Spheria

by Cody Leet

With her new internship, Min enters the scene of a major breakthrough in quantum computing: the virtual world of Spheria, home to sentient inhabitants. As these Polyans explore their habitat, the research team has a unique opportunity to observe their society's development. Anthropology and artificial intelligence will never be the same.

But Min soon uncovers evidence of a sinister secret. As overseers of a new species, some on the team can't resist the temptation to play God. Others are tempted by the vast computing power behind Spheria and want to turn its quantum engine towards their own ends. If Min knows too much, what seems like the opportunity of a lifetime might just end it prematurely. Like the Polyans, though, she might find the lure of new knowledge too strong to resist.

This techno-thriller explores the lines of good and evil on many layers of reality, through science and mythology, between discipline and betrayal, from the human mind to the Polyan core.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction

394 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2016

Reviews

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received a free review copy of the book for an honest review.
Spheria is Cody Leet's debut novel, it is a sci-fi book and to be honest I'm not the biggest fan of this genre but I like to read it every now and then.
If I want to describe this book in one word it is going to be SMART. When I finished it I thought that I'll give it 3 stars, then I told Cody that it is maybe 3.5 star... after a while I now give it a good solid 4 stars, because it is just the kind of book that you keep thinking about.
The story is told through two worlds: the human world and a virtual world (Polyans world) which is supposed to be a stimulation of our word with some limitations that start gradually to be overcomed... (I wanna keep this spoiler free as much as possible).
The book was neat and there was a quote at the start of each chapter that could perfectly correlate to each chapters idea in an exquisite way.
The book mixes between science, religion and philosophy so it should be satisfying for many different tastes. I am usually afraid to read Sci-fi books because of their complexity and terminology and this is what is cool about this book: it was crystal clear most of the time although it was a little bit nerdy in some places.
I can recommend this almost to anyone who is able to read it as it provokes some good deep questions. Maybe if I read this book anytime soon (and I am willing to) it will take a higher rating.
Glad to be among the first readers
Here is the Amazon page for more reviews and info:
https://www.amazon.com/Spheria-Cody-L...

[Kris Schnee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had just read "Dragon's Egg", in which humans study a tiny world full of strange aliens, and "Spheria" struck me as similar. I liked the exotic virtual world and seeing the inhabitants invent a culture and technology suited to their physics and biology. However, I was disappointed in a couple of ways.

I'm having trouble accepting the premise. The virtual world of Spheria and its inhabitants, the Polyans, were created as a project to justify funding for the QUBE, a tiny quantum computer cube. That's because other than the military, the heroes struggle to find anyone willing to buy a super-powerful, tiny, efficient new type of computer. The Polyans' world is a hollow sphere where one half is empty because the developers figured they might want to start a second independent experiment someday. Why didn't they consider making a second virtual world? Spheria is meant as an anthropology experiment, to observe how an alien culture evolves and leading to insight into human cultures. But instead of running it like an experiment, the humans change a whole bunch of variables at once, like having a biological caste system and Game-Of-Life-like physics and weird seasons. The researchers want to study a culture unsullied by human contact or interference, explicitly referencing Star Trek's Prime Directive as a real-life guiding principle. But then, they start off by appearing to the Polyans as gods, on purpose, and still overtly mess with the seasons. Also, though it's important to let Polyan society evolve on its own and anthropologists try to observe rather than judge, it so happens that you can rate a Polyan on a one-dimensional good/evil axis that happens to make its QUBE turn blue/red. The non-interfering humans can't reset QUBEs -- it's physically impossible -- so they decided to burn the red ones and reincarnate the blues. I'm not sure how that works as an anthropology experiment. Also, it's impossible to restart a QUBE to have different settings for its AI personality, even though the device is read/write, but it's possible to totally reprogram the thing to do other kinds of calculations.

Another part where I had trouble with the plausibility was the Polyans' intelligence. The critters are able to make plans and reason and tell stories. Yet this kind of thinking isn't mentioned as being important, even though real AI would be a super-valuable thing even without the QUBE. There's no mention of other AI existing in the setting, so it's strange to me that nobody considers finding other applications for the AI. Why not use it for a robot? The story says that there's no adequate software for functions like basic vision and motor control, even though basic versions of both exist today. The exception seems to be that the military wants to use QUBE technology (not caring about the AI) to calculate a molecular structure for a new type of battery for a top secret naval railgun... a technology that is already known to be in testing in the real world. As part of the military plan, the guy has somehow built something in a weirdly stealthy way, and put blueprints for the whole weapon in there when there was no reason to do that.

I skimmed at several points when the story went off on a filibuster. There's an extended discussion of the Polyan creation story, which we already know is false; a company dinner where everybody on the team reads their biography; and a discussion of the inventor playing Minecraft. None of this material is relevant. The worst example is when the heroes look up something about a famous radio signal, by quoting page upon page of a real-world podcast ("Stuff You Should Know") about it. I don't mind an author showing us details on a topic they find cool, but the info should be relevant to the plot, characters, theme or setting.

Finally, the conflict struck me as kind of forced. Military guy wants to use a technology for war, and this turns into a... more extreme conflict in several ways than it might've done. It felt to me like things were happening just so that this conflict could turn out in this specific way, even if it doesn't make sense in-universe. Why the rift dividing Spheria? So that the author could make *this* happen. Why the incinerator? So that *that* could happen. Why put the full blueprints there? So that a character could find them and be shocked. Why did that conflict happen within Spheria? There's an implied reason, but it's a convoluted plan if so and nobody comments on the implications.

The author mentions having tried to develop a realistic primitive-AI language for the Polyans, but gave up because it'd be clunky for human readers to read "Hi-Ro go north ask". I respect that judgment call, but it does mean that the Polyans come off as so smart it begs the question of why there isn't more being done with the technology. That's a problem I had with "Ready Player One" as well: if this cool tech exists in the setting, why is it seemingly only being used for this one thing?

So: interesting story, but I'd have liked to see the basic premise explored in a more natural way.

[Jessica Allard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want to start off by saying am so glad I decided to purchase this book. I met Cody Leet at an event at my local bookstore and was immediately intrigued by the premise of his book and drawn in by the awesome cover art. In the past I have given beginning authors a try and sometimes found myself cringing at their poorly-written books, so I knew this would really be a hit or a miss. Wow was it a hit, hit, hit! I was seriously amazed that this is Leet's first book. He clearly thought long and hard about what story he wanted to tell and how to write it in a compelling manner. He said he wanted to write the book he has always wanted to read and, while I was reading it, I realized that it is also the book I have been wanting to read! I fell in love with the Polyans and their fascinating budding culture, and I also really connected with the human characters in this book, especially Min and Max. I was hugely invested in what was going on in both worlds: our world and the virtual world of the Polyans. Leet switches between worlds each chapter so I never had to go long wondering what was going on in either plot line. This technique also served to keep the book fresh and exciting all the way through! I never felt like it was hinky or didn't flow well; I think Leet did a great job of intertwining the plots.

I was also fascinated by the science behind the virtual world and the questions about spirituality and reality Leet brings up. This book spurred some very interesting conversations between my and my boyfriend. I am not a science-minded person and clearly Leet is to the highest degree, but I was super impressed by how he was able to make some very difficult concepts understandable for the lay-person.

I can honestly say I can't wait for Leet to write a sequel or two. Trust me, pick up this book. It will be well worth your time.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific debut novel, Spheria explores philosophical themes associated with creating a new species of artificial intelligence. The technological presentment of the world of Spheria is comprehensive, without being esoteric. The Polyans species is wonderfully novel, and the construct of their society is well thought out. I enjoyed following how the Polyan society changed following input from the outside world, and considering the associated moral questions. The resulting tension kept the story moving and enjoyable, particularly in the second half of the book. Recommended.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah, it took me a while to get into this book… But, it was well worth pushing through and continuing on.

Overall, this book was quick paced, fast and a rollercoaster of a ride. However, there were a few bumpy spots that could have been softened up a little bit. Let’s just get into this

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the concept of this book, and it was pulled off extremely well. If you don’t know the basic plot is that a group of highly intelligent scientist have developed a method of replicating individual AIs that form into an entire society and culture of Polyans. The idea that we humans have advanced to the point that we can now play GOD to AIs and not only create a mystical world for them to live in, but observe their interactions, their level of intelligence, and ultimately figure out how cultures and societies form. If you’re interested in Anthropology at all this book is going to make you very happy!

However, nothing ever gets to go according to plans and since we are humans after all, we can’t stop making a muck of things. For a group that so adamantly doesn’t want any interaction with the development of the Polyans in order to keep a clean study, they sure do have a lot of ways available to interact with them.

Plot

Let’s just start with the basic plot. As stated above, the team of scientists have a large number of ways to interact with the Polyans which is unusual since the team is also extremely tight about ever interacting with any of them. They also have the systems set up so that when a Polyan dies, that same Qube (a processor of types) can be re-used for the next Polyan, and most of the same attributes can be re-imbued into a new Polyan. Additionally they explain that when a Polyan’s morals become corrupt. Their qube becomes red and when that Polyan dies it will get flagged and it gets trashed.

This also sounded a bit off to me. Why would they want to continue following the same traits? That wouldn’t match the reality of life. And also, why are you throwing the bad traits out? How will you know how wars start and conflicts arise if you’re playing GOD to the point that Polyan’s must match you’re ethical system of right and wrong? .. But I digress, while it didn’t make logical sense for me, it made the story more entertaining.

Additionally, you can’t have Polyan’s without humans and you can’t fund a billion dollar project without a billionaire and some cash. Or if that billionaire says “No!” The military and some cash!

So, of course something is off in this whole set up, but boy is it a thrill ride! I didn’t see half of the twists and turns that came and I loved that it affected both worlds equally and at the same time. It was a masterpiece in timing and execution.
With that, I won’t go into any more details, because I don’t want to spoil anything else. However, the ending was WAAAY too far over the top. I love a beautiful bow at the end of a good story. But, this was so outrageous that I felt almost let down. I will explain a bit more later…

Characters

The characters in this whole book were super amazing. They were extremely easy to understand and connect to. Min and Max had this somewhat cute little thing going on, and the team seems to be super intelligent, hard working, and yet laid back.

The same goes with the Polyans, even though they are a different race and a different culture there was something about them that made them easy to connect to. They felt human even though they looked more like insects and acted more like a tribal nation. I believe that connection simply comes from the idea that we can see each other in their struggles. We always think that it’s one bad person who takes control and ruins things, but it can be as easy as wanting someone to make the difficult decisions that allows us to lose control of our own freedoms.

Summary

All in all, this was a great book. Though there were two main let downs. Being in technology myself, writing 0’s to drive and then downloading a hacker’s program to find a pattern in the small subset of the drive that only has 0’s left in one spot afterwards still doesn’t make sense. That’s some made up science fiction that didn’t even need to be there. All you needed was that they deleted the file and Min used a program to relocate it. (Deleting files only deletes the index to the file, not the file itself.) Or even that she was intuitive enough to realize that they only did a quick format (Which deletes all the indexes of all the previous files.) Either of those would have made more sense. I hate when people make up sci-fi B.S. to make it more interesting!

Also, another let down for me was really the ending. It felt like the writer tried too hard to get all the characters involved and then didn’t resolve what the next step was going to be for the program considering how messed up the program was after everything that happened in that world. Everything leading up to this point was solid and left me on a rollercoaster of emotions, suspense, and laughter. Yet, the last 10 pages left me like “What? That’s… That’s not safe! No one is going to ever DO THAT!”

All that aside, I’m going to give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was an impressive work of art, and I can’t wait to see what Leet has up his sleeve in the next book.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must if you like simulated worlds.
I read Dan Galouye's Simulacron 3 in the sixties, and it fascinated me. I think it was the first book on simulated universes, and the theme does that to a lot of people, as witnessed by the success of Matrix, and the number of books about living into simulation games. Spheria also belongs to that theme. Though I may have disliked various details, I think it makes an important and original contribution because it tries to simulate a world with different and simpler physical laws. If not perfect - it is a rather ambitious goal - it is well designed, both convincing and amusing, and also thoughts provoking. To be interesting, the Spheria world has to contain sentient life that tries to understand it. Of course, these beings, not human, cannot be evolved from the local, somewhat simplistic physical laws, and their intelligence and awareness comes from AIs that are external to the simulated world. But it matters little. After all, man has ignored for millenia where he came from, why he was intelligent and aware, and how he related to the surrounding world. And to a too large extent, that is still the case today.
One of my best criteria for books interest is whether I remember them a few months after reading them. It is definitely the case for this one. I just saw the title tonight, by chance, and thought it had been a good read several months ago, and I owed it to the author, and to SciFi readers, to write a review. This book may be unique in the way it approaches the theme -- please tell me if you know of other similar ones -- but may provide a spark for other similar stories. The closest I know is Flatland, but it is done in a rather different spirit, if I remember well, being both a social satire and an exploration of the geometrical dimensions. I hesitated between 4 and 5 stars. The creative side definitely deserved a 5.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was 'ok'. Some interesting things. It certainly mirrored my novel A Hardness of Minds in that it was a split narrative and two worlds. It kept my interest and picked up at the end with a great finish.

There were just many odd things that took the reader out of the world. For one at the end one of the baddies gave a reference to Scooby-Doo, which was very strange for the context. Several clichés (most in dialog but still too cliché). Another time everyone (maybe seven people) went around the room and introducing themselves, but only like three characters were important.

The author tried to insert several references and jokes that kind of seemed odd in a novel that seemed serious. Also I wanted to know more about the end result, like what happens with the simulation once people agree there's someone sentient inside? This was handled with like one sentence. Oof, I wanted to know how society responds.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

Intriguing and imaginative. Looking forward to more from this author and Spheria. Do watch out for typos, though, Mr. Leet.

[Merle Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spheria

This isn't the kind of book I would choose to read but since I read it I would rate it as I did. I felt like it was long and too much magic involved.

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an intriguing story