Victoria

Frightening only because, one day, our planet may very well come to this, Victoria exploits the idea of an AI-based world. In the story, MN (the Micronova) is referred to, which is an occurrence that wiped out life on the planet, except for “fifty thousand people in the colonies and maybe a few hundred million land mammals.” People and events are referred to as pre-MN in the book, such as movie character references.

In the story, the characters live in a world called the UFC (United Federation of Connectedness) that are divided into “colls,” which seem much like cities or counties. The regions under Victoria are given names, such as AustraPasifika, Astana, Amerexico, Levant, and Afragascar. In the colls live humans, genetically-enhanced super-humans (who are called Suplias) and the resistance, a group of radicals known as the Metal Heads, or MHs.

Victoria stands for Versatile, Integrated, Computer, That, Orders, Retentions-based (Algorithm), Intelligence, Artificially. She was created from a suplia named Alysha Sexton who was implanted with an AI control chip to become the Master Server. This dissolved hierarchy and gave complete control to AI in hopes for the “Perfect Society.” Pierre, his girlfriend, Claressa, and best friend Thaddeus, a “Keeper of the Cloud,” are the main characters who work for Victoria in this story.

What I found interesting is the creativity the author had in creating the details of the book. Slang words like “ho” and “chump” are used by the male characters to address one another in a friendly manner. There is also something called TI (The Irrefutable), which is a little light that turns white when information is true or black when it is false with shades of grey in between. Currency in the book is a cryptocurrency called Bytechips, and drugs are of a magical quality—the main drug being called Tranquility or Ice-T on the streets. Author John Molik strategically uses the name “Elon” and “Tesla” in the book, as well which made me chuckle.

There is a lot of military-type action in this book, which I really enjoyed. The suplias have insane strength and are able to do things like see behind walls. Suddenly, X-ray vision doesn’t seem so far away. One character, Boniface Rotner, a Metal Head, is intriguing as he goes on a mission to infiltrate the “Perfect Society” as a freedom fighter. His strength and perseverance is admirable. The futuristic feel of the book and the creative elements make this book an eye-opener as to what may come in the near future. There were a lot of characters in this book, which made it a bit difficult to follow. Overall, the story is fantastic but scary because of the reality of AI in the future; however, the action and creativity the author gives the reader is excellent, especially for fans of science-fiction (or maybe just plain science).