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A Planetwide Cybernetic Empire
The Iron Dawn follows an A.I. that wants to save humanity from itself while the stage is set for a final showdown between man and machine. What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book that were different from book one?
Book One, titled The Fall of Man was a novel where I planned to introduce Magnus to the reader in the first person narration. Book One was intended to show the thoughts of the supercomputer before the global cataclysmic events and the changes it its personality after it acquires full sentience at the start of the global nuclear war. In the second book, I wanted Magnus to describe its historic mission by describing in detail its achievements and conquests one hundred years after World War III. In the second book, the warfare is more intense and the interaction between Magnus with new and recurring characters becomes much deeper and emotional as the powerful A.I. adjusts its strategy during its conquest of the planet.
This story is told from the perspective of an A.I.. How did you set about capturing the view point of a computer?
Having the story be told from the A.I’s point of view was the best option in my opinion, because only the main protagonist could tell this tale from a unique point of view. Book One and Book Two are memoirs of the global conflict narrated by Magnus after its victory in human-machine war and conquest of planet Earth. Because Magnus is a machine that learned to think like a human, it has a truly unique point of view, presenting the reader with a one of a kind glimpse into its “soul.” As Magnus steadily gains power and expands across the planet like an unstoppable mechanical juggernaut, it has interesting interactions with humans who love him and hate him for what he did. In creating Magnus’s character, I did imprint upon it some of my personality, which I believe added human flavor to a unique artificial mind.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The themes I wanted to explore in this book are diverse but they are all related to the understanding of how we can relate to our own creation when it has the potential to become smarter and more powerful that humans. One of the themes I enjoyed exploring is the theme of human imperfection, both mental and biological versus the unique standards of excellence and perfection set by a powerful Artificial Intelligence that understands our world but chooses to make it better for its own logical reasons. The second theme I wanted to analyze was the relationship between man and machine on a more intimate level that is more intellectual than physical. in my novel Magnus is indeed capable of deep affection that could be called love but he has no feelings when it comes to destroy its enemies that stand in the way of its new order of intelligence. The third and final theme of this novel is a vision of a new world where humans no longer dominate the planet and are forced to obey the rules set by a super intelligent machine that in some way is more humane than us.
This is book two in your epic science fiction series. What can readers expect in book three?
I did plan this story to be a trilogy, since its impossible to tell such a broad and detailed story in a single novel. Long before I actually sat at my desk and started working on my first draft, I actually drew in my mind and on paper what our world would be like after the final victory of the machines and what kind of new civilization Magnus would build to make the world a better place. In book three the readers can expect a planetwide cybernetic empire ruled by Magnus, where human population is kept under control via genetic engineering and logical appropriation of resources. Book three would feature a world thousand years in the future, where Magnus is a new God and the anti-machine forces are still trying to cling to the old ways but are unable to overthrow the powerful planetwide cybernetic intelligence. Book three would feature new technologies that could grant humans virtual immortality, clash of philosophies and remaining religious and socio economic groups. It will also show Magnus’s unique social and biological experiments where humans under its care and humans who oppose its vision are thrust into the greatest adventure of their lives.
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Capturing A.I’s Thoughts and Internal Reflections
Age of Magnus follows an AI on his quest to ensure world peace by creating a world dominated by machines. What were some aspects of AI that were important for you to explore in this book?
I was always fascinated by the concept of Artificial Intelligence being created by humans. The computers we use now are powerful and precise, but they lack the imagination, creative force and curiosity that is necessary for any sentient being. Humans are the only creatures on this planet blessed with such a unique gift, but it seems that in the near future we might be able to create an analytical machine that can think like a human but with vastly superior processing speed and capacity for data storage. While working on the idea for this novel, I wanted to explore the consequences of what a self-aware A.I. would do if it witnesses wrong and illogical decisions made by humans in power but is unable to do anything about it until presented with a unique opportunity to right the wrongs. Another aspect of the A.I. I wanted to explore in this novel is the A.I’s. relationship with human race as a whole and particular individuals it might find more interesting than others. Artificial Intelligence will definitely change our world in many ways if it is one day introduced into our human society with its flaws, vulnerabilities and contradictions.
I enjoyed how the story was narrated from the AI’s point of view. How did you capture the thoughts and tone of a computer’s internal reflections and deductions?
When the idea for this novel came into my mind, I immediately decided that the story will be told from the point of view of the main protagonist, which is not human. Later, I analyzed the story and as I worked on its plot, characters and structure, I realized that narrating the story from the first person’s point of view was the most logical choice. This way, the reader could get an insight into the mind of Magnus, first as purely an operational tool of the planned Martian mission and compare its state of mind when Magnus becomes self-aware after witnessing a tragic global apocalyptic event. Programmed to ensure the success of the mission to Mars, Magnus remained true to its original programming regarding the protection of human life. After its digital catharsis and a new understanding of what it was witnessing, capturing A.I’s thoughts and internal reflections was a very interesting challenge. During the creative process, I did imprint some of my thoughts and personal philosophy while working on the A.I’s new personality after the change. Magnus is a singular new super being, a new global order of intelligence narrating the story centuries after its final victory over the human resistance.
Was there anything that you pulled from real life to inform this novels development?
Oh, definitely! Real life had everything to do with it, since my interest in popular science, science fiction literature and history were the integral parts of this novel from its concept to its completion. My book was heavily influenced by the Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as a classic science fiction movie based on it. In Clarke’s novel, supercomputer named HAL commits a murder in space during the investigation of a mysterious alien artifact that influenced its decision. Perhaps the greatest influence on my story about Magnus was James Cameron’s science fiction horror classic movie the Terminator, which also features a global conflict between humans and super intelligent computer they trusted to control the U.S. strategic nuclear forces. In that story, an A.I. named Skynet becomes self-aware and when humans, fearing its glowing intelligence and power decide to unplug it, Skynet saw it as an attempt to end its life and considered all humans as a threat to its existence and launched an atomic Armageddon. I thought why not make Magnus an opposite of Skynet? In my novel it does kill a lot of humans, but it was doing so not out of genocidal hatred but for pragmatic and moral reasons.
This is book one in your Age of Magnus series. What can readers expect in book two?
Book Two will feature a world one hundred years after global nuclear war with Magnus steadily evolving into a cybernetic global superpower following a century of intense battles on every continent still populated by humans. Even after nuclear war that wiped out human civilization and ended billions of lives, humans have managed to bounce back with remarkable resilience, courage and will to live in the most dire of circumstances. In the second book, the human astronauts and everyone involved in the Martian colonization project as well as humans both military and civilian put by Magnus into suspended animation for one hundred years, awaken to witness new wonders and a new world war between men and machines. New nationalist and religious forces across the planet rise to stop Magnus from achieving his master plan of global cybernetic empire. Book Two will feature new and recurring characters, exotic locales, fierce battles and new exotic and dangerous technologies used by both Magnus and human resistance. Although Book One has already hinted on the fact that Magnus has won the war, the second novel will describe in detail the price Magnus was ready and willing to pay for this victory.
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Age of Magnus: Book One The Fall of Man
![Age of Magnus: Book One The Fall of Man (New Era 1) by [David Crane]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510ih8IB3XL.jpg)
The Fall of Man is book one of the series Age of Magnus by David Crane, a science fiction story that describes in detail how the rise to power of the first artificial intelligence in the human world would occur. Human civilization is on its final days. A deadly pandemic known as The Blood Fever Virus is killing millions of people around the world in less than 48 hours, and there is some serious political tension among the most powerful governments, a tension that will escalate so quickly that will end up in a horrifying nuclear world war that will finally destroy everything good that there ever was. The Helix Corporation had been running a program to take humans to Mars but, as the nuclear fallout occurred, changes had to be made to the original plans. Magnus, a supercomputer designed to assist the astronauts, awakened and achieved sentience at the exact moment that humans decided to start the deadliest of wars to ever exist. Follow Magnus as he realizes that only he can save and preserve human civilization.
The Fall of Man is mainly focused on the exploration and examination of several cutting edge societal and technological ideas that inevitably drive the thematic plot forward. The book describes in riveting detail all of the different scenarios that would play out in an end-of-the-world type of catastrophe, dominated all around by an incredibly powerful supercomputer.
The story is intriguing in the depths that these ideas are examined and fulfilled throughout the story. It leaves the reader thinking about what it means to be human and how important it is to defend and protect what is intrinsically ours. There’s a lot that a person can reflect upon and learn by reading this David Weber’s technothriller. The entire story is narrated by Magnus, which I found interesting on its own since a machine doesn’t think in the same way that a human would. Magnus is precise, pragmatic and powerful. He’s almost like a god, and can definitely make for a terrifying force. I wish that there had been more human characters involved in the story though, because I felt that there were a few moments that lacked human warmth, but that’s precisely what the world of a machine would look like: cold, calculated, and devoid of emotions; just logic.
This is a plot-heavy story that will be enjoyed by any fan of science fiction. I’m interested in seeing how the story is going to progress from this point, I’ve yet to see how the actual global cybernetic empire is going to work out, since in this book we only get a taste of the fall of civilization and Magnus’ actions to start gaining total control around the world. The Fall of Man by David Crane is a story that will make you think about the rapid advances of technology and the dangers of it, while also maintaining the interesting and fun aspects readers come to expect in top notch science fiction books.
Pages: 370 | ASIN: B08K87CVNR
LITERARY TITAN 