The A.I. Chronicles

The Future Chronicles #2

by Ellen Campbell (Editor), Samuel Peralta (Forward), David Simpson

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. Even today, machines that mimic human thinking surround us. As the intellectual feats of computing machines grow more and more astounding, will there be a day when their apparent intelligence approaches, or even surpasses, that of human beings? And what if these machines then become conscious, self-aware?

In this latest title in the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies, thirteen authors confront the question of the Singularity: that point of time when A.I. becomes more than simply a human construct. From machine awareness to omniscience, these original short stories explore that territory where human intelligence comes face-to-face with what is either its greatest hope, or its greatest threat.

The A.I. Chronicles features stories by bestselling author David Simpson (the Post-Human series), Prix Aurora winner Julie Czerneda (In the Company of Others), plus eleven more of today's top authors in speculative and science fiction.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Artificial Intelligence, Dystopia, Thriller

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2015

Reviews

[Tiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The A.I. Chronicles houses a collection of short stories by many emerging and best-selling names that take on the concept of the artificial intelligence from military based stories to stories that feature hybrids of machine/machine or man/machine to stories that are more quizzical in nature about what it means to be alive. I would love to talk about every story in this book, but if you regularly read my reviews, you’ll find that I am long-winded enough. I can’t say that every story in this book is a winner. That can be said of any anthology of stories, though, but there are a very good crop of stories in this book.

I love science fiction, which I wrote a very public love letter to for Fantasy Cafe’s Women in SF&F Month, especially science fiction where artificial intelligence factors in heavily. I’d learned about this book about three months prior to its release and read it as soon as I could make the time for it between an already busy reading schedule.

The A.I. is probably arguably one of the more interesting subsets of science fiction because it poses a psychological and philosophical question to human beings, summed up well by one of my favorite robot/A.I. hybrids (okay, more of a gestalt consciousness type awareness), Legion, from the Mass Effect gaming series: “Does this unit have a soul?”

That simple question bundles a whole multitude of other questions inside those few words, including the definition of how “self” is defined, the idea of murder being limited only to biological beings, and of course, the ever present threat of a self-aware machine becoming the god of its own creators and how our limitations may be perceived as usefulness/uselessness. In turn, these questions are explored in media such as Mass Effect and films, such as this short film called Abe, featuring a robot programmed to love (warning: this is not a happy film at all and falls over into the territory of horror).

Did this book satisfy my interest in the subject?

For the most part, it did. I enjoyed the various takes on the idea of the A.I. from simple ideas as having A.I. that monitors everything you do to grand ideas where an A.I. advanced from being marginally self-aware to human level conscious and beyond in a matter of hours. I can only say there was one story that I really hated out of the whole group, which I won’t even discuss because I don’t hate it for its overall concept but for the toxic social/societal ideas I feel its perpetuating (though I don’t think this was the author’s intention at all, but it still managed to feel that way).

With this book, I found that I appreciated the stories that dealt more with the philosophical/psychological angle of being a self-aware A.I. than some of the other stories, but that’s because I like stories that challenge my way of thinking, that asks me to confront certain ideas that I hold about things. Two of my favorite stories in this book were Restore by Susan Kaye Quinn and Auto by Angela Cavanaugh. They weren’t the only two to take this on, but I felt these two were done exceptionally well.

Quinn’s story actually made me seek out her Singularity series, which shares a universe with her story. Restore follows the brief adventure of a self-aware medi-bot with an ascender (a sort of human/A.I. hybrid that’s explored more in her Singularity series) as the medi-bot tries to understand the motivations of humans during times of suffering, especially as an A.I. whose aim is to make sure its patients receive the best care and are in a good place mentally–even the A.I.’s own self-happiness goes hand in hand with how well it feels its accomplishing its duty. Ascenders are part A.I. themselves and in theory have “ascended” normal human beings but some still cling to very human ideas and ways of dealing with life and tragedy despite this.

The story Auto by Angela Cavanaugh made me think of yet another Mass Effect A.I. I loved named EDI from the moment I read its opening lines:

I was activated. I was alone and I didn’t understand anything not even what I was […] My archives showed theories related to intelligence: animal, human, and artificial. The main theory claimed that no intelligent thing could ever know itself, that the human brain could never accurately and completely describe itself. Based on this definition, many humans expected that A.I.s could not improve upon themselves, and therefore posed no threat, because while they could learn, they could never advance past their own programming, or the humans who programmed them. While I agreed that I didn’t pose a threat, I was certain that I could improve upon myself. And, at that moment, I knew myself more thoroughly than any life form before me.

It dealt with the story from the A.I.’s point-of-view of having vast amounts of knowledge to consume while learning to process this knowledge and understand how to use this knowledge to answer questions in a more “human” way. While its creator prodded it with questions that it logically answered, it realized its answers weren’t “ideal” for what its creators wanted and acknowledged these limitations. However, one creator feels they’ve created the perfect sociopath where one feels that they’ve created something they could consider “living” because it understands itself on a philosophical level and the story spirals from there.

There’s a little bit of something for everyone here, so don’t think that the only thing you’re going to get is a philosophical debate about the meaning of artificial intelligence and where our society is heading from a technological standpoint. Even the ones I didn’t care for much still presented ideas that engaged my thoughts on the subject.

[D.K. Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Smart Are Your Devices?

My introduction to Artificial Intelligence, or A.I., was in a movie theater. I was watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL 9000 began as an obedient computer, following the orders of Dr. David Bowman and Dr. Frank Poole. You know what happens next---HAL wants to control the ship and won’t take no for an answer. Years later I realized he’d become self-aware.

So is A.I. a dream come true for society, or a horrible nightmare? Each of the stories in this anthology portrays a different version of what may or may not be our future.

How many of us have ‘smart’ phones? Have you ever blindly followed the directions given to you by your GPS unit? After reading these stories you’ll find your opinion will be in constant flux. How wise is it to leave our decisions and ultimately our lives in the hands of anything with A.I.?

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this as my Amazon Prime read and I was not disappointed. I always mean to read anthologies and short story collections but very rarely do so this was a treat. I most enjoyed The Syntax of Consciousness by Pavarti K Tyler, Piece of Cake by Patrice Fitzgerald, Restore by Susan Kaye Quinn (truly made me sad), Narai by E.E. Giorgi (very well done) & Left Foot on A Blind Man (witty) most and those will likely stay with me longest. This was nice because these authors were new to me and I will seek out their other work. Others in the collection were good as well and some of the authors I was already familiar with, having read their work before. All in all, this was a solid collection and I will definitely read other collections in this series. I've already bought a couple.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good collection of stories. I liked most of them. The story "Restore" by Susan Kaye Quinn, which was set in her Singularity universe, was very good. Also "The End" by Peter Cawdron was very strong. I read one of his novels a few years back and remember it being just ok. However, this story was so good it makes me want to check out more of his recent work.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of short stories all themed around artificial intelligences.

I don't know if it this was specifically the intent of the series, but this anthology mostly seems to be authors who aren't particularly big names in the field, and might even be considered 'indie'. In fact, of all the stories in the anthology, I only recognized one name from a novel I've actually read (and maybe a few short stories elsewhere), and another name, the series producer's, from e-mails I have yet to filter out of my inbox that I think I accidentally opted into as part of a contest on Twitter run to increase the visibility of up-and-coming authors (that, unless I'm confusing it for another incident, wound up permanently turning me off a huge number of up-and-coming authors because of the annoyance factor of being subscribed to 50 author's newsletters at once). That unrelated issue aside, I think it's a great thing to have anthologies dedicated to newer authors and helping them find an audience. In principle, anyway.

In this specific case, though? I didn't find this a particularly good anthology. Maybe I have high standards when it comes to this topic (AI's one of my favorite themes in science fiction). And I don't think it's necessarily the fault of the authors, specifically, perhaps more the editor who chose them, but I just didn't find, anywhere in the anthology, a whole lot interesting to say about AI, and very little innovative at all. Most of them just redid tired old tropes of AIs gaining consciousness and reacting to everything more or less like humans would, often graduating from not speaking to being perfectly conversant in English just by loading in a database. I wanted more examinations of how AIs would be different, see the world differently or be fundamentally isolated. Few of the stories stood out as bad, but I don't think a single one really wowed me, either, most were just okay, some had intriguing premises but didn't really go anywhere interesting or just took bizarre twists that ruined the story for me, others seemed less like stories and more like they were designed to lure you to the author's other work in the same universe. So, since the predominant reaction I had was 'this was okay I guess', two stars is my rating for the collection as a whole.

[LordTBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

The A.I. Chronicles is the first anthology in the Future Chronicles series that I have had the opportunity to read and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Every book I have ever read, up to this point, only contained one storyline by one author, had a beginning and an end and would sometimes carry on with a sequel or two. Here, you have thirteen different authors with thirteen completely different short stories. Some may begin and end, and others may be left open ended for your mind to wander... AND IT IS WONDERFUL!
With some of the best science fiction authors like David Simpson (Post-Human Series, The God Killers), Susan Kaye Quinn (The Mindjack Trilogy, The Legacy Human), E. E. Giorgi (Chimeras, Gene Cards) and Peter Cawdron (Anomaly, Monsters), just to name a few, this anthology doesn't miss a beat. Not only is it thrilling, action packed, emotional and sometimes downright scary, but it makes you really think about the future and what we can expect through the next few generations. What role will AI be given? Are we already letting AI control our lives to the point where we can't live without it? Is a future without AI even possible?
I could sit here and talk about each one individually, giving away storylines and vivid details, but those are things you will only find out by picking up a copy. If you are like me, you will finish this book and want to pick up the other three (Robot, Telepath, Alien) without hesitation.

"This is why we cannot write an artificial intelligence program, because intelligence is a response to so many multifaceted aspects of Nature. A computer can never experience these driving motivations. We can build a learning machine, but it can never learn anything beyond facts. It can never experience life. It simply doesn't have the innate drive we naturally share." - The End by Peter Cawdron

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories exploring the concept and ramifications of artificial intelligence. All the stories were solid, some I liked more than others, but none made me groan or skip over. My three favorite stories were Nash's Equilibrium, Vendetta, and Darkly Cries the Digital.


The Syntax of Consciousness by Pavarti K Tyler

To makes ends meet, Jamie gets a experimental Jiminy brain implant, but gets more than she bargained for with Minnie.


Piece of Cake by Patrice Fitzgerald

A totalitarian world down to every calorie you eat.


Restore by Susan Kaye Quinn

A medical robot cares for a dying patient.

This author is how I found out about this collection and I had read this story previously. I enjoy her work, but this is the weakest of her Stories of Singularity. Her story, Containment, is brilliant.


Narai by EE Giorgi

A doctor experiences frustration and nihilism as his field is taken over by artificial intelligence. I found this story less interesting as about AI, but more interesting as a tale of medical curiosity (reminiscent of tv show House), medical error, and the failure of a health system.


Left Foot on a Blind Man by Julie Czerneda

A simple robotic replacement part inadvertently develops into AI and goes through a series of hosts.

My favorite part of this story was the author's comments at the end about how her first readers viewed the AI sympathetically finding the hosts miserable. She fixed that problem by having the AI kick a cat. LOL. That's what loses peoples' sympathy. I, on the other hand, liked the crotchety old blind man who was doing fine on his own and didn't need his son interfering.


Sub-Human: Nash's Equilibrium by David Simpson

Loved this story and will be checking out his series.


Auto by Angela Cavanaugh

I enjoyed the concept of the back-ups and the relationship to the original. Are they the same, siblings, descendants?


Eve's Awakening by Logan Thomas Snyder

Pre-warned of the FBI raiding his company, a computer programmer makes off with a surprise find.


Maker by Sam Best

Judah unintentionally created AI and after thousands if years, his lonely creation requests his help.


Vendetta by Chrystalla Thoma

Fascinating story. I enjoyed the mystery and the twists and turns. I liked this story enough to read more of this author, but it doesn't look her other work is similar.


The Turing Cube by Alex Albrinck

The NSA agent is concerned about invasion of privacy from the IRS. Wait, what? Perhaps this story was written before Snowden?

Also, if we accept the principle of taxation and that the money scammed from individuals in the story was actually correcting underpayments, then the victim was actually the government and not the taxpayers. The heroine should then be returning the money to the IRS and not the scammed taxpayers, right?

But I imagine even socialists won't find that narrative emotionally satisfying. And I'm really not saying that be snarky. Some things make good stories and other things just don't make a satisfying story, even if you fully agree with it morally or politically.

Sorry, got a little distracted by a tangent in this story. Clearly, I've heard my husband say "taxation is theft" too many times.


Darkly Cries the Digital by A. K. Meek

Haunting, emotionally wrenching story wherein a bereaved father uses AI to cheat death for his young son, but the mother feels differently.


The End by Peter Cawdron

The concept of developing artificial intelligence by re-creating the way intelligence developed naturally was great. But it would have been better if this concept developed throughout the story, rather than a character bringing it up in discussion.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a last minute surprise in my inbox earlier this week, courtesy of Julie Czerneda. While I wasn't sure I would be able to read it cover-to-cover in time for today's launch, it ended up being one of those books where I just had to read one more story before going to bed.

The A.I. Chronicles is the latest collection in The Future Chronicles series, edited by Ellen Campbell, with a baker's dozen of authors on-hand to explore those moments where we come face-to-face with an intelligence we created but can no longer control. There's some dark stuff here, but there's also some very funny stuff, and it all has a cautionary sort of feel.

The Syntax of Consciousness by Pavarti K. Tyler and Piece of Cake by Patrice Fitzgerald were fun stories of what happens when life's conveniences are perfected - just remember to be careful what you wish for.

There were four consecutive stories with a medical theme, with the two that really worked being Narai by E.E. Giorgi, which is an interesting story about the perfect diagnosis and what an imperfect doctor can do when he questions it, and Left Foot on a Blind Man by Julie E. Czerneda, which examines what happens when prosthetics become smarter and better than the limbs they've replaced

Vendetta by Chrystalla Thoma was the creepiest of the lot, with a young woman technologically augmented to better fit in, but perhaps a little too much for her (or society's) own good. Taking a very different approach to a similar theme, Darkly Cries the Digital by A.K. Meek was a definite favorite, a story of science and superstition that asks how far a parent would go to save a child . . . and just what the cost might be.

There were, of course, a few stories that I chose to skip over after reading the story synopses, but it's a rare collection where everything works for every reader. The 'hard' side of science fiction has never intrigued me as much as the human side, but The A.I. Chronicles offers a nice balance that's as thoughtful as it is entertaining.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

[Wesley F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read over half of the stories before quitting. With one exception, the stories were forgettable and offered no novel or interesting insights into A.I. It reads like the editor wanted a make an anthology and called a bunch of authors to "hey, could you whip up an AI story for me, or send me one you got lying around?" The quality felt more like something from a quarterly sci-fi magazine, not an anthology with a title suggesting it was a special collection with a deep focus on A.I. It isn't. Not worth the time or money and I think I'll be skipping the other anthologies in this Future Chronicles series.

Gets two stars, because most of the stories are meh, not terrible, although two of them were. One was actually alright but it took until the 50 percent to find it.

[Ashley (Tiny Navajo Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is life?

Okay, pretentious question, but when you’re dealing with A.I. what else but pretentious questions will you get? I enjoyed reading and thinking about what it means to be alive and what it means to be alive. And when you have life in virtual, is that actual life and consciousness? Or is it something else?

[Barry Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to great collection.

Explored several interesting aspects of AI and some were novel and thought provoking. Short stories but quickly engaging. A few left me wanting to seek out more . The use of AI can be a good tool but has potential unknowns that are simply frightening. Reading this chronicle was a oddly comforting , I did not expect that.

[T.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this was an anthology with many different stories by many different authors, I had different opinions about each one and mixed feelings about the anthology as a whole. Overall, I thought it was very well done and I appreciated the great variety there was here. Artificial intelligence is one of my favorite aspects of the science fiction genre, so it was fun to read so many different ideas centering on that. I just wanted to write a few lines about what I thought about each story:

"The Syntax of Consciousness" by Parvati K. Tyler
This may have been my favorite story in the whole collection. The premise was interesting, and the author did a fantastic job with good characterization right from the start. One reason I loved this story more than a lot of the others was because it set things up right away and then got on with the story without getting bogged down exploring ideas in any more depth than was necessary. The ending was fantastic, and I ended up writing a quick note to the author as soon as I finished because I just had to tell her how much I enjoyed it.

"Piece of Cake" by Patrice Fitzgerald
This was a fun little story that I felt had kind of a dark sense of humor about it, which I enjoyed. I have a major sweet tooth and could easily identify with the main character, and I loved the way the author describes her efforts to get that delectable desert that always seems just out of her grasp.

"Narai" by E. E. Giorgi
This one had a good premise and the writing was solid, but the ending left me wanting more. I didn't feel like it necessarily lived up to it's potential. It was still an enjoyable story and, as I said, well-written, but not particularly memorable for me.

"Left Foot on a Blind Man" by Julie E. Czerneda
I thought the way this story was told, from the point of view of the A.I. speaking directly to the reader, was interesting. At first I wasn't sure that I would like it, but the narrator has a strong enough voice that it works while still maintaining a cold, machine-like regard towards human beings that seemed appropriate for the story. I also thought the whole premise of A.I. developing in a prosthetic was intriguing.

"Sub-Human: Nash's Equilibrium" by David Simpson
I struggled with this story. Much of it was told through dialogue, and unfortunately, the dialogue felt really forced and unrealistic to me. There also just seemed to be a lot of it. I never really got a good sense for any of the characters, which kind of ruined the ending for me because I didn't care about any of them enough to care what happened to them. I just thought it could have used a little more editing and perhaps focused more on the characters.

"Auto" by Angela Cavanaugh
This was well-written, but the story was a little predictable and the characters felt just a little flat. Still, it explored some thought-provoking ideas and I enjoyed it.

"Eve's Awakening" by Logan Thomas Snyder
This was an enjoyable story, particularly the first half. Vikram was a fantastic character and I enjoyed his sarcastic, cynical perspective on things. I laughed out loud a few different times throughout the story. The point of view shifts about halfway through, though, and for me, became a little lack-luster from that point on. Maybe I was just bitter to see Vikram go; he was one of my favorites in the entire collection.

"Maker" by Sam Best
This was a slower story, but it wasn't any worse for that. It's one that stayed with me for a while after I read it. If I had to describe it in a couple words, I'd say it was "quietly sad." The ideas explored were interesting though and I liked that the ending didn't answer all of the questions that were brought up throughout the story.

"Vendetta" by Chrystalla Thoma
Another fantastic story that I loved partly because it was so fast-paced and plot-driven. I won't say too much because I don't want to give anything away, but I loved all the plot twists and turns along the way.

"The Turing Cube" by Alex Albrinck
This story dragged a little for me. The narrator was likable and the ideas were interesting enough, but I had a bit of a hard time staying engaged with the story and following all the ideas presented. There were a few times I caught myself just wishing we could get on with the story already.

"Darkly Cries the Digital" by A.K. Meek
The mix of superstition and technology here was unique and interesting. Though the writing felt a little clumsy in places, I still enjoyed the story. Descriptions of character emotions were well-done, but I felt like the story jumped around too much between characters and might have been better off just sticking to Jan's point of view.

"The End" by Peter Cawdron
This was another story with some really interesting ideas, and they were all explored really well. However, for the most part, I felt like that's all they were: ideas. Much of the story is just two characters bouncing ideas back and forth, which was done really well and that's all fine. However, I just wanted to read a story, and for a long time, this didn't feel like one. I always say that I'm one of those people who don't like a ton of science in my science fiction, and I'm sure there are people out there who would have enjoyed the exchange of ideas and information more.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great collection of specially commissioned SF short stories.

[Michael Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great set of stories, some more enjoyable than others to me. This is a good way to find authors as well.

[Nicole C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gotta say, there were some really great stories in here! I think my favourite was called Restore, about the AI built into different human body parts. Pure. Gold.

[Krista D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story in the collection was probably my favourite.

[Jim Kratzok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty darn good collection!

All of the stories in this collection were good but some were exceptional! It's been awhile since I read a collection of short stories and I forgot how groping they could be. Telling a story in a few pages rather than in hundreds takes a certain skill. These writers have it and I'm planning on reading more of some of their individual work.

[Melisa Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great anthology in the series!

I love this series! It is a great collection and I am being introduced to so many new and talented authors. I love space opera and hardcore sci fi, but this series is broadening my horizons and I am excited to read more from pretty much every author in the series, and I've read all but one of the collections. Please keep 'em coming, Sam Peralta!!!

[Carol Kean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all thirteen stories in this timely anthology about Artificial Intelligence - you know, the latest thing Stephen Hawkings says could spell the end of the human race. With the movie "Chappie" (March 6 release date), AI is in the news more than ever before.

The good news: this collection of short stories is splendid! Well written, thought provoking, timely, relevant, and classic. They remind me in a good way of short stories in vintage issues of Asimov's and other pulp-fiction sci-fi magazines, which are now "ezines" (online versions, available to read via "the Cloud" or your pc or tablet or e-reader). How times change. Speaking of ezines, my review of this book will go live March 12, 2015, in Perihelion Science Fiction, a magazine that began in the 1960s and ran the first published Dean Koontz story (long before Koontz was famous). Cover art included the work of Vaughn Bode, "godfather of graffiti" (RIP; like Jim Morrison and so many creative, brilliant minds of the time, Bode died young). Interviews with Asimov himself and other greats of science fiction graced the pages of this college-student production. Decades later, Sam Bellotto, Jr, and Eric Jones have resurrected this gem. Every month, new stories, comics. reviews, science articles and cover art -- professional, paid work -- are avaible for FREE online, but donations are welcome. Ad revenue alone is no guarantee that you'll keep getting more where this good stuff comes from.

A few stories in The Chronicles may be disturbing for readers like me who hate to see a tale end with murder, suicide, any kind of despair, or even just uncertainty. Others may object to seeing writers defy Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. I don't understand such laws enough to care if authors obey them or not. For $6, this is a great way to sample some of the best writers of our time. For more details, i.e. a more thorough review, see Perihelion ezine March 12. Also see more at https://carolkean.wordpress.com/ - author bios, all in one easy-to-read place, with Twitter links to everyone but Sam Best (come on, Sam, we have ways to make you tweet!).

[Laurie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The A.I. Chronicles, an anthology of science fiction
edited by Ellen Campbell
There’s a meme on FaceBook; “I’ll go to bed as soon as I read one more chapter… oh look! Another chapter.” This is that book, except it’s short stories.
I knew that I would like the book, I love science fiction, I loved Asimov’s robot series. But I don’t usually like short stories, I like to get inside a story and crawl around, make myself at home. Short stories are… well, short.
But, this book was amazing. Literally, and I was an English major, so I mean literally.
The stories pull you in fast, and manage, in a few short pages, to scare you, enthrall you, and make you glare suspiciously at your smart phone. Especially the Syntax of Consciousness by Pavarti K. Tyler, and Left Foot on a Blind Man by Julie Czerneda. I may never trust my MP3 player again.
All this to say; this is an excellent compilation, go buy it. Now.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only trouble with such engaging short stories is that they end, leaving the reader with a wish for more. One extra bonus in this collection is an author bio that follows each selection, some with links to other works to tantalize us. My twenty something daughter perused a few of these and said, "This lis like 'The Twilight Zone' on crack." She meant this as the highest compliment. I would describe these stories as an intellectually challenging Twilight Zone marathon, especially since some of the authors are scientists and engineers. The intriguing variety and amazing imaginations that have created these many ways to consider A. I. are astounding. Each story is a new world of possibilities-some frightening, some hopeful. This is definitely a collection to return to, just as so many people continue to watch reruns of that iconic TV show mentioned above.

[ShingetsuMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quality of short stories in this anthology was a very nice surprise. All of them were amazing with so many different takes on the idea of A.I. and how they could be integrated into society both for good and for bad.

It was good to see that there were short summaries for each story at the beginning of the book as well as comments from the author after each story. I love being able to read about the author's inspiration for the story or the message they were trying to convey as well as where they can be found online if I wish to know more about what they've written.

This is a really top quality anthology and a lot of work clearly went into making it and selecting the authors who would be a part of it.

Highly recommended reading.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book of short stories based on a theme that I have ever read. I had to go with 2 stars cause as a whole it was just alright for me. There were some stories that I really liked, I'd give a couple of them 4 stars. But, then there were a few I really disliked, that I'd only give 1 star to. So all in all, I had to rate this one as 2 stars. There are tons of books in these 'Chronicles' series and I have downloaded several such as The Galaxy, Time Travel, Cyborg and Future Chronicles. There were enough stories that I liked or that maybe I didn't like, but that were surprising by the end, plus they are all written by different authors in the genre so you never know what you're gonna get.

[Conny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to have gotten this anthology by some very talented Authors, as a gift, and I am happy to leave a review in exchange. I found I had a hard time putting it down, and just like another reviewer I found myself saying, "just one more story before I go to sleep", they were all just so entertaining and good. I especially enjoyed "Maker" by Sam Best, I have long been a huge fan of his and I am never disappointed by his work. I am pretty sure that this will be one of those books that I will pick up from time to time to re-read, just because they are so thought provoking. A great Read not to be missed.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this is a long due...Especially since I think this is one of my favorite Chronicles so far. All I can say is sit down and have some cake while eating this ;)

Just WOW each story is so different from the other. While short it grabs your attention quickly and then your just staring at each story wanting more! That's how good each story was. There wasn't a single one that disappointed me. Makes me think twice about how were so close to real A.I. technology. This series of books will get you for sure thinking about every aspect of A.I.

Highly recommend this one and yeah this cover is awesome.

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of these works made me want to go investigate the author and read more, which was good. The exception was David Simpson, as I'd already read the work he offered here in a seemingly little-changed form as the start of one of his novels. I picked up the collection because of Peter Cawdron's name in the list of contributors, and his contribution was as enjoyable as I'd hoped. A very well curated collection with, should I re-open it, enough links to authors pages and other works to keep me going for weeks.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid edition of the future chronicles. There was one story in there about a girl deemed socially overweight who pines for cake...I feel like it had the right general idea behind it and yet was really weak in its "overweight girl can think of nothing but cake" angle. Otherwise, lots of great stories.

I always mean to write a little blurb at least about the stories I really liked, but then it just took me so long to even get to writing the review so I'll try and get back to it one day...

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of stories about what our future might be like with Artificial intelligence. Some of the stories are sweet and make you feel that A.I. technology can only help us in the future. Those stories are definitely in the minority though. Most of the stories are negative portrayals of A.I. that show the dangers of allowing intelligence to blossom in a machine that holds no loyalty to the human race. Those also happen to be the most suspenseful and fascinating tales. Great collection for anyone who ever wondered about the repercussions of Artificial intelligence.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed almost all the stories in the various Chronicles books - some, of course, more than others. The general level of quality control seems very high. Indeed, as a result, I have been led to read a number of the authors' other works. Most of the authors were new to me.

However, this volume was the weakest by far. I am not sure why. Only a few of the stories really griped my attention and, were it not for the excellent final story "The End", I would have been even more disappointed.

I will, however, continue to follow this series of books.

[Juneta Key · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC copy for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed theses shorts. Great sci-fi tales in short reads. Excellent addition to to the Future Chronicles. I found the stories to be interesting and things that I could actually imagine happening--Not so far out in the future and the realm of possibilities. The one about COW really touched a area I do so get in real life. Each story was different, held my attention, a great group of authors collected in one volume. I will definitely be reading more future editions of the chronicles.