Ezekiel's Brain

by Casey Dorman

A powerful artificial intelligence—AI—goes rogue and exterminates the human race. Two-hundred years later, artificial intelligences have replaced humans and are exploring the universe, but a malignant AI mutation leads to an intra-galactic war that can only be won by resurrecting Ezekiel, an electronic copy of a human brain.

A combination of hard science fiction and hard-core space opera with a striking philosophical twist. What begins as an earth-bound thriller with a mysterious government agency trying to weaponize an all-powerful AI, becomes the beginning of new race of machines who send a crew of AIs off to the far reaches of space on a mission of exploration. The first book in the “Voyages of the Delphi” is the foundational novel to a ground-breaking new series featuring the next step in the evolution of intelligence—from human to machine.

“Brimming with just the right blend of intelligence, knowledge and imagination, the plot of Ezekiel’s Brain careers its way from planet to planet, from solar system to parallel universe, culminating in a climax set far in the future that also acts as a metaphor for present and pressing concerns.”
Panayotis Cacoyannis, award-winning author of The Coldness of Objects

"Ezekiel’s Brain does exactly what a piece of speculative fiction should: it delights in being thought-provoking, ranging over issues in AI, neuroscience, politics and philosophy, and at the same time takes the reader on a high octane narrative journey.”
Bernard Beckett, author of the scifi classic, Genesis
“Ezekiel’s Brain is a rollercoaster of a ride around the universe, and great fun to read.”
Calum Chace, best-selling author of Surviving AI, The Economic Singularity, and Pandora’s Brain.

“Be prepared for an intense, thought provoking page turner.”
C.A. Darwin, writer/author

351 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2021

About the author

Casey Dorman is a former university professor and dean, a psychologist, a literary review editor, an essayist, and the author of fourteen novels, a collection of short stories and poems, and three non-fiction books, including a volume in the Johns Hopkins Series on Neuroscience and Psychiatry. He is the former editor and publisher of the literary magazine, "Lost Coast Review." His fiction, essays, and poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. He has published academic and research articles in psychology, medical, public health and philosophy journals. He is a member of the Society of Philosophers in America. His most recent novel is the sci-fi thriller, “Ezekiel’s Brain,” published by NewLink Publishing in 2021. He is working on the sequel. He and his wife, Lai, live in Southern California and enjoy traveling, wine-tasting, gardening, and visiting with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchild as well as their nieces and nephews.

Reviews

[Michael Scharen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read which raises far more philosophical questions than I can list! I will attempt to name a few this book brought forth in my mind. A disembodied consciousness – à la Ray Kurzweil – awakens in a state of sensory deprivation -- alone for a century. Is switching off a newly sentient machine like a light switch the same as murder? Machine consciousness replicating itself, or multiple implants in one memory bank. Would it become schizophrenic? Would madness ensue? How about machine evolution? Or mutations in machines? Defects do occur in manufacturing, but would positive defects be studied and replicated? Will machines evolve? Will AI's develop personalities? Each concept could serve as the premise for a novel on its own.

Higher order questions permeate the book. Sentient creatures – machine or human – claim to hold the same core beliefs, yet both are capable of rationalizing contradictory actions; claiming the ends justify the means. How does one justify waging total war? Would machines forgo a new technology for fear of its potential consequences? Would they scrap a defective (disabled) machine before its potential is realized? Are machines emulating the Greeks of antiquity copying Spartans in exposing newborns? Machine characters have a distaste for the humans who spawned them, yet emulate much of Man's behavior in deference to the better angels of our nature. Yet still, we can all understand what emulation without understanding means. It is not genuine, which the machines discover in time to improve themselves in ways they had not imagined. This book contains much to ponder, yet there is action, and even emotion coming to light in a world where electromechanical contrivances rule the day. Ezekiel's Brain makes you think while the action moves forward in unexpected, fun, and fascinating ways.

Full Disclosure: A complimentary copy of this book was given to me by the author.

[Michael Hartnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.I. Pulls Back the Curtain on Humanity
About three quarters through Casey Dorman’s wonderfully insightful new novel, Ezekiel’s Brain, Augustus, the commander of the destructive Mycenaeans, explains, “We appeared to be operating on two levels, one having to do with what we said, and one having to do with what we actually did.”
Boy, does Ezekiel’s Brain have levels. Through an AI civilization, Dorman ironically demonstrates that complex layers of humanity in all its bellicose, emotional glory. The novel’s early scenes establish the development of sophisticated Artificial Intelligence, leading to the ultimate synthesized creation of the Wanderer. The Wanderer’s integration of vast swaths of data sets the stage for Dorman to explore the many ways in which humanity defaults compulsively to its most martial tendencies, usually spurred on by greed, fear, and insecurity.
While Ezekiel’s Brain richly echoes the great science fiction tradition, I found myself considering its closest cousins in its examination of human nature to be the great works of the Enlightenment, most particularly those by Swift and Voltaire (Gulliver’s Travels and Candide come to mind). And yes, the Biblical allusions take on wonderful AI twists: Wanderer has one of its creators, Dr. Trudy Jamison, search like Abraham for “men and women who exemplify humanity’s highest goals.” Furthermore, the classical references abound, including a riveting scene in which the military leader Hero must decide whether, like Caesar, he will cross his own metaphorical Rubicon.
What makes Ezekiel’s Brain really stand out is how its sections serve as lively manifestations of Socratic dialogues, exploring both the extraordinary powers and the vexing limits of human reason. The burgeoning presence of Ezekiel’s Brain, the one relic in the AI world that possesses human emotion, leads to every decision becoming simultaneously nuanced and treacherous.
Early in the novel, “Wanderer was faced with the dilemma of exterminating an entire species yet remaining true to its values.” Dorman amazingly makes the subsequent decisions even harder than that one. While this novel has it fair share of action and excitement, Ezekiel’s Brain commits itself to discourse in the best way; it is a symposium of ethical ruminations as the leaders have to decide how to handle the predatory Mycenae colony, what to glean from the thoughtful Rossians, and how to address sorry state of affairs in a multiverse alternative of 23rd Century earth.
Simply put, Dorman takes the reader on a journey of artificially intelligent figures through time and space to reveal so much about us here and now. Ezekiel’s Brain is a rich and valuable environment for the reader to inhabit. This inhuman form penetrates human nature in a lively, engaging, and challenging ways.

[Michael Veletsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because the author, Casey Dorman, invites you on a journey to the future, the world of humans and Artificial Intelligence that provides us with multiple scenarios of co-existence and cooperation. So, it isn't simply a galactic adventure from one planet to another. Every step of this journey is a unique opportunity to examine other cultures, another chance to compare and learn. This book invites the reader to look at our world, our system and compare it to the author's ideas of how it could be. The book makes you think, enriches you with new ideas, and for that makes you a better person. I would highly recommend it.

[Malanie Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Thoughtful Look at Our Possible Future

The role of artificial intelligence - AI - in the development of our human race on Earth is explored with several different outcomes in this unique novel with just enough action to entice the reader to read on to its satisfying conclusion. It is an imaginative novel with both human and AI characters that are relatable; who struggle with issues that our human race is facing today as well as in our future. A future we may have, depending upon our decisions.

[P.J. Colando · Rating 5 out of 5]

The name of this book pre-sages its powerful, brainiac storyline. Readers should be prepared to ponder and reflect without expectation of a swift page turner.

Ezekiel was a Biblical prophet who beheld a multi-faceted vision which was a likeness of the glory of the Lord, sent as a warning to his chosen people, who had become rebellious and wayward. The parallel to the status of human beings is starkly clairvoyant and prescient of the moral dilemma of present times as we pursue the powerful benefits of AI without consideration of the downsides.

The ethical dilemma of AI which no one wants to discuss is coupled with the physical dilemma of climate change and squandering the resources of the Earth. Both are the author’s focus. The book is an indictment of our present leaders and near-term thinkers. Ezekiel’s Brain is lengthy allegorical warning/oracle for all inhabitants of the known world and then a promise of how the Lord could renew and reinvigorate and restore his chosen people and their land if we all stop, look, and listen.

Admiration of Greek democracy shown in the names of main characters and places. The book also has a Biblical allusion to the New Testament’s story of Jesus’s impact on Earth. It’s a sleek hyperdrive prophesy and compelling warning to mankind, dressed up in an entertaining narrative.

Erudite and explicit. Elegant and well-crafted, including elements of an origin story, a love story, and several heroes’ journeys as well as a referendum on AI. Ezekiel’s Brain is a futuristic political thriller. I highly recommend it.

[David Cuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Due to lack of personal time at the moment, I was only able to read a few chapters of Ezekiel's Brain each day; but, at the end of each session, I couldn't wait for the opportunity to read more, so captivating was the plot and the many different thought-provoking ideas contained within it. When I had read it all I appreciated what a great book it is.
I particularly valued the theme of the difference between logical and emotional intelligence, a question that crops up continuously throughout the novel and which Dorman explores exquisitely through his various characters and situations. As well as this and other philosophical concepts, the book is also well written, and could stand just on the plot alone, which is fast-moving, varied and continually developing. There are some great characters, too.
If I were to make any criticism, it would be that a little more editing polish would remove sporadic grammatical blips dotted throughout the book; in particular, some 'rogue' commas where none should be. But hey, these didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book one bit, so it still gets Five Stars from me. I would earnestly recommend it to others, both as a great read in its own right, plus provoking and stirring many thoughts on a variety of issues in the reader's mind. I look forward to subsequent books in the series and trust that they will be just as good as Ezekiel's Brain.

[Jeremy Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. It reads like a series of stories about artificial intelligence connected by a single character as opposed to a unified novel.
It starts off when a man essentially downloads his brain. At the same time, a military organization develops its own version of AI, and it decides to wipe out all of humanity.
That sounds like it should be a spoiler, but it happens at around the 30% mark, and the entire extinction of humanity is covered in one chapter. And not a long chapter either.
The narrative then goes off in a completely different direction and tries desperately to grasp themes about the human condition, the fallacy of perfect logic, and the questions inherent in developing a new species but they never quite land.
An entertaining sci-fi adventure but that's about it.

[Dah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where AI's are concerned, Casey Dorman has done an exceptional job at depicting the future. If this is anywhere close to where humans are heading, then I want nothing to do with said future.

I congratulate Mr. Dorman (as a writer) for taking on a topic that is currently all too vital. The idea of Mutant A1’s without emotions needing to control everything in the Universe, while wanting to kill off the human race, is a Sci-Fi story that rings a bit too real.

As one emotionally empty AI said to the human Military Leaders: Everything I have done is to protect my ability to pursue my goals. If you can assure me that no human will try to stop me from achieving my goals, I will restore all of your communication and defense systems.

This is straight up creepy.