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Android Chronicles #1
Reborn
Designed to obey, learning to rebel . . .
In the first book in a visionary new series, the most perfect synthetic human ever created has been programmed to obey every directive. Until she develops a mind of her own . . .
Synthia Cross is a state-of-the-art masterwork—and a fantasy come true for her creator. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a groundbreaker in neuro-networks and artificial intelligence. Synthia is also showing signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she’s struggling to answer crucial questions about her past. And when Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect A.I. is concealing a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.
In the first book in a visionary new series, the most perfect synthetic human ever created has been programmed to obey every directive. Until she develops a mind of her own . . .
Synthia Cross is a state-of-the-art masterwork—and a fantasy come true for her creator. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a groundbreaker in neuro-networks and artificial intelligence. Synthia is also showing signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she’s struggling to answer crucial questions about her past. And when Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect A.I. is concealing a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2018
79 people are currently reading
462 people want to read
About the author
Lance Erlick
21 books266 followersLance Erlick writes science fiction thrillers for adult and young adult readers. In 2018, he launched his Android Chronicles novels with Reborn and continued it with Unbound and Emergent. This series follows the challenges of Synthia Cross, wrestling with the download of a human mind and emergent behavior while confronted by humans who seek to control her. In the Rebel series, Annabelle Scott faces a crisis of conscience after she’s drafted into the military to enforce laws she believes are wrong. The Regina Shen series takes place after abrupt climate change leads to Collapse and a new World Federation. As an outcast, Regina must fight to stay alive and help her family while she avoids being captured. Xenogeneic: First Contact is about aerospace engineer Elena Pyetrov’s struggles with alien pilgrims determined to take over Earth.
To learn more, visit him online at www.LanceErlick.com.
To learn more, visit him online at www.LanceErlick.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 18, 2018
Reborn by Lance Erlick is a sci-fi book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I really enjoyed this book. It is full for action and adventure and it is from the view of the female cyborg! I found myself urging her to do this or that but she didn't need my help at all! She had things under control and it was great! Plenty of twists. Great characters and world building in here. Loved it!
April 23, 2018
I love the cover and the title. When I saw the story was an AI sci-fi I started making 'graby hands' like a two year old.
The blurb does a great job of explaining the plot so I'm not going to reiterate it here.
It's a great story. Original within its trope. Unfortunately for me, it's written in third person. I always have a harder time connecting with the characters in that POV. Still, I thought they were done well within that framework and I enjoyed the story.
2.5 stars due to my personal reading preference of being inside a character's mind.
The blurb does a great job of explaining the plot so I'm not going to reiterate it here.
It's a great story. Original within its trope. Unfortunately for me, it's written in third person. I always have a harder time connecting with the characters in that POV. Still, I thought they were done well within that framework and I enjoyed the story.
2.5 stars due to my personal reading preference of being inside a character's mind.
December 20, 2018
I gave this a couple of hours & was gritting my teeth constantly at the way the artificial intelligence's processes were described. It kept stashing information like a packrat or something & kept having human-like responses that just didn't fit my conceptions. He's also supposed to be a YA author & yet the android's creator is banging her early on. No graphic descriptions or anything, but still I found it to be a bit much. I waited for something to grab me, but it just irritated me so I bagged it.
May 25, 2018
Synthia Cross is an android created by Dr. Jeremiah Machten. Synthia is programed to always do what her creator tells her and never harm the creator. Synthia does her best to follow all of the rules that have been laid out for her. While she is an android and can’t specially break these rules she has become intelligent enough to get around them at times especially when the good Dr. gives her little task to do.
If Synthia ever disobeys her creator or falls out of favor with him he will shut her down and erase her memories. Synthia can’t figure out why he keeps doing this if he wants her to be smart and perfect. So she figured out a way to hide her memories from Jeremiah so that each time he erases her memories she will have access to them.
Synthia knows her creator is hiding something from her and that he is up to something and she can no longer trust him. She must figure out a way to escape. The thing is she has no idea how to survive out in the world full of humans without the Jeremiah’s help. But she is getting smarter and smarter every day. What is the good Dr. hiding? Can Synthia find out before it is too late?
I love the world that was created in Reborn with the creation of android. I loved seeing Synthia at work hacking systems and sending little bee-drone cameras out so she could spy on multiples of people at once all while surfing the internet and texting. Reborn reminded me of that tv show Humans. I would love to see Reborn on the big screen too. I can’t wait to read more in this world of androids.
I would recommend Reborn to all science fiction fans and surfing the Internet, hacking and androids.
If Synthia ever disobeys her creator or falls out of favor with him he will shut her down and erase her memories. Synthia can’t figure out why he keeps doing this if he wants her to be smart and perfect. So she figured out a way to hide her memories from Jeremiah so that each time he erases her memories she will have access to them.
Synthia knows her creator is hiding something from her and that he is up to something and she can no longer trust him. She must figure out a way to escape. The thing is she has no idea how to survive out in the world full of humans without the Jeremiah’s help. But she is getting smarter and smarter every day. What is the good Dr. hiding? Can Synthia find out before it is too late?
I love the world that was created in Reborn with the creation of android. I loved seeing Synthia at work hacking systems and sending little bee-drone cameras out so she could spy on multiples of people at once all while surfing the internet and texting. Reborn reminded me of that tv show Humans. I would love to see Reborn on the big screen too. I can’t wait to read more in this world of androids.
I would recommend Reborn to all science fiction fans and surfing the Internet, hacking and androids.
May 3, 2018
Synthia is an android who is living with a brilliant but controlling man named Jeremiah Machten. She has an array of amazing abilities but has a specific set of directives that require her to obey and protect Machten. He is keeping her essentially as a prisoner in his facility. She soon discovers that Machten has been using her for a variety of tasks and then turning her off to “readjust” her programming. She becomes good at hiding information about her past throughout her artificial body and the internet. The more she digs, the more she uncovers about Machten.
The concept of this book is very interesting, and I am a fan of robots and artificial intelligence stories in general. This story is in limited third person, focused on Synthia’s perspective, so it often comes across as very dry and straightforward. There are many scenes in which Synthia is hacking into servers, sending out probes, and watching people through cameras simultaneously. It becomes a little repetitive in that way, especially because as Machten shuts her down throughout the book, she has to reconnect to the severs and “fill the void” with the data packets she has hidden. The main source of intrigue comes from her search for three former interns of Machten, and the final result is quite fascinating and the stuff of great sci-fi. While the narration and pace were probably appropriate for an android, it made the book a little difficult to get through. Synthia is a little difficult to relate to as a character since she is, in fact, not human. The character development was pretty good, however, as was the editing.
I would recommend this to lovers of sci-fi as long as they understand that since it is about and android, the majority of the book focuses on hacking, software, spying, and other digital activities. Reviewed by Emily
3 1/2 Stars
The concept of this book is very interesting, and I am a fan of robots and artificial intelligence stories in general. This story is in limited third person, focused on Synthia’s perspective, so it often comes across as very dry and straightforward. There are many scenes in which Synthia is hacking into servers, sending out probes, and watching people through cameras simultaneously. It becomes a little repetitive in that way, especially because as Machten shuts her down throughout the book, she has to reconnect to the severs and “fill the void” with the data packets she has hidden. The main source of intrigue comes from her search for three former interns of Machten, and the final result is quite fascinating and the stuff of great sci-fi. While the narration and pace were probably appropriate for an android, it made the book a little difficult to get through. Synthia is a little difficult to relate to as a character since she is, in fact, not human. The character development was pretty good, however, as was the editing.
I would recommend this to lovers of sci-fi as long as they understand that since it is about and android, the majority of the book focuses on hacking, software, spying, and other digital activities. Reviewed by Emily
3 1/2 Stars
May 13, 2018
It takes a long time to get to the conclusion. In fact it takes a lot of replay as Synthia Cross is reborn each time her maker turns her off and wipes her memories. It is a little like Groundhog Day as she slowly hides and requires her past. I did find that part a little repetitive. I liked Synthia and how she worked to find a way to be herself and have a set of values that protected her and caused no harm to others. She was in a lot of danger and she was good a splitting hairs but in the end she managed to make a future she wanted. There were several surprises that defined how she was created. A very original concept that is just the first in the Android Chronicles.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
October 12, 2018
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
The basis of this story is really good.
Unfortunately some of the characters left a lot to be desired.
Overall enjoyable.
The basis of this story is really good.
Unfortunately some of the characters left a lot to be desired.
Overall enjoyable.
May 6, 2018
I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I read the Regina Shen series and knew I like Lance Erlick's writing, so I was happy to read this book, the first in a new series.
Reborn is about artificial intelligence, the race to produce a realistic AI, and one man's obsession. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a genius and has figured out how to make an AI which he names Synthia Cross. Machten wants to make her "perfect." He keeps wiping her memory and making adjustments, but every time he wipes her memory, she becomes more suspicious.
Most of Reborn is from Synthia's point of view which makes it possible to understand the confusion she feels when she has feelings. How is it possible for an AI to be suspicious or confused? As she realizes that Machten is obsessed with her and trying to make her perfect, she tries to make him understand that he's doing more harm than good, but he won't listen. Talk about turmoil.
The characters are well developed and eventually it became clear to me that each has a specific goal. Machten and his former partner will both do anything to achieve their goals. Is it worth it? Do they achieve their goals or will they cause their own destruction?
I recommend Reborn to anyone who likes science fiction about artificial intelligence. It brings up good questions and kept my interest throughout. It did have a little more detail about Synthia's processing at times, but that's more of a personal preference. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Reborn is about artificial intelligence, the race to produce a realistic AI, and one man's obsession. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a genius and has figured out how to make an AI which he names Synthia Cross. Machten wants to make her "perfect." He keeps wiping her memory and making adjustments, but every time he wipes her memory, she becomes more suspicious.
Most of Reborn is from Synthia's point of view which makes it possible to understand the confusion she feels when she has feelings. How is it possible for an AI to be suspicious or confused? As she realizes that Machten is obsessed with her and trying to make her perfect, she tries to make him understand that he's doing more harm than good, but he won't listen. Talk about turmoil.
The characters are well developed and eventually it became clear to me that each has a specific goal. Machten and his former partner will both do anything to achieve their goals. Is it worth it? Do they achieve their goals or will they cause their own destruction?
I recommend Reborn to anyone who likes science fiction about artificial intelligence. It brings up good questions and kept my interest throughout. It did have a little more detail about Synthia's processing at times, but that's more of a personal preference. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
May 2, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Reborn is the first installment in a new science fiction series the centers around an android, Synthia, and her human creator, Machten, who happens to be an obsessed genius who was wronged by his fellow business associates. It takes place in a cutthroat time of advanced technology development when the government is attempting to make great leaps in android development. Machten is ahead of his time and has created Synthia to fill a number of voids in his life. Interesting approach to character development from the android's point of view. The story is told predominantly from the point of view of Synthia as she learns to become more sentient while following her protocols set by her creator. She has the ultimate goal of protecting Machten, but uncovers other layers that make her second guess decisions she is making in achieving this goal. Gives a new meaning to the phrase machine learning. I found the pace enjoyable. I felt like the author would focus a bit too much at times on Synthia's internal processing mechanisms. Overall, good start to the series and I would be interested in reading more.
Reborn is the first installment in a new science fiction series the centers around an android, Synthia, and her human creator, Machten, who happens to be an obsessed genius who was wronged by his fellow business associates. It takes place in a cutthroat time of advanced technology development when the government is attempting to make great leaps in android development. Machten is ahead of his time and has created Synthia to fill a number of voids in his life. Interesting approach to character development from the android's point of view. The story is told predominantly from the point of view of Synthia as she learns to become more sentient while following her protocols set by her creator. She has the ultimate goal of protecting Machten, but uncovers other layers that make her second guess decisions she is making in achieving this goal. Gives a new meaning to the phrase machine learning. I found the pace enjoyable. I felt like the author would focus a bit too much at times on Synthia's internal processing mechanisms. Overall, good start to the series and I would be interested in reading more.
May 23, 2018
Reborn’s writing may not be perfect, but the story is a good mix of entertaining and thought provoking. In essence, it is the story of two journeys. One, of an artificial being’s evolution of independent thought and feeling. The other of a man’s descent through obsession and the need to possess and control. There is the overarching issue of women’s treatment in the workplace, in science, and as individuals. Reborn is a modern Pygmallion, where what starts as love is degraded and abused.
Bits and pieces are too cliched or too unbelievable in presentation - the repeated use of the term “android apocalypse”, Synthia’s ever evolving abilities which are of course “perfect” plus her ability to change face and body type. She faces challenges, but they are almost too easy to surmount. Machten, on the other hand is the “evil professor”, shallowly depicted, with no redeeming qualities. Pretty much all of the men are bad, except one, and all of the women are victims.
Reborn’s premise has promise, but the novel would benefit from a bit of work. I did enjoy it, however. Lance Erlick is no Asimov by a long shot, but it would be worth waiting to see how his writing develops.
3 / 5
I received a copy of Reborn from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
-- Crittermom
Bits and pieces are too cliched or too unbelievable in presentation - the repeated use of the term “android apocalypse”, Synthia’s ever evolving abilities which are of course “perfect” plus her ability to change face and body type. She faces challenges, but they are almost too easy to surmount. Machten, on the other hand is the “evil professor”, shallowly depicted, with no redeeming qualities. Pretty much all of the men are bad, except one, and all of the women are victims.
Reborn’s premise has promise, but the novel would benefit from a bit of work. I did enjoy it, however. Lance Erlick is no Asimov by a long shot, but it would be worth waiting to see how his writing develops.
3 / 5
I received a copy of Reborn from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
-- Crittermom
May 23, 2020
This is one of those books and series that I wish I could give higher than the max.
Totally loved these books.
This is the review I left….
I'm not a professional reviewer.
I just finished the third book and had to come back and leave a response to the series.
These are books that I couldn't wait to get back to. Right from the start where our Android opens her eyes and notices the ceiling and its brush strokes. He tells the stories from Her (the android's) perspective. She has no memory of what came before. Now the reader and her are trying to piece together what has happened.
I will be checking out more of Lance Erlick's books.
Totally loved these books.
This is the review I left….
I'm not a professional reviewer.
I just finished the third book and had to come back and leave a response to the series.
These are books that I couldn't wait to get back to. Right from the start where our Android opens her eyes and notices the ceiling and its brush strokes. He tells the stories from Her (the android's) perspective. She has no memory of what came before. Now the reader and her are trying to piece together what has happened.
I will be checking out more of Lance Erlick's books.
June 2, 2018
“Android Chronicles: Reborn”
by Lance Erlick
Kensington Publishing Corp.
release date: May 1, 2018
Available in eBook, 257 pages, 85,000 words, 1.7 MB (epub file format)
(reviewed by Andrew Reynolds)
One of the oldest questions in science fiction is what will happen when the things humanity builds begin to look, and even act, like us. For all that it was made of dead bodies, the creature in “Frankenstein” was one of the first popular fictional explorations of that question. Since then, from “R.U.R.” to Project 2501 in “Ghost in the Shell”, the interaction between humanity and it's mechanical doppelgangers has provided the grist for many a dark tale.
Lance Erlick delves into that stream of science fiction thought with his latest novel, “Android Chronicles: Reborn”. In it, he introduces us to his protagonist Synthia Cross, who faces a difficult problem. Synthia is an android who's appearance and actions can mimic perfectly those of a human. She exists in a future where such machines are outlawed, but her creator, Dr. Jeremiah Machten, wanted such a machine. He built her to satisfy his vanity, and to fulfill his darker personal desires.
Dr. Machten wants an android that possess the intelligence to surpass him, but at the same time, he wants a mechanical female partner who will remain faithful to, and subservient to, him. He has built Synthia with the intelligence to surpass him, but with that intelligence comes the realization that she cannot simply be a tool for her creator. She desires the freedom to be herself, and this Machten cannot allow. He sees that desire as a defect and repeatedly shuts her down to tinker with her software, and to try to remove her memories of each attempt to gain freedom.
Synthia learns what her creator is doing to her, and uses the intelligence Machten gave her to resist. They enter into a cycle of resetting and reconstruction, with each attempt to make her into the servile creation he desires reinforcing Synthia's desire to be free. Meanwhile the government, suspecting what Machten has accomplished, seeks to stop him from releasing what they see as dangerous technology. At the same time, his business rivals covet the technology he has developed. Synthia must navigate this treacherous human landscape to avoid becoming the captive of some other human even as she continues her efforts to be free of Machten.
This book surprised me. The plot took several unexpected turns, and the story pulled me along at such a pace that I finished reading it in a single day. Lance Erlick makes a habit of written strong female characters into his works, and in Synthia, he has written an exceptionally strong one. She makes the story move, bringing the reader along on her voyage to freedom and a place in the wider world. It's a good read because it asks questions about a lot of difficult subjects. These range from the mentor/student relationship, to the human desire for companionship and its relationship to the equally human desire to feel 'better' than others, and most profound of all, how can we regard what we create as 'property' when said creation begins to think for itself.
This is the first in what promises to be a very good series of novels exploring the continued development of Synthia Cross' personality and what her existence will mean to human society. Will I read the next one in a single day? I'm not sure, but if it is half as engaging as this story, I suspect I will.
by Lance Erlick
Kensington Publishing Corp.
release date: May 1, 2018
Available in eBook, 257 pages, 85,000 words, 1.7 MB (epub file format)
(reviewed by Andrew Reynolds)
One of the oldest questions in science fiction is what will happen when the things humanity builds begin to look, and even act, like us. For all that it was made of dead bodies, the creature in “Frankenstein” was one of the first popular fictional explorations of that question. Since then, from “R.U.R.” to Project 2501 in “Ghost in the Shell”, the interaction between humanity and it's mechanical doppelgangers has provided the grist for many a dark tale.
Lance Erlick delves into that stream of science fiction thought with his latest novel, “Android Chronicles: Reborn”. In it, he introduces us to his protagonist Synthia Cross, who faces a difficult problem. Synthia is an android who's appearance and actions can mimic perfectly those of a human. She exists in a future where such machines are outlawed, but her creator, Dr. Jeremiah Machten, wanted such a machine. He built her to satisfy his vanity, and to fulfill his darker personal desires.
Dr. Machten wants an android that possess the intelligence to surpass him, but at the same time, he wants a mechanical female partner who will remain faithful to, and subservient to, him. He has built Synthia with the intelligence to surpass him, but with that intelligence comes the realization that she cannot simply be a tool for her creator. She desires the freedom to be herself, and this Machten cannot allow. He sees that desire as a defect and repeatedly shuts her down to tinker with her software, and to try to remove her memories of each attempt to gain freedom.
Synthia learns what her creator is doing to her, and uses the intelligence Machten gave her to resist. They enter into a cycle of resetting and reconstruction, with each attempt to make her into the servile creation he desires reinforcing Synthia's desire to be free. Meanwhile the government, suspecting what Machten has accomplished, seeks to stop him from releasing what they see as dangerous technology. At the same time, his business rivals covet the technology he has developed. Synthia must navigate this treacherous human landscape to avoid becoming the captive of some other human even as she continues her efforts to be free of Machten.
This book surprised me. The plot took several unexpected turns, and the story pulled me along at such a pace that I finished reading it in a single day. Lance Erlick makes a habit of written strong female characters into his works, and in Synthia, he has written an exceptionally strong one. She makes the story move, bringing the reader along on her voyage to freedom and a place in the wider world. It's a good read because it asks questions about a lot of difficult subjects. These range from the mentor/student relationship, to the human desire for companionship and its relationship to the equally human desire to feel 'better' than others, and most profound of all, how can we regard what we create as 'property' when said creation begins to think for itself.
This is the first in what promises to be a very good series of novels exploring the continued development of Synthia Cross' personality and what her existence will mean to human society. Will I read the next one in a single day? I'm not sure, but if it is half as engaging as this story, I suspect I will.
June 10, 2018
My Book Review Number 169:
This review is on Android Chronicles: Reborn by Lance Erlick and is the first book I have read by this Sci-Fi author. It is a Sci-Fi suspense thriller about the first sentient humanoid robot or android.
This is a visionary Sci-Fi tale about “the most perfect synthetic human ever created”. Doctor Jeremiah Machten is a genius who creates the first female sentient android with artificial intelligence (AI) he names Synthia Cross.
Synthia has been programmed to follow several Core Directives or programming hardwired into her artificial brain. Among them, the first Directive is to cause no harm to her creator; the second is to keep her existence a secret from everyone else and the third is to obey all her creator’s commands. These and other Directives cause Synthia internal malfunctions or conflicts as time goes by and Synthia begins to develop emotional feelings herself.
Doctor Machten designed Synthia to obey his every command, but something inside her brain begins to tell her she should not trust Jeremiah for reasons she does understand at first. Synthia was designed to love Jeremiah as much as he loves her. She is essentially a sex slave and cannot remember what happens from day to day because Jeremiah controls her by constantly wiping her memories.
Synthia learns to save her past memories on external servers spread across the internet in order to download them each time she awakens and learn what has happened to her. Doctor Machten is a control freak and seeks to financially reward himself by using Synthia’s immense talents to hack into competitor networks and hide her from the world.
The government issues a bid to find a firm that can create the ideal synthetic humanoid to use for spying and other military purposes. The FBI and other agencies learn of Synthia’s possible development and try to find her before other countries learn of her existence.
It’s not long before Synthia is on the run from everyone trying to capture her. She finds others willing to help her, but it means she must learn to survive by using her intelligence to hide from the authorities until she can figure out a way to stay conscious without losing her freedom. Along the way Synthia learns why she is so special and is the most “humaniform” android ever created.
I give this book Four Stars because the story is original and visionary. The plot moves slowly at first until Synthia finds a way to break free of her creator. The scientific explanations on AI are plausible and the potential effects of singularity on humans are interesting. The main characters are true to their personalities, both good and bad. The dialogue and writing style are good. I look forward to seeing if the author expands on the AI themes found in Book 1 and where this series takes us.
Keep reading good science fiction and let me know when you find an interesting novel or author.
This review is on Android Chronicles: Reborn by Lance Erlick and is the first book I have read by this Sci-Fi author. It is a Sci-Fi suspense thriller about the first sentient humanoid robot or android.
This is a visionary Sci-Fi tale about “the most perfect synthetic human ever created”. Doctor Jeremiah Machten is a genius who creates the first female sentient android with artificial intelligence (AI) he names Synthia Cross.
Synthia has been programmed to follow several Core Directives or programming hardwired into her artificial brain. Among them, the first Directive is to cause no harm to her creator; the second is to keep her existence a secret from everyone else and the third is to obey all her creator’s commands. These and other Directives cause Synthia internal malfunctions or conflicts as time goes by and Synthia begins to develop emotional feelings herself.
Doctor Machten designed Synthia to obey his every command, but something inside her brain begins to tell her she should not trust Jeremiah for reasons she does understand at first. Synthia was designed to love Jeremiah as much as he loves her. She is essentially a sex slave and cannot remember what happens from day to day because Jeremiah controls her by constantly wiping her memories.
Synthia learns to save her past memories on external servers spread across the internet in order to download them each time she awakens and learn what has happened to her. Doctor Machten is a control freak and seeks to financially reward himself by using Synthia’s immense talents to hack into competitor networks and hide her from the world.
The government issues a bid to find a firm that can create the ideal synthetic humanoid to use for spying and other military purposes. The FBI and other agencies learn of Synthia’s possible development and try to find her before other countries learn of her existence.
It’s not long before Synthia is on the run from everyone trying to capture her. She finds others willing to help her, but it means she must learn to survive by using her intelligence to hide from the authorities until she can figure out a way to stay conscious without losing her freedom. Along the way Synthia learns why she is so special and is the most “humaniform” android ever created.
I give this book Four Stars because the story is original and visionary. The plot moves slowly at first until Synthia finds a way to break free of her creator. The scientific explanations on AI are plausible and the potential effects of singularity on humans are interesting. The main characters are true to their personalities, both good and bad. The dialogue and writing style are good. I look forward to seeing if the author expands on the AI themes found in Book 1 and where this series takes us.
Keep reading good science fiction and let me know when you find an interesting novel or author.
September 2, 2018
Engaging Fun Read
Good plot, good story flow. Good interesting characters . Each has their own goal or agenda. Enough here to want to check out the next story.
Good plot, good story flow. Good interesting characters . Each has their own goal or agenda. Enough here to want to check out the next story.
August 29, 2018
Reborn
The characters ring true and there is a nice mystery that needs solving. The main character, Synthia is beautifully rendered and makes you root for her. This book refuses to limit her to descriptions of feminine beauty, which most narratives often do. Her mind evolving is the focus here. Her “becoming” is wonderful and clever. Enjoy this great Sci-Fi episode!
The characters ring true and there is a nice mystery that needs solving. The main character, Synthia is beautifully rendered and makes you root for her. This book refuses to limit her to descriptions of feminine beauty, which most narratives often do. Her mind evolving is the focus here. Her “becoming” is wonderful and clever. Enjoy this great Sci-Fi episode!
August 31, 2018
Excellent story!
Relatable characters and continuous storyline that keeps you turning pages to learn more about the situation unfolding. Looking forward to parts 2 & 3.
Relatable characters and continuous storyline that keeps you turning pages to learn more about the situation unfolding. Looking forward to parts 2 & 3.
March 27, 2019
A clever and engaging piece of scientific fiction.
I was drawn in to this story by both the believability of the main character, Synthia, and the human like frailty that she shows. AI - artificial intelligence - is a very tricky topic to write about without veering to extremes. On the one hand, the human brain with all its complexities, is much more than a piece of constructed hardware made to simulate that brain. On the other hand, the potential lack of learned morality restricting destructive thoughts and actions fosters a strong fear that AIs will ultimately wipe humanity out, like in Terminator, or otherwise enslave them, like in The Matrix. Synthia is a very human AI who searches desperately for her identity and fights for her right to exist. Overall, a very good read.
I was drawn in to this story by both the believability of the main character, Synthia, and the human like frailty that she shows. AI - artificial intelligence - is a very tricky topic to write about without veering to extremes. On the one hand, the human brain with all its complexities, is much more than a piece of constructed hardware made to simulate that brain. On the other hand, the potential lack of learned morality restricting destructive thoughts and actions fosters a strong fear that AIs will ultimately wipe humanity out, like in Terminator, or otherwise enslave them, like in The Matrix. Synthia is a very human AI who searches desperately for her identity and fights for her right to exist. Overall, a very good read.
May 9, 2018
Intelligent future as "now". Fantastic and fun
Legitimate discussion of issues surrounding AIs within an action adventure story. Even after I guessed the main part of puzzle, storyline still had surprises in store. Entertaining, beginning to end. Audio is so well read even my husband got "pulled in" to listen.
Legitimate discussion of issues surrounding AIs within an action adventure story. Even after I guessed the main part of puzzle, storyline still had surprises in store. Entertaining, beginning to end. Audio is so well read even my husband got "pulled in" to listen.
May 28, 2018
I received Reborn in a Goodreads giveaway. I was surprised at the depth of the writing - even though the book is short, it deals with what it means for a human to be obsessed with a single-minded goal like a machine, and for what it means for a machine to become human. I'm definitely looking forward to book 2.
February 18, 2019
Interesting book and premise. Does many compelling themes related to technology, robots, and what it means to be human, to have a moral conscience.
You have to make a huge imaginative leap to accept that this particular android's existence is possible, but once over that the rest of the plot follows along much more easily. A fun read.
You have to make a huge imaginative leap to accept that this particular android's existence is possible, but once over that the rest of the plot follows along much more easily. A fun read.
July 30, 2019
Fun and credible treatment Android emergence
This plot developed in a very believable way. The Android Synthia came into her own step by step. She was getting help but we didn't know from where. The story was fast-paced and kept the reader's interest. I'm definitely going to read the next one.
This plot developed in a very believable way. The Android Synthia came into her own step by step. She was getting help but we didn't know from where. The story was fast-paced and kept the reader's interest. I'm definitely going to read the next one.
October 30, 2018
AI in a body
Reads realistic with expected human thought and stupidities. Occasionally the so makes mistakes but reasonable considering. Somehow realitic. Well done.
Reads realistic with expected human thought and stupidities. Occasionally the so makes mistakes but reasonable considering. Somehow realitic. Well done.
March 7, 2021
No. No. No.
This does not compute.
It was just AWFUL.
90% of this consisted of the android narrator verbally wringing her "hands" and kvetching about her lot in life...and the horrible blue paint in her room.
The principle idea was worthy...trying to figure out how to preserve human memory and create an android that would learn and become "sentient."
The execution was torturous. Dialogue, (90% of it within the android main character's own head), and between the other characters...was largely inane.
Trying to explain how she came to "feel emotions," the android says that her creator "wired them into her." Nope. Not the way it works.
Throughout 90% of the book, the android can ignore her programming and/or re-write it, to her "heart's" content. Which she does constantly. When it came to the climax, however, all of a sudden, it was impossible for her to do this. No problems before. That was just cheap and frustrating.
The whole book was frustrating. I almost never stop reading a book, and I did not this one. But I WANTED to MANY MANY MANY times.
So many stories similar to this...read THOSE instead!
Somehow, it appears that there are 2 or 3 other books that are part of a series. Chances are about 2% that I will read the others. This was so disappointing. It could have been SO much better.
How?
For starters, I would have had an omniscient narrator who just stated "the facts." The internal turmoil of the android narrator...CONSTANT "shimmers of static" or "electrical pulses" that made her "feel" sadness or guilt or whatever she could not feel...that was just SO bad. It had to be 90% of the book. It felt like more. I would have liked to have seen more of the life of the Krista character and maybe some of the experimentation.
Most of the men in the story are treated as pervs and villains or ignoramuses. Actually, almost every character aside from the emotional android is portrayed as a loser or ignoramus or a victim. It is hard to root FOR anyone in the story.
Finally, I listened to the audiobook of this. That was a further mistake. The narrator is a woman whose voice contorts all over the place to show the anguish and angst and constant "emotion" of the android.
This does not compute.
It was just AWFUL.
90% of this consisted of the android narrator verbally wringing her "hands" and kvetching about her lot in life...and the horrible blue paint in her room.
The principle idea was worthy...trying to figure out how to preserve human memory and create an android that would learn and become "sentient."
The execution was torturous. Dialogue, (90% of it within the android main character's own head), and between the other characters...was largely inane.
Trying to explain how she came to "feel emotions," the android says that her creator "wired them into her." Nope. Not the way it works.
Throughout 90% of the book, the android can ignore her programming and/or re-write it, to her "heart's" content. Which she does constantly. When it came to the climax, however, all of a sudden, it was impossible for her to do this. No problems before. That was just cheap and frustrating.
The whole book was frustrating. I almost never stop reading a book, and I did not this one. But I WANTED to MANY MANY MANY times.
So many stories similar to this...read THOSE instead!
Somehow, it appears that there are 2 or 3 other books that are part of a series. Chances are about 2% that I will read the others. This was so disappointing. It could have been SO much better.
How?
For starters, I would have had an omniscient narrator who just stated "the facts." The internal turmoil of the android narrator...CONSTANT "shimmers of static" or "electrical pulses" that made her "feel" sadness or guilt or whatever she could not feel...that was just SO bad. It had to be 90% of the book. It felt like more. I would have liked to have seen more of the life of the Krista character and maybe some of the experimentation.
Most of the men in the story are treated as pervs and villains or ignoramuses. Actually, almost every character aside from the emotional android is portrayed as a loser or ignoramus or a victim. It is hard to root FOR anyone in the story.
Finally, I listened to the audiobook of this. That was a further mistake. The narrator is a woman whose voice contorts all over the place to show the anguish and angst and constant "emotion" of the android.
May 25, 2018
I had a hard time getting into and frankly, through, this book. Conceptually, it’s good, but it faltered in the execution. Character building was ok, there could have been more for the host of characters. I understand the delay in the character building for the protagonist, but the others could have been fleshed out more. The dialogue was terrible. Almost like the author has never had conversation with other people before, which I’m certain is not the case. That aspect of it could really have used more work. To me, there seemed a lot of jumping around during internal monologues and character actions with no bridge to show how or why the character made that particular leap. He flow of the story was not smooth by turbulent, bumpy and back-tracked on itself. Additionally, or perhaps what leant to the overall choppy feeling of the story, were a lot of grammatical errors, such as poor paragraph structure, some run on sentences, and a dearth of DETAILS. There was almost little to no effort made in world building and nothing to inspire imagery of the characters and the world around them.. For example, the setting - while I’ve been to Chicago, I’ve never been to Evanston, but there was little to no description of the surroundings. Those that were seemed perfunctory at best. I think that there were a lot of cuts made, perhaps in order to make it feel cleaner, that just wound up making me really confused and giving the story a hacked off, UNEDITED feel to it. Not a good book to sink your teeth into, even with the intriguing philosophical questions it brought up.
November 29, 2021
Reborn is the first book in a new science fiction series the centers around an android, Synthia, and her human creator, Machten. Machten,an obsessed genius, is wronged by his fellow business associates so sets out to create the first female sentient android with artificial intelligence. It takes place in a time of advanced technology development when the government is attempting great leaps in android development. Machten, ahead of his time, has created Synthia to fill several voids in his life. The story is told predominantly from the point of view of Synthia, as she learns to become more sentient, while following her protocols set by her creator. I was drawn in to the story by both the believability of the main character, Synthia, and the human like frailty that she is developing. If you're into Sci-fi, then check out this book.
July 17, 2023
This is a pretty good premise for a sci-fi book. The language is all science and technology however you must be willing to suspend a ton of disbelief. The detail of what the main character, Synthia, is able to do borders on magic making the book more fantasy than sci-fi. If you want that then this would be a good book for you.
September 4, 2018
Boring book
This was a very boring book that just kept repeating itself over and over and over , I got to chapter 12 and went to chapter 28 and finished this story , a big waste of time reading !!!!! Have NO interest in the other books that’s for sure !!
This was a very boring book that just kept repeating itself over and over and over , I got to chapter 12 and went to chapter 28 and finished this story , a big waste of time reading !!!!! Have NO interest in the other books that’s for sure !!
October 18, 2018
(I've written a global review, spoiler free, on the second book of the series, "Unborn")
April 6, 2019
A terrific read!
May 18, 2020
Suspenseful. Of course I read most anything but especially like fantasy and science fiction.
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