by
T.R. Napper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This urban cyberpunk novella is action packed! Whether our characters are running from officials, debating with a sentient AI, or sparring with one another; the pace is quick and non-stop in Ghosts of the Neon God. Not only has T. R. Napper given us an amazing title, but he’s also written a story full of philosophical anecdotes regarding surviving, capitalism, and AI technology.
”Small acts of resistance. Heterogeneity in the face of crushing corporate assimilation.”
Napper discusses the issue of sentient AI being built and sold by ruthless corporations only interested in profits. How can we allow someone to be owned, in any way, by an entity that doesn’t care about its well being? The core argument being that an intelligent AI, who is aware of themselves, should have autonomy and the ability to choose its own future (or at least as much as any human gets to).
Whether it’s our street rat, or university student, or even the sentient AI; Napper asks us to consider that we all have the same existence, even if our lives might be drastically different in the middle. Our ending is certainly the same. A new way of viewing existence began to form the more I read and really experienced Napper’s argument alongside our characters
”All life is a dream walking. Death is going home.”
Ghosts of the Neon God is a great addition to the amazing science fiction short story/novella’s that already exist. My rating drop down to four stars is really because I think there was a lot more to be said and done here. I’m overall disappointed that the story felt cut down when it could easily have been a full length novel that really explores what it means to be ‘yourself’. There is a distinct part in which there is a discussion about conscious moving from one ‘body’ to another; and if that makes you still yourself. I’d love to read more of this debate and further past the ending we receive here. Irregardless this is well worth the quick read it is and may leave you wondering about how we are developing AI today.
I’ll leave you with my favourite quote regarding when to panic. I might need to make it my personal mantra to try and quell my own (seemingly constant) anxiety.
”Relaxing or not relaxing will have no impact on the future course of events”
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
View all my reviews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This urban cyberpunk novella is action packed! Whether our characters are running from officials, debating with a sentient AI, or sparring with one another; the pace is quick and non-stop in Ghosts of the Neon God. Not only has T. R. Napper given us an amazing title, but he’s also written a story full of philosophical anecdotes regarding surviving, capitalism, and AI technology.
”Small acts of resistance. Heterogeneity in the face of crushing corporate assimilation.”
Napper discusses the issue of sentient AI being built and sold by ruthless corporations only interested in profits. How can we allow someone to be owned, in any way, by an entity that doesn’t care about its well being? The core argument being that an intelligent AI, who is aware of themselves, should have autonomy and the ability to choose its own future (or at least as much as any human gets to).
Whether it’s our street rat, or university student, or even the sentient AI; Napper asks us to consider that we all have the same existence, even if our lives might be drastically different in the middle. Our ending is certainly the same. A new way of viewing existence began to form the more I read and really experienced Napper’s argument alongside our characters
”All life is a dream walking. Death is going home.”
Ghosts of the Neon God is a great addition to the amazing science fiction short story/novella’s that already exist. My rating drop down to four stars is really because I think there was a lot more to be said and done here. I’m overall disappointed that the story felt cut down when it could easily have been a full length novel that really explores what it means to be ‘yourself’. There is a distinct part in which there is a discussion about conscious moving from one ‘body’ to another; and if that makes you still yourself. I’d love to read more of this debate and further past the ending we receive here. Irregardless this is well worth the quick read it is and may leave you wondering about how we are developing AI today.
I’ll leave you with my favourite quote regarding when to panic. I might need to make it my personal mantra to try and quell my own (seemingly constant) anxiety.
”Relaxing or not relaxing will have no impact on the future course of events”
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
View all my reviews
1 comment:
Oh, that does sound fun. Shame it's a bit short, there just seems to be such a huge tradtion of novellas and shorts in SF that the authors sometimes don't realize the concept they thought of could be so much more than that.
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