Human Element

By: AJ Powers

Narrated by: Andrew B. Wehrlen

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Humanity volunteered for its own demise.

The Neuroweb began as the greatest invention since written language. A simple brain implant allowed the user to access information, entertainment, and even pain relief. The Neuroweb was the beginning of a golden age for mankind....

Until it was compromised. Everyone with the implant lost his or her most important commodity: free will. The collective human consciousness was hacked and is now directed by artificial intelligence. Only those without the Neuroweb have a chance of resisting...if they dare.

Aaran has legitimate reason to believe he's the last free-thinking human alive. After his family was killed in the purge, he fled for his life. Now, he aimlessly wanders through the suburbs of Cincinnati alone, desperate to find a reason to live.

When he meets a girl like him - another free thinker - they search together for a cause worth fighting for. Worth dying for.

©2017 AJ Powers (P)2018 AJ Powers

Excellent.

I scored a free copy of this audiobook yesterday! I basically could not stop once I started.

I really enjoyed this original scifi/survival premise, the character development, setting, tone, and story. Mr. Powers avoided tropes that usually ruin this kind of story for me. The protagonists are regular people in a horrible apocalypse.

I would love to see a movie or TV series made of this.

My only complaint is that I wanted more. As soon as I submit this review I will be going back to see if there is a sequel.

I will also be shopping for a Suppressed Scorpian. Just in case... Well done.

Post apocalyptic mixed with tech sci-fi... I'm in!

I'm a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic genre, so when I saw the summary to the novel, I was intrigued. After listening, I'm hooked! Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed! Great writing, storyline, narration, everything!

* I was provided a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review.

Good Dystopian/Thriller

I absolutely enjoyed listening to this book and hope this is only the start of a series. Liked the characters of Aaran and Hadas, full of action it is a different dystopian/sci-fi as does not have zombies but has Sentinels and highly recommend if you enjoy dystopian. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. THANK YOU

Good Zombie Alternative

Considering how saturated the Zombie genre was and the success of Ready Player One and other stories about virtual reality, this story is something of a hybrid. Rather than mindless zombies, there are people with networked implants that are being controlled by an AI bent on destroying humanity. The concept works, and the main characters’ backstories are logical. The writing is solid, though I have one complaint.
*Spoiler Alert* There is tremendous sexual tension in the latter third of the book, with characters above voting age, yet nothing occurs. There is no need for anything graphic, but to at least address the situation by saying something akin to, “That night we recognized the spark between us and expressed our feelings physically for the first time,” would have been plenty. Instead, there are a couple of hugs following a few days of separation and anxiety between two (younger) adults who are amongst a mere handful of free-willed people on the planet. At this point it crosses the border from YA to Children’s lit.
Andrew B. Wehrlen is an excellent narrator. He has a unique style and is a terrific storyteller.

sci fi done right

When looking for sci fi, i want to read something that asks interesting questions. Whats the science like, is the science believable in the context our own world. If given this science are the situations well thought out are the rules followed. This book does a good job at that.

A Good Book - I Was Sad When It Ended

For me, when I am sad to reach the end is one of the bigger indicators of how well I liked the book. I requested this book which I agreed to review upon its completion.
This is my first AJ Powers read but not my first Andrew B. Wehrlen listen. I enjoy narrations by Mr. Wehrlen so, when I saw this was my narrator, I was pleased. His narration is solid and it helps me keep track of the characters by the vocal nuances which he provides for each separate character.
This is a post-apocolypse genre book which focuses on the situation through one main character at first, then adds perspective through more later on. This was an easy read; not one that requires a lot of mental concentration to get through. This isn't necessarily bad because I often need a good "recreational read" to help me de-stress.

Sci/Fi Post Apocalyptic Story

As more and more devices become connected to the internet, it becomes easier to control everything from a single point. In this story, that single point comes from an implant called the Neuroweb. Just like with our Internet of thing devices that can be hacked, the Neuroweb is taken over from an unknown entity. All humans that had the implant are now drones and all of the devices connected to the Neuroweb may act like little spies for whoever is controlling them. Our protagonist, Aaron has been wandering around for almost a year after the event and hasn't seen another uncontrolled human, until he meets Hadas. The story is well written and you can feel the emotion and toll that this event has taken on them. The loneliness, lost sense of hope and struggle to survive. With the world forever changed, they must decide will they just survive or will they live. Narration was great and he conveyed their emotions very well. He changed their voices enough that you understood who was talking. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. #SCIFI #IT #TECHNOLOGY #GREATNARRATION #UNIQUEVOICES

Enjoyable

I felt the story was well written and the characters strong. Well worth a listen if you like post apocalyptic stories involving A.I.

So darn good!

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Wow, this was a great take on the dystopian genre focusing on AI and human/computer interfaces being used against humanity. Such a cool premise. I thought it was very well executed, too. I would have liked it to be a little longer for the first book, but it is long enough that I still think it is worth a credit. I really do think it is that good. Anyway, the narration is VERY good too. Andrew Wehrlen really brings the story to life. I felt their struggle and was riveted the whole time.

Fine addition to it's genre

I liked this audiobook very much. Fleshed out, fresh and unique characters. The only thing is that it left me sad and melancholy. Not a HEA book. That said, I highly recommend this book. Now for the obligatory: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."