James Pyles

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James Pyles

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January 2009

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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: 4.11 · 969 ratings · 103 reviews · 84 distinct works
PC Technician Street Smarts...

3.91 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2006 — 7 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...

2.90 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2008 — 10 editions
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Time's Abyss

4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings
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SharePoint 2007: The Defini...

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2.43 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2007 — 12 editions
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Guide to TCP/IP: IPv6 and IPv4

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Ice

4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings2 editions
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The Haunting of the Ginger'...

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CompTIA A+ Complete Lab Manual

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions
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The Fallen Shall Rise: 224-...

3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
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More books by James Pyles…

Going to Shea Stadium

“Have a seat.” Jackie’s voice was young and encouraging. “Learn to play guitar at my age?” Anxiety from the time he tried learning the trumpet when he was ten surged in his seventy-one-year-old chest. “Learning something new will keep you young,” his granddaughter said. “It sharpens the mind and…” “There’s nothing wrong with my mind,” […]
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Published on September 24, 2025 07:12

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Going to Shea Stadium

“Have a seat.” Jackie’s voice was young and encouraging. “Learn to play guitar at my age?” Anxiety from the time he tried learning the trumpet when he Read more of this blog post »
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Starhyke by A.S. Charly
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Based on a 2009 British television show which only lasted one season, author A.S. Charly takes the core concept of the program and with material from the unaired second season, creates a short novel that turns the adventures of the crew of the Nemesi ...more
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Time's Abyss by James Pyles
Time's Abyss
by James Pyles (Goodreads Author)
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Hell Spawn by Declan Finn
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The "up" side is the opening novel to the "Saint Tommy NYPD" series is action packed, has a unique theme and hero, cuts no corners on the demonic violence and horror, and has a generally likeable protagonist.

The "down" side is that it tends to descen
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Ascension, The Ymir Trinity by A.M. Leishman
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A.M. Leishman's novel was hard for me to get into at first. I felt like I was walking into the second reel of a movie. Even progressing forward, I had to pay attention to keep track of all the different players including planets and regions of space. ...more
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Swirling Darkness by Sam M. Phillips
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Sam Phillips is an author, poet, and a co-founder of Zombie Pirate Publishing with Adam Bennett. They published some of my very first short stories and have been a lot of fun to work with.

Sam is branching out as an individual author and I recently re
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" P.A. wrote: "Great review!"
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Fool Moon by Jim  Butcher
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Rarely am I so enthralled by a series, but Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" is an incredible joyride. I love his private detective/wizard Harry Dresden. The characters are compelling, the worldbuilding precise, and most of all the stories are just plain ...more
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Captain Video by Jason  Russell
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The trick to writing a modern adventure based on a seventy-five year old children's science fiction TV show is to balance the innocence and escapism of the original with what we know today about space travel and the solar system.

Russell actually incl
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Cobra by Timothy Zahn
Cobra (Cobra, #1)
by Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author)
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I first read this book in the 1980s and recall really enjoying it. However as time passed, I had forgotten most of what I read, so I bought it again. The novel holds up very well. It's the hero's journey of Jonny Moreau, a young "everyman" who volunt ...more
More of James's books…
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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Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more



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