The Original Glitch

by Melanie Moyer

In the aftermath of his mentor's death, grad student Adler is left to piece together and clean up the project she left an adaptive and increasingly malevolent artificial intelligence, kept locked in a virtual "box" that's no longer quite enough to keep him in check.

As he tries to manage the AI and continue Dr. Kent's research, Adler soon discovers her sociopathic creation is determined to escape his enclosure to wreak havoc on the outside world.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2021

About the author

Melanie is Philadelphia-born though no stranger to Phoenix, Orlando, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. She has a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh and an MLIS from the same. Her short work has been published in Ghost Parachute, Meat for Tea, Prometheus Dreaming, Philadelphia Stories, and others. When not writing she enjoys podcasting about horror, cooking, and going on hikes.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Paul Ataua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following his mentor’s death, grad student Adler is left in charge a malevolent artificial intelligence that is kept away from the world in a virtual box for safety. What could go wrong? Although the book didn’t really work for me, it was almost very good if that is at all possible. Melanie Moyer has style and while I was struggling with the plot and the insipid characters, I was kept there to the end by that style. I am giving it three stars. Although I didn’t love the novel, I will certainly read something else by her soonish.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love listening/reading about AI's from time to time and this was no different. Unique enough to feel like a fresh kind of story and very engaging but still having that cozy feeling of comfort in that it felt like a story line I've read and loved before. Doesn't sound logical writing that down but it's logical to me.

[Leili V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Cute at times, mildly engaging. Not terribly cerebral however.

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moyer's main characters touch on the "are we living in a simulation" discussions, but the overly emotional AI is a bit unbelievable - and the ending is unsatisfying.

I enjoyed the idea of a novel told from "inside" and "outside" perspectives. Could totally work for a film. Laura is a well written character, and her banter with Gray was fun.

... and then he was replaced by a cat. This is exemplar of the dumb decisions made by Adler, the main character on the outside. It feels like the author wants to redeem him, but the effort doesn't resonate. The cat made the cover, but isn't the glitch. I am used to a glitch being a software problem, not a human error (or in this case, intentional mis-step). I really wanted to see Gray come back somehow, and I think Laura wanted this also.

In the end, this ambitious story ended up short of the expectations.

[Arh · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers in this review. I really enjoyed the book. I was left pondering the social atomization in our individualist society, capitalist profit seeking, and how the whole push for the development of artificial intelligence fits into it all. It is rare that I come across science fiction that evokes strong emotion through both prose and storytelling. The book is proper science fiction and compared to a lot of stuff these days is very well written. I really hope more people discover this book and the author continues writing science fiction.

[Kaity Mumma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm fully biased in my review as I'm a friend of the author. I'm just really proud of her. Reading this was like finding little Easter eggs about her personality and experiences - references to Pitt, loving cats, a nod to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the desire to be a Jedi, among others. Without spoiling, I think she made several choices that were the more interesting option rather than the expected or maybe even desired option. I also can't imagine how many hours of research this took. Well done, Mel.

[Lilly June · Rating 3 out of 5]

solid read! don’t know if i understood all the literary choices made but that’s ok

[Kris Sellgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Kent creates the first AI (artificial intelligence). But it is amoral, leaning towards evil. So she creates a second AI, designed to be moral and good. Then she is overwhelmed by the dangers of the first one existing, and kills herself. Now her grad student is left with her lab notes and an evil AI that figures out how to escape its Faraday cage. The grad student and his friends have to save the world through programming. The tone is dark and depressing, especially the chapters about Laura. But the (nice) cat on the cover does create a major glitch in everything, so it’s not a gratuitous cat on the cover.

[Caitie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some fantastic prose in this novel, and I was completely taken with Laura, resonating with her as a protagonist as I rarely do in novels... But then she took a backseat to Adler, the real protagonist, another tortured white boy who while he learns the right lessons, never made me root for him.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Appropriately for a book about AI, I failed to connect with a single character and I was bored by the story even though I willed myself to really pay attention and try to absorb something of substance. It was, however, in the end, quite unsubstantial.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated the characters in this book for the majority of it. Only the last quarter of it was redeeming in any way. Most reviews said they didn't care for the ending, but I thought it was what it should be. Not the best read, but something different for me.

[Jd · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/2

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and breezy AI-based novel. Not really buried in the science of it as much as the broader societal discussion, which worked well for this read.

[Andy P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating concept and very well-written.
However, the abrupt ending left me feeling unfulfilled....

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting territory, a originally imagined AI encounter. Unfortunately it's a bit simplistic

[Steve Scheid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Ending kinda let me down

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written characters, but the tech was all highly implausible.