Human Plus

Post-Human #4

by David Simpson

The Post-Human Trilogy is done, but the Post-Human series is just heating up! Human Plus is Book 4 in the smash hit science fiction series. Not exactly a sequel, not exactly a prequel, Human Plus will defy expectations. No matter what you thought was coming next, you're in for a surprise!

Just one caution: when you're finished, you're going to want to share the surprises with everyone online...Please don't! Please respect future readers and let them enjoy the surprises just as much as you did!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2013

About the author

Futurist/Feature Film Director/Bestselling and Award-Winning Author/Film Composer/Actor/TEDX Speaker/Advisor for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),— just some of David Simpson's professional passions. His TEDX presentation, "Our Post-Human Future," has over 1.7 Million views on Youtube and his debut feature film, a psychological thriller titled, Dangerous to Know, had its World Premiere in London, England in October, 2020 where it became the first 3 hour film ever selected for the prestigious Frightfest, Film Festival, (the largest genre film festival in the English-speaking world) where David's debut film was compared favourably by critics to such film luminaries as David Fincher and Stanley Kubrick.

Meanwhile, the Sixth book in the Post-Human series, Superhuman, was released in late, 2020, and, equal in length to Stephen King's epic, The Stand, Superhuman has taken its place as one of the longest science fiction novels ever written.



Sometimes David Simpson sleeps...but not often.

Reviews

[Paul Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this was a really interesting read. Human plus is partly a sequel partly a prequel to the post-human trilogy. The main character, who as far as I can tell, has no name is the CEO and the brains behind a super successful tech firm that is trying to bring his ideas of the future into the present. At various points throughout this book you get some hints at what is happening but as with the other post-human instalments, you just don't imagine the full extent of what is going on. The creation of the A.I. is an excellent story, and though I found it to be a bit gruesome at times, it was ultimately justified and totally worth it. The final chapters of this book really bring it all home and inline with the rest of the post-human series and give you that closure that you didn't know you were dying for. If you enjoyed the post-human trilogy, then this will not fail to deliver.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the background story to very likeable character in the post-human series. This is book 4 and it's far better then post-human and trans-human. It's more similar to sub-human in that the author dives into the same universe expanding on it. This book starts off with the story of the smartest man and inventor in the world. He's starting to feel the stress of being himself in a world that doesn't look toward the future like he does. He feels limited and has trouble fitting in with the real world, he is brilliant but has a form of high functioning Autism. He decides to break it off with his stunning girlfriend as he doesn't feel connected to her. Then his world is turned inside out as he discovers she isn't who he though she was. He isn't even what he thought he was.

An angry god, a created being, rejection and the ultimate truth all combine into the story of a key character in this series.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure if "Human Plus" should have been the first in the series or fourth but what a book! The science is amazing and the imagination is phenomenal. I can't wait to see the graphic books when they come out, and I am anxiously waiting for book five. Keep writing and I will keep reading your work.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert scenes of torture. I quite liked the previous 3 books. I hated this book! I do not believe it furthers the plot of the series in any way. the final few chapters could easily have been added to book 2 or 3 and might have enlightened the reader as to the character of the AI. I have no further interest in reading more from this author.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERZ.
this was my least favorite of the series. i was confused the whole time until the very end. i could not understand who the protagonist was or how it related to the other 3 books. was it james? craig? just didn't get it. at the end i got it, but i was frustrated during the whole reading experience.

[Itsallbroken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another great read from David!

This book is a great addition to the pot-human series, another interesting concept that ends really well, with a bit of a twist!

I'm really hoping that David will continue to write books based in this universe, with the same fantastic ideas!!

[Aisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!!

[Jeff Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Awesome! Loved this book. The stories in this series continue to get better.

[Charles Haddad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow start.. very different story line until a shocker at the end!! Loved it!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, Human Plus was a kind of confusing book. It is book four of the Post-Human series, and it will not make sense without having read Sub-Human, Post-Human, and Trans-Human first. For Human Plus, everything except the epilogue takes place prior to the main plotline of Sub-Human. You know that test that Gibson was all proud his AI passed, the one where the AI - unknowing that the situation was not real and it a test of selflessness and altruism - sacrificed himself to save humanity? With the exception of the epilogue (a conversation between the AI and James Keats at some point after the events of Trans-Human), Human Plus is the story of the test.

With that in mind, Human Plus is a great addition to the Post-Human series. I think it goes a long way toward helping humanize the AI (although he is never named, which kind of bothers me). Once the confusion regarding where in the timeline this story fit was resolved, Human Plus became much more enjoyable. I think the timeline was kept deliberately ambiguous in order to prevent readers approaching the story with a foregone conclusion in mind (after all, we know from Sub-Human that the passed the test), but I don't think the approach fit the book. For a good chunk of the book, I was more concerned with figuring where Human Plus went in the timeline, and the story itself was an almost secondary concern; that shouldn't happen. I think more clarity would have gone a long way, even if it would have 'spoiled' the ending.

[Stephanie R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

TL;DR: Do not waste your time like I did! If I can warn even one person by writing these reviews, my sacrifice will not be in vain. I will not continue with this series or this author.

This book appears to be completely unrelated to the other books in this series. It is about a nameless tech guru who discovers that he is living in a simulation. It is run by his crazy girlfriend, who will only let him out if he loves her. For some reason, the other people in the simulation are in danger too, although they are not really people due to techno BS reasons. Some other people come to rescue him, but they can't rescue him because of other BS reasons, and he can't rescue himself because it never occurs to him. Holes start appearing in the plot at an alarming rate.

It drags on FOREVER. About 90% through, we finally find out how this is related to the rest of the post-human universe. It is NOT satisfying. This would have been better as one chapter in Trans-Human, or better yet, never ever published. It just makes their crappy society seem even more precarious.

[David Davis]

Interesting with some good plot twists.
I have always preferred 'hard' science fiction to fantasy because I felt it had some amount of adherence to physical rules that I can relate to.
Then I listened to an interview with a science fiction writer who was asked what the difference was between hard science fiction and fantasy. His answer caused me to re-examine some of the books I was reading. His answer was along the lines of, if the weapon your protagonist is using was created 1,000 years ago under the Mountain then it is fantasy. If your weapon is a proton cyclotron that renders whatever it is aimed at to dust then it is science fiction. So...I started to look at what I was reading and if it appears that the writer has written the story to the point where they have to come up with 'yet one more rule/weapon/plot twist' that hasn't had a 'precursor' relevant build up earlier in the book I get a little disappointed. It is a easy out since the writer doesn't have to go back and try to build the relevant foundation earlier in the story. This story felt like that.

[Paul Bennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was obtained free and was part of a set comprising the first 4 books in the series Post-Human Apocalypse. I have reviewed the books as part of the omnibus edition as well so that people will see the review, whichever way they come across the book. The reviews are the same in both cases. The reviews are the same in both cases. This review also appears on Amazon.

When you start reading this book, having read the others in the series, it is as though this story goes right back to the beginning and does not have a link to the others in the series. However, you will definitely be surprised when you find what that link is! The story is certainly very thought-provoking. One disappointment with it is that I got this series thinking it was complete in itself but, when I got to the end of this book, I found that this wasn't so.

[Mike Cataldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit this one was disappointing. The editing of this book was poor. The first chapter set the pace of the book as a hodgepodge of disjointed ideas. While this may have been a plot device to put the reader off track (and the fact that I had seen your Ted talk) it only worked for about ten pages. The sex bot didn't work at all. In fact, it almost closed down the book for me entirely. You've always used women as binary figures (on - @itch and off - love bot), but this book had nothing to distract from that. Anyway, just started 5, hoping things get better.

[Det Cornforth · Rating 3 out of 5]

SIM

SIM-ply intriguing. I couldn't give more than a 3 star rating. The story was just SIM-ply long winded. It was SIM-ply too focused with no real action. Action which would make you SIM-ply excited and not bored, wishing to get the story read and done with. Trans-Human was a better read.

[Ricky Kimsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth Volume

This is the fourth volume of the Post-Human series. I read the first three a few years back and enjoyed them. In this volume however I felt a little disconnected from this world. Maybe with the passage of time I had a hard time reconnecting with this universe. You, however, may feel differently.

[Barry Edstene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should this have been book 1 or book 4?, Fact is that the question is irrelevant. This series is so well put together that reading it is like jumping through a worm hole (Just my take, never did it) and landing just where you need to be in the story. I loved every book, and as long as Simpson graces me with his imagination, I will keep reading.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read again!

Fast read! I recommend this and the entire series to other readers. I've started this series and burned through the first four books faster than I have any series before.

[Kenneth Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

This is my favorite book in this series thus far. The first book seemed more focused on action than anything else. The series has grown more introspective, imaginative, and has been raising fascinating questions. I can't wait to read the next book.

[Limary Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since the author specifically ask not to spoil the surprise in the review I won't go into details. All I can say is that the book is as fast pace as the last three and that it actually give one last explanation to the story that is most needed to understand the whole thing.

[Franks V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Human Plus is Book 4 in the smash hit science fiction series. Not exactly a sequel, not exactly a prequel, Human Plus will defy expectations. No matter what you thought was coming next, you're in for a surprise!

[Dallas Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good

[Frederick Gault · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the lot of the first 4 of this series. Very much like a Philip K. Dick plot investigating what is the self and where is reality found.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. Im done with this series. Got a little worse with each book. Enough already.

[Kenn Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good series

[Sadok Kohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected thrilling turn of events. Wow!

[Catherine Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great twist, but I never give plot details away. As always, this author builds up great characters, and lends us an exciting adventure, then provides us with a conclusion. I have read the series so far, and this book gives a little insight into the past. I've enjoyed this series tremendously as there are some interesting futuristic ideas put to the reader. Been a good ride, though I believe there may be more to come.

[Norm Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Human Plus, by David Simpson: Complete 01/26/16

I highly recommend this series. I kept skipping 5 star books in my currently reading list to come back to this Post Human series. I'm glad I did.

Hovering over 4 stars I read, “really liked this”, and hovering over 5 stars I read “This is awesome”. I know what awe is. I know what awesome is; and David Simpson is awesome, Trans-Human, the book being reviewed, isn't quite “awesome”. So close I'm doing David a disservice by not giving 5 stars.

I had a confusing and insightful observation of part this book, and part of the entire series combined when I finished Human Plus, book four in the series. I thought, “Ok, this series is a bit of a mixed up Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction kind of sci-fi thingy.”

This book seemed instantly darker that previous books in the series that, while always on the verge of doom, seemed optimistic. “Edgy” also comes to mind.

I don't know the protagonist's name in this book. Hard to get a name in when it is all from the first person point of view. So, the protagonist is called “The Professor” and whatever else I missed and can't find skimming through the book again.

It starts with a contemptible barf-bag of a “so called” genius with a totally bad attitude; who is just plain hypercritical. Who can stomach this type of attitude?

At the start, all you want is for some truly nasty things to happen to this first person point of view "protagonist" character. Or at least some dramatic twist that makes the reprehensible creature take a quick interest in developing some decent or respectful virtues.

That nasty stuff you want to happen DOES happen in a giant way and almost immediately the sneaky scoffer becomes quite different, with a bright new point of view of the world that was so contemptible just moments earlier.

I didn't notice it at first, in reviewing this piece before posting. Seems I've sort of said everything while saying nothing at all. Everywhere, even in the earlier spoiler I never refer to the "the first person" with enough clarity to create a spoiler unless you've read the book.

David, you've earned your success by providing countless people like me many many hours of escape and entertainment. BTW, I missed the "upload" twist in Human Plus. Clever. Thank you.

[Edmund de Wight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Human Plus is the fourth book in this series. I'll be honest, I had a little bit of fear that it might be a little fluffy after my (minor) issues with the plots of the last two books but I dove in and was immersed in a world that appears to be occuring BEFORE the events of Sub Human.
It was kind of interesting seeing the world prior to the wold war 3 of the first book but also a bit confusing - who were these people? how did this tie into the grander plot arc that has already been written? It didn't matter, this was interesting and the situation was really engaging.
The story quickly becomes a bit of a thriller with our central character becoming immersed in a fight between opposing factions with world ending consequences. No details from me, there are too many spoilers if I do that.
About three quarters of the way to the end we leap ahead in time and get to meet Aldous and Samantha from the earlier stories at a time between the death of Craig (Old Timer) during WWIII and the awakening of the AI. More plot reveal occurs and you begin to go 'hey this is pretty dang neat'.
Finally we jump ahead to the future time that was the end of the Trans Human story. Everything is clearly explained and you're left with a nice bit of revelation about the entire story arc that will leave you quite satisfied.

It was nice to meet new characters and situations than had been already presented. It was also nice to see a slice of the lives of major players from before that deepened their character in my mind.
And as always, its great to see what happens next for major characters from the story you had just finished.

All in all this was a fun book to read and very satisfying from a plot and world building point. I have a much deeper appreciation for the world David created after reading this fourth installment.
Guess I'll have to go out and buy number 5 next so I can see where he takes us next.

[Rollie Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the best of the Post-Human series and I really want to give it four stars, but I cannot. It is better than the rest of the books, and could easily have stood alone by itself.

In fact, with very little work, this could have become an SF classic.

Unfortunately, it comes at the end of the series, and it does not really finish the series, though there is a stuck on ending that tries, and fails to draw all the strings together.

Before the truth is revealed to the reader, he had already come most of the way to understanding what is happening, because he was told the story way back in the early part of the series.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The truly gripping part of this novel is about a man who finds that he is a character in a simulation. It is gripping and believable, and unlike at other parts in the series, it gives us the clues to let us figure it out. Yes, it is the Matrix, but all but one of the actors is just a computer program.

Now, the problem is that the plotline had to be pushed in a certain direction for the story to fit into the larger story. If the author had been free to write a real ending to the novella, then as I say, it could have been a truly classic.

Unfortunately, this is the telling of a story that we learn about way back at the beginning of the series, and so the author must take it to ending that fits the series, not one that truly fits the story itself.

And then he has to tack on something that could be left off to tie up his series, or so we are lead to believe.

So, this is the only one I can recommend, but I would suggest that you stop at the end of Part 2, and then try to imagine your own ending to the story. It will probably be better than what you get here, as long as you have not read the first three novels.