★★★★★"LeKodak's stellar debut is a science fiction thriller that utilizes elements of speculative fiction, apocalyptic fiction, and conspiratorial mystery in a globe-hopping narrative that chronicles a group of adventurers trying to unravel who-or what-was behind a software malfunction that killed tens of millions of innocent people. It is well-written, relentlessly paced, and thematically profound, and will surely appeal to fans of SF thrillers by luminaries like Clarke, Dick, and Crichton. This is the good stuff."-Paul Goat Allen, BlueInk Review
★★★★★"It's refreshing to see a talented author like LeKodak take the trope into the dystopian disaster novel niche and deliver an action-packed tale that gives just as many blockbuster thrills as it does intelligent technological questions. The plot and its themes are the primary focus, but in the ensemble cast of characters caught in the crossfire, each one has good solid development and moments to shine. I recommend The Dawn of AI to enthusiasts of intricately penned and exciting science fiction everywhere."-K.C. Finn, Readers' Favorite Book Review
★★★★★"The characters are extremely well developed, which is quite an accomplishment given how many there are. The most intriguing characters to me are conjoined twins with incredible story arcs and whenever the point of view kicked back to them, for me, it was like a favorite song playing again on the radio."-Jamie Michele, Readers' Favorite Book Review
★★★★★"The Dawn of AI connects the dots between characters that I neither expected nor saw coming in a story configuration that has an after-before-after pattern. I love this configuration as it hooks immediately and then goes back to fill in the blanks after I am invested in the plot. Excellent storytelling. Very highly recommended."-Asher Syed, Readers' Favorite Book Review
★★★★★"With the rise of Artificial Intelligence being a hot topic in the real world right now, I'm grateful to see such thought-provoking stories that explore this emergent technology's potential. This book is an easy recommendation to anyone interested in exciting science fiction, which takes a prevailing concern of today's world and explores it with intelligence and consideration."-Lexie Fox, Readers' Favorite Book Review
★★★★★"The pitfalls of giving the machines too much control play out in the storyline of Ryan LeKodak's novel. His take on an apocalyptic event is so vivid it is frightening to contemplate. The Dawn of AI is a science fiction aficionado's dream novel."-Essien Asian, Readers' Favorite Book Review
★★★★★"In a world where jobs and livelihoods are being increasingly threatened by AI's potential, this book is a reminder that machine malfunctions will inevitably happen."-Theresa Kadair, Los Angeles Book Review
2023-07-19
A 2040 digital disaster kills millions as a software entity seems to malfunction in LeKodak’s cautionary SF thriller.
In 2040, an artificial intelligence software system called Gaius governs all transportation, from self-driving automobiles to spacecraft. On a fateful January day (dubbed “Mayday”), Gaius suddenly goes offline. Millions of humans on land, sea and above in the skies are killed as planes crash and boats and space shuttles drift into oblivion. In the aftermath, a small cast tries to solve the riddle of whether Mayday was just a tragic glitch or deadly terrorism—possibly via a computer incursion inflicted on the supposedly foolproof Gaius. The ensemble includes José, a “retired” CIA agent (which, in this grim worldview, means he constantly dodges assassins); DJ, a crack U.S. commando who consults with his master-hacker brother, CJ; Ndidi, a Nigerian heiress renowned for breakthroughs with autistic children; and sisters Karla and Liz, conjoined twins from a Russian orphanage who, despite their disability, work together as fearsome killers. Flashbacks going back to September 11, 2001, delineate the character connections and illustrate, year by year, how the Gaius crisis evolved (it only takes reading the novel’s title to perceive that a rogue artificial intelligence is the lead suspect in the disaster). The author has a jaundiced, Robert Ludlum–like view of world power structures, in which public servants can hardly wait to kill each other, though the focus on just a handful of key actors closes off a bigger-picture view of high-tech 2040 Earth. There is plenty of programmer/coder-talk (“Next, he swept through her source code. More codes swarmed his screen as he tunneled deeper through the firewalls”), but in the action-heavy context, it should not alienate most readers (it’s fairly indistinguishable from magic spells). A cliffhanger ending leaves the port open to sequels.
Cloak-and-dagger action dominates the cyber-punkish premise of software gone bad.
