What do you think?
Frankie
A Unique Thriller inspired by my long interest in AI.
This notice is a few weeks premature as I am in the final steps of publishing the e-book and POD version.
This novel blends genres. It is a mystery/sci-fi/speculative fiction/thriller, but a cozy thriller.
For more info please visit Frankie.zone
This notice is a few weeks premature as I am in the final steps of publishing the e-book and POD version.
This novel blends genres. It is a mystery/sci-fi/speculative fiction/thriller, but a cozy thriller.
For more info please visit Frankie.zone
320 pages, Unknown Binding
Published April 1, 2022
About the author
Bruce Deitrick Price
13 books7 followersLogline: About a robot designed to have intelligent conversation with humans. No other skills. Harmless. Chaos ensues.
Frankie, the story: Raymond Mason, AI genius, rarely brings his work home. Then late one afternoon he brings his latest, most humanlike creation. Raymond knows his wife will be charmed. No way! Julia Mason feels competitive and threatened. For one thing, Raymond touches Frankie in a romantic way.
Julia is hostile and drinks too much. She passes out as Professor Mason runs upstairs to find a gun. An hour later Julia wakes to find her husband dead and Frankie gone. Julia, semi-hysterical, races into the night to find the missing masterpiece.
Simon, a grad-school drug dealer, falls in love with Frankie. He realizes he can build a cult around this spiritually evolved woman. First, he has to hide her.
For different reasons, many people search frantically for Frankie. Meanwhile, more unexplained deaths are reported. Panic sweeps the state of New Jersey. Some experts think that humanity is dealing with an alien invasion.
Dr. Jamison, the pathologist, notes that he has never seen so many beautiful corpses.
Frankie is mixed genre, ensemble cast. About AI in the immediate future.
By meeting Frankie, people meet themselves.
I'm particularly interested in the interactions and misunderstandings that will occur as robots get smarter. See Frankie.zone for more info.
Frankie is best described as A Unique Mystery
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Non-fiction news: "Saving K-12 – What happened to our public schools? How can we fix them?" A citizen's guide to improving public education. And still an excellent gift for smart friends.
Visit my literary site Lit4u.com for more info.
Simon & Schuster reissued Too Easy, my erotic/romantic thriller. Originally published in six countries.
I post many education articles on Internet and Quora. I'm also publishing a podcast: "Let's Fix Education."
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Background:
Bruce Deitrick Price is the author of eight books, an artist, poet, and education activist. He writes widely about education reform and founded Improve-Education.org in 2005.
Books are: Into The Unknown, nonfiction; Ralph, a novel; American Dreams, a novel, Too Easy, a novel; The Education Enigma, nonfiction; The Man Who Falls In Love With His Wife, Art and Beauty; and Big Dog.
Too Easy is noteworthy because published by Simon & Schuster (in 1994) and hailed by Kinky Friedman as the “unwed mother of all page-turners.” Translated into French, German, and Dutch. Also published in UK. Soon to be reissued by S&S as an e-book..... American Dreams, published in 1984, is arguably the most successful experimental novel, after perhaps Naked Lunch (still in print).
Also, Price also wrote 10-page poem called "Theoryland," a satire of academic posturing. Arguably, the most entertaining long poem in American literature. It's in book form on Amazon but it can also be read on several websites.
Frankie, the story: Raymond Mason, AI genius, rarely brings his work home. Then late one afternoon he brings his latest, most humanlike creation. Raymond knows his wife will be charmed. No way! Julia Mason feels competitive and threatened. For one thing, Raymond touches Frankie in a romantic way.
Julia is hostile and drinks too much. She passes out as Professor Mason runs upstairs to find a gun. An hour later Julia wakes to find her husband dead and Frankie gone. Julia, semi-hysterical, races into the night to find the missing masterpiece.
Simon, a grad-school drug dealer, falls in love with Frankie. He realizes he can build a cult around this spiritually evolved woman. First, he has to hide her.
For different reasons, many people search frantically for Frankie. Meanwhile, more unexplained deaths are reported. Panic sweeps the state of New Jersey. Some experts think that humanity is dealing with an alien invasion.
Dr. Jamison, the pathologist, notes that he has never seen so many beautiful corpses.
Frankie is mixed genre, ensemble cast. About AI in the immediate future.
By meeting Frankie, people meet themselves.
I'm particularly interested in the interactions and misunderstandings that will occur as robots get smarter. See Frankie.zone for more info.
Frankie is best described as A Unique Mystery
-----
Non-fiction news: "Saving K-12 – What happened to our public schools? How can we fix them?" A citizen's guide to improving public education. And still an excellent gift for smart friends.
Visit my literary site Lit4u.com for more info.
Simon & Schuster reissued Too Easy, my erotic/romantic thriller. Originally published in six countries.
I post many education articles on Internet and Quora. I'm also publishing a podcast: "Let's Fix Education."
----------------------
Background:
Bruce Deitrick Price is the author of eight books, an artist, poet, and education activist. He writes widely about education reform and founded Improve-Education.org in 2005.
Books are: Into The Unknown, nonfiction; Ralph, a novel; American Dreams, a novel, Too Easy, a novel; The Education Enigma, nonfiction; The Man Who Falls In Love With His Wife, Art and Beauty; and Big Dog.
Too Easy is noteworthy because published by Simon & Schuster (in 1994) and hailed by Kinky Friedman as the “unwed mother of all page-turners.” Translated into French, German, and Dutch. Also published in UK. Soon to be reissued by S&S as an e-book..... American Dreams, published in 1984, is arguably the most successful experimental novel, after perhaps Naked Lunch (still in print).
Also, Price also wrote 10-page poem called "Theoryland," a satire of academic posturing. Arguably, the most entertaining long poem in American literature. It's in book form on Amazon but it can also be read on several websites.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 14, 2022
Frankie, by Bruce Deitrick Price, is the story of how one AI changed the lives of all those who reside in a small New Jersey town. Raymond Mason brings home his creation, Frankie, and by morning the entire town is in a tailspin.
The story begins with a simple dinner. Ray shows Frankie to his wife, Julia, who is intrigued and jealous of the gorgeous AI in her home. After showing Julia what his invention has learned, he races upstairs and, in his haste, to come back down he falls. Julia tells Frankie to “go to hell” and then passes out from too much wine.
After waking, Mrs. Mason sees her husband limp at the foot of the stairs and Frankie is nowhere to be found. This tragedy causes Mrs. Mason to go crazy and begin a search for Frankie. The same morning, the Chief of Police is getting reports of strange deaths. As Mrs. Mason searches for Frankie the death toll rises, Mr. Mason is reported missing and a person of interest, and the town discovers what Frankie really is.
The writing style and tone of this book are blended perfectly to create a thrill. Every character introduced has development and puts together a piece of the puzzle that the other characters have yet to discover. Everything in this story is connected in a strange way and there is some comedy in how the plot unfolds. I enjoyed reading this book, however, some character plots were more interesting to read than others. The way each character had a part to play in how the entire picture comes together was great, but some of the scenes felt like filler material.
Frankie, by Bruce Deitrick Price is like a comedic puzzle that keeps you entertained and wanting more. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves future technology, comedy, and a thrill.
The story begins with a simple dinner. Ray shows Frankie to his wife, Julia, who is intrigued and jealous of the gorgeous AI in her home. After showing Julia what his invention has learned, he races upstairs and, in his haste, to come back down he falls. Julia tells Frankie to “go to hell” and then passes out from too much wine.
After waking, Mrs. Mason sees her husband limp at the foot of the stairs and Frankie is nowhere to be found. This tragedy causes Mrs. Mason to go crazy and begin a search for Frankie. The same morning, the Chief of Police is getting reports of strange deaths. As Mrs. Mason searches for Frankie the death toll rises, Mr. Mason is reported missing and a person of interest, and the town discovers what Frankie really is.
The writing style and tone of this book are blended perfectly to create a thrill. Every character introduced has development and puts together a piece of the puzzle that the other characters have yet to discover. Everything in this story is connected in a strange way and there is some comedy in how the plot unfolds. I enjoyed reading this book, however, some character plots were more interesting to read than others. The way each character had a part to play in how the entire picture comes together was great, but some of the scenes felt like filler material.
Frankie, by Bruce Deitrick Price is like a comedic puzzle that keeps you entertained and wanting more. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves future technology, comedy, and a thrill.
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May 19, 2022Frankie, the main character, is designed to have intelligent conversation with humans. No other skills. Harmless. Chaos ensues...
This novel, a complex story that grew out of concern for the technological future, will eventually be appreciated as a fine literary work. However, the initial obstacle was that many people think a robot is a robot is a robot, and they are always evil people. In fact, the wonderful beautiful irony of this book is that Frankie has no malevolent thoughts or intentions. She is almost a perfect void. Humans fill that void with their own fears and yearnings.
There's enough story here to make a movie; and enough big ideas to fill a college course.
My entry point is that in the near future humans will have to deal with realistic androids. I suspect that some people will work easily with robots, whereas other people will find the situation stressful and disorienting. Is this respect, robots are comparable to aliens from outer space, i.e., highly intelligent beings that you might find very mysterious and unpredictable. In other words, Frankie (the novel) is as much about humans as about robots.
Comment on Literary Titan: "The writing style and tone of this book are blended perfectly to create a thrill. Every character introduced has development and puts together a piece of the puzzle that the other characters have yet to discover. Everything in this story is connected in a strange way and there is some comedy in how the plot unfolds. ....Frankie, by Bruce Deitrick Price is like a comedic puzzle that keeps you entertained and wanting more. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves future technology, comedy, and a thrill."
I am the author and probably not allowed to rate the book. If I were, I would give it five stars.
This novel, a complex story that grew out of concern for the technological future, will eventually be appreciated as a fine literary work. However, the initial obstacle was that many people think a robot is a robot is a robot, and they are always evil people. In fact, the wonderful beautiful irony of this book is that Frankie has no malevolent thoughts or intentions. She is almost a perfect void. Humans fill that void with their own fears and yearnings.
There's enough story here to make a movie; and enough big ideas to fill a college course.
My entry point is that in the near future humans will have to deal with realistic androids. I suspect that some people will work easily with robots, whereas other people will find the situation stressful and disorienting. Is this respect, robots are comparable to aliens from outer space, i.e., highly intelligent beings that you might find very mysterious and unpredictable. In other words, Frankie (the novel) is as much about humans as about robots.
Comment on Literary Titan: "The writing style and tone of this book are blended perfectly to create a thrill. Every character introduced has development and puts together a piece of the puzzle that the other characters have yet to discover. Everything in this story is connected in a strange way and there is some comedy in how the plot unfolds. ....Frankie, by Bruce Deitrick Price is like a comedic puzzle that keeps you entertained and wanting more. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves future technology, comedy, and a thrill."
I am the author and probably not allowed to rate the book. If I were, I would give it five stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews