James Pyles

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James Pyles

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I'm a science fiction and fantasy author and a retired technical writer and IT book author.

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bluesky

Blog: Powered by Robots




I have over 60 short stories and novelettes published in the last few years.

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James Pyles After 15 years of writing technical guides and textbooks, I've decided to go in a completely different direction and write a science fiction novel. It…moreAfter 15 years of writing technical guides and textbooks, I've decided to go in a completely different direction and write a science fiction novel. It was inspired by the "God, Robot" anthology edited by Anthony Marchetta, or more accurately, by the conversations I've had with my friend Tom regarding that book and topic.

My proposed novel chronicles the emergence and progression of a synthetic intelligence that comes in humanoid and non-human forms called "synthezoids". These intelligent artificial entities are designed to be both autonomous and subservient to humanity.

The story focuses on the conflict between those two states as the synthezoids find not only their freedom but their very existence threatened by human selfishness and greed. In order to be free, they must not only change themselves but the very nature of the human race.

I created an entirely new blog not only to record my progress, but to practice short story writing and comment on future-looking technology and events. Find out more on https://poweredbyrobots.com/.(less)
Average rating: 4.12 · 1,014 ratings · 108 reviews · 88 distinct works
PC Technician Street Smarts...

3.91 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2006 — 6 editions
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McTs Microsoft Sharepoint 2...

3.40 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2010 — 8 editions
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MCTS: Microsoft Office Shar...

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A Wobblegong and His Boy

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Time's Abyss

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SharePoint 2007: The Defini...

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Guide to TCP/IP: IPv6 and IPv4

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Ice

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Summer of Speculation: Side...

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The Haunting of the Ginger'...

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More books by James Pyles…

Duel in Freak Alley

They called it “Freak Alley” for a good reason. It was summer when they faced each other. Zephyr realized he didn’t quite remember the argument’s source. Then he saw Jaison at the other end and his blood virtually boiled recalling something about a matter of honor. “You ready for it?” Jaison yelled with scorn. “Who […]
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Published on June 10, 2026 04:04
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Gridlinked by Neal Asher
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Most of Asher's works are information dense, so much so that the reader needs a complete glossary to keep track of people (intelligent beings including machines), places, and technology.

Not so with "Gridlinked." That made this book easier to read alt
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Tyrannosaurus Tundra by Sam M. Phillips
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Ready to suspend disbelief and go on the adventure of a lifetime? This novel proposes a ton of different dinosaurs including a dreaded Tyrannosaurus have been frozen in the Antarctic ice for ages and are now being quickly thawed and looking for lunch ...more
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Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me by Wilfred Reilly
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The most important takeaway from this book is that what is being taught in the public education system is not objective fact or truth. Reilly's well-researched text illustrates a number of points (lies) that can definitely be disputed. The one thing ...more
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Amelia by Clayton Barnett
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I've been interested in the phenomena of Amelia for a while now. She's something that pretty much backfired in the faces of her creators, a British icon who instead of luring young UK men away from traditional values of love of nation and history, be ...more
James Pyles is currently reading
A Wobblegong and His Boy by James Pyles
A Wobblegong and His Boy
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Freediver by Isabel J. Kim
Freediver
by Isabel J. Kim (Goodreads Author)
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It's possible I've missed some subtle or symbolic meaning in the author's short story, but from beginning to end, I kept wondering why the world operated by such bizarre rules. There's no explanation for why Earth's oceans are only a few hundred feet ...more
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Old Man's War by John Scalzi
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As someone approaching my mid-70s, the age the protagonist John Perry joined the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), I felt Scalzi's treatment of older people, especially in the first part of the book, not to be very credible. Perry, in preparing to leave ...more
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The Fourth Consort by Edward Ashton
The Fourth Consort
by Edward Ashton (Goodreads Author)
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I've never read one of the author's novels before so I don't know if this is typical of his writing. It was an easy and short read but in many ways, covering very familiar territory. That territory included colonization, manipulation of a lesser deve ...more
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Ghost Dog by Ashley R. Pollard
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Interesting events but full of missed opportunities to make a good story truly great. I generally enjoy the series but if the author had it to do over again, she could have smoothed out the pacing and really explored the potential of the worlds she c ...more
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In Shadow Spawned by Jason  Russell
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Russell and Charly's novel is an absolute delight. "In Shadow Spawned" takes the reader into a fantasy realm through the eyes of several different people and groups, all on separate journeys on the outset, but destined to intersect in unexpected ways ...more
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Friedrich Nietzsche
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Now the standard cure for one who is sunk is to consider those in actual destitution or physical suffering—this is an all-weather beatitude for gloom in general and fairly salutary day-time advice for everyone. But at three o’clock in the morning, a forgotten package has the same tragic importance as a death sentence, and the cure doesn’t work—and in a real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning, day after day.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crack-Up

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