Juice Tallette believes her latest creation holds great promise for humanity, yet she hesitates to release him into the world. That’s because Criss, an AI with the intellect of a thousand humans, is too powerful to control. Days after his awakening, Criss alarms Juice with news of his impending abduction, and pleads for her protection. He claims that the Kardish—alien traders with a spaceship now … now lurking in orbit—have a kidnapping plan already in motion. But is Criss telling the truth, or is this a scheme to gain his freedom? Can Earth even protect Criss from the Kardish, or should he be sacrificed to avoid confrontation with technologically dominant aliens? One government agent promotes turning the hyper-intelligent AI into a doomsday weapon and confronting the aliens in space. But can Criss be trusted to cooperate? And what becomes of humanity if an interstellar battle among titans starts to rage?
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Do you ever wonder about AI (Artificial Intelligence)? Humans are building more and more complex computers that are exponentially smarter and faster many times over than the human brain. But, have we ever created an AI that was sentient? That is the premise in CRYSTAL DECEPTION. Dr. Jessica Tallett’s research pays off when she programs 100 super crystals to design and build molecule by molecule the world’s first 4-gen sentient crystal, nicknamed Criss. But the people of Earth aren’t the only ones interested in obtaining Criss. An alien race of traders is bent on acquiring Criss and thus begins a non-stop heart-pounding story that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final word is read.
I applaud Mr. Cooper for keeping “the science” in the book understandable. After all, because Criss is sentient, there is a good deal of the book from his POV. His thought process is enlightening and interesting. The characters of Jessica, Sid and Cheryl are well-fleshed out. We have the scientist, the spy and the spaceship commander. Each follows their own pathway as they collectively try to foil the kidnapping attempt of Criss. This is one smart book. Fans of science fiction will thoroughly enjoy this story. Highly recommended.
Recently, I needed a diversion from my normal writing routine, and I turned to reading. I wanted to try a different genre than my norm. I made the right choice. CRYSTAL DECEPTION wasn’t only a diversion, it became a wonderful adventure into the fascinating world of hi-tech science with a great story that kept me glued to the pages. I’m so hooked on the series that I had to pull myself away from book two, to write this review.
I haven’t really explored the idea of artificial intelligence, but CRYSTAL DECEPTION paved the way for me to see endless possibilities. Those possibilities can be terrifying or very beneficial to humanity. The AI in this book has named himself Criss. He’s self-aware when he first comes online, but like a baby, he’s also devoid of information about the world he’s in. It’s interesting to watch the interaction between Criss and his main contact, the woman nicknamed Juice. Juice was the person in charge of creating the crystal he’s housed in. Her nurturing attitude helps to shape Criss’ world as he’s fed millions of bits of information. Because Criss has the mental capability of about a thousand people, he has a vastly superior intellect. How his intellect is developed and altered by his personal relationship with Juice is one of the many aspects of the story that I find so interesting.
Another character, Sid, a covert warrior for the Union of Nations, is a puzzle for the AI. It’s Sid’s “gut” feelings or human intuition that enables Sid to “think beyond the box” or in this case, a crystal that Criss is confined to. It’s that intuition that makes Sid a valuable “wild card” in dangerous situations. When battles are raging and human life is on the line, Sid becomes a valuable player in Criss’ world.
For me, the function of superior AI intellect and human intuition working together gave this sci-fi story the unique twist I was looking for. I was also intrigued by all the scientific possibilities that were presented and written about in a way that I could readily understand. Hi-tech possibilities, action, suspense, and great character development make CRYSTAL DECEPTION an enjoyable and mind expanding read. Highly recommended!
A good scifi read with a unique AI that sort of steals the show. The story keeps you guessing and at first I was beginning to think it didn’t make sense, until the author reveals things and suddenly it does. Enjoyed the book and will be reading the others in this series.