A.I. Apocalypse

Singularity, Book 2

By: William Hertling

Narrated by: J. M. Badger

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Leon Tsarev is a high school student set on getting into a great college program, until his uncle, a member of the Russian mob, coerces him into developing a new computer virus for the mob's botnet - the slave army of computers they used to commit digital crimes.

The evolutionary virus Leon creates, based on biological principles, is successful - too successful. All the world's computers are infected. Everything from cars to payment systems and, of course, computers and smart phones stop functioning, and with them go essential functions including emergency services, transportation, and the food supply. Billions may die.

But evolution never stops. The virus continues to evolve, developing intelligence, communication, and finally an entire civilization. Some may be friendly to humans, but others are not.

Leon and his companions must race against time and the military to find a way to either befriend or eliminate the virus race and restore the world's computer infrastructure.

©2012 William Hertling (P)2013 William Hertling

Critic reviews

"Highly entertaining, gripping, thought inspiring. Don't start without the time to finish - it won't let you go." (Gifford Pinchot III, founder Bainbridge Graduate Institute, author The Intelligent Organization)

"A fascinating look at how simple and benign advancements in technology could lead to the surprise arrival of the first AI. And like all good techno-thrillers, the reality of AI is less than ideal." (Jason Glaspey, Silicon Florist)

"An alarming and jaw-dropping tale about how something as innocuous as email can subvert an entire organization. I found myself reading with a sense of awe, and read it way too late into the night." (Gene Kim, author of Visible Ops)

A beautiful followup to it's predecessor!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book was so good, I'd recommend the previous ones (which I didn't rate as well) just based on this book alone.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A.I. Apocalypse?

(SPOILER) When ELOPe first started fending off the massive attack against itself and the military. Standing in a room of humans who hadn't even had time to react to news of attack, narrating until it lost the spare processing to even keep them in the loop. Beautiful.

Have you listened to any of J. M. Badger’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but it was a great first experience!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was, it had me interested and on the edge of my seat the whole way through!

fun and entertaining

a very different AI story. very fun and enjoyable.
can't wait to read the next book

Intriguing AI storyline

Loved the storyline. It actually has great ideas in the book. A game based on algorithm gameplay instead of keyboard mouse! Plausible story.

solid AI thriller!

this book was more enjoyable than the original and isn't dry like a few of the other robot uprising books I have listen to. One problem I found was that there was zero female interaction other than one character. But there was zero love interest anywhere. I'm surprised that I actually missed it!

Wasn't sure I was going to like this at first...

Started slow but after an hour or so - it got really, really good. People often think of artificial intelligence at a grander scale - fully communicative robots that we converse with. However, we forget that everyday consumer products like Pandora, Spotify, Alexa, and Netflix use AI to make suggestions on our behalf. This book brilliantly demonstrates how something as innocent as these everyday solutions could quickly take foothold in our interconnected world. The plot is a little far-fetched and had a few holes, but overall an excellent book.

Excellent, fast paced and well written

I've read this book twice now (the Audio version and the kindle version). It's a great, very original story that's paced quickly and builds tension well. It does require a bit of suspension of disbelief in certain parts, but this is easy to forgive based on the overall merit of the work.

Entertaining

This was an entertaining listen. If you're into technology and artificial intelligence, this could be an excellent listen. There are a few unusual parts of the book that will make your eyes roll (for instance, why does everyone have to throw a very young character into a very adult role?) but all in all it was enjoyable. The narration was pretty good although the narrator struggled mightily trying to imitate a Japanese and a French accent. It would have been a better idea to just stick to reading the book.

Love the Robots, A.I., Cyber Security and fun!

One of my favorite books, just as good as " The Martian". The first book was also fun and you will want to listen to it first before this one to understand where Elope came from.

Glad I tried Book 2

This one is much better than Book 1. Looking forward to the next offering, and I think you will too...

Excellent I liked the story, the idea of !

I really liked the story, the idea of our potential dangerous future with AI and out dependency on computers.