ever read, Blackbourn's writing style makes it a joy to absorb. He has a knack, it seems to make complex notions and ideas simple to digest. I understood this perfectly, while an author of lesser talent would have me scratching my head wondering what the hell was going on.

I'm being deliberately light on plot description here. At 45 pages this novella, if you read it in one sitting like I did, will only take about an hour, and I don't want to rob you of a single minute of the joy I got out of this. It evoked feelings for me similar to the first time I saw Terminator, first time I read Demon Seed by Dean Koontz.

Blackbourn's story structure here is a brave choice, jumping from the character's present, to his "halucinations/nightmares". At the beginning I had a bit of an issue getting a handle on it , but within a few chapters it was second nature and easy to follow.

The world building in this little novella is outstanding. Talk of food shortages replacing food stuffs common now with protein taken from insects or "Land-Shrimp". Vitavax health shots, nanobots that swim through your bloodstream, repairing problems, automated cars. All of these things really helped me imagine the world that Thomas the protagonist lives in, or at least thinks he lives in...

Dialogue here is perfect, people speak in this book how they speak in real life. That's important. A lot of books offered to me for review on this site never see the light of day because the authors can't write realistic conversations between characters.

This was honestly one of the best sci-fi stories I've ever read. Tight, economical and beautifully written. Have I mentioned yet how utterly terrifying it is as well? This story will give you pause to think about A.I. and what it would mean to have truly sentient Artificial intelligence.

The sequel Roko's Labyrinth is already finished and the third installment is currently being written so all you series lovers needn't fret, there's more where this came from. I can't wait to read them

As I write this Roko's Basilisk is 99p on Amazon for Kindle. I'm not kidding this is literally the best £1.00 I've ever spent. Go buy this fantastic book right now....

[Matthew Harrop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I really liked this novella. It definitely kept me interested enough to read the entire thing in a sitting, so I couldn't possibly say it wasn't good. However, I wouldn't have felt good giving it five stars because of the way it ended. It was the kind of short fiction that revolves solely around an idea; the idea in this case of an AI that would torture anyone that knew of its existence in a simulation but did nothing to help bring it into actual existence (a very interesting idea). It was free and so maybe I shouldn't be so harsh, but I felt cheated by the ending. The non-linear timeline was a little rattling and sudden, and it took me a few flashbacks to follow what was happening, at least a little. It made me think that the plot was going to come full circle, that I was going to get a taste of the story (since almost the entire thing was a dialogue between two non-explored characters used to explain an idea) but that never really came. It ended with what I like to think of as an accidental cliffhanger; rather than giving me a taste of what is to come, of some twist that I want to see played out enough to buy the next installment of the series, it was like the author just stopped writing one day and hit 'publish' on KDP.

I did enjoy what I read, so I can't say that it wasn't an enjoyable read. The lack of an ending made me feel like a customer (which I know I am, but I don't want to feel that way while I'm reading a book; it takes away from any immersion I had in he story). For that reason, I would call this a four-star-read.

[Ellie Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, where to begin? Roko's Basilisk was an utterly captivating novella, with a mind-bending dilemma. I also loved the setting -- a futuristic world in which all cars drive themselves, people eat processed bugs because they're easier to farm, and it is possible to build a 'friendly' AI which won't take over the world.

This 'friendly' AI is the cause of the story's dilemma. The AI hasn't been built yet, but its potential creator -- the brilliant scientist Roko -- has figured out that the existence of this AI would spell endless torture for him and anyone else associated with it. I won't go into detail because of spoilers, but suffice to say that the full answer chilled me to the bone.

There were a couple of things which could have made this book better. Firstly, while the editing is better than the vast majority of indie books, it still isn't flawless. Secondly, it takes a lot of brainpower and concentration to get one's head around the conflict -- mostly because it's a complicated concept, but I felt like some things could have been made clearer early on. Nevertheless, the story blew my mind, so I felt like I couldn't give it any less than 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author, though I am reviewing it of my own volition.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was quite well written and certainly intriguing. Based on his own comments, it sounds like the author probably did a good job of simplifying the heavy AI concepts addressed, but it was still a little muddled or complex for me. Even so, the writing was good enough that I enjoyed it. Throughout the short story is an ongoing description of a headache, and it was superb. At one point I realized I was empathizing very seriously with the character and almost grimacing myself at the pain he was experiencing. It wasn't over the top nor too repetitive, and it crescendoed well I thought. Well done.

I'm interested to look into what other things the author has written and recommend this for a short read if you have any interest in sci-fi ideas or short reads or good scene description (or something, I'm not sure how to describe it, ironically, but something about his whatever-it-was description was good I thought). I think I came across this through a tweet of Hugh Howey's? I noticed the author has commented frequently on Howey's blog and apparently got him to review the work. It was free on Amazon so I nabbed it. (I think it's only $1 otherwise, so still worth it.) (Also, I guess the word is "novella," not short story. Novice me.)

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid episode, first in an ongoing series. It had kind of Twilight Zone feel to it, which I thought was fun. The story tackles some high-concept theories on AI and simulations and approaches them in a unique way to tell an interesting thriller.

At 45 pages this isn't a long read, and I thought it was definitely enjoyable, so if you like sci-thriller type stories, I'd give this a shot.

[Jordon Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stores about artificial intelligence so naturally this was going to be enjoyable. Michael's story is different than what I'm used to though. That's a good thing though. I love the subtle explanations of cool new technologies and the way he explains the not-so-benign AI.

[Jon Stonecash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but very intense. Packed with some interesting ideas. A little choppy in the writing but still readable.