The Cybernetic Shogun

by Victor Milán

Following an act of nuclear hara-kiri initiated by the first computer to possess genuine intelligence, the superconductor samurai's two offspring battle over how best to save humanity from total destruction

Genres: Science Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Victor Woodward Milán was an American writer known for libertarian science fiction and an interest in cybernetics. In 1986 he won the Prometheus Award for Cybernetic Samurai. He has also written several shared universe works for the Forgotten Realms, Star Trek, and Wild Cards Universes. He has also written books under the pseudonyms Keith Jarrod, Richard Austin (Jove Books The Guardians series), Robert Baron (Jove Books Stormrider series), and S. L. Hunter (Steele series with Simon Hawke, who used the pen name J. D. Masters). He also wrote at least 9 novels under the "house name" of James Axler for the Harlequin Press/Gold Eagle Books Deathlands series & Outlanders series.

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cybernetic Shogun
Milán, Victor
This is a book for the Ultimate sibling rivalry, what would happen to the world if two siblings of differing natures clashed heads, with the entire world and universe at their "fingertips". This is a great psychological Science fiction thriller, with many connotations of advancement in technology, backlash from the advancement and the rudiments of human nature. One cybernetic Shogun, gave birth figuratively of two more cybernetic artificial intelligence. In an experiment of using two methods, aggravation and love to stimulate the growth of the AI. This produced two separate but whole personalities, and as always strong personalities clash. MUSASHI and HIDETADA are two cybernetic siblings that have the ultimate and destructive battle of wills and desires. HIDETADA born of aggravation wants to rule the world, and request that his sibling MUSASHI kowtow to him. only to find that she has a stronger personality and a more compassionate heart. But in the end MUSASHI is the one to blame them both for the worlds destruction.
Following the Cybernetic Samurai, this is a great science fiction extrapolation of the human condition.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just never solidified into something that made me want to continue the pages, even after giving it over 100 pages. Part of the problem might be that this is the sequel to a book I haven't read, The Cybernetic Samurai. It's not that I felt lost though, despite the political complexities of this future earth that weeks before had waged World War IV. But I never connected with the characters, the prose is no more than decent, and I felt I've read this all before. It probably didn't help I read this coming from excellent novels by Connie Willis that had strong style, characters and ideas. In The Cybernetic Shogun we're introduced to two warring Artificial Intelligences, HIDETADA and MUSASHI. They're the "children" of TOKUGAWA, a self-aware and sentient computer who committed suicide rather than rule over a resurgent Japanese Empire. HIDETADA wants to take over and bring order to a world in chaos while MUSASHI renounces that sort of power. From the beginning they've initiated a war of their own against each other. I couldn't help but compare this book to Orson Scott Card's Xenocide and Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Both books created worlds and characters as a backdrop to their sentient computers that were fascinating, and their artificial intelligences were endearing--and from the beginning. I just didn't feel that same kind of pull with Milan's book.