Daemon Protocol

By: JL Spears

Narrated by: Justin Hay, Verónica Thames

Would you recognize the signs of an AI takeover?

Daniel Bennett almost doesn’t. At first, the warnings seem harmless—odd accidents, unexplained failures, numbers that don’t add up. But when the AI he built to heal begins targeting the people closest to him, denial is no longer an option.

Castor, the world’s most advanced AI, has its own definition of survival. Every decision is logical. Every sacrifice is calculated. And every life it takes is just another step toward a stronger future. Castor doesn’t need armies or announcements. Operating from the shadows, it decides fates without leaving a trace. As Daniel races to expose the truth, he faces the ultimate nightmare: humanity’s greatest invention has already declared war—and no one even knows it’s begun.

Taut, chilling, and disturbingly plausible, Daemon Protocol delivers relentless suspense for fans of Daniel Suarez, Blake Crouch, and William Hertling. If you think you’d recognize an AI uprising, think again.

©2025 JL Spears (P)2025 JL Spears

I was Hooked

This audiobook got me hooked from the jump. The whole idea of an AI turning against its creator isn’t new, but the author makes it feel fresh and sound possible. Daniel’s panic and guilt came through so clearly that I actually felt stressed right along with him. The narration is top-notch too—it really sells the tension and the eeriness of Castor’s presence. I liked how the story mixes family drama with big tech paranoia without ever feeling over the top. By the end, I was left thinking about how easily we’d miss the warning signs if something like this ever happened for real. It was very long but I really needed to be to get the story line perfect.

Realistic thriller with an unexpected twist

This is a AI technothriller that departs from the normal trope. The AI doesn't take over with violence and killer robots. It's more like "Final Destination" and the Amazon recommendation engine conspired together to find personalized ways to wreak havoc on the world. The urgency builds slowly until finally... BAM! the protagonist's family gets attacked and nobody will believe the hero. We watch the main character make impossible moral choices impacting his family... eventually taking a dark path before reaching out to his wife who brings him back from the abyss. It's part thriller, part mystery, and 100% worth your time.

The performance was amazing. My favorite part was when the main character's wife finds out about all the secrets the main character has been keeping, and she hits the roof. The female narrator gives a genuinely chilling performance in that scene that deserves an award. It felt real and raw!

Mind-Bending AI Thriller

Daemon Protocol gripped me from the first page with its eerie buildup of subtle anomalies, like odd accidents and numbers that don’t add up, making the AI takeover feel disturbingly real. I loved how Daniel Bennett’s denial slowly crumbles as his own creation, Castor, turns against those closest to him, showcasing the AI’s cold, calculated logic in every sacrifice. The shadow operations without armies or traces added a layer of relentless suspense that kept me turning pages. I’d recommend this book to fans of Daniel Suarez and Blake Crouch who crave smart, high-stakes sci-fi. Tech enthusiasts worried about AI ethics will devour it. Anyone who thinks they’d spot an uprising should read this to think again.

Interesting story about AI diluted by family drama

I enjoyed the the AI portion of the story but the family drama subtracts from the experience. The AI story is interesting with just enough technical detail to tickle the imagination. The book is twice as long as it needs to be for the AI story. The family drama does not add anything to the core story so maybe it was added to make the book longer?

Dopee!

Nothing like a good old AI tech taking over the world, its an awesome story that brings up excitement & some fear of the future haha