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
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
The De-Coding of Jo: Hall of Ignorance – Trailer
What would you do if you accidentally discovered a holographic portal into the cosmos, in the basement of your high school’s library? Would you take the leap of faith?The De-Coding of Jo:Hall of Ignorance is a meld of fantasy, paranormal and science fiction, with a strong appeal to young adult readers (ages 15 years+). It is the first book of the Ascending Angel Academy series, incorporating plot driven and coming of age stories of diverse, gender inclusive teenagers struggling with self-identity and a sense of belonging.
Sixteen-year-old Jo attends Forest Hill Academy, a preppy co-ed private school with her best friends Nisha, Daphne, Reyes, Zaxden, and Flynn. Ever since the fatal night her mother was taken hostage by a homicidal maniac, Jo has been plagued by debilitating nightmares. As she tries to unravel her bleak reality, Jo and her friends discover a mysterious gateway into a Black Hole,hidden behind a strange mirrored door in an eerie underground hallway of the school’s library. Reyes accidentally releases the evil that has been imprisoned in this grid-matrix and unknowingly becomes infected with the menacing parasites.
These demons emerge from their shadows and spread throughout the school to gain control over their hosts. One by one, they raise an army of sleepwalkers to serve the Lord of Darkness in a sinister plot for universal domination.As Jo is activated by the Light to realize her truth and ascend from the hall of ignorance, she finds an antiquated Galactic Compass. Jo discovers its interstellar capabilities to time travel through the cosmos, and secures the Akashic Records, stored in a library of multi-dimensional consciousness of every soul since creation.
Primed by the Galactic Council and Ascending Angel Academy, Jo faces heartbreak and accepts a difficult mission to embrace her celestial form. She must unlock the power of creation and prevent the Lord of Darkness from enslaving all of humanity into obscurity. Will she be able to decode the artificial system in time to save her friends and the sacred Light?
The Reefs of Time
![The Reefs of Time: Part One of the "Out of Time" Sequence (The Chaos Chronicles Book 5) by [Carver, Jeffrey A.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51TOgXdeYXL.jpg)
The Reefs of Time is a classic science fiction story about the adventures taking place in a distant cosmos. The novel starts out with our protagonists, John Bandicut and Co., feeling restless and ready for action after the end of a successful mission. Ik, Bandicut’s friend, manages to get ahold of Julie Stone, Bandicut’s ex-girlfriend. In his quest to bring her back to their world, he messes up and suddenly, the gang finds themselves in a strange new place. The portal has messed up and communication is becoming tougher. When the threat of the Mindaru looms over them, the group is split up to take care of this danger. Interesting new characters and a lot of gripping adventures follow and lead to a tremendously exciting ending.
The Reefs of Time is rich in character development, which I found refreshing for a science fiction novel. The characters were not always what they seem, but they were drawn with enough depth and sensitivity. I could empathize with nearly every single one of them. Although I felt that some elements of John and Julie’s relationship were left unexplored, their dynamic was super fun and interesting.
Shipworld was a glorious and imaginative place. The history and elements of this universe were very well-detailed. I felt immediately absorbed and captivated by this new, futuristic world. The story was also about Shipworld as a whole, not only focused on the lives of protagonists. It often hinted at a deeper picture at play, a sinister and nefarious plot that was puppeteering all of their actions. Even some of the well-intentioned were misguided in their behaviour. At times, I was confused about who I should root for, but I believe that’s a mark of a well-told story. Some of the scientific and futuristic jargon alienated me at times, but it was never too much. After all, who knows what the future really holds. The starstream is almost poetically depicted, lending a surreal nature to the whole deal.
The story is chock-full of action and adventure, pretty much guaranteeing an edge of the seat experience from start to finish. It’s definitely an innovative and thrilling universe and I would love to return to it.
Pages: 474 | ASIN: B07R3D5WZL
LITERARY TITAN 