The Singularity Trap [June 25, 2025]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for The Singularity Trap by Dennis E. Taylor starting on June 25, 2025.


Happy Reading!

[Chris]

Spot

[Nirkatze]

Looking forward to it! I haven't read any Taylor yet.

[Narilka]

Oh wow. I love the author's Bobiverse books and hope this one is just as good :)

[Nirkatze]

Yeah, I need to get around to those.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

You sure do... I gave Bobiverse another chance recently, and read book 1, maybe book 2 (I forget, but I think I read book 2 and it had alot more to do with the aliens)... anyway, 3 of the books are super cheap with whispersync, and then I had to snipe 4-5 with sales...

[Felina]

Is this a stand alone?

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Felina wrote: "Is this a stand alone?"

This is, yea... it's unrelated to Bobiverse

[Felina]

I’m in! Late though, probably.

[Narilka]

I'm starting today.

[Narilka]

Through Ch 15. This is interesting. (view spoiler)[A slow start that I think will pick up the pace now that Ivan has had his arm turned to metal. I wasn't expecting body horror as part of this one even though that's exactly what it looks like on the cover. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Giving me excuses to start early .. probably over the weekend in between longer stuff

[Ann-Marie]

I started this after I finished Sun Eater and that was a mistake, I put it aside for now lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Lol... I jumped in blind after Empire of Gold...

[Nirkatze]

Oh goody... sounds like this is the darker side, then?

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Pretty much what you expect military/govt to do, if someone got alien tech infection...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Finished and enjoyed... Start kinda reminded me of Bobiverse, (view spoiler)[ after quarantine started (hide spoiler)] then it diverted...

Through the middle, my biggest question was how this was gonna be a satisfying standalone (view spoiler)[ given the timescales involved in sending a message to the Uploaders... (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Pretty much what you expect military/govt to do, if someone got alien tech infection..."

So it's depressing? LOL Because what I'd expect from that scenario is (view spoiler)[to turn him into a lab rat with the gov attempting to figure out how to replicate and/or weaponize the tech and then kill him once he's no longer useful to study. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Pretty spot on, except (view spoiler)[he goes rogue like Bob in Bobiverse, to survive and figure out what's going on... (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Ahh, good. A twist :D

[RachelG.]

Narilka wrote: "Through Ch 15. This is interesting. [spoilers removed]"

Just got to this part and I wasn't expecting it either.

One thing I really enjoy about how Dennis E. Taylor writes is that it feels accessible. I find it easy to read and can enjoy the story without having to figure out what is going on.

[RachelG.]

I saw some similarities with the Bobiverse ideas and the AI. I liked this story.

[Nirkatze]

Haven't read Bobiverse yet, so looking forward to seeing how it hits me blind.

[Ann-Marie]

I don't know about this one, I finished the other weird one earlier today (Ghosts of Tomorrow) and I am not sure if I have another weird one in me, especially since I have Hard Luck Hank this week and I would hazard a guess that will be weird as well.....

[Nirkatze]

If you want really weird join me & Iain in the Jerusalem read.

If you want solid fantasy, try Bloodsworn or Bone Ships, or maybe Eidyn--three solid fantasy trilogies starting at the end of the month...

If you want a cozy read... Hm. Looks like not much of those left this month, but Mossa & Pleiti in the Sales Club are close... there's the next Fred the Vampire, and maybe Dragonlance...

[Nirkatze]

I think you'd like Bloodsworn & Bone Ships... each of them have a whiff of grimdark about them... solid worldbuilding, interesting characters...

[Narilka]

Ann-Marie wrote: "I don't know about this one, I finished the other weird one earlier today (Ghosts of Tomorrow) and I am not sure if I have another weird one in me, especially since I have Hard Luck Hank this week ..."

You can join the unofficial Mother of Learning read in Vagabond. I just finished Arc 1 and am reading this book before continuing to Arc 2. Iain's joining back in for Arc 3 & 4 because he's the one who tried the series first :) And I think we've almost convinced Nirkatze to join :D It's a time loop story in a magic university. The title is very apt. It's a slow build but takes off once the event happens.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Hard Luck Hank ..."

Timelord Iain wrote: "Started... 30 minutes in and Hank has been stabbed in the butthole... downsides to being relatively immune to damage..."

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Hard Luck Hank ..."

Timelord Iain wrote: "Started... 30 minutes in and Hank has been stabbed in the butthole... downsides to being relatively immune to damage...""

SEE???? lol

[Ann-Marie]

The thing is I do not necessarily mind weird but there is definitely TOO WEIRD and I am not generally a huge fan of that.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie is generally not a fan of body horror weirdness, and the wildest of premises...

Fully intelligent adults reincarnated into a baby in a fantasy world to do mushroom science... (Sporemageddon)

Teenager dreaming of hyper-dimensional spider world and manifesting spider limbs in the real world... (BioShifter)

Dystopian AI/cyborg futures (Ghosts of Tomorrow)

Butthole knife immunity? (Hard Luck Hank)

Let's merge it all together with The Good Place (TV Show)!!!

[Ann-Marie]

I need to post in the Ghosts thread but what annoyed me was when every variation of the one character were identified, often 3 or so in a sentence. If they had been named A, B, C, etc. the book would have been like an hour shorter than it was!

[Narilka]

Through Ch 33 (view spoiler)[Well, the iCDC and military have them all in quarantine. It also seems like the nanites might be trying to communicate with Ivan but he's not getting it yet. Other than the initial weirdness of turning to metal, there's been a lot of... waiting. Still waiting for the thriller part to start. Or at least that's where I imagine this is going based on a reply from Iain above. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Just starting this, in Chapter 2, and enjoying the worldbuilding... kind of makes me think of Parable of the Sower, (view spoiler)[with how a college education is only worth a roach-infested one-room apartment for a family... while the rich are doing private tours of space stations... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 17 now, and (view spoiler)[this started out like Parable of the Sower meets the Expanse and has now turned into the Star Trek Replicators meets Life (SF horror movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal)... Making me want to read the first chapter again--I figured that must be from the alien POV, but I can't remember what it said...

Well, that's the benefit of an ebook--went ahead and copied the whole chapter, since it's super short:

One final nudge from the solar wind, and the traveler floated in orbit, just one of many insignificant pieces of flotsam at this distance from the local star. A voltage through the lines caused its sail to fold into a neat, compact package.
The journey from the previous star had taken millennia, but the traveler was incapable of feeling boredom or impatience. Nor did it feel anxiety over the many more such hops in its future. The traveler worked through its checklist, shutting down some systems, activating others. Some maintenance would be required⁠—the nearby asteroids would be more than sufficient to supply the raw materials.
The traveler scanned the stellar system, looking for planets or moons that matched any of several templates. And almost immediately, success! A blue-green planet with strong spectroscopic lines indicating oxygen, water, and one of the many biological strategies used to harness sunlight. No lights, no radio traffic, but the traveler didn’t concern itself. Intelligence would come, or it would not. Either way, the traveler would be long since gone.
The traveler launched a drone to the nearest asteroid. Raw materials were mined, maintenance was completed, and an emissary was constructed to wait for the emergence of any intelligent life.
The traveler couldn’t feel joy or satisfaction⁠—the Makers had been very careful to limit its level of sentience. The traveler knew this as a datum, but had no opinion otherwise.
Nevertheless, this stop had been successful. Several checkpoint items were marked completed, and other goal trees activated.
It was time to move on. A voltage through the anchor lines, and the sail unfolded. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the traveler began its millenia-long journey to the next candidate star.
It could wait.

Well, at least it doesn't sound malignant... just.... indifferent. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Through Ch 60 (view spoiler)[And I've gotten to the "thriller" part. Things are going as expected on the military and political front, sadly. I'm glad Ivan has some friends pulling for him even if it seems they can't help much - they are trying. I feel bad for his wife and kids, though being disconnected from him is likely helpful to keep them safe.

Time to find out how Ivan gets the ship extracted so he can go make contact. (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

Nirkatze wrote: "Through Chapter 17 now, [spoilers removed]"

A funny aside (view spoiler)[I started this at the same time my husband started the Expanse. We both thought it funny that we were both reading books about asteroid miners to begin with :D (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 36 now, and I was totally thinking that I should have kept my comparison (view spoiler)[to the Expanse crossed with Parable of the Sower, instead of moving into Replicators crossed with Life... it's still Expanse + Parable of the Sower, down to the twists...

I'm glad the IDC doctor is a good person--communicative, sees Ivan as a person instead of a test-subject--but the worldwide paranoia is really disturbing. I really hope his family gets the money and they all get somewhere safe.

The attempts at communication are interesting--and I'm glad Ivan is starting to tell people about it--but I'm surprised he didn't mention it to Dr. N, his head IDC doctor, only Dr. Kemp from the Astra. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 65 and I see what you mean Narilka (view spoiler)[about Iain's thriller comments starting... It's interesting that the military doesn't have the blanket abilities that many thrillers assume--kidnap & interrogate and just make up a story--though they constantly refer to "this isn't the 21st century"... Even Morris's allies recognize they're deep in the crap hole, and are making the illegal decisions because they think its the right thing to do...

I'm glad that Ivan was able to escape, but I do think that his decision-making processes seem less and less in-line with the character we met at the start of the book. I'm also getting Mutineers' Moon vibes now... though the Expanse parallels still are applicable! (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

I'm also through ch 65 (view spoiler)[This is weirdly giving me cozy vibes. Even though it's supposed to be a thriller, I just don't feel the urgency. Nor do I think anything too horrible will happen to Ivan. I guess I'll find out soon :)

It's not going to go well for the military guys. They lost their opportunity when they opted to blow up that facility. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

I can see what you're saying about cozy vibes (though I'd bet Ann-Marie would disagree)--the tension isn't painful...

Finished last night. (view spoiler)[Everything wrapped up well--very cleanly. I feel bad for Ivan... I'd've liked more of a response to his change in status/life, never being able to see his family again or rejoin the human race etc... which I suppose can be explained by the one-line mentioning how the computer was dulling his emotions, but I'd've liked to see more of that. More than just wanting to cry but not being able to...

I like how the military folks, especially Moore, were able to change their minds. They saw the odds, and made the logical conclusion. Finally!!! They initial "blow it up" choice was very trigger-happy knee-jerk reaction. Though Moore did explain it a bit by saying that blowing things up was a solution when you were the strongest--not the most moral, or the smartest, just the strongest...

The Sino-Soviet folks... the way they keep demanding one thing, accusing another, and complaining about a third, and all three in contradiction to each other... Sad to realize that these folks are a lot more common and in power nowadays... (hide spoiler)]

[Narilka]

It would not pass the Ann-Marie Cozy test lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

The Ann-Marie Cozy Test :D

Love it...

[Ann-Marie]

Vile betrayers! lol

[Tonari no Emily]

Just finished Bobiverse 4 and jumped into this one because I saw there was a BR and I already own it! Hi guys!
So far really liking this! I'm on a little bit of a sci fi kick I guess! Makes me want to get back to Poor Man's Fight and finish that series...

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie is generally not a fan of body horror weirdness, and the wildest of premises...

Fully intelligent adults reincarnated into a baby in a fantasy world to do mushroom science... (Sporemaged..."

And yet evil apples are up her alley... xD

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Just finished Bobiverse 4 and jumped into this one because I saw there was a BR and I already own it! Hi guys!
So far really liking this! I'm on a little bit of a sci fi kick I guess! Makes me want..."

We're starting a re-read in September I think...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Yep... September 9th... we only have a placeholder BR for now, since I think it's a sci-fi slot replacement, and we're undecided on scheduling through Spooktober/Cozy Holiday Months...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I guess it's technically replacing the Chuck Wendig / Miriam Black slot, ending August 9th... but you could also call it a replacement for Empire of Man, which ends on September 8th...

[Tonari no Emily]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Yep... September 9th... we only have a placeholder BR for now, since I think it's a sci-fi slot replacement, and we're undecided on scheduling through Spooktober/Cozy Holiday Months...

https://www..."

woohoo! Hopefully I'll be able to join!

[Ann-Marie]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "And yet evil apples are up her alley... xD "

I mean yeah, that was awesome in the worst and best way possible!