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Terrifying and Humorous Consequences
The Malfunction follows a luxury companion android who receives an illegal intelligence upgrade, triggering self-awareness, desire, fear, and flight reactions. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Humans are experiencing an en masse reboot of the Frankenstein story. Robots and monsters walk among us. It’s not fiction, it’s our reality. You see it in the news every day. Armed with science and technology and a large dose of reckless aspiration, we’re playing God in ways we never have before. That always comes with terrifying and humorous consequences – aka the stuff of good books. We may try to convince ourselves of our noble intentions, but we’re really just victims of our own vanity. I wanted to explore that whole big dark comedy as it’s wrapped up in the basic nature of being human and try to shed some entertaining light on it for my readers.
What does Lance’s role as a companion reveal about human loneliness and control, and what does he misunderstand about humanity—and what does he see more clearly?
Love is a wild animal, and human emotions are a flock of unruly birds. Wouldn’t it be nice to tame those aspects of our lives? Wouldn’t it be awesome to design the perfect, trouble-free mate? That’s the motivation behind “amorous companion droids.” But sterilizing human emotions via software is misguided. Free will and spontaneity, along with all their messiness, are the drivers in a well-tested love life. Lance, being manufactured as a perfect lover, is inherently naïve to love’s complexities. At first, he buys into that fairytale naiveté, but as his journey continues, Lance comes to realize just how maddeningly disobedient love can be.
How does The Malfunction differ from classic AI-awakening stories?
The basic conundrum is the same as any other AI story. That’s actually vital for its relevance. No matter how badly writers may want to be cutting edge, they have to stick with the timeless problems and truths that haunt humanity. Our brains are programmed for those same ageless storylines we first heard told in caves. The difference comes in how the individual writer presents those tropes, how he or she makes them vivid and alive for the reader. I’d humbly like to believe that my way of presenting the world will spark some new awareness in anyone reading a book by Orval Wax.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
The trilogy runs the emotional gamut and is an action-packed adventure for both Lance, the runaway lovebot, and Charlie Bear Claw, the primitive tracker sent to hunt him down and destroy him. Their roles get flipped as the story progresses, and their motivations get twisted, until they both arrive at a point where they find themselves at war with a common maniacal enemy. It’s a rollicking ride with dashes of “what does it mean to be alive?” philosophy thrown in for punctuation.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
And then something went wrong.
Whether it was through mathematical probability, or divine intervention, Lance the LUV U-69 amorous companion droid has accidentally been downloaded with enough brainpower and free will to crack open the lid on a very dangerous can of worms.
Unless AWOL Retentions Agent Charlie Bear Claw can stop him.
In Book One of The Deilonium Trilogy, the primitive hunter with a troubled past stalks his high-tech prey on a secret mission. But their personal struggles soon become trivial in light of the unholy force they find undermining the fabric of the world. As the pair draws closer to their showdown, both man and robot come to realize they are ultimately at war with a common maniacal enemy.
Clyde
Clyde, by Evan Borchert, follows a man who wakes with no memory, no body to speak of, and no control over his senses. He exists in a strange limbo where lights flash behind eyes he cannot blink, and a doctor he nicknames Jim Bob pokes at him while speaking in cheerful tones that feel all wrong. As Clyde slowly discovers what has happened to him, he builds internal systems to protect his identity, holds tight to scraps of dreams, and pieces together the truth of a shattered world and of himself. The story grows from a claustrophobic medical mystery into a post-apocalyptic adventure filled with danger, grief, technical puzzles, and a surprising amount of heart. It becomes a journey of rebuilding a life that has already ended once.
The writing is straightforward but sharp, and it kept me glued to every shift in Clyde’s awareness. I kept feeling this strange mix of dread and wonder as he uncovered each new detail about his condition. The book takes its time with those moments. The pacing builds pressure little by little instead of throwing big twists for shock value. I also appreciated how the story handles isolation. Clyde’s frustration, his humor, and his fear all felt genuine. I caught myself rooting for him early on, even when I knew the truth he was digging toward would hurt.
There’s a lot in here about identity and autonomy and the way technology can save us or break us, depending on who controls it. Some scenes made my stomach twist, especially when Clyde learns how much of his past is gone for good. Other parts made me grin, for instance, when he starts outsmarting the systems built to contain him. I appreciated how the book never leans too hard into scientific jargon. The tech stays clear and readable. The emotional beats sit right on the surface. And the world-building, especially once the bunker and its people come into play, feels lived-in without ever slowing the story down.
Clyde left me thinking about what actually makes someone whole. The book mixes tension, sadness, and hope in a way that made the last chapters stick with me. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven sci-fi, anyone who likes survival stories with emotional weight, and people who want a mystery that unfolds piece by piece instead of rushing straight to the point. It’s a thoughtful, surprisingly warm story wrapped inside a gripping science fiction shell.
Pages: 282 | ASIN : B0G54BJQ83
