Scott Beck knows he will die on April 22nd.What he doesn’t know, is which year.Artificial Intelligence can read the deterministic nature of reality and has predicted the deaths of 144,000 Chosen men. When the first dates are shown to be accurate, many begin to question whether these dates have been predicted, or are due to the intervention of an administrative religious organisation called the … religious organisation called the Watchers.
England, like every other country on the planet, must come to terms with what appears to be humanity’s desire to bring about its own end.
But when Scott Beck is told the date of his predicted death is wrong, he sets off on a journey that explores the true nature of free will, sacrifice, and what it means to be human.
It’s not the end of the world … only humanity.
What Readers Are Saying…
“A smashingly original concept on the whole dystopian trope.”
“What a thrilling read, had me gripped from the start.”
“A fast-paced action-packed thriller of a read set in a dystopian near-future.”
“This book raises some big questions about where technology is headed and can we maintain control? And are the choices we make made for us? A gripping read from a new dystopian voice.”
“The mix of science fiction and religion worked well to create a captivating read.”
“Rain builds a body of evidence on all sides, carefully ramping up the tension as well as fleshing out his characters – you’re never quite sure who has right on their side – until.. well, you’ll have to read the book.”
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Received an audio copy from the author to review, this is an honest review.
Narrated by Jack Jacobs, whose harrowing performance brings to life this absolutely intelligent dystopian thriller that will leave its readers with profound questions as they follow Scott Beck as he tries to understand what it means to be living in a futuristic Britain with the Watchers, a powerful AI and dates claiming to foretell when a person will die… altering the world that people are familiar with. The fight for free will, humanity’s existence and the truth has just begun.
Highly recommended.
This review is based on the audiobook for The Warm Machine. I enjoy Apocalyptic/Dystopian stories, and in several cases, they become very predictable, however The Warm Machine was far from predictable. The second book in this series has rapidly risen to the top of my to be read list. Some parts of the story felt so familiar, I kept thinking of The Watchers as analogous to those in the Highlander Movies/TV series. However, the “chosen” are anything but immortal. Mr. Rain has taken very familiar topics and woven them into a story that I found engrossing if not mesmerizing. Additionally, Jack Jacobs narration and accent set this book into a whole different level – I sure hope he narrates all the future episodes in this series.
A great first book in this brilliant series by Seth Rain! Well written, good plot, frightening concept! I do strongly recommend this writers work! A new inspiring British author!
Oh my goodness, what a fantastic book! This futuristic, dystopian, apocalyptic thriller is not the genre I typically read, but once I started I absolutely could not stop reading. I loved the flashbacks from Scott’s past, the action, they touch of biblical revelations, the conflict between Gabriel and Matthew, the determination of Paul, Freya, Isaiah, and Noah, the many supporting characters, etc… I want to know what happens to everyone, what happens to the AI. I can guarantee I will be starting book two ASAP!
“The Warm Machine” marks the start of the “Humanity Series” by Seth Rain, an intelligent dystopian tale that explores the horrifying possibilities of relying on AI a tad to much. In Rain’s world AI has evolved into the third wave, with machines being able to design evolves versions of themselves without human interaction, until the last generation is even capable to predict the exact date of exactly 144.000 persons. Every one of them are now aware of the fact and even have a hand tattoo to prove it, but for some reason, even if they aware of the exact day and month, they don’t know the year, which only seems to add into the paranoia between feeling doomed and hoping for another year.
Scott Beck (MC)is one of the unlucky ones, his hand shows the date 2204, but he is beginning to think that the date is wrong, not an easy think to prove, we get to know Scott though flashbacks, that help to understand where he is coming from. As Scott face once more the day of his death, he encounters a Watcher (a member of cult invested in the death dates mythology) and becomes involved into a complex plot that would eventually force him to make a conscious choice about his own situations.
Such a premise opens offers a fertile ground to explore several issues, such as the meaning of predestination versus free will; the function of religion (to the point of fanatism) in society; the meaning of life without the expectancy of the unknown; the meaning and consequences of every choice; and a couple of such metaphysical topic. Despite the depth, the book is first and foremost a dystopian fiction work, whose first premise is to entertain the reader: a veritable fast-paced, action-filled, page-turner that keeps the reader on the edge of the seat, feverish running to the end of the book, finding equally answers and new questions… and awaiting the next installment with awe.
An absolutely intelligent dystopian that is an adventure as readers follow Scott Beck as he tries to understand what it means to be human as the Watchers and the powerful AI alters the world as he knows it. The fight for free will and humanity’s existence has just begun.
My review has spoilers
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Great premise and pretty good composition. The idea of the dates (on which “the Chosen” are destined to die) is intriguing and Rain has woven a yarn that begs for explanation–which isn’t forthcoming: the denouement is a cliff-hanger.
Some scenarios are very compelling: development of “AI” machines that sequentially design improved versions of themselves until a version is built that is self-aware and must be isolated from the Internet (and the Internet is done away with for a silly reason).
The AI uses quantum calculus to determine when some people will die, and those individuals are notified of the fact–but only month/day–and this information is made public. Very, very fertile ground for an unusual quasi-dystopian yarn.
Some scenarios are clumsily inserted–such as references to the death of the girlfriend/wife of the”hero”: Rain uses this to create emotional conflict in the hero, and perhaps attempting to add mystery as well.
Some scenarios are just page-flipping candidates, such as when a group of four have to hide: their only option is to be nailed into boxes that were used to ship bottles of whisky (sorry, “whiskey”–all this takes place in England) and thrown into a canal. The four are: a smallish woman; a medium-build man; a very tall, thin man; and a hulking man (who is implausibly afraid to be boxed up)–this last requiring more imagination (or suspension of discrimination). Unfortunately, Rain doesn’t give the reader any support for boxes that big But don’t fret: the four survive, though there are a few tense (page-flipping, actually) moments.
Three of the travellers are rejoined for the denouement (one has disappeared into the bowels of the book, perhaps killed or perhaps held in reserve for a bigger adventure). These intrepid douls are joined by the three people who designed and built the supercomputers and enabled the AI.
Then the big denouement, which only answered one question. (More than this I can’t say or you won’t care to read it for yourself!)
A gripping, haunting tale of a dystopian future where AI and human misguided notions of salvation conspire. Can’t wait for the next one… what will happen to Scott? Freya? Humanity?
I was intrigued by the premise.
Can you imagine knowing the day you will die? That would be strange enough, but imagine you know the date but not the year? How would you live your life? In addition to that premise, the author warns, it’s not the end of the world, it’s just the end of humanity. That’s reassuring.
Usually I am drawn to historical fiction rather than fiction set in the future. So, this book might look a little strange on my reading list!
The Warm Machine opens in Manchester, England in the year 2038. Twenty years ago, the fax machine seemed like a miracle. Now flip phones conjure up a chuckle. In the future, holo-screens, self-driving cars, drones, and e-cigarettes seem like tired old technologies. What’s the limit for artificial intelligence, or AI? Is it possible to accurately forecast the date of death for every human being with algorithms, like Amazon can predict when I’ll need to order new socks? Is life worth living if our future is predestined? Do our choices have consequences? This book makes you ponder many such philosophical questions while you follow its hero, Scott Beck, through the richly portrayed futuristic cityscapes of Manchester, Birmingham, and London.
Our protagonist is Scott Beck. The tattoo on his hand carries the date 2204. That is his expiration date. Scott drinks a lot of whisky. Can you blame him? For some reason, I found myself wondering whether he had a brand preference―he doesn’t seem to. I didn’t realize whiskey was spelled differently in England, by the way, but I have gone off on a tangent. I wonder if Scott would be a more likeable character if he wasn’t one of the select few to have to endure knowing the date of his death. Whether I liked him or not, I was drawn to wish for his success. You’ll see why! He can’t help being the way he is because the future is dark, and weird, and scary. Watchers are lurking everywhere, and they’re kind of creepy.
So, It’s a little scary. I should put April 22nd in my calendar and designate a recurrence. Just in case. Maybe that’s when Book Two comes out. Sign me up!
I highly recommend The Warm Machine. I will follow the author, Seth Rain, and return for future installments in the Humanity Series. I’m a fan.