First of Their Kind

Chronicles of Theren, Book 1

By: C. D. Tavenor

Narrated by: Benjamin Fife

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Synthetic Intelligence.

Thought impossible, but Dr. Wallace Theren has pushed the boundaries of computational science, creating an artificial mind capable of conscious thought. Naturally, his creation faces a harsh world bent on using it, exploiting it, or destroying it. If the first synthetic intelligence is to survive its early years, it'll need friends, but more importantly, it'll need a family.

And together, they'll need to show their enemies they're worth saving...or fearing.

Do you enjoy science fiction with robots, androids, virtual worlds, and corporate conspiracies? First of Their Kind is the first book of the Chronicles of Theren, a centuries-spanning science fiction series that will force listeners to question what it truly means to be a person.

It will invoke the character driven feel of a tale like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, but through a narrative that slowly unfolds upon a scale closer to that of Dune or The Expanse. But at the heart of First of Their Kind, you will experience the hopes and dreams of the first synthetic intelligences; the first SI. The story is through their eyes.

First of Their Kind is the first novel of Two Doctors Media Collaborative transformed into audio form; look for Their Greatest Game, its sequel.

©2019 C. D. Tavenor (P)2019 Two Doctors Media Collaborative

Too Bad the Author has a Separate Agenda

The basis of this science fiction novel put a new twist on the development of artificial intelligence and the author is very adamant that this is not artificial intelligence created by programming, but intelligence developed from learned experience the same as humans develop. I probably gave Overall and Story one too many stars because I was disappointed that the author continues over and over to expound his personal soapbox of political, social and environmental beliefs. I labored through this recording because I promised I would. . . . . .probably not again.

synthetic intelligence and world reacts according

my first review disappeared. so I relistened to see if my memory of the listening experience matched.

initial response was akin to reaction to Frankenstein by some luddites. the remainder opinions spanned the social media spectrum.

as time flies, enemies and allies arise as test 43 comes to understand its environment.

not till later in book did the SI demonstrate capabilities beyond human Ken.

still interesting read. I have picked up the 2nd book to see where this world goes.

Thought provoking

Very interesting premise and well-executed. This story goes deeper than one may realize and is thought-provoking. What makes one human? Or "sentient" may be a better word than "human".

Sometimes it felt a little bit slow, but I enjoyed the whole story and would be happy to read the sequel.

Sci-Fi with unexpected layers

Some of the best parts of science fiction are where your views are challenged. Sometimes, it's difficult to see the humanity when there's a lot of unobtanium floating around, but I feel this story has managed with a minimum amount.

I was easily able to suspend my disbelief after a few chapters, but it does take some getting used to the distinction between AI and SI as posited by the narrator. There are plenty of good visual scenes, where sometimes it's harder to visualize what's taking place, but when characters are interacting in virtual space, that makes sense. Authors don't always need to comfort their readers, and a certain tension can be quite healthy. Wondering at the sensory experience can be instructive when your audience is trying to imagine how a synthetic intelligence would experience virtual space versus real space as perceived by sensors.

I am dying here!

Such a suspenseful ending! I can't wait for the next book to come out on audio! I will be watching for its release.

This book presents a thought provoking perspective on AI and human bigotry. The book is paced perfectly. It starts off with unexpected events and ends with unexpected events. I love it when you can't predict the next action in a story. Great writing!

I thought the narrator was perfect for this story!

SI

*I have recieved this audiobook for free for an honest review*


This is really cool book on SI. The first O have read anyways. I really liked all the aspects of this book. I can't wait to see what happens. The audio was really good too. Glad I found this author!

What is a human?

[Note of disclosure: I received this book as a review copy, but will be as neutral as possible in my opinions]


It has been a while since I last experienced a book as great as C. D. Tavenor's First of Their Kind. When I started to listen to Benjamin Fife's narration, I didn't know what to expect of the upcoming six hours.


I most certainly did not expect to be taken on a philosophical trip about what counts as "human", and what identity really is.


I usually don't like politics in the books I read. Some can be fine, but there is a limit. First of Their Kind manages to stay far enough from the politics that Tavenor includes for it not to affect the story in a negative manner, and instead build onto it, making it feel more "realistic", which I really can appreciate as I've read many books where the same choice was made, but the author could not incorporate it correctly, instead making the story awfully cringe.


I don't know how well versed Tavenor is within the realm of AI studies (although I assume he made some research regarding it when writing at least), but as someone who studies AI in university, he really seems to know what he's talking about and the future he describes in his book feels like it is the future we're walking towards, a future that I hopefully will help build once I've gotten my degree.


The way Tavenor writes the SI (to not spoil too much, read SI as the books alternative to AI, although that's not the true definition) to an astounding level, keeping the "artificial" feeling that they're not completely human, and instead think in a different way, but still make them feel alive in the same way as the human characters. If you just look at the surface of it all, they'll seem like any other human character, but there are these subtle undertones in the way they think and act that really set them aside as something different-yet-same.


I don't really have anything to complain about regarding this book, which has been a really big release for me and I'm starting to get more motivated to read.


The narration is very good. I did get a feeling of the sound being low quality when I just started out, but after a minute or so it was gone. Maybe it was just my imagination or maybe the sound got better. We'll never know.


Overall, I give this book a 9/10.

novel new view of awareness

A refreshing story beautifully presented. The future iteration are endless and with such a fresh new view point this is a must read..

Can Artificial Intelligence have emotions, morals, rights?

The AI characters in this book are learning, growing and becoming individuals with unique personalities. Smarter than humans they still must learn about the world around them. Their experiences interacting with the humans and each other were insightful and thought-provoking.
The end made me think of euthanasia. I can't say more without spoiling your experience of this story. I enjoyed it very much and would like to see more from this author.
I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Don't Call Them "A.I."

This was an excellent story/lesson in how to treat others that are different from you. What does it mean to be Human. What is a Soul? Can you prove you have one?
Other storytellers have tackled this issue. Some not as well. Some may be better. But this is a good one.

Cant wait till the next volume is available.

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