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Thought Criminal
A distinguished Professor of AI-neuroscience and Theory of Mind, Cayce Varin has dissident thoughts. He differs from acceptable opinion on matters of grave importance to respectable Human Biologicals and the Federation of Pandemos, the global state. Upon confessing his divergent theories to a Graduate Student Assistant, his life is never the same. He is labeled a Thought Deviationist, among other damning designations. He is arrested by a Robot Police Agent and soon released but remains a covert Thought Deviationist living under the constant fear of future arrest, the treachery of friends, and the loss of his identity.
For Varin and a small cadre of Thought Deviationists, the ultimate threat is posed by Collective Mind—the vast centralized database and processing complex with apparent knowledge of everything, possibly even one’s innermost thoughts. Varin and fellow Thought Deviationists believe that the Federation deliberately propagates a virus to keep Human Biologicals connected to Collective Mind. Submission to the virus spells the obliteration of the self. Resistance to the virus, made possible by taking the addictive drug Eraserall, means living as a fugitive from the law and being forever hunted by Robot Police Agents to be taken in for “treatment.”
Finally, it appears that the only solution is to infiltrate Essential Data, Collective Mind’s main data and processing center. The risks are great, and the gambit may be impossible. But Varin’s future, the future of Thought Deviationists, and the future of the individual itself, depend on the mission’s success.
For Varin and a small cadre of Thought Deviationists, the ultimate threat is posed by Collective Mind—the vast centralized database and processing complex with apparent knowledge of everything, possibly even one’s innermost thoughts. Varin and fellow Thought Deviationists believe that the Federation deliberately propagates a virus to keep Human Biologicals connected to Collective Mind. Submission to the virus spells the obliteration of the self. Resistance to the virus, made possible by taking the addictive drug Eraserall, means living as a fugitive from the law and being forever hunted by Robot Police Agents to be taken in for “treatment.”
Finally, it appears that the only solution is to infiltrate Essential Data, Collective Mind’s main data and processing center. The risks are great, and the gambit may be impossible. But Varin’s future, the future of Thought Deviationists, and the future of the individual itself, depend on the mission’s success.
192 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 7, 2021
I’d give this 5 stars for concepts/plot and 1.5 stars for style. Really interesting concepts of individualism vs collectivism in a relatively fast-paced plot. However, stylistically, it was lacking - the explanations felt robotic at times, and certain details went too in depth (e.g., describing the dimensions of some hardware). Not a book about character depth or growth, so it was hard to empathize with either the “Human Biologicals” or the robots.
February 12, 2021
The concepts are interesting, but the style is lacking. Felt a bit like reading a professors dream about how they saved the world that they refined into a story in the shower the next morning. The world is interesting, but not really fleshed out very much. The story is very focused on a singular character who feels like a self insert. Lecturing conversations dominate the text. Overall I wanted to like it more than I did.
January 9, 2021
Cyberpunk book of the year. It is a fascinating story of collectivism verse individualism. Technological tyranny verse deviationism. There are plenty of parallels to current and recent events. Robots, viruses, and more. Love, Drama, Thrills.
July 27, 2021
1984 redux...Interesting but not original enough.
February 21, 2021
The pros:
* short, focused, to the point and better for it than if the author stretched it out to 400 pages
* detailed world building is evident
* logical decision making, especially when dealing with AI but not just then
* strong scientific basis but not so complex you can't understand HOW things work
* original approach to the sentience of AI and how systems arose rather than "we had a Singularity, here are things afterward"
The cons:
* ending felt a little rushed
* the emotional depth of the characters beyond anxiety and frustration is so weak that you don't care when one of the few main ones commits suicide
* we ONLY see a couple of elite AI researchers, academics and doctors - and have no other perspectives
* short, focused, to the point and better for it than if the author stretched it out to 400 pages
* detailed world building is evident
* logical decision making, especially when dealing with AI but not just then
* strong scientific basis but not so complex you can't understand HOW things work
* original approach to the sentience of AI and how systems arose rather than "we had a Singularity, here are things afterward"
The cons:
* ending felt a little rushed
* the emotional depth of the characters beyond anxiety and frustration is so weak that you don't care when one of the few main ones commits suicide
* we ONLY see a couple of elite AI researchers, academics and doctors - and have no other perspectives
December 20, 2020
"For Thought Deviationist Cayce Varin, the ultimate threat is posed by Collective Mind and submission to the virus spells the obliteration of the self. Resistance to the virus means living as a fugitive of the law and being forever hunted by Robot Police Agents to be taken in for "treatment".
This story grips you from the first pages.
It has rekindled my interest in science fiction.
It's fast-paced and thought-provoking.
The premise is so timely and scary that it had me wondering about the "fiction" part.
It's that "real"!
Well done.
This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story grips you from the first pages.
It has rekindled my interest in science fiction.
It's fast-paced and thought-provoking.
The premise is so timely and scary that it had me wondering about the "fiction" part.
It's that "real"!
Well done.
This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2022
The Good: Explores timely themes like individualism vs collectivism, technocracy, and the nature of truth. The book isn't any longer than it needs to be.
The Bad: Way too academic at times. I found myself having to look up words and it distracted from the story. Rectenwald also violates the "show, don't tell" rule. Much of the plot moves forward through the character's trading of messages. This makes for a dry story line.
The Bad: Way too academic at times. I found myself having to look up words and it distracted from the story. Rectenwald also violates the "show, don't tell" rule. Much of the plot moves forward through the character's trading of messages. This makes for a dry story line.
February 23, 2021
While it was a very interesting and thought provoking premise, it felt rushed and more like an outline than a fully fleshed out story. I did enjoy it, however.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews