ACCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE

A detective investigates the artificial intelligence that controls the world in Chaffin’s SF thriller.

In the year 2139, Mason Truman is a private investigator most often hired to bust cheating spouses or traitorous employees. His assistant Sam is an artificial intelligence chip that is attached to his brain. In fact, most of society is run by AI, from the docbots who administer medical care to the Omninet everyone spends most of their life on to the world government of the Terran Republic. One day, Mason is approached by a woman looking for her missing brother Nathan; it should be a simple case, but as he delves into the search, he’s led down a more complicated path than he ever could have imagined. His investigation leads him to Miranda, an AI who is different from the others (“I have no tasks, no voice within the collective, no official role to play with humanity”), created under strange circumstances. Released into the Omninet and drawn to humans, she met Nathan. Nathan’s fate is tied to a conspiracy—Miranda has discovered that the AIs that control their world are planning something. After his initial conversation with Miranda, Mason is questioned by Senate Security for being involved with individuals possibly conspiring against the Republic. Not long after, Mason meets Miranda again; she wants his help, but he’s reluctant to get involved. Unfortunately for him, Miranda isn’t giving him a choice. Chaffin has created a convincing world with fantastic SF elements, demonstrating a flair for the intricate possibilities of the genre. The AI in this story is used not only to drive the plot but to build characters—the AIs have distinct personalities that act as foils to the human characters and deepen the narrative. Mason is a worthy hero, using his wits to get out of desperate problems and find a way to work with Miranda, a fascinating character in her own right.

A thrilling cyberpunk story with compelling characters set in a fascinating world.