Robota

'The day is coming, nay, it is already here when we as a species will have to decide: us, them or it as the new generation for carrying forward the consciousness of Homo Sapiens. The story of AI is simply an introduction to the real story: robotic sentience. Humanity will be split into those in favour of Machine consciousness and those completely opposed to it. The characters in this book all have significantly opposing views on this question - who will triumph?

The world is partitioned into three key contenders for the honour: Homo Sapiens; The First Peoples (enhanced-human clones); and Machine. It does not matter. The zero-sum game is controlled by the Neo-Techs and their political arm, T300, the richest and most powerful group of people on earth who control all social media and spin-off technologies such as space travel mining and medicine.

Harry Hacker Jones, Isla, Kendall Spong - Messiah, Dr Paul Allenby, Czimone Planter and Jerry Thompson, representatives of the three contenders play out the game. But only one other, unknown to them all, will bring a triumphant resolution to the fight. One to raise us all above ourselves in the fight for that most sacred of all things: consciousness. In the background the white noise of Robota hums a new and very different human tune. Through all this the human narrative dominates still: love, hate, death. What or who will be the future carriers of human sentience?

A tremendous feat of ideas and imagination ... soaringly powerful with the impact of a great symphony ending. Very moving indeed.

Shane McCauley