(ID)entity

Phoenix Horizon #2

by P.J. Manney, David de Vries (Reader)

PJ Manney continues her action-packed, thought-provoking science-fiction series with the sequel to the Philip K. Dick Award–nominated (R)evolution . In the guise of political revolutionary Thomas Paine, bioengineer Peter Bernhardt brought down the corrupt and powerful Phoenix Club—and then turned revolution into evolution by becoming the first artificial human Major Tom. In the two years since Major Tom revealed his digital existence and spread his freedom manifesto, he has been revered as a god and vilified as a demon. The United States and Europe have splintered into ideologically independent regions. Russia and China prepare to expand their empires. In the midst of the chaos, pirates attack a seastead in the Pacific Ocean, capturing one of Major Tom’s allies. A mysterious and powerful group wages a secret war. To rescue his ally, Major Tom must first regain his own humanity and somehow save a species he no longer identifies with, and which seems determined to destroy itself.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

MP3 CD

First published March 28, 2017

About the author

PJ Manney is a former chairperson of Humanity+, the author of "Empathy in the Time of Technology: How Storytelling is the Key to Empathy," and a frequent guest host and guest on podcasts including FastForward Radio. She has worked in motion-picture PR at Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures, story development and production for independent film production companies (Hook, Universal Soldier, It Could Happen to You), and writing for television (Hercules--The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess). She also cofounded Uncharted Entertainment, writing and creating pilot scripts for television. Manney is a culture vulture and SF geek, and the daughter and mother of them, too. When not contemplating the future of humanity, she is a mother, wife, PTA volunteer and education activist in California.~ Amazon Publishing

Reviews

[Rob Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artificial intelligence has long been a favorite feature of science fiction. Every robot or talking computer or starship operating system has contributed to our idealized image of the bits-and-bytes brain.

In (ID)entity (47North, 2017), PJ Manney further expands our vision of A.I. by uploading her human protagonist to a server; from there, he is replicated and downloaded, re-emerging in everything from a sex-bot to a vegetative man.

Published this month by 47North, (ID)entity is the second book in Manney’s fast-paced, plot-twisting Phoenix Horizon series. As the follow-up to the Philip K. Dick Award-nominated (R)evolution, her new novel is both an exploration of transformative technology and a thriller, set in a world where nations (including the U.S.) have collapsed, swathes of humanity face enslavement, and the future of civilization hangs in the balance.

This is a fun, smart read with a great blend of edge-of-the-seat suspense, compelling characters and imaginative exploration of technology's ability to redefine what it means to be human.

I was lucky enough to speak with Manney just before (ID)entity was published. You can listen to our conversation on New Books in Science Fiction here: http://newbooksnetwork.com/pj-manney-...

[Jay Batson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good start gone a little mushy

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for free in advance in exchange for a review.

I gave the first book in this series - (R)evolution - a four star review. The ideas in the first book were an extension of singularity-style ideas, where minds can be uploaded to computers, and execute in an online context that's wider and faster in some ways than humans can operate. From there, the story became a fast-moving, world-ranging conspiracy-theory save-the-human-race story.

This second book is the (normal) logical extension of the setup in the first book. Sadly, though, the extended story is less-interesting. The main character from book 1 is now more powerful, but more conflicted, and more vulnerable. While a good idea, the character gets too weak, incongruously from the first book. The story gets weak in the process.

I also dislike the ending: It's like the third book is already partially (or fully) written, and the author cut the writing at a particular point, and didn't sufficiently resolve the story set up in the 2nd book. Yeah, she did a little wrap-up on the final scene, but this book seems more like a book-long teaser for the actual end of the story planned in the third book.

At the end of this one, I felt like this was a waste of reading time. I really dislike this; I wish authors would give more thought to closing a continuing story off at the end of every book, just in case the subsequent book doesn't get published, or I don't get a chance to read it.

So, while not a bad book, it wasn't good enough to get more than three stars using my rating system.

[Joe Crowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when authors are upfront about their musical inspirations. Parsing the connection between music and creativity is always a good thing -- and PJ Manney knocks it out of the park with this one.
He is influenced by David Bowie, down to the main character being named Major Tom.

His hero digs into emotional stuff amid political revolution, pirates and conspiracies. It's deep stuff with character beats that I didn't see coming.

Like David Bowie, it seems like this story doesn't belong and isn't beholden to any one era. It seems cyberpunk-inspired in some ways, but even that genre can seem behind the times in the 21st century. The author takes advantage of those tropes with a modern style.

Also, I have to give two thumbs up to the author for making the awesome Peter Schilling song "Major Tom (Coming Home)" get stuck in my head, where it has remained since I finished the book.

[BARRY GELSTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just did my 2nd consecutive readthrough of this book. It is pretty great. (ID)entityIDentity is a great read on several levels. The characters and plot are rich and interesting; the underlying science research is current and fascinating; and I love how I am now spinning off into new reading from this fabulously heuristic piece of fiction. P.J. Manney really goes after the big thoughts of our times and brings them together in a fun and exciting story. In this series, she propels herself into the likes of Asimov, Orwell, and Rand.

[Philip Chu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Sequel, but Wanted More

This is a good sequel to (Re)volution. Enjoyed the continued style of weaving music, technology and history/politics into a SciFi story. However, felt like the reader was left hanging. The great conflict was not resolved; the deep dive into the protagonist’s psyche did not provide the necessary rationale for his actions or the reactions of the supporting characters.

[Mic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jerky erratic reading that bogs down too much

This book does not resemble book 1. Pages of long drawn out rambling, confusing references, chaotic jumps all make for very poor reading.Very disappointed.

[Jeff Theado · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really liked the first book in the series. This one just didn’t go anywhere and all the characters actions were continually disappointing.

[S.S. Scott | Romance Author and Fiction Story Coach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to the first book, this one seemed to be a lot slower paced, almost like the author tried to cram as much information and action into the novel as she could. Even as Major Tom's world expanded, I never felt too connected to any one character, not like I did in the first book. It took a lot longer to get through the book because the action wasn't as nail-biting, the clues were almost impossible to follow or make sense of, and I couldn't tell what exactly the central conflict was. All of which pulled me out of the story and made it easy to put the book down. I'm going to finish the series, but I may wait a while before giving the series another read.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a goodreads giveaway, this is the first book >'version read in this series and the first book I've read by the author.

I enjoyed this book a lot once I got a handle on what was going on, this may have even gotten a 4 star review of I had read the first book in the series (I will eventually read the first book). I liked the story and the characters but the flow was disruptive due to not knowing what happened before. It's a good near future cyberpunk story that, IMO, could have done without the 1 short sex scene.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was good, but frightening, because it is potentially going to happen in some form, but I had difficulty identifying with the characters, most of whom were not fleshed out enough for me.

[kim caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story line!

Loved the second book. Having made it through the first one, I gained insight to Peter/Thomas, and now it grew with Major Tom. I don't agree with how it ended, but who knows? Maybe a 3rd book would clear it up for me?

[Alexander Collas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good continuation and I look forward to seeing how it will end in the next book. I guess that will be the final one, that is a guess. This book is a little more disjointed than the first but still well worth the read.

[Trenna K. Brauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Identity ?

Great book. This really starts you thinking on the major impact technology has on our lives personally and the realities of politics, cults, governments, medicine, religion and ethics.

[Kyle Colburn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm as lost as major tom

I cannot put into words what happened in this book. The first book floored me with its endless possibilities, this one just confused me over and over again. Sadly I will not be reading number three.

[Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Less technologically focused than the first book (ID)entity goes forward with the focus instead on the social interactions and relationships along with introspective self-reflection on what the new transhuman or posthuman mind might be like or might face as challenges.

[Steve Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The hits just keep on coming

This is a very intense story. It follows logically from book one and builds to an earth shattering conclusion. I love the story and will immediately start book 3.

[Zoë Routh · Rating 5 out of 5]

another stomping good read

Though I did not enjoy book 2 quite as much as book 1, I did still love the amazing technology, the fast paced plot, and the exploration of brain computer interfaces and their implications for ethical use (and misuse). Enjoyable!

[Chet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Sequel

Multiple personalities in the same person and demonstrating the interactions puts this book in a class all it's own. Complex but easy to follow.

[Frank Vineyard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good follow up to the first book

A good read. I liked how current world events and technology were tied into the story. Looking forward to the next book.

[Vincent Robertd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series. I cannot wait for the next book. I highly recommend this to anyone.👍👍

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a really bad book.

[Hannah Gruendemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! So exciting and with such an intricate plot. Highly recommend!!!

[G Curtin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as #1 in the series. Felt more like a placeholder between #1 and #3.

[carl · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a good follow up

This was disappointing as a follow up to the first book Story was very hard to get into and too many story lines that didn’t make sense

[SA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fragmented and compromised, Major Tom (and his sub-identities) struggles to contain what he set in motion in (R)evolution (Phoenix Horizon #1).

Exploring the dividing line between bio and artificial intelligence, (ID)entity(Phoenix Horizon #2) is a genre mash-up of science fiction, bio/nano-tech, conspiracy/political thriller, and dystopian.

As with the first book in this series, there are many things here that will cause some readers to dislike or abhor it; but the storyline continues to keep my attention. All of the characters are flawed and dysfunctional in a myriad manner, and that is what drives the story.

Manney’s writing style is synesthesiatic, which may throw off some, but she includes a music playlist that helps to set the tone and other sensory aspects of the storyline. While I didn’t use that playlist when I read the first book, I found myself calling on my smart assistant often to play the background soundtrack during this arc of the story.

The thing that I disliked most about the story is the seemingly abrupt ending that felt more like a chapter break than a conclusion.

I received an Advance Reader Copy - Uncorrected Proof from NetGalley and 47North in exchange for an honest review.

[Megan McCarthy-Biank · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the second book in the Phoenix Horizon Trilogy, (ID)ENTITY, we see the aftermath of Peter/Thomas’s success in stopping the powerful forces who would use his technology for less-than-noble means. Peter/Thomas has become Major Tom, the first successful AHI – Artificial Human Intelligence. In this book he struggles with lacking a physical form and the emotions and other unique experiences that come with being human. Even so, the entire world knows about Major Tom due to his actions in the first novel; funny enough, half of mankind reveres him, while the other half labels him a villain. Meanwhile, other countries take advantage of the confusion in the U.S. to expand their empires, which involves Major Tom more than he realizes.

Read my full review of the entire Phoenix Horizon Trilogy - (R)EVOLUTION, (ID)ENTITY, and (CON)SCIENCE on The Nerd Cantina website.

Listen to my interview with the author P.J. Manney on Episode 153 of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good pick up from where it left off in the first book, (R)evolution . My only complaint is that the book was too short, and left off at a major cliff hanger. It left a lot of questions unanswered.

Like, how did Carter escape the virtual world? The ending is what made me deduct a star, because nothing was tied up. What happened with Ruthie? Carter is still out there and so is the Phoenix Club. With the way the history keeps changing with Peter, (Like his entire letter that he posted after the Phoenix Club was supposedly destroyed.. Wouldn't people remember what the letter originally said? It really didn't make sense.) I did like the addition of a Trans Woman as a netgeek hacker.. I give the author big props for adding that..

The book could of been bigger with more information, perhaps from Carter's point of view mixed with Major Tom (Peter), and all the loose strings tied up at the end instead of a cliff hanger..