Glitches of Gods (Playspheres 1) by Jurgen Jojo Appelo-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 7, 2024

Julien, the AI genius, craves freedom, but the gods wield total control. In this ominous world, will his android bring hope and salvation or yet more death and destruction?

Julien feels utterly miserable. Creator of the AI that killed his father, the brilliant engineer deftly evades work on the world’s first human-level android, dodging the off-chance of snuffing out more lives. Instead, Julien much prefers bickering with his virtual assistant, crafting memes with his quirky friends, and shagging dates across a broad spectrum of genders. Yet, due to a maddening jump across timelines, he grudgingly faces his greatest dreads: raising a family and leading his team to win the AI race.

Drowning in new duties, Julien aims to avoid a second AI disaster. But when a mysterious, technological infection wreaks havoc on the city, Julien flip-flops between shielding his loved ones and leading his team as he battles it out with broken machines, idiot protestors, and a rather sinister cat. Learning he got himself involved in a war between gods, should Julien save his new family or finish his team’s android to prevent an AI apocalypse?

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REVIEW: GLITCHES OF GODS is the first instalment in Jurgen ‘jojo’ Appelo’s adult PLAYSPHERES sci-fi, fantasy series focusing on Artificial Intelligence AI, virtual reality VR, virtual assistant VA, robots, gods and goddesses.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including AI genius Julien, GLITCHES OF GODS focuses on a series of technological failures or glitches that may or may not be a deliberate act of sabotage or one of many moves in a game of war. Julien is an embattled AI genius in the wake of the death of his father that he blames on himself but when several ‘glitches’ alter the timeline on more than one occasion, and Julien is the only user aware of the changes, our hero must uncover the truth including the appearance of several gods who are taking too much of an interest in the downward spirals, and a radical group of anti-AI who are taking aim at Julien. As the world continues to reboot itself, death and destruction cycle, codes are rewritten, and Julien must unravel the mystery with the help of a sentient AI.

Set approximately thirty-five years into the future, GLITCHES OF GODS is a blend of The Matrix™, Reboot™, Upload™, Simulant™ and a little bit of Men in Black ™ as well as any number of futuristic story lines focusing on multi-verses, the rise of artificial intelligence and the downfall of society. From body modifications, to androids, AI controlled cars and appliances, nothing is safe from attack.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several members of Julien’s team of computer savants, and Orec, the anomaly that ‘guides’ our story line hero.

GLITCHES OF GODS is a detailed, complex and dramatic story line blending futuristic possibilities with a fantastical cast of illuminating characters as the author builds a world unlike any other.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy