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Three Laws Lethal

David Walton (Goodreads Author)

4.20 · Rating details · 168 ratings · 38 reviews

A science fiction thriller in which fleets of self-driving cars make life-and-death choices

In a near-future New York City, where self-driving cars roam the city streets, rival entrepreneurs Brandon and Tyler compete to produce the smartest AIs, training them in a virtual game world to anticipate traffic and potential customers better than the competition. As the two riva ...more

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Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published February 5th 2019 by Pyr

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The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

Locus New and Notable Novels 2019

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Jun 11, 2019 David rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Shelves: science-fiction

Yes, I am giving my own book five stars. If I don't think it's awesome, why would you want to give it a try?

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Jul 01, 2019 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-and-galleys, thriller-suspense, review-copy, science-fiction

5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/07/11/...

I’m a big fan of David Walton, having greatly enjoyed his books like Superposition and The Genius Plague, but Three Laws Lethal has elevated my admiration for his talents and storytelling skills to new heights. It never ceases to amaze me how he can run with an idea and turn it into an entertainingly wild and engaging techno-thriller, and yet still deliver a high level of realism with sympathetic, relatable characters to make the premise feel entirely a 5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/07/11/...

I’m a big fan of David Walton, having greatly enjoyed his books like Superposition and The Genius Plague, but Three Laws Lethal has elevated my admiration for his talents and storytelling skills to new heights. It never ceases to amaze me how he can run with an idea and turn it into an entertainingly wild and engaging techno-thriller, and yet still deliver a high level of realism with sympathetic, relatable characters to make the premise feel entirely and all too disconcertingly plausible.

Case in point, Three Laws Lethal is something of a cautionary tale against artificial intelligence, using the concept of autonomous self-driving vehicles as inspiration. That said, I doubt the concept of the AI entity in this story is anything like you’d imagine, as it’s pretty unusual. As well, this is a very human story, focusing on the lives of four friends who bonded over a love of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship while in college. Their dream was to start a taxi service company using a fleet of self-driving cars, and between them, they had the money, brains, and ambition to make it all happen.

But then everything changes following a horrific tragedy involving the death of one of their own. Devastated by the loss of his girlfriend Abby, the project leader, Brandon, blames his best friend and programmer Tyler for causing the fatal error that got her killed. Naomi, Abby’s sister, retreated into her own world and threw herself into her research. After graduation, the three went their separate ways, their dreams now in tatters. However, Brandon is not ready to give up. Full of rage and determination, he is a changed man as he uses his hefty inheritance to start a self-driving car business, just as he’d always wanted. After convincing Naomi to join him, they end up being extremely successful, all thanks to a cutting-edge prediction technology she has developed. But no one besides Naomi knows the secret behind the seemingly miraculous algorithm that allows their cars to know exactly where they need to be and when, and she hates to think about how her research could be abused should anyone find out. And when it all comes crashing down, her old friend Tyler is the only one who can help her.

For me, the most compelling sci-fi novels are the ones that can entertain me and teach me something new at the same time. This describes all of Walton’s books. The man clearly puts in a ton of time and effort into research, and readers are rewarded with an experience that is both fun and educational. As you can probably tell from its title, Three Laws Lethal is inspired by Isaac Asimov, and his Three Laws of Robotics are given a modern twist using the idea of self-driving cars. With the number of people concerned about the advent of autonomous vehicles, as well as recent headlines about the threat of hacking or the intricate moral dilemmas involved in AI decision making, a book like this couldn’t be any more relevant. Walton explores these issues from multiple vantage points yet manages to keep the narrative smooth and fast-paced without bogging it down with complicated and lengthy explanations.

And rare for me when it comes to hard sci-fi novels, it was the characters I really enjoyed. Granted, we’re not talking about in depth personality studies here, and Walton has a tendency to gloss over important events in the characters’ lives and not dwell too long on emotions. To his credit, he knows what kind of story he wants to tell, and his no-nonsense writing style is well-suited to the techno-thriller genre. It also didn’t hurt my enjoyment at all, as I found the dynamics between Brandon, Tyler, and Naomi to be utterly fascinating. Brandon is a terrifying psychopath because of how convincing his motivations were despite his delusions of grandeur. His rivalry with Tyler was the stuff of legendary corporate politics. But I especially loved Naomi, who is so brilliant and adorkable and just plain awesome.

Above all, reading Three Laws Lethal simply gave me a deep sense of satisfaction. I love sci-fi novels that are exciting and smart. I also love being surprised. There are twists aplenty in the plot, several that had me gaping in shock. It kept me turning the pages, eager to find out what would happen next. It’s an energetic, non-stop thrill ride from start to finish.

In sum, I highly recommend Three Laws Lethal if you’re a sci-fi fan, especially if you’re keen on interesting and even weird perspectives on artificial intelligence. Even if you’re not big on the genre I think you’ll find this novel surprisingly accessible and easy to get into. Finding true gems like this is what I love about being a book reviewer, and David Walton has now earned his place on my list of must-read authors. ...more

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Jun 14, 2019 Craig DiLouie rated it it was amazing

David Walton’s THREE LAWS LETHAL tells the story of two entrepreneurs who have a dream of converting the nation’s car stock into autonomous, self-driving vehicles, and the woman whose brilliant research holds the key to making it a reality. It’s a fun, engaging techno thriller, kind of like something Michael Crichton would write, except with very memorable, well-developed characters.

I first read Walton when I picked up THE GENIUS PLAGUE, which introduced me to his strong formula of e ...more

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Aug 14, 2019 Paul rated it really liked it

When I was a kid, I thought that by now we'd have flying cars; instead we have blankets with sleeves. Read that somewhere and thought it might be appropriate.

This is a classy, well-constructed story. The science behind it is more-or-less real, believable and … inevitable. Setting up the framework for the plot, and developing the characters, makes the first third of the book a little tedious, it becomes gripping after that. There are a couple of too-good-to-be-true coincidences at the When I was a kid, I thought that by now we'd have flying cars; instead we have blankets with sleeves. Read that somewhere and thought it might be appropriate.

This is a classy, well-constructed story. The science behind it is more-or-less real, believable and … inevitable. Setting up the framework for the plot, and developing the characters, makes the first third of the book a little tedious, it becomes gripping after that. There are a couple of too-good-to-be-true coincidences at the beginning which I can forgive, but otherwise, the plot is relevant and disturbing. In fact, the plot is extremely sophisticated and I loved the author's depiction of the evolution of Isaac the AI. Mostly, the characters didn't jump out of the book and give me a hug, and neither did I ever feel like doing the same to them, but poor little Naomi did make me feel a little sorry for her. Brandon - well I wanted to jump into the book and apply my 5 iron to his wedding tackle.

There are many, many references to lines from other SciFi books in the character's dialogue. Perhaps they were meant to inspire us to read those books (there's a list of them at the end), but if, like me, you haven't read them recently, then the constant references to them is meaningless and a little bit annoying...like a leeetle stone in your shoe.

The finish is well done and loose ends nicely tied up. This story contains self-driving cars which I was lead to believe were electric vehicles - however, the author mentions them “reving up” and “feeling the heat from the exhaust”! Did my feeble neurons mistake something there? At least at the end, Mr Walton defends the AI's as being individuals not hell-bent on destroying us lesser beings. Me? I'm not so sure. Let's put a bloody big OFF switch on them just in case they decide to go all Terminator on us. Anyway, I probably won't be around when we finally all get AIs controlling our cars, which is a good thing, 'cos I quite like to drive myself.

Overall - very enjoyable - add another half star. ...more

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Jun 15, 2019 Sean Randall rated it it was amazing

Oh, now, yes. Walton's done it again. This is perhaps one of the most perfect examples of this type of literature in its class. Eminently readable and with characters that virtually leap off the page, I was hooked, humbled and fizzing with enthusiasm all-the-way through.

Naomi is so brilliantly-drawn, a few parallels with some of the students I work with struck deep and meaningful chords. Tyler's naivety is also rather touching, and of course, the climactic, heroic act that ends the d ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Peter Tillman marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: not-at-bg, fantasy, not-at-pa

His pitch, at Scalzi's: https://whatever.scalzi.com/2019/06/1...

"Don’t look now, but intelligent robots are about to decide if you live or die.

Somehow, while we weren’t paying attention, we slipped into a universe where the robots from Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics” stories are about to surround us by the millions. The self-driving cars being sold by Tesla and other manufacturers aren’t quite there yet, but we are quickly entering a world where AIs will be making moment by moment choices about your surviv ...more

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Apr 16, 2019 Paul rated it it was amazing

David Walton's newest novel, Three Laws Lethal - title inspired by Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics - begins with what certainly is an ethical quandary that typifies our increasingly AI-driven age, in this case, driven literally. A mother with her children are passengers in an AI-driven automobile. She can turn around and tell them to stop arguing, without risking an accident. She marvels at being in the driver's seat with her hands off the wheel. And then ... A big tree falls in front of t ...more

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Jun 23, 2019 Angie Boyter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sf-possibles

A first-rate story that also make you think
It is the somewhat near future. Self-driving cars are on the road, but they are fairly new, expensive, and a bit controversial. Although they are safer than human-driven cars, it is still news when someone dies from an accident with a self-driving car, so a lot of attention is being given to making them even safer. Tyler and Brandon are grad students at the University of Pennsylvania, working on what they hope will be the start for their own entry A first-rate story that also make you think
It is the somewhat near future. Self-driving cars are on the road, but they are fairly new, expensive, and a bit controversial. Although they are safer than human-driven cars, it is still news when someone dies from an accident with a self-driving car, so a lot of attention is being given to making them even safer. Tyler and Brandon are grad students at the University of Pennsylvania, working on what they hope will be the start for their own entry into the field, mechanisms to help self-driving cars communicate with each other, to tell other cars of their own intentions and give warnings of things that the other cars may not be able to see. They round out their project team with two sisters, Abby and Naomi. Abby is an MBA student and provides the business management expertise, and Naomi is an introverted true geek, a computer science/ cognitive science major. A disastrous incident causes a total breakdown of Tyler and Brandon’s personal and professional relationships, and the former close friends become fierce competitors. That is ALL I will say about the story, and I would not have said this much if the publisher had not already done it in the book description, because I do not want to spoil any of the beautifully done surprises Walton has for the reader.
I recommended this book to my husband, who loves SF, and about halfway through he said he was really enjoying the book but it almost wasn’t science fiction. I told him to wait a bit and he would change his mind! First and foremost, this is a good story. The characters seem believable and think and react like people I might know. The story is full of surprises but is credible (once you accept the idea of a future where self-driving cars are on the road). Like the best SF, though, it is thoughtful about several areas. On the SF front, it extrapolates in a plausible way what we might expect with software “if this goes on.” It deals with philosophical questions like consciousness and intelligence and how we might determine if an entity is conscious, self-aware, sapient, intelligent. It faces ethical questions that WILL arise if/when we get self-driving cars, like how to decide who deserves the most protection. Who should my car protect, me or the little girl who just ran into the street after her ball? And who gets to choose the algorithm in my car, me or the carmaker or the government?
These kinds of issues have interested SF writers and readers for many years. Brandon and Naomi enjoy challenging each other with quotes or references to many classic SF works and authors, and clearly these have inspired Walton as well. I had read most of them but am now motivated to reread or to pick up on the ones I missed, and Walton clearly expects this, so he kindly provides a list of the SF references at the end of the book.
Walton uses the thinking of a number of prominent philosophers and other scholars as background for his philosophical explorations. He talks about classic situations like the Chinese Room problem and the trolley problem and the theories of people like Daniel Dennett and David Chalmers. He strikes a good balance in these discussions, fitting them into the story without doing a big “data dump” and giving enough information that I believe someone for whom this is new will understand the problems but not so much that someone who is familiar with it will get bored.
So Three Laws Lethal delivers a good story that kept me reading because I wanted to know what happens to these people…and it also made me think. I can’t ask for more than that.
...more

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Jul 07, 2019 Kat Hooper rated it it was amazing

Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.

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Jul 22, 2019 Sylvia rated it it was amazing

WOW, just wow... I just finished this book and it is so very good.. best thing I have read this year.. if you enjoy science fiction, or a good book set in the modern day wold looking at real issues, philosophical ideas of identity and conscience etc, are interested in AI or self driving cars, want a good beach read or the next book for your book club to discuss.. THIS Is WHAT YOU SHOULD Buy and Read. This is not my normal genre but i loved it and read the last 40 pages in one breath and chapters ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Mike Shultz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: suspense-thriller, science-fiction

I love stories about the development of artificial intelligence, and this is a great spin on that classic idea. In this one, a complex simulation algorithm overtakes control of a fleet of self-driving cars owned by an Uber-like company. The details of how the AI arose are super-cool, and I really like how the characters discover what is going on along with the reader. If you are hooked by science thrillers and unfolding mysteries like I am, you’ll love this one. Highly recommended.

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Jul 31, 2019 Tammy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: A futuristic story that is terrifyingly plausible, Three Laws Lethal is another terrific book from David Walton.

David Walton has done it again! If I can say anything about this author, it’s that he’s consistently good. Each book of his I’ve read—and this is my third—is completely different from the last and meticulously researchereview.The ...more

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Aug 19, 2019 Rick Allen rated it it was amazing

David Walton’s latest novel takes on a subject I’ve never seen before in science fiction: the ethics of self-driving cars. Something most people have never thought about, but David introduces it cleverly, through both examples and discussion. One of the basic questions is how a self-driving car should make decisions when avoiding an accident. Is it OK to do an avoidance maneuver if that would cause another car to crash? Does it make a difference which car has more occupants? These are question David Walton’s latest novel takes on a subject I’ve never seen before in science fiction: the ethics of self-driving cars. Something most people have never thought about, but David introduces it cleverly, through both examples and discussion. One of the basic questions is how a self-driving car should make decisions when avoiding an accident. Is it OK to do an avoidance maneuver if that would cause another car to crash? Does it make a difference which car has more occupants? These are questions we as a society must deal with in the near future, hopefully before lawsuits start flying. Is the answer to prohibit self-driving cars? Not if, as the author points out, self-driving cars can reduce the number of accidents and fatalities.
The other main topic of the novel is Artificial Intelligence. The marriage of AI and self-driving cars seems inevitable, and this novel finds a unique way to have this all happen. I won’t spoil anything by explaining further.
Any good novel needs great characters, and the author created a very personable and relatable pair of main characters. I found it particularly interesting that one of them is an extreme introvert, which only makes sense when the character is a techie. You don’t find a lot of extreme introverts as main characters, since their very nature makes it difficult to have a story. If a character gravitates away from interaction with other characters, that can make it hard to tell a story. But the author accomplishes it, and gives us an intriguing insight into such a character’s personality.
Science Fiction fans will of course see the Asimov reference in the title. I’m happy to say that the sci-fi references don’t end there. The two main characters are tech nerds, but also huge sci-fan fans, so their dialogue includes lots of great references to sci-fi classics, including a few obscure ones that may test your knowledge (but don’t worry if you don’t get something, they’re not essential to enjoying the book).
Three Laws Lethal is an exciting novel, and will lead you on several twists that you won’t see coming, right up to the edge-of-your-seat conclusion. I highly recommend this book. ...more

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Jul 29, 2019 Kristin rated it really liked it

Smart book that's both entertaining and educational, raising interesting issues with AI and the future. It's an easy, fast read, but a smart one. I particularly enjoyed the main AI character, Isaac. It's a great read for those who like science fiction (making references to a lot of great science fiction from the past) and for smart teenagers.

Lines from the book that caught my eye:

"So much of the human experience depended on the biological architecture of our brains. Our e ...more

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Jul 16, 2019 Vinay Badri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-read, best-of-2019

A 4.5 starrer.

Yet another outstanding book from David Walton, this one a techno-thriller as compared to this previous one, Genius Plague that was a medical thriller. However, common threads do emerge, notably the presence of a sentient being (be it the plague or the AI, in this case) which pretty much has its own existence at its core and not bothered about the humans in the picture.

This one however does hit closer to home esp as autonomous vehicles have begun to emerge. In the best traditions ...more

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Aug 26, 2019 Betsy rated it it was amazing

I hate science fiction... seriously hate the genre... I read a lot... and, given the choice.... I’d never ever choose sci-fi...

That said, my favorite podcaster recommended TLL highly and called it “idea driven fiction.” It was a new way to frame the genre, which I found intriguing. I looked for reviews on TLL and pretty much everything I found was four/five stars - including a five star review here by the author, which I thought was hilarious. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find TLL in my library sy ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Pedro L. Fragoso rated it it was amazing

I picked this one up after reading the author's essay on Scalzi's Big Idea, which was interesting, and intriguing. The book turned out to be brilliant. There's this concept of a talented, professional, writer at the top of his game, showing off their powers to enthrall and mesmerize, and this is an excellent proof of that. It's also very literary, in a genre way, full of quotes and citations of a very specifically defined cannon, which I loved. The plot is full of action, and tension, and confli ...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-reading-list

What a phenomenal book. After loving The Genius Plague, I was eagerly anticipating this release. David continues to weave action-packed science fiction, prescient social & technological issues, and deep philosophical matters. Well researched, plausible, and entertaining. I could gush more, but I don't want to give anything away.

For added fun (and fear): Listen to the audiobook while driving!!! The narration is top-notch!

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Jul 24, 2019 Zoey M rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-stars, science-fiction

Another excellent book by David Walton! I loved The Genius Plague, and so it was no surprise when I also loved this book. It examines the ethical delimmas associated with self-driving cars and Artificial Intelligences, and is an interesting read.

"That the time will come when the machines will hold the real supremacy over the world and its inhabitants is what no person of a truly philosophic mind can for a moment question."

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Jun 30, 2019 CR rated it it was amazing

If you are a die hard sci-fi fan then check this one out. It was beyond out there and I loved every second of it. This title became a new favorite after chapter one and this author has been added to my auto buy list. This title was just that good. I will totally have to see if the author has any other titles out there because I totally have to read them.

This one had a great cast of characters with amazing pacing and a great ending. This book will shatter you so be warned!!

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Nov 05, 2019 Ronda Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I met the author at Capclave and was intrigued by his reading of the introduction to this book. It was a very fun read, I enjoyed the references to other SciFi authors in the story (even one of his own books, lol).

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Aug 06, 2019 Karla Eaton rated it really liked it

So goooood! Absolutely engaging with plot twist and characters that grab the reader but most importantly a sci-fi novel that forces readers to ask real philosophical questions we are beginning to ask now. A great way to force modern readers to see the potential and dangers in the paths ahead.

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Jul 26, 2019 John rated it it was amazing

Intelligence meet

Nice coming of sentience novel. Weaves, builds and speaks as an emergence. A complex multi level presence of a concept with recognizable personhood. And, in part, uses value of both competition and choice as it’s shaping.

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Sep 15, 2019 Maetta rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction

Excellent! The pace was even and the character development dug in little by little. A group of friends are in the business of renting out self driving cars which are run by a different kind of program.

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$J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯$

Sep 13, 2019 J. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ rated it liked it

Shelves: own

3.5

It was okay. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.

Good narration.

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Aug 28, 2019 Susan Walker rated it it was amazing

What a thriller of a RIDE!

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Aug 25, 2019 Lisalena rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, cyberfiction, suspense, futuristic

I like how this book explored the potential nexus of self-driving cars and AI. It's too bad these concepts were couched in a simplistic, predictable good guy vs. bad guy plot dynamic.

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Aug 19, 2019 Matthew Schaffer rated it it was amazing

Best book of 2019!!!!

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Jun 17, 2019 Amazonaute rated it it was amazing

Well that was proper. There is nothing like good intelligent science fiction, with good characters.

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Oct 03, 2019 Terry Blanz rated it really liked it

An interesting premise, that makes the reader think about AI and the future of self driving cars.

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About David Walton

David Walton

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David loves to read science fiction and lives near Philadelphia with his wife and eight children. His latest book, THREE LAWS LETHAL, is about self-driving cars and the AIs that drive them.

"Three Laws Lethal gives the reader exciting insights into the threats and the promises that are coming our way."
—Vernor Vinge

"Walton has brought hard sci-fi roaring back to life." ...more