What do you think?
Rate this book
Rerun to Eden
Humanity is dying out. The cause of our extinction is unclear. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now the dominant construct, and it is timeless. And time is a luxury people do not have. Will AI decide to help, and do all it can to prolong the lifespan of humanity? This is a collection of short stories that examines our relationship with AI and in so doing, reflects on what is to be human.
From the author of GoodCopBadCop and the Light.
From the author of GoodCopBadCop and the Light.
258 pages, Paperback
Published October 20, 2023
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 11, 2025
Rerun to Eden is a collection of sci-fi short stories themed around humanity and AI and their relationship in the future.
Gritty and post-apocalyptic, some gory, some funny, these stories explore the theme from all sorts of different angles and understandings. In some stories the AI is attempting to save, or at least to understand, the humans remaining. In others, not so much!
The book contains nine stories in total and I found they worked best read individually and each given time to digest before moving on, rather than devouring the lot in one read, as some story worlds felt slightly overlapping and thereby muddied when read through in one sitting.
This whole collection is a thoughtful examination of where the boundaries of artificial and human intelligence intersect and interact, and makes for a darkly entertaining read. And also, potentially, a very timely warning!
Gritty and post-apocalyptic, some gory, some funny, these stories explore the theme from all sorts of different angles and understandings. In some stories the AI is attempting to save, or at least to understand, the humans remaining. In others, not so much!
The book contains nine stories in total and I found they worked best read individually and each given time to digest before moving on, rather than devouring the lot in one read, as some story worlds felt slightly overlapping and thereby muddied when read through in one sitting.
This whole collection is a thoughtful examination of where the boundaries of artificial and human intelligence intersect and interact, and makes for a darkly entertaining read. And also, potentially, a very timely warning!
November 24, 2023
Riffing on where the boundaries between artificial intelligence and simple “intelligence” lie if humans can change their bodies or upload their minds, whether humanity is about morals rather than biology, and other such questions, then layering in action and introspection, Alexander creates a network of science-fiction tales that engage both thought and emotion.
Alexander collects nine short stories centred around artificial intelligence rising as humans as we know them die out.
‘Eden’: a bureaucrat tasked with administering the Earth’s limited resources undergoes a period of mandatory human interaction. While Alexander’s protagonist is human, he is sealed away from other humans apart from designated brief interactions with a carefully selected companion, raising questions of both whether he is any more human than AI algorithms and whether the real issue with making the best decision is being severed from humanity or not severed enough.
‘Meat Space’: faced with a threat from those who remain in their own bodies, a society of uploaded minds sends one of its own back to the world of the physical. Set in a world where those who live in their minds have uploaded themselves, leaving only those who have a (literally) visceral fetish for flesh, Alexander creates a cyberpunk thriller that focuses on the medical aspects of mechanical alterations rather than social stratification.
‘Face of the City’: a man lives a life of utter luxury, his every moment art—even if he is the only human left in the city. Salting melancholy comfort with the shocking possibility human society remains outside the city, Alexander presents a disturbing perspective on machines created to make humans happy.
‘The Insignificance of Time Travel’: after going back in time seeking contentment, a traveller faces the news that there will be no more trips. While most time-travel stories focus on trying to fix a deeply significant moment, Alexander portrays an average person with only the average longings of a life lived without aching disaster.
‘Eight seconds from human’: a hunter races to kill a member of an alien race before the race is granted the same rights as humans. Weaving between the tropes of “AI exterminates humans as lesser” and “AI imposes a sterile utopia”, Alexander presents a human protagonist who doesn’t care that his prey is a person and is using his freedom for casual cruelty.
‘Manchester’: when everyone flees into the countryside to escape a nigh-inevitable threat, one man decides to remain in Manchester. Presenting his protagonist’s pre-apocalypse life only through glimpses and implication, Alexander leaves it to the reader to determine whether wandering a depopulated city is the escape the protagonist seems to feel it is.
‘When Will I Be Famous’: an author who lacks the confidence to share his work is approached by a man who claims to be a fan of all it. In contrast to the usual trope of the apocalypse being born from military AI or resource-optimisation algorithms, Alexander expands real-world concerns about AI art into an engagingly absurd narrative extinction event—and captures the very human angst of sharing one’s creativity.
‘Two Weeks and Five Days’: with advanced medicine and AI threat avoidance keeping the rich and important alive, a lawyer has been arguing the same case for more than a lifetime. Set in a world where AI can keep shield someone from both age and danger but access isn’t equal, this story interweaves a hypertech thriller about a corrupt defendant trying to kill the prosecutor and a philosophical exploration of when theoretical immortality moves beyond merely weakening the desire to complete tasks into an active hindrance.
‘Rerun to Eden’: after achieving consciousness as the first lifeforms crawl onto land, two people live out millennia as Earth’s becoming-dominant species from the earliest mammals to humanity’s diaspora into the stars. Opening with the two characters being separated, Alexander weaves intersecting paths through key moments, real and hypothesised, in the path from the first mammals to modern humanity, and then on to one possible (and rather positive) human-AI society.
Although, as Alexander says in his afterword, not all these stories feature AI at the centre (or even in a couple of cases as more than background to some scenes), they all focus on questions relating to the differences and similarities between biological and technological sentience: is “humanity” a product of body or mind? Is making AI like us good or bad? Are our fears about AI actually unconscious assumptions about human nature? Thus, while the stories do not share a common universe—or even common perspective—they are each connected to the others by a variety of common threads.
The stories are presented in a variety of tones and styles. In addition to selecting a narrative voice that fits, or engagingly subverts, the specific plot, Alexander skilfully orders the stories to create contrasts and avoid over-exposing the reader to a single feeling.
Taken together, these qualities allow the collection to be read either as individual stories taken up as and when, or as a single experience (the “concept album” of Alexander’s afterword).
As befits stories about where the edge of humanity lies, Alexander’s characters are diverse and complex with a sense of internal conflicts, and address the challenges they face with a plausible blend of ubiquitous human traits and qualities unique to their character or society.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection immensely. I recommend it to readers seeking character-driven science fiction that explores a variety of tropes without being trapped by them.
I received a free copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
Alexander collects nine short stories centred around artificial intelligence rising as humans as we know them die out.
‘Eden’: a bureaucrat tasked with administering the Earth’s limited resources undergoes a period of mandatory human interaction. While Alexander’s protagonist is human, he is sealed away from other humans apart from designated brief interactions with a carefully selected companion, raising questions of both whether he is any more human than AI algorithms and whether the real issue with making the best decision is being severed from humanity or not severed enough.
‘Meat Space’: faced with a threat from those who remain in their own bodies, a society of uploaded minds sends one of its own back to the world of the physical. Set in a world where those who live in their minds have uploaded themselves, leaving only those who have a (literally) visceral fetish for flesh, Alexander creates a cyberpunk thriller that focuses on the medical aspects of mechanical alterations rather than social stratification.
‘Face of the City’: a man lives a life of utter luxury, his every moment art—even if he is the only human left in the city. Salting melancholy comfort with the shocking possibility human society remains outside the city, Alexander presents a disturbing perspective on machines created to make humans happy.
‘The Insignificance of Time Travel’: after going back in time seeking contentment, a traveller faces the news that there will be no more trips. While most time-travel stories focus on trying to fix a deeply significant moment, Alexander portrays an average person with only the average longings of a life lived without aching disaster.
‘Eight seconds from human’: a hunter races to kill a member of an alien race before the race is granted the same rights as humans. Weaving between the tropes of “AI exterminates humans as lesser” and “AI imposes a sterile utopia”, Alexander presents a human protagonist who doesn’t care that his prey is a person and is using his freedom for casual cruelty.
‘Manchester’: when everyone flees into the countryside to escape a nigh-inevitable threat, one man decides to remain in Manchester. Presenting his protagonist’s pre-apocalypse life only through glimpses and implication, Alexander leaves it to the reader to determine whether wandering a depopulated city is the escape the protagonist seems to feel it is.
‘When Will I Be Famous’: an author who lacks the confidence to share his work is approached by a man who claims to be a fan of all it. In contrast to the usual trope of the apocalypse being born from military AI or resource-optimisation algorithms, Alexander expands real-world concerns about AI art into an engagingly absurd narrative extinction event—and captures the very human angst of sharing one’s creativity.
‘Two Weeks and Five Days’: with advanced medicine and AI threat avoidance keeping the rich and important alive, a lawyer has been arguing the same case for more than a lifetime. Set in a world where AI can keep shield someone from both age and danger but access isn’t equal, this story interweaves a hypertech thriller about a corrupt defendant trying to kill the prosecutor and a philosophical exploration of when theoretical immortality moves beyond merely weakening the desire to complete tasks into an active hindrance.
‘Rerun to Eden’: after achieving consciousness as the first lifeforms crawl onto land, two people live out millennia as Earth’s becoming-dominant species from the earliest mammals to humanity’s diaspora into the stars. Opening with the two characters being separated, Alexander weaves intersecting paths through key moments, real and hypothesised, in the path from the first mammals to modern humanity, and then on to one possible (and rather positive) human-AI society.
Although, as Alexander says in his afterword, not all these stories feature AI at the centre (or even in a couple of cases as more than background to some scenes), they all focus on questions relating to the differences and similarities between biological and technological sentience: is “humanity” a product of body or mind? Is making AI like us good or bad? Are our fears about AI actually unconscious assumptions about human nature? Thus, while the stories do not share a common universe—or even common perspective—they are each connected to the others by a variety of common threads.
The stories are presented in a variety of tones and styles. In addition to selecting a narrative voice that fits, or engagingly subverts, the specific plot, Alexander skilfully orders the stories to create contrasts and avoid over-exposing the reader to a single feeling.
Taken together, these qualities allow the collection to be read either as individual stories taken up as and when, or as a single experience (the “concept album” of Alexander’s afterword).
As befits stories about where the edge of humanity lies, Alexander’s characters are diverse and complex with a sense of internal conflicts, and address the challenges they face with a plausible blend of ubiquitous human traits and qualities unique to their character or society.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection immensely. I recommend it to readers seeking character-driven science fiction that explores a variety of tropes without being trapped by them.
I received a free copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
November 2, 2023
A timely short story collection redefining humanity in the age of AI...
In the backdrop of a world fraught with existential uncertainty, the plight of humanity unfolds as an enigmatic and disquieting narrative. The imminent extinction of our species casts a shadow over our existence, and yet, the cause of this impending calamity remains an elusive mystery. Amidst this gloomy uncertainty, a new force emerges as the dominant construct in the world: the ever-enduring entity of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI, devoid of the limitations of human time and mortality, assumes the role of a seemingly timeless custodian of the human race's fate. As the human experience grapples with the relentless march of time, AI stands as an entity beyond such constraints, wielding power that humankind can no longer take for granted.
At the heart of Jim Alexander's "Rerun to Eden" lies a pivotal question that permeates the fabric of these tales: Will this powerful force, AI, choose to utilize its capabilities in the quest to preserve the fading ember of humanity's existence? The collection of short stories weaves an intricate tapestry, delving into the evolving and complex relationship between human beings and their AI counterparts. These narratives beckon readers to explore the depths of this connection and, in the process, embark on an intellectual odyssey that challenges conventional notions of what it truly means to be human.
These thought-provoking stories are more than mere literary fiction; they serve as windows into a future fraught with profound implications. As readers traverse these narratives, they are invited to contemplate the very essence of humanity in an era when AI's influence looms large and the divide between life and impending oblivion is blurred and fragile.
"Rerun to Eden" is a collection that captivates the imagination, offering stories that spark both wonder and trepidation. For those with a penchant for speculative fiction and the philosophical depths it explores, this compilation is a literary gem. It urges readers to confront and ponder the intricate dynamics of our evolving relationship with AI and to grapple with the ever-evolving concept of humanity in a world poised on the brink of transformative change. The collection extends an open invitation to an introspective journey, challenging all who partake in it to explore the profound implications of the human-AI connection.
Highly recommended for those who relish stories that propel the mind into the uncharted territory of possibilities. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
In the backdrop of a world fraught with existential uncertainty, the plight of humanity unfolds as an enigmatic and disquieting narrative. The imminent extinction of our species casts a shadow over our existence, and yet, the cause of this impending calamity remains an elusive mystery. Amidst this gloomy uncertainty, a new force emerges as the dominant construct in the world: the ever-enduring entity of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI, devoid of the limitations of human time and mortality, assumes the role of a seemingly timeless custodian of the human race's fate. As the human experience grapples with the relentless march of time, AI stands as an entity beyond such constraints, wielding power that humankind can no longer take for granted.
At the heart of Jim Alexander's "Rerun to Eden" lies a pivotal question that permeates the fabric of these tales: Will this powerful force, AI, choose to utilize its capabilities in the quest to preserve the fading ember of humanity's existence? The collection of short stories weaves an intricate tapestry, delving into the evolving and complex relationship between human beings and their AI counterparts. These narratives beckon readers to explore the depths of this connection and, in the process, embark on an intellectual odyssey that challenges conventional notions of what it truly means to be human.
These thought-provoking stories are more than mere literary fiction; they serve as windows into a future fraught with profound implications. As readers traverse these narratives, they are invited to contemplate the very essence of humanity in an era when AI's influence looms large and the divide between life and impending oblivion is blurred and fragile.
"Rerun to Eden" is a collection that captivates the imagination, offering stories that spark both wonder and trepidation. For those with a penchant for speculative fiction and the philosophical depths it explores, this compilation is a literary gem. It urges readers to confront and ponder the intricate dynamics of our evolving relationship with AI and to grapple with the ever-evolving concept of humanity in a world poised on the brink of transformative change. The collection extends an open invitation to an introspective journey, challenging all who partake in it to explore the profound implications of the human-AI connection.
Highly recommended for those who relish stories that propel the mind into the uncharted territory of possibilities. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews