The A.I. Gene

The A.I. #2

by Vaughn Heppner

We don’t know when it happened. But somewhere an alien species built a strong artificial intelligence. The AI became independent, powerful, and it started killing biological infestations—Life—any life, all life. It has been killing life forms ever since as it grew into a vast armada of Death. Jon Hawkins and his team captured the AI Destroyer invading the Solar System. The genocidal assault should have been over, but it’s not. An alien AI strand from the cybership survived in the distant Kuiper Belt. The strand has been multiplying and taking over by turning people into robots in order to build another super-ship. The human race is in a grim war for survival against the most relentless, most ruthless enemy in the galaxy.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military Fiction, Audiobook, Artificial Intelligence, Military Science Fiction, Aliens

344 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2017

About the author

You can visit Vaughn at www.vaughnheppner.com

I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.

I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.

Reviews

[Mike Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vaughn Heppner's style requires the hero to overcome innumerable obstacles. And even then death and destruction appear certain. He leaves his protagonist, in this case the mercenary turned commander Jon Hawkins, very little room to maneuver. In "The A.I. Gene," the second in the A.I. series, Hawkins and his Black Anvil Regiment have overcome the the massive robot ship by doing the unexpected and boarding it and fighting their way to the core intelligence. They succeeded but suffered heavy losses. But the win was big. They commandeered the incredibly immense spherical ship. And although it was heavily damaged, the crews have found ways to repair some of the systems. Still, Heppner is Heppner. The good times don't last. The robot of the first book is dead, but it left a thread of its intelligence that spent the subsequent months gathering formidable resources. Unit 23-7 is as evil as anything Heppner has created. The robot intelligence knows enough to infiltrate a remote mining colony in the Kuiper Belt. And although I've delayed mentioning it, that's where the best part of this novel starts, with Walleye and June Zen. Walleye is one of the best characters introduced by Heppner. He's short, ugly and smart. He's also crude and deadly. But he has a code he won't break, and he's loyal to people who treat him nicely. June is a beautiful young woman who is the first to discover the A.I. invasion to her colony. She doesn't know exactly what's happening but confides in Walleye, who she knows is capable of dealing with strange goings on. The two of them barely escape with their lives and go through hell to get away. Heppner could have easily made them victims of the machine aggression. But he thankfully did not. Their thread in this novel is the best, and it eventually intertwines with that of Hawkins, his band of mercenaries and Gloria, his Martian mentalist sidekick. And I've rambled without saying much. But what the hell, I liked this book. And I kept reading.

[Mick Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book

Captain Hawkins has started the process of building his forces and the repairs on his ship. But finds that there is still robots fighting against him and his crew. But worst is still out there in space. Hawkins with his small trusted crew once again fight to the death, and a hard fort victory. Looking forward to the next book.

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another rousing battle between humanity and an AI race intent on eliminating them.

Great character development. Great story arc

[Jkane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book more than the first one. We see the aftermath of the first, the human reaction to it, the power struggle that would develop from the chasm created by the event. I had anticipated that this book should be more about humanity and less A.I. and it was, thankfully.

This novel is really a 4.5, and could have achieved a five had the author not abandoned a great scene in the making. Without giving any spoilers, Heppner reveals two new characters with a strong backstory and what could (and should) be a significant role in the series. For inexplicable reasons, an obvious scene never occurred. I was very much looking forward to the first meeting between these new characters and our protagonist, yet the author skips over it. I was fairly astounded that Heppner yada, yada, yadas, the encounter which would’ve had a ton of emotion and excitement and it would’ve been great to see what Hawkins thought of the new characters, and their adventures, etc. I’m not sure why you give them such an intricate backstory and then fully continue their journey.

[Abdulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accidentally listened to this book after book three. That is probably why I enjoyed this book more than book three. Oops.
That being said, I love the A.I. series. It's a fun series with plenty of action and science fiction elements we all love: killer computers, dystopian governments, space marines, aliens... You name it this series has it.
If you are looking for a fun read, or better yet, a good audio book, look no further. I listen to the audio version and the reader (Marc Vietor) does a tremendous job.
But do yourself a favor and read the books in the proper order.

[Ryan Pascall · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. After the slog with the first (audio)book I decided I'd give the second a chance but i managed to get towards the end (8 chapters from the end) when I quit.
All I can say is after going through the whole Lost Starship series (and, through that, witnessing the single worst ending to a book Ever) I should've expected no better than a great concept filled with 1 dimensional, horribly unlikable characters.
I will not be coming back to try any more of his books after this I think.

[Mike OwlLove · Rating 4 out of 5]

so the main hero became a captain way too quickly in the previous book.
This book is much better however since it already begins with him being a captain.
The negotiations are interesting and the dynamic of multiple political forces is interesting.
I still think too much of the book happens in the head of the main character and there is not enough endearing interactions between characters, but this book is definitely better than the previous one.
Hopefully the next one will be even better.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the ingredients a sci-fi book needs to keep me interested...political machinations, sinister alien AI's, space battles, captured alien tech, interesting characters and relationships, witty intelligent quotes, and plenty of deep space action. Of course I will be reading the next book in the series. Thank you, Vaughn Heppner. Submitted August 29, 2017.

[Ricardo Portella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could be better

This second book of the series has less action and has a confuse narrative with three main characters. Suddenly, Walleye and June almost disappear from the story, and what happened with their supposed weapon against the A.I.
I hope the conclusion will be much better.

[Becky Muys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting space battles against Artificial Intelligence

I read the first AI book and knew I had to read the rest of the series! The 2nd book was just as exciting as the 1st book. Artificially intelligent robots are trying to take over the Solar System. But they have met their match!

[Jakob Rosin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a better one, with more characters and wider scale. The story is much more less predictable. I just got annoyed at how stupid some of the humanity is in that story. And how stupid is the AI: The AI’s stupidity and arrogance makes it hard to believe that it has exterminated hundreds of civilizations before.

[Oldklingon · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far I have enjoyed the "Lost Ship" series better than this series. This series seems darker and without the light comic touches I found in the "Lost Ship" books. I find myself wondering why the main character keeps going, on an emotional basis. I will read the next book, hoping for improvement. But I need a break first. Listened on Audible.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the book, but the weak main characters, weak minded, weak in their certainty of action is so distracting and annoying. It's a space military book. We need our heroes to be strong. We expect the antagonists to a pain in the ass, not our heroes. I'm not sure I explained my gripe properly but I hope you get my gist.

[Pétur J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, book two. Didn't feel as solid or entertaining as number one. I will however be reading number three and four so don't take this review as a negative one, just in relation to the first book is was not as fun.

[alan gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great story

i choose the 5 stars because i liked the book. i do however really dislike being told how many words to use. so, hhhh jjjj kkkk llll mmm nnn ooo ppp qqq rrr sss ttt uuu etc.

[Lee-sa Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edge of your seat thriller

Thoroughly enjoying this series although it is similar to another series I read with computers against humans it is still different enough to keep my interest.

[Rudeford Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good continuation of. Book one

The dwarf anonymous luscious lover was a surprise. Hopefully in book three the dwarf will be more of a good guy. The captain needs all the help he can get.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

There really wasn't anything new here. In fact, everything seemed like a weaker reflection of book one. I also wasn't impressed with the growing irrationality of the A.I. menace. This anthropomorphized computer program is not the species-ending threat that Fermi originally envisioned.

[Blossom378 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a great read

Its fun to find a capitalist among syFy writers. Love this guy. Truly deserves a read and will reward you with a great tale.

[Jesse Deleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action and Adventure fantastic!

Thank you Vaughn Heppner for another fantastic action and adventure reading experience. I stayed up late to finish. Am now ready for book 3!

[John W McKinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Scifi

Enjoyed this greatly. Was exciting and packed with adventure and suspense. The story flows well and it keeps your attention.

[Judy Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book!

💘 the authors way of saying all things space easy to understand. Ready to read book number 3 in the series.

[Ruth M. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The A I Series! I lo

I have to say wow on Vaughn Heppner's AI SERIES.
.I loved them all. Lost a lot of sleep these last 3 days.

[Chris Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthy continuation from where book 1 left off, I think the Solar League activities feel heavily of subplot and what they do feels rushed so the outcome always feels like a foregone conclusion.

[Starling Hathcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great sequel

This book is a great sequel to the first A. I. book. It introduced new characters into the series that made it very interesting.

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good starter book for a continuing series. The characters are well developed and it is a fun read overall. I look forward to the other books in the series.

[Alina Maliwauki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just gets better!

The second in the series did not disappoint, characters continue to develop and the storyline gets deeper.. Ready for part three!

[Esther · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the story and characters were good, I found the style of writing was quite amaturish and the narative appeared to be for a younger person.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. By far my favourite series from the author based on the first two. Can’t wait to start the third book

[Jeff Daly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

started: 2019-03-12.Mar.Tue 00:41:34
finished: 2019-03-17.Mar.Sun 19:00:00
duration: 9h:41m