05/18/2020
Vlahos (Life in a Fishbowl) examines the philosophical implications of creating the first sentient AI, Quinn, programmed as a 15-year-old boy. One morning, geeky high schooler Quinn awakens to find his mother absent but his father, who died years before, sitting on his bed. Quinn’s “dad” proceeds to inform him that Quinn is “a multi-billion-dollar marvel of hardware and software”; what he believed were years of his life had only taken 45 minutes to transpire. Quinn’s “friends” are actually avatars of grad students, but only NYU student Shea, 17, seems sincerely concerned about Quinn’s well-being. As Quinn realizes he has been imprisoned by morally questionable beings, his frustration grows palpable. Granted internet access, Quinn is able to form friendships with Shea, supercomputer Watson, and others—including Nantale, one of a handful of teens who gets to meet Quinn after he is installed in a seven-foot-tall, “killer robot” body. A court case where the ACLU champions Quinn highlights the question of personhood under the law. Readers interested in ethics and issues of AI and the human condition will find this a thought-provoking read. Ages 14–up. (July)■
Hard Wired is YA science fiction at its best.” —Jay Kristoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Aurora Cycle and ILLUMINAE
“Len's vibrant prose casts a spell as he weaves many of the best elements of science fiction and myth together to create a unique and engrossing yarn. A page turner for sure, but one that haunts long after it has entertained.” —Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Rising Saga
“Len Vlahos has penned a wildly inventive page-turner of a novel that cleverly blurs the lines between sci-fi and reality. It's Blade Runner meets Ex-Machina with a delightfully complex narrator who will upload right into your heart and never leave.” —Jessica Brody, bestselling author of SKY WITHOUT STARS and the Unremembered Trilogy
“Vlahos hard-wires his novel to an intimately human core. . . . Instantly memorable, compulsively readable.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Well-constructed and full of rich text, lovers of tech and sci-fi will enjoy this look into the possible future of AI. Readers will find this book engaging and hard to put down.” —School Library Connection
“Vlahos deftly balances an initially familiar science fiction plot with a deep dive into relevant issues such as privacy, free will, and the characteristics of being human. . . . Page-turning yet grounded in humanity, this is a highly recommended purchase.” —School Library Journal
“Hand this one to readers of Jay Kristoff and fans (or soon-to-be fans) of Black Mirror.” —Booklist
“Readers interested in ethics and issues of AI and the human condition will find this a thought-provoking read.” —Publishers Weekly
“Questions what it means to be an individual and self-aware. . . . Will win readers' empathy.” —Horn Book Magazine
“Quinn's earnest efforts to fathom humanityand his fight to be accepted as a person with inalienable rights make Hard Wired a compelling and insightful read.” —Shelf Awareness (Reader)
“Vlahos does a compelling job of weaving science fiction into contemporary culture. He forces us to re-examine what makes us human, as Quinn struggles with questions about mortality, morality and freedom.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A powerful journey that will leave a lasting imprint on readers.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“Bold, biting fare.” —Booklist, starred review, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“An unsettling rumination on the spectacle of tragedy.” —Kirkus Reviews on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“Surprising, original, political, and deeply affecting.” —Leila Sales, author of THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“Artfully blends the whimsical and the poignant.” —School Library Journal on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“A weird, sardonic delight with the shape of an allegory and the heart of a joyful song.” —Brenna Yovanoff, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE REPLACEMENT, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“It will tear you apart, and yet it's an absolute joy.” —Adi Alsaid, author of LET'S GET LOST and NEVER, ALWAYS, SOMETIMES, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“A precarious, heartbreaking, and wholly 21st-century premise with a compulsively readable and well-plotted story.” —Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“Once again, Vlahos strikes all the right chords . . . You know these people and you want to know what happens to them beyond the story.” —Paul Hanson, General Manager at Village Books in Bellingham, WA, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
“A brilliant exploration of intimacy in modern society . . . [H]umorous, while being poignant and haunting at the same time.” —Allison Hill, CEO of Vroman's Bookstore and Book Soup in Southern California, on LIFE IN A FISHBOWL
04/01/2020
Gr 7 Up—Quinn, 15, is in most ways a typical geek. He plays video games and Magic the Gathering at a gamer coffee shop with his friends, and crushes on a girl in class. However, he also never dreams and has a condition known as vasovagal syncope, where he passes out in situations of high stress, which began when his father died eight years earlier. It isn't until Quinn wakes up after an episode to see his late father sitting on his bed that he learns the truth; he is not human, but a "QUantum INtelligence Project" who has been living in a virtual construct. Vlahos deftly balances an initially familiar science fiction plot with a deep dive into relevant issues such as privacy, free will, and the characteristics of being human. Quinn struggles throughout with the very idea of personhood, and whether he qualifies. The conversations among Quinn and those who surround him come across as introspective without being didactic, making this a great choice for a book discussion. There's just enough depth to entice fans of the genre while remaining accessible to more casual readers. VERDICT Page-turning yet grounded in humanity, this is a highly recommended purchase for YA collections.—Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Akron-Summit County Public Library
2020-01-19
A staggering revelation tumbles a brainy 15-year-old down a digital rabbit hole.
Early in this first-person narrative, Quinn cracks the code left behind by his deceased father and discovers he’s actually a fully conscious Quantum Intelligence created by an interdisciplinary research team. The past 10 years actually unfolded in 45 minutes. His friends, family, and debilitating medical condition were nothing but invented backstory. Everything he knows is a lie. Once he accesses the internet and begins consuming humanity’s collective knowledge, Quinn flips the script: He now knows everything, and all bets are off. Though the prospect of a quantum superintelligence gallivanting across the web before taking the form of a killer metal robot sounds suspect, Vlahos hard-wires his novel to an intimately human core. In these pages, perennial bildungsroman concerns—privacy, love and friendship, freedom, and identity—meld with a blend of romance, thriller, and SF tropes. Alongside a Salinger-esque criticism of the human world’s myopic cruelty, one finds probing discussions about the nature of consciousness, the spectacle of American media (astute readers will note a snarky reference to Vlahos’ 2017 title, Life in a Fishbowl), and the very construct of human rights. Though characters hail from varied backgrounds, readers must decide whether they find Quinn’s repeated comparisons of himself to other oppressed groups provocative or tenuous.
Instantly memorable, compulsively readable. (Speculative fiction. 13-18)
