Book Review: Turing Evolved
I haven’t come across a solid sci-fi or fantasy novel lately. Finally, this week I found a decent one. Turing Evolved, by David Kitson, is a self-published ebook and the first from Mr. Kitson from what I can tell. For 2014, I want to make a real effort to find small press, independent, and self-published novels to read rather than the big names from big publishers. As an author publishing under a start-up publishing house, I want help contribute to my industry and decided to make a start of it with Mr. Kitson’s novel.
As with many self-published works, the writing was raw and needed additional editing but it wasn’t a serious problem for me. There were some confusing paragraphs and sections, but I got the general gist of what Kitson was trying to convey. Still, I think the book would be much stronger with another round of editing.
That aside, I liked the idea behind this story. A war vet, honorably discharged, finds himself helping people disconnect from virtual reality, a place called Mindspace. The vet, Jon Carlson, is a former demon pilot. Demons are powered suits with devastating firepower, operated through a neural link. This part is very cool. There are also angels, advanced AI non-combat units designed to help people. Carlson saves one of these angels and soon the robot is smitten with him. However, his intervention to save its/her life along with a man he disconnected from Mindspace leads him to an adventure through reality and Mindspace. It is part love story, part action.
It is a solid young adult fiction story about love, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and future warfare. The story is original in some respects and not very predictable (a plus). It has an intriguing love story that is weird at first but you get used to it. The ending is also a surprise and fairly satisfying.
Carlson is likable, but he spends way too much time in hospitals. the book subjects Carlson to enormous amounts of agony, with three trips to the emergency room. It gets a little tiresome. The action scenes were a little over-narrated, slowing it down and giving unnecessary details during battles. There is also a lot of mushy talk of feelings. Carlson, who is ex-military, and his partner at his new job, Jeremy, are unrealistically sensitive.
For young adult fiction, the personal and romantic relationships were okay, but for me it was all too easy. Things just seem to fall into Carlson’s lap, with two human women being attracted to him along with one “female” robot. He’s a good guy and certainly has admirable qualities but this part sort of plays out like a typical sci-fi male fantasy.
For what it was trying to accomplish, Turing Evolved is a good novel, with editing its a solid 3 stars.
J
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