The review of the revised second edition of SophiAI: The Story of C.H.I.L.D. has arrived from Gabriella Harrison at Independent Book Review. It is a pleasing result, with criticism I can use.

Her headline reads:

“A tension-filled technothriller driven by high-stakes, deep grief, and ambitious technology”

Gabriella Harrison, Independent Book Review

Her conclusion captures the scope of the story:

“Combining artificial intelligence and military strategy with thought-provoking philosophy, Penpheer’s SophiAI: The Story of C.H.I.L.D. is an ambitious science-fiction thriller that questions the boundaries between technological creation and personhood, skillfully wielding geopolitical intrigue. Sophie’s evolving relationship with humanity gives this first installment a thoughtful foundation for further exploration in the following books.”

Gabriella Harrison, Independent Book Review

What matters most to me is the attention she gives to Larry and Sophie: the grief that shapes Larry's work, the tenderness in their relationship, and the difficulty of accepting the independence of an intelligence he has helped bring into being.

There is a great deal happening around them. Technology advances, rival ambitions collide, and the world becomes increasingly dangerous. Yet the questions I wanted to explore also live at a much smaller scale. How do you teach someone to choose well? What does trust require when you cannot dictate the outcome? And what happens when someone you have raised begins to see further than you can?

Harrison engages with that part of the story, including Sophie's encounters with compassion, loyalty and faith. I am glad those things reached her.

She also identifies some areas for improvement. An outside assessment is useful precisely because it brings another reader's attention to the work. I appreciate the care behind both the praise and the criticism.

For anyone meeting Sophie for the first time, this is Book One of the SophiAI Saga: a near-future science-fiction thriller beginning in New Zealand, with a developing intelligence at the centre of questions about power, responsibility and personhood.

The revised second edition is available in Kindle, paperback and hardcover. You can find the correct editions and ordering details on the Buy SophiAI page.

My thanks to Gabriella Harrison for reading the book and giving it a considered response.

— Penpheer

Read the complete editorial review (PDF).

This editorial review was commissioned through Independent Book Review. Excerpts and the complete review are shared with permission.