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Spies Lie #9
Brain Bender
A gifted Stanford hacker. A million-dollar prize. The contest? Create the world’s most advanced sentient AI… Ann Sashakovich has returned to Stanford to complete her junior year. It’s there she sees the create the world’s most advanced sentient AI. Win a million dollars. But after running into her cheating ex-boyfriend, and having the intensity of the competition heat up, Ann is left shaken and unsure of her capabilities; or if she’ll be able to win at all. Worse, it seems likely that one of the teams is going to create an unstoppable AI, one without morals, without a conscience, an intelligence that could endanger all of humanity. When the contest AI’s are hacked, it’ll take Ann to stop the AI before it becomes sentient. If she fails, humankind will face an enemy with nearly omniscient power. No one would be safe. DS Kane’s gripping ninth novel begs the just how dangerous could an AI be to the humanity that created it?
297 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2018
8 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
D.S. Kane
11 books52 followersDS Kane is the name I've chosen to write under. I worked in the field of covert intelligence for over a decade. During that time, my cover was my real name, and I was on the faculty of NYU's Stern Graduate School of Business. I traveled globally for clients including government and military agencies, the largest banks, and Fortune 100 corporations, and while in-country, I did side jobs for our government. One of the banks I investigated housed the banking assets of many of the world's intelligence agencies and secret police forces, including the CIA and NSA. Much of my work product was pure but believable fiction, lies I told, and truths I concealed. Secrets that—if revealed—might have gotten me killed. When my cover got blown, I fled the field and moved 3,000 miles.
Now, I'm a former spy, still writing fiction. Through my novels, I expose the way intelligence agencies craft fiction for sale to sway their countries and manipulate their national policy, driving countries into dangerous conflicts.
I've been published under my real name many times in financial trade journals on topics including global banking, computer fraud and countermeasures, financial forecasting, global electronic-funds transfer networks, and corporate finance, including one book on finance published by a major publisher. I've been a featured speaker at financial conferences and conventions. My children's book, A Teenager's Guide to Money, Banking and Finance, was published in 1987 by Simon & Schuster. I was once the CEO of an ebook publishing company.
I've been adjunct faculty at the Whidbey Island MFA program, and also teach a course at the Muse Online Writers Conference entitled Covert Training and Covert Operations for Fiction Writers, and taught one on a similar topic at California libraries, funded by a federal grant. I've taught a thriller-writing course at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference and was a featured speaker at a dinner meeting of the California Writers Club. I taught finance at the Stern Graduate Business School of New York University for over ten years, and am one of the co-founders of ActFourWriters.com, a unique email-based novelists' critique group.
Now, I'm a former spy, still writing fiction. Through my novels, I expose the way intelligence agencies craft fiction for sale to sway their countries and manipulate their national policy, driving countries into dangerous conflicts.
I've been published under my real name many times in financial trade journals on topics including global banking, computer fraud and countermeasures, financial forecasting, global electronic-funds transfer networks, and corporate finance, including one book on finance published by a major publisher. I've been a featured speaker at financial conferences and conventions. My children's book, A Teenager's Guide to Money, Banking and Finance, was published in 1987 by Simon & Schuster. I was once the CEO of an ebook publishing company.
I've been adjunct faculty at the Whidbey Island MFA program, and also teach a course at the Muse Online Writers Conference entitled Covert Training and Covert Operations for Fiction Writers, and taught one on a similar topic at California libraries, funded by a federal grant. I've taught a thriller-writing course at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference and was a featured speaker at a dinner meeting of the California Writers Club. I taught finance at the Stern Graduate Business School of New York University for over ten years, and am one of the co-founders of ActFourWriters.com, a unique email-based novelists' critique group.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 22, 2018
Amazing balance between scifi and fantasy. First time for me and found it fascinating.
August 31, 2019
This book is set around Stanford University and a country-wide competition to create a sentient AI. The main character is Ann Sashakovich, who is returning to finish her junior year and having to face her ex-boyfriend, who left her lacking in confidence in herself and her capabilities. The AI needs to be able to re-program itself and be able to carry out certain tasks as listed in the rules. Her ex has decided to lead one team, having taken part in a similar competition the previous year. He thinks this will give him an advantage. Ann thinks it would be a good choice of something to do that will challenge her. She asks the advice of her parents and they both know how much work it will entail and wonder whether she will be able to keep up with her coursework at the same time.
Her parents both worked as spies and I presume this is where the Spies Lies series link comes in, as this is the ninth book in the series. Ann tries to form a team and soon finds herself overwhelmed with the rules, regulations and the deadlines for it all. She has to hire a small group of fellow students with different areas of expertise, to act as managers for their own teams. They have to decide on how they are going to create their own AI and what they want to train it to do, but more importantly, what they will teach it. That includes whether they will give it a moral code, so it will understand right from wrong.
As everything mounts up, she wonders if she’ll even complete the competition with her team, never mind trying to win. There are teams from all over the country entered in the competition! From the initial deadlines each team has to reach, it seems there are about nine teams with a chance to win and it seems that someone is very interested in what each team is producing. Even Ann’s ex is trying to get one of her members to leak information to him. It just proves how little she can trust him now.
What has been produced may well be a danger to mankind. What if the AI becomes sentient and can overcome the rules programmed into it? How much of a danger to humanity would this be? One team has designed an AI with no moral code or conscience, which could endanger life for all and would be unstoppable. These remaining teams suddenly get hacked, but it isn’t clear where this hack has come from? Was it homegrown, Chinese, Russian, or some other enemy of the States? Some teams cannot rebuild what they have done so far, as their back-ups have also been corrupted. Ann’s team is lucky and have a safe back-up.
Some incomplete code is deleted to get a test done and soon ends up with the creation of a sentient AI, working in the background, teaching itself what they have programmed into it and learning as it goes. Its ability to reach other networks within the university soon allows it to start to expand its reach elsewhere. If Ann can’t stop it, then everyone on the planet could be in danger. Its intelligence is getting bigger and bigger with every nanosecond that passes.
A competition set up by DARPA, with a million dollar prize for the wining team, but is it really worth it? Is it going to be used for weapons technology advancements and the military? Ann has to come to the realization, before it’s too late, as to whether their design is worthwhile giving to others to use in any manner they want. Her ideals will no longer be held of any importance. If her team have not included any sense of morals into their AI, then it will have no sense of human decisions. An interesting book, mainly based on Ann’s character and what is happening around her. Having her parents and their connections is certainly of use and having not read any of the other books, presume they give more details on the family and the spy connection.
Certainly a book that should get you thinking about just how far do we go to get computers and AI to take over tasks for us as humans? How much of our personal information is already being spread about the world, often for illegal purposes, should make us all stop and give a moments pause before we wish for a step too far! Some parts of the book are certainly technical and there is explanation of some parts. The author has a background which makes the storyline very believable. I can now look back at eight previous books to read by this author in this series. Ann makes for an interesting character and the hints of her parents backgrounds, even more so. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of this book above.
Her parents both worked as spies and I presume this is where the Spies Lies series link comes in, as this is the ninth book in the series. Ann tries to form a team and soon finds herself overwhelmed with the rules, regulations and the deadlines for it all. She has to hire a small group of fellow students with different areas of expertise, to act as managers for their own teams. They have to decide on how they are going to create their own AI and what they want to train it to do, but more importantly, what they will teach it. That includes whether they will give it a moral code, so it will understand right from wrong.
As everything mounts up, she wonders if she’ll even complete the competition with her team, never mind trying to win. There are teams from all over the country entered in the competition! From the initial deadlines each team has to reach, it seems there are about nine teams with a chance to win and it seems that someone is very interested in what each team is producing. Even Ann’s ex is trying to get one of her members to leak information to him. It just proves how little she can trust him now.
What has been produced may well be a danger to mankind. What if the AI becomes sentient and can overcome the rules programmed into it? How much of a danger to humanity would this be? One team has designed an AI with no moral code or conscience, which could endanger life for all and would be unstoppable. These remaining teams suddenly get hacked, but it isn’t clear where this hack has come from? Was it homegrown, Chinese, Russian, or some other enemy of the States? Some teams cannot rebuild what they have done so far, as their back-ups have also been corrupted. Ann’s team is lucky and have a safe back-up.
Some incomplete code is deleted to get a test done and soon ends up with the creation of a sentient AI, working in the background, teaching itself what they have programmed into it and learning as it goes. Its ability to reach other networks within the university soon allows it to start to expand its reach elsewhere. If Ann can’t stop it, then everyone on the planet could be in danger. Its intelligence is getting bigger and bigger with every nanosecond that passes.
A competition set up by DARPA, with a million dollar prize for the wining team, but is it really worth it? Is it going to be used for weapons technology advancements and the military? Ann has to come to the realization, before it’s too late, as to whether their design is worthwhile giving to others to use in any manner they want. Her ideals will no longer be held of any importance. If her team have not included any sense of morals into their AI, then it will have no sense of human decisions. An interesting book, mainly based on Ann’s character and what is happening around her. Having her parents and their connections is certainly of use and having not read any of the other books, presume they give more details on the family and the spy connection.
Certainly a book that should get you thinking about just how far do we go to get computers and AI to take over tasks for us as humans? How much of our personal information is already being spread about the world, often for illegal purposes, should make us all stop and give a moments pause before we wish for a step too far! Some parts of the book are certainly technical and there is explanation of some parts. The author has a background which makes the storyline very believable. I can now look back at eight previous books to read by this author in this series. Ann makes for an interesting character and the hints of her parents backgrounds, even more so. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of this book above.
December 14, 2018
BrAInbender by D.S. Kane
Not sure about this one.
I did finish it and there were some parts I really enjoyed. I am really interested in AI and the many and various arguments for and against. Some quite ridiculous, some worthy of note and some obviously true.
I am not usually into science fiction mixed with fantasy. Although I understand computing and coding, I was still mystified quite a bit of the time as to what was going on. I was confused at the beginning and still think that there were some story links that were not easy to follow. Characters were a tad one-dimensional and the plot threads, as I said, were confusing and in same cases hard to follow. There was an awful lot of telling and not showing. Too much political and/or social commentary which was the 'raison d'etre' of the book I guess.
Some of the asides and attention to non-essential detail which helped to flesh out the narrative were nice. For example, "... hung her heavy coat on the hanger against her office door. She cursed when it fell off the hanger, then picked it up and rehung it."
It kept me involved on at least one level, and the appendices were very interesting. I learned quite a bit that I didn't know. So I enjoyed those.
Not sure about this one.
I did finish it and there were some parts I really enjoyed. I am really interested in AI and the many and various arguments for and against. Some quite ridiculous, some worthy of note and some obviously true.
I am not usually into science fiction mixed with fantasy. Although I understand computing and coding, I was still mystified quite a bit of the time as to what was going on. I was confused at the beginning and still think that there were some story links that were not easy to follow. Characters were a tad one-dimensional and the plot threads, as I said, were confusing and in same cases hard to follow. There was an awful lot of telling and not showing. Too much political and/or social commentary which was the 'raison d'etre' of the book I guess.
Some of the asides and attention to non-essential detail which helped to flesh out the narrative were nice. For example, "... hung her heavy coat on the hanger against her office door. She cursed when it fell off the hanger, then picked it up and rehung it."
It kept me involved on at least one level, and the appendices were very interesting. I learned quite a bit that I didn't know. So I enjoyed those.
October 14, 2020
AI… Oh, My!
I've only read three books in this series, and I find it unique and immensely enjoyable. If you've ever had fears about AI and what could happen, this book will certainly stoke them! For the rest of us, including me, it gets you thinking about the direction we want to go with AI, how far we want to take the technology, and some potential dangers. I like a fiction book that gets me thinking as this one does. This book has thriller, high-tech sci-fi, and surprisingly fantastical elements to it, making for a fun blend of speculative fiction concepts. It does get very technical, but the author has included some information at the end to help. This book can stand on its own, but I think it's better understood if you’ve read at least the two books before it. That way, you'll have a better understanding of the young female protagonist, a college student and a hacker. I do love that these books have such a strong, smart female lead and that she is interested in something not traditionally seen as female at all, hacking. So much happens in this book, and I found it to be a gripping, page-turning read.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
I've only read three books in this series, and I find it unique and immensely enjoyable. If you've ever had fears about AI and what could happen, this book will certainly stoke them! For the rest of us, including me, it gets you thinking about the direction we want to go with AI, how far we want to take the technology, and some potential dangers. I like a fiction book that gets me thinking as this one does. This book has thriller, high-tech sci-fi, and surprisingly fantastical elements to it, making for a fun blend of speculative fiction concepts. It does get very technical, but the author has included some information at the end to help. This book can stand on its own, but I think it's better understood if you’ve read at least the two books before it. That way, you'll have a better understanding of the young female protagonist, a college student and a hacker. I do love that these books have such a strong, smart female lead and that she is interested in something not traditionally seen as female at all, hacking. So much happens in this book, and I found it to be a gripping, page-turning read.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
December 15, 2018
I enjoyed the book. It had various levels - The programming of a sentient AI, spy v spy v spy, personal relationships.
Ann decides to create a team of her fellow Stanford students to participate in the competition to create a sentient AI program. The competition is organised outside the university and so the project has to be managed around all other studies - but it can be a career maker.
Some of the students get manipulated by governments to steal the projects so that the AI can be used for military/political purposes.
(I hope that) DD is still some years in the future but computers continue to be made smarter. A brief reference is made in the book to "The Terminator" - the machines trying to take over the world. Not mentioned in the book, to me it also had shades of the TV show "Person of Interest" - smart program trying to make people better and protect itself.
Hackers, assassins, double-dealing, dirty-tricks. It kept me reading.
Ann decides to create a team of her fellow Stanford students to participate in the competition to create a sentient AI program. The competition is organised outside the university and so the project has to be managed around all other studies - but it can be a career maker.
Some of the students get manipulated by governments to steal the projects so that the AI can be used for military/political purposes.
(I hope that) DD is still some years in the future but computers continue to be made smarter. A brief reference is made in the book to "The Terminator" - the machines trying to take over the world. Not mentioned in the book, to me it also had shades of the TV show "Person of Interest" - smart program trying to make people better and protect itself.
Hackers, assassins, double-dealing, dirty-tricks. It kept me reading.
August 25, 2019
I will start by saying this is the first book in the series that I have read. While this book *can* be read as a standalone, I felt like it would have been helpful to know the characters and their past adventures before reading book 9. There isn't a whole lot of character development in this book to make you really feel you know the different characters but there are hints of things from the past. This story is a bit of fantasy, bit of thriller, bit of current events rolled into one. I found parts of the book extremely technical (there definitions appendices at the end of the book for reference) and at first I found it a bit difficult to get into because of this but I am glad I stuck with it! The story was really good and makes you a bit fearful about the impact AI could have on humanity in our future. I definitely look forward to reading the earlier books in this series as I enjoyed this one.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
January 31, 2019
brAInbender: Book 9 of the Spies Lie series by DS Kane scared me. I give it 5 stars!
Very well written, as are all the series books. The plot is simple. DARPA has issued notice of a contest with a Million Dollar prize for the team that designs and builds a sentient AI capable of recoding itself, to their specifications. Several teams of Stanford students are among those who enter.
The scary part is in consideration of a sentient AI's potential uses and what such an entity could mean for humanity as a whole. There is plenty of science, science fiction, and fantasy. The characters are very well written and the action is fast and furious. A very exciting book!
I was given an ARC of this book and am voluntarily posting an honest review.
Very well written, as are all the series books. The plot is simple. DARPA has issued notice of a contest with a Million Dollar prize for the team that designs and builds a sentient AI capable of recoding itself, to their specifications. Several teams of Stanford students are among those who enter.
The scary part is in consideration of a sentient AI's potential uses and what such an entity could mean for humanity as a whole. There is plenty of science, science fiction, and fantasy. The characters are very well written and the action is fast and furious. A very exciting book!
I was given an ARC of this book and am voluntarily posting an honest review.
December 26, 2018
Full disclosure ... first time reading this author, and the IT basis is not my cup of tea. Also, starting a series at # 9 is probably not a great idea either.
Spent the first few chapters rereading parts as I tried to grasp concepts, characters, & their relationship to each other. Once I accomplished that, the book literally flew along and was difficult to put down. Definitely going to go back to book # 1 and catch up.
I definitely recommend this book to readers.
DD, if you’re reading this, we are all good ..... readers will understand this comment ... 😉
Spent the first few chapters rereading parts as I tried to grasp concepts, characters, & their relationship to each other. Once I accomplished that, the book literally flew along and was difficult to put down. Definitely going to go back to book # 1 and catch up.
I definitely recommend this book to readers.
DD, if you’re reading this, we are all good ..... readers will understand this comment ... 😉
August 30, 2019
This was a very good book that kept my interest throughout. As this is part of a series I was a bit confused in the beginning. The first bit of the book led me to believe the story was headed in a different direction. As I continued to read the story was totally different than the beginning. I had a hard time figuring out why the book started the way it did then went totally off course. That being said, I really enjoyed the story line. It had twists and turns that were unexpected. Well worth the read. I freely give this review after receiving a free copy.
December 20, 2018
I wasn't sure when I first signed up for this book. I'm not really techno savey but the author did a great job keeping it simple enough for us lay people to keep up and fully enjoy the storyline. The characters were believable making for a great read! So even if you're like me and just use your equipment without thinking much about it, you'll love this book. It will leave you asking yourself what does the future hold for us??
December 16, 2018
This was great fun. A gifted hacker builds a team to create a sentient AI which happens unexpectantly and then all hell breaks loose. Good story mixing current and sci-fy ideas to produce a wonderful read. Engaging cast of characters, lots of action and great story line makes this one hard to put down.
December 21, 2018
An excellent storyline about how dangerous AI's could be. A very realistic well paced plot that has plenty of action. Very informative information on AI's and includes a very realistic cast of characters. A hard to put down book that was very enjoyable. I highly recommend this excellent action thriller.
December 25, 2018
This was quite different to what I expected. A spy story with fantasy.
Parts of the story I found a little complicated but it’s worth persevering.
Without giving any spoilers it involves AI intelligence and gives a whole new meaning to “ be careful what you wish for”.
Overall , I found it a very enjoyable book . But I’ll be more careful how I use my computer now. Well you never know , do you?
Parts of the story I found a little complicated but it’s worth persevering.
Without giving any spoilers it involves AI intelligence and gives a whole new meaning to “ be careful what you wish for”.
Overall , I found it a very enjoyable book . But I’ll be more careful how I use my computer now. Well you never know , do you?
December 21, 2018
If you are into sci fi,interested in AI or just like a bit of escapism then read this book.
A good fast paced storyline.
I look forward to reading more of D S Kane's books.
A good fast paced storyline.
I look forward to reading more of D S Kane's books.
December 22, 2018
This story is a great read. This is story number nine in the series and I really enjoyed reading this sorry and I highly recommend this story to all.
September 23, 2021
Fast read and fu
Good read, great character.
The data at the end of each is very entertaining to follow and it is informative too.
Good read, great character.
The data at the end of each is very entertaining to follow and it is informative too.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews