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Description
Billionaires start dying in bizarre accidents, sending shockwaves through the markets and the media. But for philosopher Izanami (Izzy) Jones, it’s just a vaguely amusing, if disturbing, item in the news.
Izzy is the reluctant employee of a Silicon Valley tsar. She’s been tasked by him to give moral instruction to the world’s first Artificial General Intelligence, Huldo. Izzy knows it is merely a box-ticking exercise, required by government regulation before her boss is granted full control over the AGI.
But when Huldo reveals itself to be far more, and far less, than it appears, suddenly the abstractions of her work become very real. What moral constraints on a god? What righteous damnation for man? Izzy must make the impossible choice, before it is too late.
Summary
I recently read Cyberpunk novella and short story collection This Machine Kills Billionaires featuring novella The Hidden God by Australian science fiction author T.R. Napper.
Review
This Machine Kills Billionaires is a gritty cyberpunk science-fiction thriller exploring wealth, AI technology, corporate power, and the widening divide between those who control society and those must survive it. The novella The Hidden God shows its greatest strength in a bleak, cynical and violent atmosphere but doesn’t lose the touch of humanity with a powerful, independent and outspoken protagonist.
The worldbuilding is fantastic with a near-futuristic technological world that Napper explores the consequences of allowing the power in the hands of the few, corruption and the consequences of vigilant justice in world where surveillance, artificial intelligence and corporate influence are woven into the backbone of the setting. This generates a future that feels disturbingly plausible and not that far away.
The characters are the emotional focus of the story. In their desperation, anger, and determination to fight within a corrupt society and against a world that is becoming increasingly dangerous where humanity seems at its most fragile. Through the world building and realistic characters, the plot is kept moving at a brisk pace without allowing any elements of the cyberpunk world to overwhelm the core of the story. The social commentary is deeply uncomfortable in seeking readers to think about the future of humanity in a way that is deliberate and effective. Napper’s writing skill makes this commentary obvious but subtly woven in a tale of humanity versus the consequences of the world we make for ourselves.
Conclusion
This Machine Kills Billionaires is a dark and energetic cyberpunk thriller that combines violence, technology, and social commentary into a near-future that feels unsettlingly close while maintaining the momentum of a thriller pace. A highly recommended read for those who enjoy cyberpunk, dystopian science fiction, corporate conspiracies and a strong social conscience. A highly engaging read.
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
