David Simpson (8)Kirja-arvosteluja

I am really enjoying this series!

I actually really enjoyed Sub-Human by David Simpson. It was fast paced, action filled, and enjoyable to read. It had quite a few tropes and clichés, but that said, I think the book handled them well.

It is a popcorn flick, and if you expect something more, you’ll be disappointed. However, if you’re looking for something to read something like an 80’s Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, this might be it.

It’s fun and interesting, as long as you don’t think about it too hard. I actually couldn’t put the book down at certain times because I was glued to the action and what might happen next.

Not all sci-fi needs to be grandiose, some of it needs to be an action packed adventure. So, as long as you have the right expectations, read it!

Sub-Human
Post-Human Series, Book 1
By: David Simpson
Narrated by: Ray Chase
This is the prequel to the Post-Human series. I enjoyed the majority of the book but the bouncing between times/worlds was not of my liking. It was good to set the background for the series.

I enjoyed this series and was really able to identify with it even though it was set well in to the future. The stories are well written and move fast.

Based on the glowing reviews I'd seen, I bought an ebook omnibus containing the four novels that make up David Simpson's "Post-Human" series, which explores what happens when AI becomes real.

I didn't make it through the first book, "Sub-Human".

"Sub-Human" is packed with informed ideas about AI and its consequences. It has action on every page. The plot is very fast paced. It would make a great comic (Graphic Novel if that makes you feel more grown-up) or a TV series.

As a novel, it is so under-written that it would make the average TV script for "Agents of Shield" seem like densely-written literature.

There is no characterisation, no empathy for the people and their situation, just a dash through action scenes that act as vehicles to test out AI concepts.

The level of insight into what makes people tick was so low that, if there was a Turing Test for novels, this book would fail it.

Love the technology

This series has detailed yet understandable theories about how technology, how it could change us, and how we may come to change our definition of human. Fascinating technology,great story, and unexpected twists and turns.

I picked these up because they were on a free weekend sale on Amazon and was very impressed! The author tells a fun, interesting story, weaving the perils and merits of high technology (AI, nanotech, etc) into a story I was sorry came to a conclusion. He does like to leave things with cliffhangers, it seems!

I'll be looking forward to book 6.

I picked these up because they were on a free weekend sale on Amazon and was very impressed! The author tells a fun, interesting story, weaving the perils and merits of high technology (AI, nanotech, etc) into a story I was sorry came to a conclusion. He does like to leave things with cliffhangers, it seems!

I'll be looking forward to book 6.

If you enjoyed the movie Transcendence, or other creative works that explore the near future ramifications of strong AI, this is the novel for you.

I actually only read 1-3. I couldn't commit to one more. The characters were amazingly boring. The plot was both slow and plodding, then with bursts of kind of boring action that followed suit in all three books.

I'm glad the character I thought was the main character wasn't because he was immensely boring to read. Not that the actual "Main" character was any better. Add that characters go from strong and passionate about their story to 5th level characters with little actual personality. One simply became a whole new person it seems.

So yeah, made it 75% before throwing in the towel, and don't care at all how the series wraps up.

Yikes! Very bad book. Very poorly researched. Plot? Well, I would have said something about the ending, but a reviewer on Goodreads named John Kearns, in giving the book a 1 Star review, writes a much better review with examples of poor research, and writes what my complaint about the ending was, and which for anyone familiar with technology cycles should spot. IMO. So, go to Goodreads and look this Kearns guy up. His is the first review, and again, it's a 1 star review and has good critiques. As for me, no sequel, thank you. Some writers put in the time, you know, and some writers have it and some just don't. This one needs to go back to their original line of work. Not recommended.

Here's a book I never imagined reading and and growing weary with. It exhausted me to no end- because it was NON-STOP ACTION! The characters were constantly on the run, because who can escape the eyes of God?

Okay, the book is about an evil entity who sits at the precipice of death and awaits you. It determines whether your edible enough to consume, thus destroying your soul or chucking you to the fiery keep, where phantoms of all sorts will torment you (Still destroying your soul but ensnaring you for an eternity of misery). This thing calls itself God.

I really liked the concept; the idea was good, but it got boring after a while and I just finished to be finished with it. I wasn't thrilled but I didn't walk away with something cool either.!
*For the full review: http://tinyurl.com/jnqr69l
**eBook is from my personal library.

Little unsure about one thing, sometimes it had the feel of YA and sometimes not. But YA readers could definitely read this book, and especially boys.

This is the future and everyone is used to having everything served on a silver platter. They are all smart and getting smarter with each upgrade. They can fly (well not really but thanks to technology), wounds are healed, they live and live, and everything is just perfect.

But some resist, a group called the Purists, and they are us, we who live now that is. I got pretty irritated when the group came across purists and went all "gross, they eat things from the ground, and meat, and they operate on people to save them." I felt the post humans were pretty ungrateful, if people in the past hadn't invented things they would not be where they are now. So they annoyed me then. I wanted to shake the person and say, hey, your world is not perfect.

Cos that brings us to the story, a group is away on Venus terraforming and when they get back everyone is dead, yes everyone. Then they have to find who did it and they have to save themselves.

It had this futuristic matrix kind of feel to it. AI, robots and technology for everyone. I did wonder though, if everyone is so smart, then who has the more crappy jobs. I mean everyone on the planet has an IQ of 147 and wouldn't they all want good jobs? Their world seem to perfect but at the same time it was scary. It was too perfect, living forever, being smart, and I will not say what, but obviously it all went to hell.

A sci-fi thriller for those who enjoy these kind of books.

ABR's original Sub-Human audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

X-Men meets Quantum Leap

There is a familiarity one feels while listening to Sub Human, not in the sense that you may have heard the book before, but that you are in a friendly place. Simpson manages to take many complex technological ideas and simplify them to a state of “oh, yeah, that will certainly happen.” Why shouldn’t we fly or be able to hold our breath for hours, or walk through nuclear fallout unscathed. There are some questionable leaps in science that are simply fun and give the imagination a playground for exploration. Parallel universes moving at different rates; why not? Most listeners will enjoy the ride.

If one could complain about anything, it would be that some of the ideas are not explored deeper; a kind of hunger for more, but that’s a positive thing that should keep us coming back for sequels. The characters are reasonably well developed, though unfortunately predictable at times, just short of two dimensional. No reason to spoil the plot here, just that, some characters just don’t have the depth one would hope for. Good enough to keep the ride rolling along, but not good enough to care too much when someone gets erased.

The narration is by Ray Chase, who does an outstanding job. He is good at differentiating the character voices, and generally doesn’t get in the way of the story. He has a kind of affectation to his voice that sometimes took this listener out of the story. But that is more of a personal objection, and most listeners should be more than satisfied with his performance. He is clearly a pro.

Sub Human is the first book in the Post Human Series. The plot wraps up completely and doesn’t leave the listener hanging at all. You will likely want to continue to the next book in the series, not to find out what happens next, but to hear about your favorite characters in a new situation altogether.

Audiobook provided for review by the publisher.

This series of books describes the development of artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic world initially run by a group of people opposed to technological advancement and the intent of wiping it, and all those who support it, from the face of the earth. Each book is another step forward in the advancement of AI with its potential risks and benefits. The author has obviously done his research on AI giving the books a "real" or at least a potentially real feel. I couldn't stop reading them once I started and look forward to many more in the future. They are well thought out with an intellectual tone. Highly recommended.

Not quite what I was expecting, but a fun read. Lately, if I read a book about nanobots, there's lots of science, but this was a space opera. Very good, without some of the elements that ruin the pulp stories for me: woman are equals, no racism & such. It was quite a trip, a pulp SF story using newer technology. Lots of action & suspense. I'll be watching for other books by this author.

Quite a bit of fun, though it doesn't maintain the excitement of the story through the Titanic sequence and immediately after. Despite that, I was quite entertained throughout. The hero was interesting, but the AI more interesting still, and I found myself looking forward to his comments and advice. I ultimately have to recommend for the simple fact that Simpson writes like it's a high budget science fiction film that doesn't let up with the action.

The Post-Human book series of 4 books is really a (at this time) a four book set. I am choosing to offer my review on the first 4 book set since I think that better serves the reader.

The first book in the series was really written as the third book. It is a prequel which introduces the characters, primarily the old-timer. I found this book pretty essential in understanding the series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it a 5 star rating.

The second and third books are much different from the first. In a prologue from the author, the reader is told that they will need to release any conceptions they have of the future as it is impacted by technology. A very accurate statement as these books are what can happen if Moore's Law is fully accurate. I found the story in these books to take a bit of thought and acceptance. After all, this is a somewhat cerebral science fiction series. What I can tell you is that David Simpson can write and challenge the reader. I surmise that he is a very bright individual that has the ability to speak to the masses. I give these two books 4.5 stars.

The third book is absolutely amazing. The same character set is still involved but you will not know it for some time. There are some very interesting plot changes in this book that should get to you and have you mumbling to yourself that the author has constructed a believable roller coaster of a ride that you could never see coming. I rate this book 5+ stars and look forward to reading his other books.

Highly recommend to science fiction readers that are looking for something other than alien attacks.

A quick read because you can't stop turning the pages (or tapping the Kindle). I liked the scifi aspect but didn't much like the characters. Perhaps there wasn't enough time to get to know them & care deeply about them. I spent a lot of time wishing for Thel's demise & James irritated me as well. These two have a romance that renders them juveniles. All rational thought & the experience of their years falls to the wayside & it's not fun to watch. Possibly this is because we're just repeatedly told they're in love but never find out why, so all the desperation, even after an apocalypse, feels hollow & tedious. Additionally, for the majority of the book, there didn't seem to be any other reason for Thel to be, other than to tell James that she couldn't lose him & wouldn't live without him. Don't tarry, Thel. Go! Do! I did buy & enjoy the connection between Old-timer & Alejandra. I was torn on how that ended.

Also, it felt a bit false when everyone in the group, who all have IQs of 149 or so, completely defer all decision making after the catastrophe to James & asked the most banal questions of him. Seriously, none of them but James knew about the existence of maps & atlases? The library? The magnetic field of Mercury? I felt like they should have had more to contribute to the decisions but they really had nothing to offer. I don't care if James is the guy with the additional 50 IQ points, they know they're not imbeciles & are some of the best in their fields. I expected more of them. And James didn't have a perfect record of decision making, so he could have used the input. I suppose I wanted to feel that these people were smarter than me & I would spend a lot of time saying "Ah, yes. I see." when they divulged some prolific idea. Instead I rolled my eyes a lot & thought "Come on guys, break out those brain cells & dazzle me with your brilliance." They seemed to be able to get along well enough when James was incapacitated so why nothing before?

I liked everything with the Purists (though I couldn't understand why the group found the fact that they were meat eaters a problem when it's shown that the first meal James eats in the book is a bagel with a poached egg. Animal products as food, replicated or not, shouldn't be squickifying.). There were some genuine chuckle moments with the barbs both groups tossed at one another. I found Thel, Rich & Djanet really grated on my nerves when they were with the Purists. They were so put off by the Purists & thought themselves so superior I was yelling "But they didn't get their asses handed to them, save five, by the AI, did they?"

The author did excel at giving a sense of place & described the AI to chilling clarity. I very much enjoyed that. The description of the aftermath of the catastrophe was quite vivid & while I don't want to sound like a gory girl, I liked it. I very much enjoyed all the interaction with the AI. Well done. Poor Katherine, but so well done! Altogether, I gave this four stars because even though I had some problems with the main characters, I was compelled to keep reading because I wanted to know how it would resolve. I thought the resolution was a bit too safe & happy but there are worse things in the world. I would have liked deeper reflection from the core group we follow on the flaws inherent in their world, especially after having experienced the Purists.

I would definitely read the next installment because I think the story is one worth following (& there were elements that reminded me of Dune: The Butlerian Jihad & the short lived Caprica series. Joy.).

I really enjoyed Sub-Human. The plot moves very quickly for a novel that relies on some wild ideas and Simpson explains the science very deftly without slowing the action. I had already read the other two in the series and had found them a tad fanciful, but this one doesn't exceed believability. Now that the beginning of the tale has been written, I think readers will enjoy the next book, Post-Human a lot more. Editing was superb as I only saw a couple typos. I breezed through this novel in two sittings (would have been one if I hadn't been so tired) which says a lot for me because I tend to fall asleep. I rarely give 5-stars, but this novel is top notch and definately gives momentum to the trilogy. Kudos to David Simpson! Looking forward to more of his work!

Wow. A super premise poorly executed. I really like David Simpson's writing, but this book felt like it was written in high school. Apparently little editing (whole for hole, etc.). Sneaking onto an aircraft carrier and stealing a thermonuclear device...seriously? There is little to no character development as the characters are constantly fighting ghosts. I see this is being developed into a graphic novel. A graphic novel may be better media than this novel, and I hope Mr. Simpson takes God Killers out of circulation because if I had read it prior to Post-Human, I would never have read that series. Again, wow. So disappointed.

OK... Here's the thing. I was asked to review this book, and I agreed, thinking that it was an interesting premise. And it DOES have an interesting premise, one that I was very curious about, but anything interesting about it was buried under the writing.

This book is in desperate need of an editor. I think that with a good editor, this book could be quite good, but as it is, it was just... not. I tried, but I just could not finish this book. I could barely make it the 30% I read. And that was a struggle.

I don't think I'm an overly critical reader... But I do have certain expectations. For instance, I expect physics to be realistic. If it's fictional world physics, I expect them to be well-explained and consistent. If they are real world Earth physics, I expect them to act like it. A bullet cannot make a 90 degree turn to enter through the temple on the side of the head and then exit through the back of the head. It just doesn't happen. Gravity always pulls down and never sideways. Normal people cannot jump onto speeding cars, bounce off the windshield, over the roof, and then miraculously snag that little gap between the back window and the car's trunk and then have a fight on top of the car as though it's not moving. This character had more trouble maneuvering on the moving car alone than he had when fighting 6 ghosts off at once.

I wanted to like this book. Like I said before, I thought the concept of an evil, hungry God was intriguing, and Near Death Experiences being used as a method of fighting him is even more so. But in the end, I just couldn't get past the writing, the over-descriptiveness, the unreality of the things that should have been constant laws of nature. I have no problem suspending my disbelief to allow for the NDEs and ghosts and hellish angels and demonic bureaucrats. Well... the last bit doesn't require much suspension, but I digress. I could go along with all of that, if it weren't for the writing making it so hard to actually READ. Here's an example:

"He stepped lightly, careful to avoid the dampest areas of the floor, and pulled out his durable, double-ply, English-style handkerchief, making the regrettable but graceful decision to sacrifice it in the name of saving his sleek, flat-front burberry cotton trousers, placing it on the decaying, splintered bench of the booth where Officer Roche's ample frame was docked.

Roche barely looked up from the red sauce coating the chicken wings clutched between his meaty paws and blubberous opposable digits."

I think that the raw potential is there... but it needs honing and to make it into something worth keeping.

I enjoyed Sub-Human by David Simpson. The book moves quickly and has some wild ideas. David Simps explains his ideas very carefully without losing the flow of the action. I've never read the other two in the series, but this one doesn't seem impossible. I think readers will enjoy this book, Post-Human a very exciting read. I read through this book in a very short time as I didn't want to put it down. I gave this 5-stars, this novel is very good .

Post-Human by David Simpson is a solid, engaging sci-fi novel. It’s not flashy or groundbreaking, but it has a nice subtle touch that blends the futuristic elements effortlessly with the more human aspects of the narrative.

Post-Human is set some time in the future, in the world of James Keats. Humans have shaped machines to their own ends, making great advancements, becoming themselves partly machine, with nanobots streaming through their bodies. Earth seems flawless, until a worldwide catastrophe terminates their idyllic existence. James and his friends must deal with the aftermath, and the shocking truth of what happened.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the matter-of-fact way the author handled the science aspects of the plot. There were no long-winded, technical explanations; he plunked you right in the middle of the society and whipped you along for the ride. It was artfully done, creating a complete science fiction backdrop for the novel’s authentic characters. The book also has some excellent character interactions and nicely written, restrained commentaries on tolerance, humanity and the nature of religion. The author lets these observations flow naturally from the plot and dialogue and does not thump the reader over the head with his opinions.

I was hoping for a slightly darker ending; things were wrapped up a bit too happily ever after for my tastes, but that is simply a personal quibble. Post-Human is a great sci-fi novel and a very satisfying read; I definitely recommend it.