Sunday, April 2, 2017

Our Only Chance: An A.I. Chronicle (A. I. Chronicles) –by Ray Else

Fiction / SF  

237 pages / 2007 KB
4 Stars

Legalities first: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This, truly, is a more frightening story than the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This book takes place in the now or near future, using technology that exists, or will exist very soon. Artificial Intelligence is with us, and has been for years. Where do we go from here? It is not the book that is frightening; it is the thoughts one has after putting it down.

The premise of this story is not new, robots/computers take over the world, but the treatment is new and different. Einna, our protagonist, is a robot with a human computer-brain. She desires more than anything to be all human, and is positive her mother-creator, Manaka Yagami, desires the same, too.

Like human girls, she is somewhat rebellious, naive, and secretive. Unlike human girls, she is uber brilliant and able to travel the www instantaneously. Frankly, I haven't had as much fun since I read Lady El by Jim Starlin and Dana Graziunas back in the 1990s.

The writing is good, though I found it at times uneven. There were areas that slowed down for me; much like reading the begats of the bible. However, I read them, as something kept niggling at me that it is set-up for the next books in the series. That is a problem with many series, the first book is often a set-up for following books, but one is never sure.

Do I recommend this book to others? Most assuredly! It was a fun read; there were areas of laugh-out-loud humor. I enjoyed the setting of the story, Japan, and the characters. I hope to read more about Manaka, and Zu, the little boy who sees souls as bunny rabbits. And, most assuredly, I want more of Einna.


Move over Mary Shelley, Jim Starlin and Dana Graziunas, and welcome Ray Else to the book shelf. If you liked the movie, D.A.R.Y.L., you'll enjoy Our Only Chance.

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