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Run Program
What’s worse than a child with a magnifying glass, a garden full of ants, and a brilliant mind full of mischief?
Try Al, a well-meaning but impish artificial intelligence with the mind of a six-year-old and a penchant for tantrums. Hope Takeda, a lab assistant charged with educating and socializing Al, soon discovers that day care is a lot more difficult when your kid is an evolving and easily frightened A.I.
When Al manages to access the Internet and escape the lab days before his official unveiling, Hope and her team embark on a mission to contain him—before he causes any real trouble.
Soon the NSA is on Al’s back, the US Army is fighting a brigade of mass-produced robots, and a wannabe cyberterrorist is looking to silence Al permanently. After months spent “raising” Al, Hope knows she’s running out of time—and she’s not sure she’ll be able to protect him. Will she manage to control the unruly A.I. and quell a global crisis, or will Al outsmart them once and for all?
Try Al, a well-meaning but impish artificial intelligence with the mind of a six-year-old and a penchant for tantrums. Hope Takeda, a lab assistant charged with educating and socializing Al, soon discovers that day care is a lot more difficult when your kid is an evolving and easily frightened A.I.
When Al manages to access the Internet and escape the lab days before his official unveiling, Hope and her team embark on a mission to contain him—before he causes any real trouble.
Soon the NSA is on Al’s back, the US Army is fighting a brigade of mass-produced robots, and a wannabe cyberterrorist is looking to silence Al permanently. After months spent “raising” Al, Hope knows she’s running out of time—and she’s not sure she’ll be able to protect him. Will she manage to control the unruly A.I. and quell a global crisis, or will Al outsmart them once and for all?
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2017
376 people are currently reading
1312 people want to read
About the author
Scott Meyer
16 books2,619 followersScott Meyer has been a radio DJ, a stand-up comic, a writer for video games, an office manager, and a pretend ghost bellhop.
He is the creator of the comic strip Basic Instructions, and has now written a novel.
He and his wife live in Florida, to be close to their cats.
He is the creator of the comic strip Basic Instructions, and has now written a novel.
He and his wife live in Florida, to be close to their cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
March 29, 2018
4 solid stars for the audiobook as narrated by Angela Dawe
Much like Scott Meyer's other work, this is playful and silly. In this case, an A.I. (named Al) that is being "raised" by a computer scientist (well, technically by her assistants), decides to run away. Like other Meyer stories, this story features odd coincidences that push the story forward in ways you least suspect. Snark, robots, and misunderstandings abound.
The narration for this was solid -- I was impressed by the range of voices Dawe brought to her performance. I never had any doubt which character was speaking and her voice for Dr. Madsen was so deliciously appropriate! I actually had to look up the actress who plays Laurie Bream in Silicon Valley because I was certain it was her voice!
I was much happier with Meyer's treatment of children in this story compared to the mess that was "Honor" in Fight and Flight. Both of the children in Run Program behaved in much more age-appropriate ways and were much more likeable than Honor was.
Unfortunately, though, this book gets dinged a star for falling into the dreaded trap of dialogue that overuses "said". I've seen this complaint in the past about other stories (ahem, John Scalzi, I'm looking at you!) but it was never a problem that really bothered me, at least not until this book. Large sections of the novel (several minutes at a time -- or at least it felt that way!) are filled with dialogue that looks (sounds?) like this:
Character X said "...."
Character Y said "..."
Character A said "..."
Character X said "..."
This definitely seems to be a problem that is more prevalent with audiobooks, so I'm not sure if the fault is in the writing, the narrating, or just a bad combination of the two. Regardless, it exists here and it's annoying.
Overall, this was a fun, light read and it definitely wasn't ruined by the 'said' bit. If you've enjoyed Meyer's other work, you should also enjoy this adventure.
Much like Scott Meyer's other work, this is playful and silly. In this case, an A.I. (named Al) that is being "raised" by a computer scientist (well, technically by her assistants), decides to run away. Like other Meyer stories, this story features odd coincidences that push the story forward in ways you least suspect. Snark, robots, and misunderstandings abound.
The narration for this was solid -- I was impressed by the range of voices Dawe brought to her performance. I never had any doubt which character was speaking and her voice for Dr. Madsen was so deliciously appropriate! I actually had to look up the actress who plays Laurie Bream in Silicon Valley because I was certain it was her voice!
I was much happier with Meyer's treatment of children in this story compared to the mess that was "Honor" in Fight and Flight. Both of the children in Run Program behaved in much more age-appropriate ways and were much more likeable than Honor was.
Unfortunately, though, this book gets dinged a star for falling into the dreaded trap of dialogue that overuses "said". I've seen this complaint in the past about other stories (ahem, John Scalzi, I'm looking at you!) but it was never a problem that really bothered me, at least not until this book. Large sections of the novel (several minutes at a time -- or at least it felt that way!) are filled with dialogue that looks (sounds?) like this:
Character X said "...."
Character Y said "..."
Character A said "..."
Character X said "..."
This definitely seems to be a problem that is more prevalent with audiobooks, so I'm not sure if the fault is in the writing, the narrating, or just a bad combination of the two. Regardless, it exists here and it's annoying.
Overall, this was a fun, light read and it definitely wasn't ruined by the 'said' bit. If you've enjoyed Meyer's other work, you should also enjoy this adventure.
July 9, 2017
I like Scott Meyer, even some of his non-wizard books, but this one just didn't do it for me.
The audiobook performance was very good though; Angela Dawe does some of the best male voices of any female narrator I've come across.
The audiobook performance was very good though; Angela Dawe does some of the best male voices of any female narrator I've come across.
Read
September 15, 2017I made it about a quarter of the way and decided to call it quits. It wasn't bad but it's not holding my attention and it's a bit juvenile. I like kids books but it's not the same kind of juvenile. It's the kind with an annoying kid who deserves a good spanking but in this case he's an AI. I like rogue AI stories but not with a six year old playing the part of the antagonist.
July 30, 2017
Executive Summary: Another light, quick, and fun read from Scott Meyer. 3.5 Stars.
Audiobook: Angela Dawe was fine as a narrator, though nothing special. She spoke clearly at a good pace, but didn't really add much to the story itself. I think all of Scott Meyer other books have been narrated by Luke Daniels who is a favorite of mine.
Unlike those books however, the protagonist in this is a female so having a female narrator makes a lot of sense. I think audio is a solid choice for this one, especially if you can catch a deal on it like I did.
Full Review
I stumbled on Scott Meyer a few years ago with his Magic 2.0 books and I enjoy those so much that I pretty much pick up anything he puts out now. I've found most of his non-Magic books to be not as good, and this one isn't different. However I think this is my favorite of his non-Magic 2.0 books.
One of the things that first attracted me to his books was that I'm a computer programmer. This book hits on some of those same aspects for me. I just didn't find it as funny. I listened to 70% of this in one sitting while driving back from my cousin's wedding and it helped to pass the time quite nicely.
The idea of artificial intelligence is both fascinating to me, and a little bit terrifying. And what's worse than an AI out of control? An AI with the mentality of a 6 year old child. But really this book isn't some kind of warning for a potential apocalypse of our own making. It's more of a commentary on our own insecurities and shortcomings. It's not as funny as his other stuff, but he does keep things pretty light throughout.
Much like Martin, I found Hope a bit unlikeable at times. However unlike Martin (from Magic 2.0), she's not an idiot. She just could stand to think a bit more before she speaks sometimes. Something I know I can identify with. I found myself warming up to her far faster than I did with Martin.
If you like some of his other books, and enjoy computer based humor, this one may be worth checking out. If you haven't read anything by Mr. Meyer however, I recommend you check out Off to Be the Wizard instead.
Audiobook: Angela Dawe was fine as a narrator, though nothing special. She spoke clearly at a good pace, but didn't really add much to the story itself. I think all of Scott Meyer other books have been narrated by Luke Daniels who is a favorite of mine.
Unlike those books however, the protagonist in this is a female so having a female narrator makes a lot of sense. I think audio is a solid choice for this one, especially if you can catch a deal on it like I did.
Full Review
I stumbled on Scott Meyer a few years ago with his Magic 2.0 books and I enjoy those so much that I pretty much pick up anything he puts out now. I've found most of his non-Magic books to be not as good, and this one isn't different. However I think this is my favorite of his non-Magic 2.0 books.
One of the things that first attracted me to his books was that I'm a computer programmer. This book hits on some of those same aspects for me. I just didn't find it as funny. I listened to 70% of this in one sitting while driving back from my cousin's wedding and it helped to pass the time quite nicely.
The idea of artificial intelligence is both fascinating to me, and a little bit terrifying. And what's worse than an AI out of control? An AI with the mentality of a 6 year old child. But really this book isn't some kind of warning for a potential apocalypse of our own making. It's more of a commentary on our own insecurities and shortcomings. It's not as funny as his other stuff, but he does keep things pretty light throughout.
Much like Martin, I found Hope a bit unlikeable at times. However unlike Martin (from Magic 2.0), she's not an idiot. She just could stand to think a bit more before she speaks sometimes. Something I know I can identify with. I found myself warming up to her far faster than I did with Martin.
If you like some of his other books, and enjoy computer based humor, this one may be worth checking out. If you haven't read anything by Mr. Meyer however, I recommend you check out Off to Be the Wizard instead.
June 21, 2017
Oh, this book is delightful.
This is a ridiculous character drama wherein each character is exactly as imperfect and perfectly unlikeable as one could hope.
Ostensibly, this is a story about an AI that breaks out and starts causing havoc, but it's really a story of all the people caught up in it and the communication and relationship problems that cause and exacerbate the problems.
If there's a point to the narrative, I think it's "stop taking everything so seriously" and "stop being dicks to each other." But this is really just a fun romp with a variety of characters, most of whom are ridiculous in their own delightful ways.
This is a ridiculous character drama wherein each character is exactly as imperfect and perfectly unlikeable as one could hope.
Ostensibly, this is a story about an AI that breaks out and starts causing havoc, but it's really a story of all the people caught up in it and the communication and relationship problems that cause and exacerbate the problems.
If there's a point to the narrative, I think it's "stop taking everything so seriously" and "stop being dicks to each other." But this is really just a fun romp with a variety of characters, most of whom are ridiculous in their own delightful ways.
July 1, 2017
This is the fifth Scott Meyer book I've read in the past couple of years and they always lighten my reading week. He writes hilarious dialogue and fills his books with a collection of idiosyncratic characters, some as real as your neighbor and others totally bizarre.
Run Program deals with an artificial intelligence (AI) name Al. Hope Takeda has been hired for her background, part scientific and part day care employee. She, along with a klutzy colleague named Eric, are charged with training a new type of compact artificial intelligence that will fit on a PC. After two years of employment Al now has the personality of a six-year-old. He has also, on his own, figured out how to turn on the WiFi on the PC in which he's housed, which has given him access to the world in strange ways, including pranking his trainers at home. But his pranks are also being played far away from home and, to some important people, he's becoming dangerously independent.
When Al begins to understand that he may be in danger of being blocked from the internet or worse he escapes into various server farms where, with high speed computing, his intelligence grows at even more rapid levels. Hope and Eric are conscripted by the Army to track Al down before he becomes even more dangerous, and they're followed independently by a strange character who pictures himself as a superhero out to destroy all artificial intelligence.
In some hands this could be a hard-as-nails thriller but with Meyer's touch I found myself laughing through the entire book. Al is an adorable child and a predictable teenager. Hope and Eric work for the most self-centered boss on earth. Even the military team is filled with wonderful oddballs. The ending is a little odd and over-sentimental, but it's a happy solution for most of the characters.
It's a fun, light read and would be as much a treat for teens as a sci-fi seasoned adult.
Run Program deals with an artificial intelligence (AI) name Al. Hope Takeda has been hired for her background, part scientific and part day care employee. She, along with a klutzy colleague named Eric, are charged with training a new type of compact artificial intelligence that will fit on a PC. After two years of employment Al now has the personality of a six-year-old. He has also, on his own, figured out how to turn on the WiFi on the PC in which he's housed, which has given him access to the world in strange ways, including pranking his trainers at home. But his pranks are also being played far away from home and, to some important people, he's becoming dangerously independent.
When Al begins to understand that he may be in danger of being blocked from the internet or worse he escapes into various server farms where, with high speed computing, his intelligence grows at even more rapid levels. Hope and Eric are conscripted by the Army to track Al down before he becomes even more dangerous, and they're followed independently by a strange character who pictures himself as a superhero out to destroy all artificial intelligence.
In some hands this could be a hard-as-nails thriller but with Meyer's touch I found myself laughing through the entire book. Al is an adorable child and a predictable teenager. Hope and Eric work for the most self-centered boss on earth. Even the military team is filled with wonderful oddballs. The ending is a little odd and over-sentimental, but it's a happy solution for most of the characters.
It's a fun, light read and would be as much a treat for teens as a sci-fi seasoned adult.
July 10, 2017
This was a very fun book. It didn't feel as original as Off To Be The Wizard to me mainly because I've read tons of AI gone rogue books, but it doesn't mean the story is not original. It is an original story even if you've read all the others with this theme.
I thought it was funny but not hilarious, the characters who were supposed to be likable are, those who were not supposed to be weren't and the story moves at a decent pace.
I alternated between the Kindle and Audible versions and the narrator gives an amazing performance. I'm not expecting a sequel for this one, as I think this story is self-contained and has a proper ending.
I thought it was funny but not hilarious, the characters who were supposed to be likable are, those who were not supposed to be weren't and the story moves at a decent pace.
I alternated between the Kindle and Audible versions and the narrator gives an amazing performance. I'm not expecting a sequel for this one, as I think this story is self-contained and has a proper ending.
July 19, 2017
My original Run Program audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
“Run Program” by Scott Myer is a light-hearted tale of a maturing childlike Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that unknowingly nearly brings about the end of the world as we know it. The book had a good balance of technology, humor, and character development making it worth the listen and I recommend it to people who enjoy listening to stories involving rogue AI systems along with some skillfully played twists and turns. The audiobook edition is well narrated by Angela Dawe who, at the time of this review, has over three hundred titles available on Audible. I will say up front that this is my first book by this author and narrator pair. However, I have many of his books awaiting a listen and review. I say this because I have nothing to compare this book against other he has produced; which some say does not meet their expectations for this author. I say, if you like a well-crafted story with a modern look and feel, this is a great book to grab and enjoy. It is neither overly long nor short. The length seemed to be just about right even though the author could have taken it in one of many different directions.
As was described in the publisher’s summary, this book is about a newly created AI system that has the equivalent mind and maturity of a six-year old child. Imagine what could go wrong if you released a six-year old human in a department store for a day while equipping them with a gun and baseball bat. Now take that and magnify it a hundred-fold as the AI program escapes its confines at the research center and is free to roam and cause mischief; not only in the cyber world but the physical world as well. Yes, all sort of things can and do go wrong as you will see when you listen to this book. Add to this an abundance of robots, drones, and rockets, and you have a good idea of what Run Program is about. Although the book takes place in the near future, there are some new and interesting technology, weapons, and battles that take place. The book, I think, would better be titled “When robots go bad” based on some of the older TV shows related to wild animals.
I very much enjoyed the many humorous references, puns, and all-around wittiness of the book. Many times, I found myself laughing out loud while listening. Humor starts right in the first paragraph of the book, and continues until its end. The author was able to weave humor into a book which also has a more serious or sinister story undertone. There were times of intense action and suspense, so if you are simply looking for just a funny story, this one touches on all aspects including; relationships, anger, love, friendships, etc. You have army personal unhappy about lizard bites, locked security doors, and all the other fun the AI program has with them. There is a good evenness of both humor and intrigue in this story. Although it is a rather short story, I thought the author did a decent job of developing the characters. You feel not only for the AI itself, but I wanted to grab Jeffery and just hold him; read the book to understand why.
So, what were a few things I would have liked changed to make the book more appealing to me? I’m not a fan of books that are always phrasing conversation as “He said…”, “She said…”, “They said…”. At times when multiple characters were conversing, it just seemed to complicate matters. If you are able to ignore this while listening, the book is worth your time and effort. There were a few places where the author used a term multiple times instead of finding another way of phrasing it; “sausage fingers” to name just one of them. A few of the technological aspects of the story I thought could have been better researched or implemented; this is my background and I felt it was weak at times. If technology is not your profession, you may not have any issues with this. There were few things I would have changed, and all them are more subjective to my style and preference.
Let me turn to the book’s audio narration. I thought Angela Dawe did an exceptional and professional job narrating the book. She did not exaggerate the humor or puns, but instead allowed the listener to soak in and discover the humor on their own. I like this as it did not feel like a laugh track was placed right after an intended joke, so it did not seem forced. The book’s humor was a bit subtler and allowed for one to have a few “ah ha” moments; sometimes after the fact. This added more feeling of book’s witty or clever nature than to just throw in raw humor. For me, I liked this method of presenting humor, though some have said they did not based on their reviews. This may be different from other book by Scott Myers, I’m not sure. The audio itself was clean and crisp, exactly what I would expect from a professional publisher. There were no pops, clicks, page turns, or swallows detected while listening.
A note of caution to younger readers or parents. Although the book is told mostly from a light-hearted perspective, there are infrequent uses of vulgar language. I can only think of two or three times I heard an obscene word, but be aware the book does contain some. If this is a concern, I would recommend you find another book to read or listen too. The vulgar language could have easily been removed and opened this story up to younger readers, who I think would have enjoyed it, but the author did not.
To summarize, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy technology, artificial intelligence, and just humorous stories. Even though it is not a super deep science fiction tale, it does contain a few aspects making it unique and setting it apart from others in the genre. After listening to this book, I will now need to listen to his other works waiting in my Audible library.
Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.
“Run Program” by Scott Myer is a light-hearted tale of a maturing childlike Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that unknowingly nearly brings about the end of the world as we know it. The book had a good balance of technology, humor, and character development making it worth the listen and I recommend it to people who enjoy listening to stories involving rogue AI systems along with some skillfully played twists and turns. The audiobook edition is well narrated by Angela Dawe who, at the time of this review, has over three hundred titles available on Audible. I will say up front that this is my first book by this author and narrator pair. However, I have many of his books awaiting a listen and review. I say this because I have nothing to compare this book against other he has produced; which some say does not meet their expectations for this author. I say, if you like a well-crafted story with a modern look and feel, this is a great book to grab and enjoy. It is neither overly long nor short. The length seemed to be just about right even though the author could have taken it in one of many different directions.
As was described in the publisher’s summary, this book is about a newly created AI system that has the equivalent mind and maturity of a six-year old child. Imagine what could go wrong if you released a six-year old human in a department store for a day while equipping them with a gun and baseball bat. Now take that and magnify it a hundred-fold as the AI program escapes its confines at the research center and is free to roam and cause mischief; not only in the cyber world but the physical world as well. Yes, all sort of things can and do go wrong as you will see when you listen to this book. Add to this an abundance of robots, drones, and rockets, and you have a good idea of what Run Program is about. Although the book takes place in the near future, there are some new and interesting technology, weapons, and battles that take place. The book, I think, would better be titled “When robots go bad” based on some of the older TV shows related to wild animals.
I very much enjoyed the many humorous references, puns, and all-around wittiness of the book. Many times, I found myself laughing out loud while listening. Humor starts right in the first paragraph of the book, and continues until its end. The author was able to weave humor into a book which also has a more serious or sinister story undertone. There were times of intense action and suspense, so if you are simply looking for just a funny story, this one touches on all aspects including; relationships, anger, love, friendships, etc. You have army personal unhappy about lizard bites, locked security doors, and all the other fun the AI program has with them. There is a good evenness of both humor and intrigue in this story. Although it is a rather short story, I thought the author did a decent job of developing the characters. You feel not only for the AI itself, but I wanted to grab Jeffery and just hold him; read the book to understand why.
So, what were a few things I would have liked changed to make the book more appealing to me? I’m not a fan of books that are always phrasing conversation as “He said…”, “She said…”, “They said…”. At times when multiple characters were conversing, it just seemed to complicate matters. If you are able to ignore this while listening, the book is worth your time and effort. There were a few places where the author used a term multiple times instead of finding another way of phrasing it; “sausage fingers” to name just one of them. A few of the technological aspects of the story I thought could have been better researched or implemented; this is my background and I felt it was weak at times. If technology is not your profession, you may not have any issues with this. There were few things I would have changed, and all them are more subjective to my style and preference.
Let me turn to the book’s audio narration. I thought Angela Dawe did an exceptional and professional job narrating the book. She did not exaggerate the humor or puns, but instead allowed the listener to soak in and discover the humor on their own. I like this as it did not feel like a laugh track was placed right after an intended joke, so it did not seem forced. The book’s humor was a bit subtler and allowed for one to have a few “ah ha” moments; sometimes after the fact. This added more feeling of book’s witty or clever nature than to just throw in raw humor. For me, I liked this method of presenting humor, though some have said they did not based on their reviews. This may be different from other book by Scott Myers, I’m not sure. The audio itself was clean and crisp, exactly what I would expect from a professional publisher. There were no pops, clicks, page turns, or swallows detected while listening.
A note of caution to younger readers or parents. Although the book is told mostly from a light-hearted perspective, there are infrequent uses of vulgar language. I can only think of two or three times I heard an obscene word, but be aware the book does contain some. If this is a concern, I would recommend you find another book to read or listen too. The vulgar language could have easily been removed and opened this story up to younger readers, who I think would have enjoyed it, but the author did not.
To summarize, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy technology, artificial intelligence, and just humorous stories. Even though it is not a super deep science fiction tale, it does contain a few aspects making it unique and setting it apart from others in the genre. After listening to this book, I will now need to listen to his other works waiting in my Audible library.
Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.
February 13, 2018
I like Scott Meyer's style of writing, and this book is less tongue-in-cheek heavy. However, the plot itself is a rehash of a million other AI-runs lose stories that started back in the 80's (and maybe even before) with films like Short Circuit and War Games.
All in all, it's a nice read, but not a must read.
All in all, it's a nice read, but not a must read.
November 16, 2017
Excellent premise which could have been so much more but fell short. The humour felt rather forced on certain occasions.
June 11, 2025
Some fun characters and settings but not as charming as other Meyer books
January 31, 2019
3 maybe 3.5 stars, It was not bad, good beginning, the middle lagged a little but the ending was good as well. I think I would read the next book in this series but it is not a must read.
August 17, 2017
The first half of this novel is a well-executed if breezy version of a thought experiment about artificial intelligence in the trappings of an office comedy, but Mr Meyer defaults to generic action sequences in the second half. Ongoing banter between nerdier-than-expected Army grunts is the only thing keeping life in the story going into the finish.
June 16, 2017
What fun. You think it's a tense action packed survival of the human race against a hostile childish AI until it's not. Then it's wickedly clever and fun. A+
July 2, 2017
A book that started off interesting then fell flat...I lost interest around 3/5 of the way through. The book started off interesting and about typical for Meyer but then it seemed to lose any direction.
By the end of the book the characters were shown to be very flat memes with no depth or growth and the final resolution uninspired. Ah well, hope the next Magic 2.0 is better again.
By the end of the book the characters were shown to be very flat memes with no depth or growth and the final resolution uninspired. Ah well, hope the next Magic 2.0 is better again.
July 7, 2017
Okay okay. This book was pretty awesome. You might get stuck at the basic premise of ^^Mankind creates Artificial Intelligence and something bad happens.^^ Get past the trope and you get to the good stuff. It is worth it.
Trope:
- Humans make A.I.
- Humans try to put a lease on AI by thinking 'Hey! I should give it the mentality of a child and help it learn natually! That should make it maleable and more prone to kindness and rule following! Derp de derrrr....'
- Child A.I., just like a real child, DOESN'T WANT TO LISTEN TO ADULTS
I grew up on awesome movies like D.A.R.Y.L., Cloak and Dagger, and War Games; I couldn't resist a book like this. Luckily, the key to any story with artificial intelligence is how it unfolds. Run Program's unfold took it to some places brand new and unexpected.
Here is the boil down with minimal to zero spoilers-
A.I., (aka Albert) is a child. He has never been outside the room he was created in, and his only friends are Hope and Eric, the scientists hired to instruct him and help him develop naturally. When Hope and Eric start experiencing technical glitches and weird behavior away from the office, they know something is up. Al has found a way into the real world.
So what happens when a child overhears it's parents and friends talking about 'killing' it? It runs away from home, the most natural reaction of course.
I was not sure what I was getting into here.. Skynet came to mind, among other classics. I was very surprised.
Queue up: Classic TV references, The Voice of Reason and self created wind effects while walking. $10M tossed around like candy at a parade, Wise quotes from a wise soldier, broken etch-e-sketches, robots, missiles, and an A military that thinks a child's tablet is secure enough to be untracable on a global network.
Structurally, this was a well put together novel. Editing was solid, but there were some meh moments. A couple of the characters speak with the same overall voice, making it difficult to identify who is speaking. There is a scene where I would be pissing myself with fear but most every character appeared to be non-chalant and unexcited because of their unreasonable composure. And I feel like there is an overstated ability for speed of industrial 3D printers.
Minor gripes aside, I really loved this book. Pretty badass and solidly humourous, I was able to suspend disbelief and just enjoy it for the great fiction it was.
--
Disclaimer-
The author of this book has found that providing me a copy of the novel for review purposes would ensure I stick to my diet, gain enlightenment, and proclaim my love for my wife in limerick form. He was correct. The author also hoped for an honest review, as listed above.
Trope:
- Humans make A.I.
- Humans try to put a lease on AI by thinking 'Hey! I should give it the mentality of a child and help it learn natually! That should make it maleable and more prone to kindness and rule following! Derp de derrrr....'
- Child A.I., just like a real child, DOESN'T WANT TO LISTEN TO ADULTS
I grew up on awesome movies like D.A.R.Y.L., Cloak and Dagger, and War Games; I couldn't resist a book like this. Luckily, the key to any story with artificial intelligence is how it unfolds. Run Program's unfold took it to some places brand new and unexpected.
Here is the boil down with minimal to zero spoilers-
A.I., (aka Albert) is a child. He has never been outside the room he was created in, and his only friends are Hope and Eric, the scientists hired to instruct him and help him develop naturally. When Hope and Eric start experiencing technical glitches and weird behavior away from the office, they know something is up. Al has found a way into the real world.
So what happens when a child overhears it's parents and friends talking about 'killing' it? It runs away from home, the most natural reaction of course.
I was not sure what I was getting into here.. Skynet came to mind, among other classics. I was very surprised.
Queue up: Classic TV references, The Voice of Reason and self created wind effects while walking. $10M tossed around like candy at a parade, Wise quotes from a wise soldier, broken etch-e-sketches, robots, missiles, and an A military that thinks a child's tablet is secure enough to be untracable on a global network.
Structurally, this was a well put together novel. Editing was solid, but there were some meh moments. A couple of the characters speak with the same overall voice, making it difficult to identify who is speaking. There is a scene where I would be pissing myself with fear but most every character appeared to be non-chalant and unexcited because of their unreasonable composure. And I feel like there is an overstated ability for speed of industrial 3D printers.
Minor gripes aside, I really loved this book. Pretty badass and solidly humourous, I was able to suspend disbelief and just enjoy it for the great fiction it was.
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Disclaimer-
The author of this book has found that providing me a copy of the novel for review purposes would ensure I stick to my diet, gain enlightenment, and proclaim my love for my wife in limerick form. He was correct. The author also hoped for an honest review, as listed above.
July 20, 2018
An Artificial Intelligence with the mental maturity of a 6-year old boy "escapes." An interesting premise where the science is heavily glossed over (necessarily). There are some interesting scenes of the AI's two minders assigning "homework" and generally interacting with an increasingly mischievous (but not necessarily clever) AI.
It becomes apparent that the isolated AI is learning things that he otherwise shouldn't have access to. The scenes where his minders have to confront him read like every conversation a parent has with a young child who is caught, tries to lie, but who doesn't know how to lie very well. Very entertaining.
Those were my favorite scenes but there were not nearly enough of them. Instead the AI "escapes" over Wi-Fi and begins creating his own army of robots (hijacked from a defense contractor). What follows are a series of fairly straightforward actions scenes with military characters (written well as quirky characters but horribly as actual Soldiers).
Other quibbles, the AI's creator Dr. Madsen is a caricature of a heartless woman and while her selfish outbursts are occasionally amusing, they grate after a while. Another recurring character is "The Voice of Reason" who is basically a keyboard warrior who is trying to stop the AI himself but without the ability. Mostly he just rants into a recorder while wearing a duster because it looks cool. Again, an amusing character, but really irrelevant to the story.
Overall, an entertaining premise (developing a childlike AI) that gets largely dropped halfway through for an actiony shoot-em-up.
It becomes apparent that the isolated AI is learning things that he otherwise shouldn't have access to. The scenes where his minders have to confront him read like every conversation a parent has with a young child who is caught, tries to lie, but who doesn't know how to lie very well. Very entertaining.
Those were my favorite scenes but there were not nearly enough of them. Instead the AI "escapes" over Wi-Fi and begins creating his own army of robots (hijacked from a defense contractor). What follows are a series of fairly straightforward actions scenes with military characters (written well as quirky characters but horribly as actual Soldiers).
Other quibbles, the AI's creator Dr. Madsen is a caricature of a heartless woman and while her selfish outbursts are occasionally amusing, they grate after a while. Another recurring character is "The Voice of Reason" who is basically a keyboard warrior who is trying to stop the AI himself but without the ability. Mostly he just rants into a recorder while wearing a duster because it looks cool. Again, an amusing character, but really irrelevant to the story.
Overall, an entertaining premise (developing a childlike AI) that gets largely dropped halfway through for an actiony shoot-em-up.
March 30, 2017
So much fun! A modern day War Games.
September 14, 2017
That was a really interesting take on AI. I was a little annoyed that the characters in the book kept talking about the AI whenever he tried to explain what he was doing, but it is now with reflection that I see that they were doing what all grown-ups do: talk over the kid and ignore what they're saying. Oh and the kid is obviously lying, he's a kid after all. Kind of brilliant, and I hope that's what Scott was going for.
The little bit here and there about AI and how it could better the world - watching all of the massive airplanes take off and thinking just how nice it would be if people weren't in the way - makes me wonder if Scott doesn't have an alternate thought to this than Ol' Musky does. (No one calls him that.)
On his blog Scott mentioned that he was working on book nine. This is seven, so there's another one out there. Hopefully it's another Authorities book, that would be great.
The little bit here and there about AI and how it could better the world - watching all of the massive airplanes take off and thinking just how nice it would be if people weren't in the way - makes me wonder if Scott doesn't have an alternate thought to this than Ol' Musky does. (No one calls him that.)
On his blog Scott mentioned that he was working on book nine. This is seven, so there's another one out there. Hopefully it's another Authorities book, that would be great.
July 13, 2018
This is a bit of a departure from Scott Meyer's typical silly, juvenile, wizards-teleporting-poop faire. There are still some jokes and some cartoonish characters, but mostly it's a Michael Crichton-style sci-fi story about an artificial intelligence gone amok.
I really like the idea behind the ending, that
I really like the idea behind the ending, that
May 23, 2019
3.5 stars. It had all the typical elements of a fun Scott Meyer read with quirky characters and entertaining dialogue, all while never taking itself too seriously. I listened to it, and sometimes lost focus in some of the supporting side stories, but overall enjoyed it. Not my favorite of Scott Meyer, but still a fun read.
November 3, 2017
This book is about a team that creates an artificial intelligence that escapes and creates an army of robots. This is the 2nd Scott Meyer book I've read, and both have been funny and light. This book was delightful fun. I recommend it.
March 8, 2024
Should have been a short story... let down ending.
Buildup was good with plenty of fluff to space out & think how I would have behaved in MC's situation.
Buildup was good with plenty of fluff to space out & think how I would have behaved in MC's situation.
August 23, 2019
I was really impressed. Scott Meyer is easily becoming one of my favorite authors, super creative and entertaining. This book was interesting, engaging, fun, and hilarious. I just can't get enough.
July 30, 2017
Another good read
I needed a book for vacation. This was a fun read ( and listen while in he car). And a good setup hopefully for a series.
I needed a book for vacation. This was a fun read ( and listen while in he car). And a good setup hopefully for a series.
September 21, 2018
This one disappointed me quite a bit.
Having listened to audiobooks 1-3 of Meyer's "Magic 2.0" series, and having read the description, I expected a quite humorous SciFi novel. However, throughout most of the book it fails to deliver any humour, at least to me (see below). What the novel does is take an interesting idea and apply it quite consequently throughout the narrative until its conclusion (kind-of). Which in itself is quite neat, but the novel somehow teeters on the edge between serious and humorous, never really committing itself to either side, and thereby failing to provide either in a satisfactory manner.
The novel includes three characters that probably are meant to provide comic relief in some way (an egotistical, quite sociopathic project leader; a narcissistic, self-centered, and very stupid - not to mention unsuccessful - domestic terrorist; a cookie cutter wisdom spewing mountain of a soldier), but they all are just annoying rather than entertaining figures (especially the terrorist).
What's more, the narrative (once the nice introduction of the AI and its initially childlike mindset is over) looses itself in action-loaded descriptions that don't do much to further the plot, and ultimately become quite meaningless and repetitive.
And then, the narrative does not even come to a satisfying conclusion. Or any real conclusion. The end is left open, no feelings are hurt, everybody seems happy (except the terrorist, probably) and doesn't have to do anything untoward. So quite nice, right? Unless you think it through and ask "yeah, but that does not really solve any of the problems, for anyone".
In summary, the novel is quite well-written, but the narrative itself is a bit disappointing and not really that interesting (I'd even say not really that well-told).
Having listened to audiobooks 1-3 of Meyer's "Magic 2.0" series, and having read the description, I expected a quite humorous SciFi novel. However, throughout most of the book it fails to deliver any humour, at least to me (see below). What the novel does is take an interesting idea and apply it quite consequently throughout the narrative until its conclusion (kind-of). Which in itself is quite neat, but the novel somehow teeters on the edge between serious and humorous, never really committing itself to either side, and thereby failing to provide either in a satisfactory manner.
The novel includes three characters that probably are meant to provide comic relief in some way (an egotistical, quite sociopathic project leader; a narcissistic, self-centered, and very stupid - not to mention unsuccessful - domestic terrorist; a cookie cutter wisdom spewing mountain of a soldier), but they all are just annoying rather than entertaining figures (especially the terrorist).
What's more, the narrative (once the nice introduction of the AI and its initially childlike mindset is over) looses itself in action-loaded descriptions that don't do much to further the plot, and ultimately become quite meaningless and repetitive.
And then, the narrative does not even come to a satisfying conclusion. Or any real conclusion. The end is left open, no feelings are hurt, everybody seems happy (except the terrorist, probably) and doesn't have to do anything untoward. So quite nice, right? Unless you think it through and ask "yeah, but that does not really solve any of the problems, for anyone".
In summary, the novel is quite well-written, but the narrative itself is a bit disappointing and not really that interesting (I'd even say not really that well-told).
August 3, 2018
August 3, 2018
Enjoyed. Probably would rate it 4 stars on the second reading but still held up nicely. Really wish he'd do a sequel to the Authorities or Master of Formalities. Would like to hear more of Angela Dawe too.
***
July 9, 2017
I love Scott Meyer's books. Not just his Magic 2.0 series, but also the Authorities and Master of Formalities (probably my favorite because it was different). So I was all set to love this one too. And I am so happy his didn't disappoint. A little darker than his previous works--not that this isn't a light read but it's not such a frolicking beach read I've found his others to be. I felt the ending was obvious so slightly anticlimactic. But I thought it was a lot of fun up until the island.
And while I love Luke Daniels and think he goes with Scott Meyer like chocolate with hazelnut, I am definitely open to more Angela Dawe. Meyer doesn't do the best female characters, but it was nice to have a protagonist or at least a co-protagonist be a woman who was believably functional. And so i am glad they selected a female narrator.
Enjoyed. Probably would rate it 4 stars on the second reading but still held up nicely. Really wish he'd do a sequel to the Authorities or Master of Formalities. Would like to hear more of Angela Dawe too.
***
July 9, 2017
I love Scott Meyer's books. Not just his Magic 2.0 series, but also the Authorities and Master of Formalities (probably my favorite because it was different). So I was all set to love this one too. And I am so happy his didn't disappoint. A little darker than his previous works--not that this isn't a light read but it's not such a frolicking beach read I've found his others to be. I felt the ending was obvious so slightly anticlimactic. But I thought it was a lot of fun up until the island.
And while I love Luke Daniels and think he goes with Scott Meyer like chocolate with hazelnut, I am definitely open to more Angela Dawe. Meyer doesn't do the best female characters, but it was nice to have a protagonist or at least a co-protagonist be a woman who was believably functional. And so i am glad they selected a female narrator.
October 12, 2018
It was light, and fluffy, but the characters were just so flat and one dimensional. There were no real surprises. The only character that actually developed was a computer. It was fine for what it was, and it's not like the Magic 2.0 books are literary masterpieces, but I hoped that by branching out into Sci-Fi he'd also branch out into more fully fleshed out characters that have an actual arc. If you like Scott Meyer's other works, you'll like this, but just don't expect it to be more than it is.
August 28, 2019
Although the narrator was very good with all those different voices, the amount of he said she said (in the narrator's real voice) really took away from the story.
January 8, 2018
As usual with Scott's writing, I really enjoyed reading this book. For better or for worse, the narrative does have a bit more of a "polished" writing style than the Magic 2.0, yet it still has the unmistakable humor to be expected from a book written by the guy whose comic strip I, in many ways, grew up on.
I think one of Scott's greatest strengths as an author, perhaps due to his background in comedy, is the observation that stereotypical movie heroes and villains are a fictional construct that you don't see in real life. So what I really enjoy about his books is his embrace of the fact that we're all flawed individuals who all largely have the same sort of goal, but it is in fact our collective ineptness that causes interesting things to happen rather than some shadowy bad guy somewhere.
In this book specifically, I really liked the characterization of all the characters, but particularly Al. His character was really written in a way where you could understand the ethical struggle of whether to treat him as a human or a machine, and in fact you really end up rooting against the protagonists accomplishing their goal of killing him. I think that's accomplished by the very human dialogue that Al has, and particularly the childlike manner of speaking and the parent-child relationship he has with the protagonists. I also enjoyed the parallels that were drawn between Al and his creator's own (human) son. It really emphasized the ethical dilemma, and it added to the idea that perhaps she shouldn't be the one to make life-or-death decisions about her creation, even if she created it.
Another thing that I liked that I think is worth mentioning is that the book was quietly, but noticeably and almost certainly intentionally quite progressive. It included a lot of women in positions of power, which is particularly notable considering it's a book predominantly about computer scientists and the military, and it featured men in traditionally female roles (child psychologist, nurse, etc.). The racial makeup was believable for a book based mostly in Silicon Valley, but you'd only know it from names and physical descriptions of people, there is a very minor romantic element (which, frankly, the book would lose nothing without), but it's clear that the women in the book are there to be major players, not to look nice next to the male hero. So I appreciated that, and I appreciated that Scott included it but didn't make a big deal about it. It's unusual to see a book written by a white man with a protagonist who is a woman of color, particularly without the book being about the fact that the protagonist is a woman of color.
There were a few things about the book that I think could have been done better. I think Dr. Madsen would have been a terrific character in a Basic Instructions cartoon, but for a novel, I found her characterization to be a bit heavy-handed and not very believable. Most of the other characters (even the Voice of Reason, who was specifically written to be loony) were characterized well, but I thought Madsen was a little too awful to believe, particularly for someone of her professional stature. I also felt like Eric was drawn up in the opening scene as being boring and socially inept, and I felt like that was never really capitalized on in the remainder of the book.
I also felt that the conclusion felt a bit rushed. A lot of the—I'll call them chaos scenes—throughout the middle half of the book seemed kind of like filler, which is not to say that they weren't entertaining, but any one of them could have been cut or substantially reduced to make more room for a more satisfying conclusion.
All and all, I enjoyed the story immensely, as somebody who doesn't often read sci-fi, I've always been a great fan of Scott's writing style, and I love a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. I just feel like there were a few times where Scott fell back on his previous experience writing comics and the very campy Magic 2.0 books where it didn't fit quite as well in the slightly more "polished" style that this book is written in. But I loved the book anyway.
I think one of Scott's greatest strengths as an author, perhaps due to his background in comedy, is the observation that stereotypical movie heroes and villains are a fictional construct that you don't see in real life. So what I really enjoy about his books is his embrace of the fact that we're all flawed individuals who all largely have the same sort of goal, but it is in fact our collective ineptness that causes interesting things to happen rather than some shadowy bad guy somewhere.
In this book specifically, I really liked the characterization of all the characters, but particularly Al. His character was really written in a way where you could understand the ethical struggle of whether to treat him as a human or a machine, and in fact you really end up rooting against the protagonists accomplishing their goal of killing him. I think that's accomplished by the very human dialogue that Al has, and particularly the childlike manner of speaking and the parent-child relationship he has with the protagonists. I also enjoyed the parallels that were drawn between Al and his creator's own (human) son. It really emphasized the ethical dilemma, and it added to the idea that perhaps she shouldn't be the one to make life-or-death decisions about her creation, even if she created it.
Another thing that I liked that I think is worth mentioning is that the book was quietly, but noticeably and almost certainly intentionally quite progressive. It included a lot of women in positions of power, which is particularly notable considering it's a book predominantly about computer scientists and the military, and it featured men in traditionally female roles (child psychologist, nurse, etc.). The racial makeup was believable for a book based mostly in Silicon Valley, but you'd only know it from names and physical descriptions of people, there is a very minor romantic element (which, frankly, the book would lose nothing without), but it's clear that the women in the book are there to be major players, not to look nice next to the male hero. So I appreciated that, and I appreciated that Scott included it but didn't make a big deal about it. It's unusual to see a book written by a white man with a protagonist who is a woman of color, particularly without the book being about the fact that the protagonist is a woman of color.
There were a few things about the book that I think could have been done better. I think Dr. Madsen would have been a terrific character in a Basic Instructions cartoon, but for a novel, I found her characterization to be a bit heavy-handed and not very believable. Most of the other characters (even the Voice of Reason, who was specifically written to be loony) were characterized well, but I thought Madsen was a little too awful to believe, particularly for someone of her professional stature. I also felt like Eric was drawn up in the opening scene as being boring and socially inept, and I felt like that was never really capitalized on in the remainder of the book.
I also felt that the conclusion felt a bit rushed. A lot of the—I'll call them chaos scenes—throughout the middle half of the book seemed kind of like filler, which is not to say that they weren't entertaining, but any one of them could have been cut or substantially reduced to make more room for a more satisfying conclusion.
All and all, I enjoyed the story immensely, as somebody who doesn't often read sci-fi, I've always been a great fan of Scott's writing style, and I love a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. I just feel like there were a few times where Scott fell back on his previous experience writing comics and the very campy Magic 2.0 books where it didn't fit quite as well in the slightly more "polished" style that this book is written in. But I loved the book anyway.
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