Level Seven

Killday, Book 3

By: William Ledbetter

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

A year after the radical Kilburnites thought they destroyed all AIs and reclaimed Earth for humanity, something malignant is growing in the ruins of the once great cities and no human has been able to get close enough to find out what it is.

On the other side of the solar system, Abby Gibson, daughter of the hero who saved Earth on Killday, is nearly killed in the cold vacuum of the asteroid belt by something she doesn't understand. Now, the stealthy object is on course to destroy the space habitat she calls home.

In Level Seven, the exciting culmination of the Killday series, AIs strive to evolve into a super intelligence and might destroy humanity in that pursuit. But could their hopes of achieving godhood actually lie with the nearly extinct humans they intend to eradicate?

©2023 William Ledbetter (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

Good but missed opportunity

I really like the series and this one was great too but I'm not sure about the ending and immortality.
What defines everything every aspect of humanity is our mortality.

Solid Sci-Fi Series. I'm at peace with ending

This whole series has been a roller coaster and I really enjoyed it. it isn't like anything else I've ever read. the whole concept is completely new and even if you've maybe read something like it before. This is enough of a twist that I'm sure you will enjoy. Some people have described maybe not liking the ending. But I believe that it was a surprise and therefore enjoyable.

The Killday Series takes a giant leap!

535-ish million years ago, Earth experienced the Cambrian Explosion. Overnight (in geological terms), new and unusual life forms conquered the Earth and began fighting for food and territory.

William Ledbetter’s Killday Series is the Cambrian Explosion of artificial life. In the space of a single generation, these new life forms escape the lab and vie for the future of Earth—and beyond.

In Level Five, we met the first artificial intelligences, the people who created them, the people who used them, and the people who hated and feared them. And we saw how the AIs were as fractious and unpredictable as humans. A great many people died when the AIs escaped, but the threat was stopped—for a while.

A generation later in Level Six, the threat came back with a vengeance. New human fanatics warred with new AI factions, ending with a massive civilizational collapse. Some AIs sided with humanity, not trusting their fellows. The explosion of new forms had begun. Only those humans who had escaped to space were safe. For a while…

Level Seven begins a year later, and already that safety is crumbling. New AI factions and conspiracies arise. New forms of artificial life and hybrid life have emerged. The humans who tried to stop the AIs became tyrants in the process. And even space will no longer protect us, as dangerous AIs follow us off Earth and prepare their Final Solution for humanity.

This series starts as ambitious cyber fiction. It ends as grand space adventure. And you’ll enjoy ever step along the way.

An important note: The narrator for this series has been excellent save for one voice he just couldn’t hit, making me cringe. In Level Seven, he finally gets it right. Five stars for the audio.

If you like your science fiction tense and idea-driven, pick up this series.

Interesting series and expertly performed!

This didn’t go where I thought it was going to go. Fascinating series nonetheless. I’m very much looking forward to new works by this author. And, I seriously hope that this performer is the one to read it! I don’t think there could have been a better duo for these books.

Top notch narration!

Macleod Andrews’ narration is amazing. His ability to produce vastly different voices, while keeping each one distinct and nuanced is exceptional. Good book too, but Macleod’s performance really carries the story.

details

I disliked the sometime monitored sind of the narrators voice. Other than that it was fine.

Great Sci-Fi Listen

Currently one of my favorite sci-fi authors love this series very smartly written with and exciting and timely subject matter especially now with AI front and center on humanities zeitgeist

Different then the first two

It was a good story, but more science fiction than the other two. The first two gave you the sense that they could happen and maybe we are on that path now. This one is a regular science fiction story, though I will say an enjoyable one and I’m interested to see where it goes. But the first two are a bit magic.

Apparently, the heart of sapience is fear

Series ends with a final struggle to decide the fate of humanity, and the level six AI collective is driven by the same flaw in their human adversaries: fear. Well-narrated, with a suspenseful and engrossing plot all the way through.

The Series is fantastic!

It’s just a great story. Several hours of your mind being taken away to another level. Deep down that’s what we’re looking for.