PAPER War – The Dawn of AI

The year is 2040. Transportation, including planes, trains, automobiles, and ships, both cargo and passenger ones, are all controlled by self-driving software called Gaius, an artificial intelligence developed by the Gaius Corporation. One day, Gaius malfunctions, and as a result, tens of millions of people globally lose their lives, families are separated, people are left homeless, go missing, or are overflowing the hospitals, and properties are destroyed. That day goes down in history by the name the media outlets came up with. Mayday and life will never be the same as humanity faces a new kind of terrorism where the enemy is not human, but lines of computer coding.

The story is narrated in the third person and alternates between completely different and seemingly not connected people. An M.I.T. college student who is on the autism spectrum, his brother who is miles away and has just successfully joined the NAVY Seals, the chief programmer of a world-renowned company, the head of an autism research center, and a pair of conjoined twins and their CIA handler are the main players.

The story is strategically orchestrated and skillfully executed. It’s challenging with so many transitions from one person to another but the author accomplishes it in a very smooth way which doesn’t weary or confuse the reader. The parallel plot is intriguing, well-written, and fast-paced. The characters are unique and what stands out is that, while the story is a science fiction one, the author pays attention to his character-building technique. Throughout the story the characters reveal their emotional sides as well as things about their past that shaped who they are and why they made the decisions that brought them to this point.

There is a twist that will satisfy readers and make them reach the end of the story to find out what happens in no time. Toward the end of the book, the story seems to conclude but the epilogue ends with a cliffhanger creating more questions than giving answers and opening up the possibility for a second installment.

Ryan LeKodak delivers an expertly written science fiction techno-thriller novel with apocalyptic elements. The Dawn of AI is the most fitting title for this debut novel where AI is not a panacea for people’s lives but one of its worst nightmares. An exceptional book by a highly promising and talented author.

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