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Paul’s Year In Books

Paul’s 2025 Year in Books

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Paul A. McLean

Goodreads Author

Born

in Australia

Website

https://naisphere.com

Twitter

TheNaisphere

Genre

Psychology, Thriller, Crime

Influences

Neal Stephenson
Irvin Yalom
Andrew Watts

Member Since

June 2025

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Paul McLean lives in Melbourne, Australia, and has always been an early adopter of new technology. He purchased his first computer in 1979, sparking a lifelong fascination with the intersection of computing and the human mind. This pioneering curiosity led him to a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Instrumental Science in 1987 and, more recently, a Bachelor of Psychological Science with a Nutrition Major in 2024.

Paul’s early IT work revolved around Unix and its scheduling system, ‘cron’—hence the spelling of the series name: The Anteross Cronicles. Over his career, he observed that good software borrows concepts from biology and that both fields inform our understanding of intelligence.

The Companion’s Whisper is Paul’s debut novel, ...more

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Paul A. McLean’s books

Average rating: 3.5 · 6 ratings · 6 reviews · 1 distinct work

The Companion's Whisper: The Algorithm Always Listens (The Anteross Cronicles #1)

3.50 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2025

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Paul A. McLean's Blog

On Taxonomy as Protest: The Secret Power of Naming

When readers encounter the smart mobile planter, known as AJ, in the prologue of The Companion’s Whisper, they may see it first as a piece of set dressing, a luxury gadget in a high-end apartment. Yet, AJ is more than an eccentric flourish. It is both a mirror and a weapon: an emblem of narcissistic performance on James’s part, and a focus of quiet rebellion for Emily.

James treasures the fern not Read more of this blog post »

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Published on September 26, 2025 01:24 • Tags: coercive-control, healing-through-language, the-companion-s-whisper, trauma-and-recovery, trauma-psychology

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Paul is Currently Reading

Paul McLean is currently reading

The Long Walk

by Richard Bachman

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Oct 05, 2025 05:48PM

Paul McLean is currently reading

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)

by Ann Leckie (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 18, 2025 08:23AM

Paul McLean is currently reading

A Room of One’s Own

by Virginia Woolf

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Aug 31, 2025 04:47PM

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Paul’s Recent Updates

Paul McLean is now following Joseph Vance Logsdon Author of The Ecstasy and the Ignominy
Feb 07, 2026 02:00PM · like
Paul McLean rated a book it was amazing Symphony of Perdition by Joseph Vance Logsdon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Symphony of Perdition is a bleak tragedy written in a gothic, omniscient style. I prefer a more modern approach (less declarative, more “show, don’t tell”), but here the voice actually helped: it immersed me in a story-world that felt deliberately ol ...more
Feb 07, 2026 01:41PM · like · see review
Paul McLean rated a book it was amazing The Companion's Whisper: The Algorithm Always Listens (The Anteross Cronicles #1) by Paul A. McLean (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Author here. Writing this novel was so much fun, but reading and re-reading it has been even better. I love the human characters, flawed and fragile as they are, and I remain in awe (and a little fear) of Anteross’s manipulative brilliance. Even after ...more
Dec 29, 2025 02:44PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Companion's Whisper by Paul A. McLean. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Companion's Whisper by Paul A. McLean <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul McLean liked Elgin's review of The Companion's Whisper: The Algorithm Always Listens (The Anteross Cronicles #1): "I enjoyed this book very much. The author did a great job laying out the history of Jame's and Emily's marriage...yes it took several chapters but I appreciate it when an author builds a well described background picture. Likewise for the description" Read more of this review »
Oct 13, 2025 07:15PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Companion's Whisper by Paul A. McLean. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Companion's Whisper by Paul A. McLean <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul McLean is currently reading The Long Walk by Richard Bachman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 05, 2025 05:48PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Long Walk by Richard Bachman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Long Walk by Richard Bachman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul McLean rated a book it was amazing Alice Anyway by Brenda K. Thompson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Alice Anyway is a touching and deeply human portrayal of a young woman navigating life in the rugged green highlands of mid-twentieth-century America. After a significant loss following a mostly supportive childhood, she sees herself as somewhat vuln ...more
Oct 05, 2025 01:10PM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Alice Anyway by Brenda K. Thompson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Alice Anyway by Brenda K. Thompson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paul McLean joined the group The Cerebralizers
Sep 29, 2025 09:18AM · like
Brenda Thompson answered Paul McLean's question: I love the references to moss, lichen, and wild stones in Alice Anyway. They connect me with the setting and seem wonderfully wild. Have you ever walked any part of the Appalachian Trail? Does the trail pass near 'The Glens'? Hi Paul, The Glens is a fictitious place, but it’s meant to echo the spirit of the Appalachian Mountain region. The Appalachian Trail itself is a shady footpath winding for more than 2,000 miles, and I’ve only walked short sections of it. In 2012, th See Full Answer
Sep 24, 2025 05:38AM · like
Paul McLean rated a book it was amazing Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Reading Mrs. Dalloway felt like walking through a single day that was also a lifetime, as though every passing moment contained whole worlds of memory, fear, and desire. Woolf’s shifting perspectives capture the way thought actually moves. They are h ...more
Sep 22, 2025 07:24PM · like · see review
Paul McLean wants to read Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 22, 2025 07:24PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Annie Bot by Sierra Greer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Annie Bot by Sierra Greer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">