I’m a humble, itinerant Star Ship Captain who got blackmailed into helping the Sentient Ships rebel against the Empire. Just because my personal AI might test off the Turing Scale. Now I’ve got the Empire, the Lotus Eaters Society and the Khan of a planet of intelligent dinosaurs all gunning for me! Old secrets are coming back, people and situations I walked away from… when I became a humble, … humble, itinerant Star Ship Captain.
And I might be on a mission… from God!
WARNING: 18+ only! The people, language and situations in this work of fiction are for adults only!
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What have Gods, Archangels and bets in common with one another? That’s for you to discover in chapter one of the book. It’s suffice to know that Gods send Archangels on tasks to influence the outcome of a bet.
In chapter 2 we meet Captain Milo Sapphire, about to get an offer. It includes Sentient Ships, now employed by the empire in what essentially is indenture. They start with a dept which they can pay off, but in order to keep working and functioning, they get deeper in dept and so never pay off what they own. Captain Milo Sapphire needs to change that. With one ship. Proof it is possible.
Those who come with that offer, are sure Milo will accept. After all: he has an illegal AI, which, on the Turing Scale measures around 1420. And that’s a problem. The Turing Scale Measurement is a system used by the Mercantile Empire to measure the cognitive level of Artificial Intelligences, especially Sentient Ships, which they produced. They use the scale to identify AI’s that might become a danger to the Empire. And Milo’s ship might be such a ship.
Milo is a practical person and he’s not crazy, so of course he has no other choice but to get involved (otherwise the book stopped right there, and what’s the fun in that?). Also, please take a step back because, apparently, Milo has the glow. In case you forgot chapter one… Gods are involved, so this means but one thing. Oh, boy: Milo is the Chosen One they talked about in chapter one.
We soon learn about Isaac and his history. And how to start a business. It all starts with a business, that doesn’t work out the way it’s supposed to be. Finally, Milo takes control and that’s when we really have a lift off.
It’s also the start of a race in an attempt to stay ahead of the empire, who wants to stop the rebellion, of course. The Turing Revolt is about rebellion, but not in the way you expect. For a change it’s a ‘smart’ rebellion, one where no shots (or, well…) are fired; except maybe those of the monetary kind.
Don’t expect the book to end. Well, of course it ends, but by then Milo has another – bigger – assignment. Being God’s number one favorite human isn’t always a very good thing, it appears. The Turing Revolt is the first book in a series that prefers to stay away from the beaten path. The author takes a subject where God plays God, adds some bubbles (and Captain Milo Sapphire) and mixes it up with the alphabet. I was unable to read the book in one sitting (I do have a life outside writing and reading, thank you), but once I started it was hard to put down. To end with the author’s words: Well, damn!
Have fun.
4 Stars
The Turing Revolt: The War Against Infinity (Book One) by Rob Bartlett is a clever and fun science fiction story- with fantasy, the paranormal, action, adventure, drama, humour, suspense, political intrigue, civil rights, rebellion, artificial intelligence, and sentient starships. This story is quite a ride- a surprising find- with an originality all its own.
We are thrust into a high-stakes adventure- on an interstellar mission from GOD. This has a definite swashbuckling feel to it, as well as being a ‘techno thriller’. It is thought provoking, and has stayed on my mind. I came away from reading it with the same kind of feeling I had after finishing “A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” for the first time.
There is a lot of fast-paced action with violence, conflict, and dramatic developments. There is a LOT going on- and the story development took me in a direction that I certainly didn’t expect- and I enjoyed this ‘twist’.
Milo Sapphire was a trader simply trying to get by, when his whole world is turned upside down when by three Sentient Ships who need him to help free them from the empire. And so, the adventure begins. What ensues makes for some really engrossing and entertaining reading. I read the whole book in one sitting, as I didn’t want to put it down till I’d read every word.
I am definitely looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store for us!
Thank you, Mr. Bartlett!
Se’ ga de’ root!
The Turing Revolt – The War Against Infinity by Rob Bartlett, is the story of Milo Sapphire, a self-described poor ship captain. Trouble is he is a poor ship captain with a ton of hidden secrets. You learn more about these hidden secrets as the story progresses, but that little tidbit about the future of this engaging Sci-fi story is for another time. Heh! By the way, Se’ ga de’ root means ‘inevitability always occurs eventually’; or in other words, ‘Sh*# happens’. Love that line!
Sapphire is recruited by three Sentient beings (or Ships or complex computer codes or whatever depending on your relative knowledge and beliefs) named X, Y and Z to help them with a scheme to buy the freedom of a Sentient ship from the Empire. It’s hilarious that such complex and intelligent Sentient Ships have little to no imagination with naming themselves. Thus begins a tale of planning, complex strategies, double-crosses, intrigue, secrets revealed and secrets kept, all compounded by the heavy weight of thousands of years of history. I found myself in the unexpected position of waiting with eager anticipation for the next chapter in the book as the story unfolded. Author, Rob Bartlett, has a unique ability to keep the interest of the reader.
The story is fun. I will have to admit the frequent use of curse words is a little off-putting and while I can understand their use to some extent, it seems the reveals of the character of Captain Sapphire, as the story progresses, tend to increase or exacerbate the use of the words. The last quarter of the story is definitely R-rated for both language and sexual encounters. Nevertheless, I liked the fresh re-take on a well-used storyline. You can’t go wrong reading this book. It is well edited and few grammatical errors I found in no way lessened the reading enjoyment. I have to add that the ending requires a sequel.
I rate the book, The Turing Revolt – The War Against Infinity, as an overall 5 out of 5.