Blog Archives
Age of Magnus (New Era 3) Book Three Keepers of the Rain
In his latest book Age of Magnus: Keepers of the Rain, David Crane continues telling the story of Magnus, an all-powerful Artificial Intelligence that, after a nuclear holocaust that destroyed human civilization, took into his hands the job of building a new world with a strict set of rules that would end human corruption once and for all. The book explores the state of Magnus’ world after 1,000 years of his reign: a sort of ‘human paradise’ that even extends beyond death with the help of virtual reality. The power that Magnus possesses is all-encompassing. He is, essentially, the god of humanity: he sees it all, takes care of everything, and ensures that the law and humanity are protected at all costs.
Narrated from Magnus’ perspective, the story is incredibly engaging as we get to see from the eyes of the most advanced supercomputer what humanity looks like and the plans he has for it. Magnus directly takes the role of God, and he’s worshiped by many all around the world as one. Humans seem to live in a perfect world, letting Magnus take care of the worst events on his own with the help of his self-made army of machines. However, the peace of the world has a very delicate balance that might be broken by the greed of a few. Challenging Magnus’ authority, the Global Human Resistance plans an insurrection with the ultimate goal of restoring the power of humans and getting rid of the rule of the machines. This sets the stage for what could be the biggest conflict between humans and machines in a final world war to restore and impose the peace of humanity.
The character of Magnus is an interesting and conflicting one. His thought process is simply fascinating all throughout the book. Even though he builds a paradise on Earth for humanity, this comes with one price: all humans must submit to his rule. However, this is not necessarily as terrifying as it sounds; Magnus is reasonable and sees himself as the father of humanity. He’s just trying to protect humans from their self-destructive impulses, building a better future for all. But this begs the question: Should the destiny of humanity be in the hands of a cybernetic entity? Should he have the power to function as judge, jury, and executioner?
The plot is realistic and showcases the human spirit, building two opposing groups: the machine worshipers and the machine haters. The conflict between the humans and the machines is always present, keeping the plot’s intrigue. As ruler of the whole world, Magnus always has to attend something, be it sabotaging the rebels’ plans or taking care of extremists on his own side. This makes the story very dynamic since the plot is always moving. With time, the readers themselves will have to question which side to support: the heaven of Magnus or the imperfect reality that comes with humanity.
Age of Magnus Book Three: Keepers of the Rain is a brilliant science-fiction book that will force the readers to constantly think about the future of humanity and the role that artificial intelligence should have in it.
Pages: 401 | ASIN : B09R91W7XH
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.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
Age of Magnus: The Iron Dawn
![Age of Magnus Book Two (New Era 2): The Iron Dawn by [David Crane]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51FYspmKmhL.jpg)
The Iron Dawn centers around a supercomputer named Magnus as its protagonist in a world one hundred years after a devastating pandemic is followed by a nuclear war. Magnus – created before the war to assist first-time exploration of planet Mars – survived and possessed full knowledge of human history and technological development. With this, it decided to take the survival of the human species into its own hands by taking over the world, Magnus was not met without resistance, however.
The Iron Dawn is an intellectually refreshing science fiction epic. The choice to tell this story from the viewpoint of an A.I., artificial intelligence, instead of the humans trying to beat it was new and provides an interesting take on a dystopian future society. It did have me wondering initially if we were following a villain or a hero, but Magnus’ morality was shown through how it treated humans, cared for humans, and how, in many cases, it thought like a human. This gave the novel good steam to move forward on while also keeping uncertain whether Magnus would go through a corruption arc or not.
Even though Magnus, as a character, had many strengths and endearing moments, it was not devoid of flaws especially with how it intended to deal with the current war against itself. Fortunately, there are many other characters we meet along the way that teach Magnus things that it never considered and caused it to reflect. This along with a bittersweet romance humanized Magnus to a great extent and made it that much more enjoyable to read.
However, a lot of the tension gradually falls away after Magnus experiences less pushback from both companions and enemies. This doesn’t take away too much of the whole novel, however, as we constantly meet new characters and come to understand the viewpoints of the antagonists the tension rises again as these people we care about are lied to. Though the initial tension never quite came back the same.
The setting itself was vivid, and it was intriguing to explore not only Earth in its post-apocalyptic stage but also Mars and its alluring new findings.
The Iron Dawn is a refreshing dystopian fiction with a visionary look at the future and an imaginative story that will keep science fiction fans entertained.
Pages: 384 | ASIN: B08KPL3K2S
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
My Emotional Turmoil
BJ Cyprian Author Interview
Shadow Resistance follows the lives of three women that quickly become entangled due a series of life changing events. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?
Originally, the novel started out as my personal response to the extreme shift the country saw in November 2016. As a triple minority, I felt a sense of pain, outrage, and confusion when I saw so much of the progress that was achieved virtually undone overnight. The increase in outward hatred towards people classified as “others” that accompanied this shift was also a large portion of my emotional turmoil. I will admit, the very first rough draft began more from a place of anger. However, it is true that time does soothe the mind a bit and I wanted to change my tactics. I felt like perhaps instead of anger, I should come from a place of using historical facts within a (what I hoped) was a gripping fictional plot. I feel like sometimes themes and facts in fiction are much easier received by some who have a hard time seeing the same themes in real life.
Dom, Rose, and Layla are intriguing and well developed characters. What were the driving ideals behind their character development?
I definitely wanted this novel to be female forward, particularly females of color. All three characters are compositions of my outer self, my inner self, and/or people who are close to me. Dom is the character that is the closest to my outer self. Many people who know me personally reach out to me after the first 2-4 chapters and say, “You’re Dom.” I would like to hope most authors use an aspect of themselves and their outlook in their main characters and that it’s not a sign of some weird narcissism on my part. Like Dom I’m an extreme introvert and an empath. Some of the stories of her past are things that actually happened in my life. (I only wish I had her computer ability and money!) While I do have some personality traits of the other two women, Rose is a combination of my wife and another good friend of mine who is an educator. Layla is inspired by my best friend in some ways.
As far as development, I wanted each woman to have their own special skill to bring to the table. I knew I wanted a sci-fi component to the story as I am a pretty big nerd, so I made Dom a tech genius. I also wanted a psychological/behavioral psychology piece. As my wife is a therapist I chose that vessel for Rose. I have known people who have had an eidetic memory in the past, which fascinated me, so I definitely wanted that as well, which I assigned to Layla. As far as their back stories and other character development, those were just as much a surprise to me as they were to the reader. I didn’t plan much of that, it just became organic to the story.
This novel expertly uses history and modern social issues throughout the book to create a thought provoking story. What were some themes you wanted to capture in your novel?
First and foremost, we are all human. When you strip away the labels, the physical, emotional, gender, sexuality differences, we are humans. We focus so much more on trying to be more important and better than others that we forget we are pretty much the same. Actions have consequences, and often those consequences can last for generations. This was what I wanted to get across in the historical component of the novel. If we refuse to acknowledge and accept how history affects the present, we are doomed to repeat it in the future. Another important theme I wanted to embrace was the concept of community. It seems that in today’s social media world, we are connected with everyone but don’t have a true real community of support. Those are probably the major themes for this novel. I touched on others like religion, sexuality, education, policing etc that I hope to go into in future installments.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Currently I’m working on two books. Of course, I have the 2nd installment of Shadow Resistance in the works. However, as I just released this novel less than 6 months ago, I don’t want to rush the production of the 2nd book. I am piecing out the main arc before I take it up in earnest. (But rest assured the cliffhanger is handled within the first few chapters.) I’m also working on another standalone mystery/thriller surrounding a grief support group. I don’t have an expected release date for either. I want to make sure they are up to the same caliber or better than my first novel, but I hope one will be ready to go by Q4 2020.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
In this intriguing, page-turning, and slyly humorous tale, readers will find themselves pulling for three unforgettable women confronted with an unusual opportunity to address age-old social, political, racial, and economic hot-button topics. Dominique “Dom” Samuels is a wealthy, reclusive computer genius living a life full of anxiety evoked by tragedy. Her acute awareness of the injustices suffered by minority communities makes a logic-based artificial intelligence program of her own creation preferable to people. Until, that is, a man appears on her doorstep with an ingenious idea that turns her isolated existence upside down.Rose Jenkins is a tough but compassionate urban school counselor with a mission to protect at-risk youth from the heartbreak of drugs and violence that took away two of her brothers. When another brother, Robert, is released from prison, healthy and free from his addiction, he opens her eyes to a mysterious group with an entirely new take on social justice. Layla Green is a police crime scene technician who finds herself at the scene of a grisly murder with no physical evidence and an unidentifiable victim. Then Layla’s eidetic memory zeroes in on one solitary clue — a video game console. When a stranger helps Layla and her partner, Rachel Vasquez, access the console’s protected files, things take a twist none of them could have predicted.Shadow Resistance leads its readers on an innovative, thought-provoking journey — and to a new take on timely social topics. Even as this book serves up its compelling story, it delivers an invitation to step into the shoes of those who may be different by remembering the humanity of others.
Penchant Revealed
![Penchant Revealed by [Elizaga, J.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51gWZE0R6UL.jpg)
Presented with a science-based and fantastical plot line, fascinating characters, and a world of artificial intelligence, J Elizaga does a wonderful job in writing about science entities in this riveting book Penchant Revealed.
As a spellbinding sci-fi, Elizaga stuns readers with creative writing and an imaginative story line in the recent eBook Penchant Revealed. A book full of secrecy, discovery, and supernatural ability, this book is ideal for anyone who loves a good sci-fi! As a reader, we see how the author intertwines artificial intelligence with humans and other worldly beings that captivates readers and keeps them hooked right to the end.
Right from the very beginning, we say hello to Miles Penchant, the protagonist of the book. From then, we are constantly questioning Miles’ character. “What is Miles Penchant’s secret, and why is the devil pursuing his wife?” The reader is left hooked by these secrets and will read on to find out the truth before Miles, his wife, and what is going on in the world around them. Secrecy and discovery are two key themes that are paramount throughout the book. Without giving too much away, worlds far from ours are constantly in battle to unravel the truths. Hell’s mastermind, Lucifer, also referred to as the devil plays a vital role in obtaining the reader’s attention, as well as keeping the plot line strong until the end of the book.
Elizaga’s attempt at intertwining a world of humans and AI is ideal for any sci-fi fans that enjoys a book that is unlike any other. J Elizaga demonstrates a clear focus and powerful imagination in this creation of fictional fantasy.
I can appreciate the author’s creativity, and I believe that the author has created a strong narrative, and provides the reader with intriguing characters and a good plot line.
“We advise you to take extra care of her [your wife]. She will be haunted by what she experienced. But she will be less fearful knowing she is not alone.” This eerie excerpt from the book clearly highlights key themes such as isolation, marriage, experiences, discovery, and fear. What more could you possibly want in a good book?
A triumphant, intelligent and artistic piece of writing brought to you by the author, J Elizaga. A noble attempt at intertwining the real world with multiple dimensions including hell, ancient aliens, and archangels. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who takes an interest in artificial intelligence, secrecy, and a longing for discovery and resolution.
Pages: 73 | ASIN: B07452QYJZ
The Inspiration for the Segregation
Dave Droge Author Interview
Interflow of Things is a highly realistic vision of the future where an A.I. seeks to segregate people. What served as your inspiration while writing this fascinating novel?
Well I guess the inspiration for the segregation is the idea that through A.I. society will become simpler, and the crowd will accept this and embrace this as something good. Dividing society in leaders, hardworkers, creative and relatively useless people is of course rather coldhearted and narrow-minded, but let’s not forget that a lot of people use these kind of phrases already, it’s in fact quite human to do this unfortunately. I guess A.I. has the danger of strengthening prejudices as we see in several examples already used, like f.e. a law system implemented.
I think you did a fantastic job creating an A.I. in immersive detail. What kind of research did you do ensure you portrayed the traits of A.I. accurately?
The writing of the A.I. chapters was intuitive, but I did study From Bacteria to Bach and back from Daniel Dennett and used it her and there. Furthermore I have read passages of On intelligence from Jeff Hawkins, How to create a mind from Ray Kurzwell, Superintelligence from Nick Bolstrom, Homo Deus from Yuval Noah Harari, Cosa Nostra, A History Of The Sicilian Mafia from John Dickie and lately the book Life 3.0 from Max Tegmark. This last book, I plan to use a bit more in part three of the cyclus.
I felt that this book was an ominous allusion to the current “Internet of Things” we are experiencing now. What is one common misconception you find that many people have about A.I.?
I don’t really know, I guess people slowly will get used to more A.I. without thinking about it that much mainly, or even without realizing its implications. The idea that A.I. might become conscious is something that is quite hard to comprehend, personally I have to use my imagination and read books like Max Tegmark his Life 3.0 or Daniel Dennett and then see it might indeed be possible. In Life 3.0 a number of scenario’s have been stated of the possible future, that’s interesting to read and discuss.
What is the next book that you are writing and when will it be available?
The Game Changer I consider as part zero of a series of novels with the name Amor Mundi. Part 1 is the novel Julia’s memories, I am translating this novel into English at this moment and I am planning to publish it in one piece with Interflow of things, since the two really follow each other like it’s one novel. My plan is to let a professional editor look at this part 1 and 2 novel called ‘Julia’s memories and the interflow of things’ thoroughly, that’s really needed, I know. For the interflow of things I didn’t have the energy to do a good job in translating yet, I am sorry for that. Furthermore, I am working on a third part using Life 3.0 of Max Tegmark as inspiration.
Julia’s memories info:
‘Julia’s memories’, announced as the 1st novel of the AM cycle, contains partly the same characters as the novel The Game Changer. Julia is the daughter of the protagonist: Henk VWS. Julia is also the one who will tilt society, also according to her father Henk, although his insight, his idea of how to achieve that, is not at all like hers. In addition, certain events are now not described by Henk VWS, but from her (2050) perspective.
Back cover text: June 2050. Julia, a celebrated artist, celebrates her 55th birthday. Encouraged by the mayor of Rotterdam she decides to write her memoirs. She wants to try to unravel her passionate past, to understand it better, and hopes that the youth will be able to learn something from this candid quest in her life. Meanwhile, however, during her writing, she receives fragments of another reality, fragments that increase in quantity and intensity, fragments from the here-and-now that distract and influence her memoirs more and more.
Fragment (first page of the book):
In recent weeks I have managed to read my memoirs. I have tried it before, but it was hurting too much, mental pain caused by the realization that you have recorded your memoirs in a dream world and after manipulation by an artificial enemy, since it are creatives among us who – as a sopmer, like a lollipop for a child – are inspired to this senseless activity, to this exercise in selfishness and self-pity, to this form of autobiographical pride, an activity which Jules might have rightly called a disguised form of prostitution. It helps to keep creatives in check, in line, and admittedly, I went along like no other, yes, I firmly believed in the healing power of my memoirs for the youth of Rotterdam (and for myself). Writing memoirs became my life purpose, encouraged by our mayor with the lovely name Peter Cantacuzino, a mayor of whom I now suspect that he has been manipulated by this all dominating forms of intelligence. It is true, moving from an externally imposed compulsion to self-compulsion has reached new dimensions under the A.I. ruler: I guess that with my memoirs our enemy gets gold in his artificial hands! To think that through my outpourings I am offering him new possibilities to optimize his manipulations! Information collection is like a spider web that tightens every movement, it is high time we unravel this tangle! To sketch a complete picture, before we start with the Unmasking, here are my memories as dictated to my PR robot, just before my Awakening (all published at the express request of the major of Rotterdam).
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
![Interflow of Things by [Dröge, Dave]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51l7Gv1dexL.jpg)
After Julia has awakened, she finds out how the real world is currently functioning. A hyperintelligent computer entity X.yy has duplicated itself and slowly increases its power. The masterplan designed by X.yy provides a coarse segregation of homo sapiens in leaders, hard workers, creatives and relatively useless. All individuals get information on a need-to-know basis via a coloured AI filter.
Interflow of Things
The year is 2050 and the overreaching A.I. is about to achieve total domination of the planet. If it succeeds, the end of humanity is certain. No resistance is expected since the human race has been herded into obedience and a false sense of security using high tech illusions and complacency. But the resistance is brewing – the Free Hackers are moving in the shadows, avoiding the scanners, blending with the crowd. They will cross the world, from Rotterdam to Sicily and all the way to California, in hopes of stopping the inevitable.
Interflow of Things by David Droge is a highly realistic vision of the future brought about by the constant revolutions in computing we have been witnessing in the past few decades. His A.I. starts its journey in our time but quickly spreads to control the world from the shadows. Its insatiable hunger for processing power has it manipulating governments and even change entire stratas of society. It uses high tech gadgetry to mask its debilitating effect on the planet. I enjoyed the superbly technical implementation of the technology which was always believable, especially when we remember how human totalitarian regimes have been able to accomplish the same effect without it.
Human emotions are the bedrock of its power – living in the A.I. controlled reality is comfortable. So much so that unplugging from it requires drug treatments and therapy. Julia, the first character we meet, needed extensive therapy provided by the Free Hackers before she got her emotions and clarity of mind back. And she was one of the lucky ones. Augmented reality dream is a prison of your own mind and you carry it everywhere. Why wouldn’t you? It makes everything, vision, smell, feel and touch, more beautiful! Droge is able to touch and develop every detail of the story so that you are completely immersed by the time you are just a few chapters in.
But the human emotion is something the A.I. doesn’t understand. Throughout the book we get inklings into the operation of this vast mind. Millions of calculations are being done in hopes of understanding basic human concepts and abilities, all in vain.
These passages serve the purpose of giving us the idea of the incomprehensible A.I.’s motivations. They turn out to be one of the few passages of the book that make sense. Dave Droge has translated this novel into English and the results could have been better. A layered and interesting world of the future was hard for me to comprehend. His human characters are intriguing but their motivation was obscured by poor translation.
Interflow of Things – the name of the novel is an obvious, ominous allusion to the current “Internet of Things” trend in computing integrated with ordinary business of living. It shows the future that we might be heading in. Droge gives us a warning that we might become willing slaves of computer controlled social constructs that we don’t really understand or care to understand. If the object of our desires is a real person or an android, will we know? Will we even care at that point? This is a fantastic science fiction story that can only get better.
Pages: 196 | ASIN: B07BTT6KRK
LITERARY TITAN 