Domo Arigato, Mister Roboto: Companion Chronicles Vol. 6 by Joshua Todd James - The Final Installment To An Amazing Saga!

Domo Arigato, Mister Roboto: Companion Chronicles Vol. 6 by Joshua Todd James

I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Domo Arigato, Mister Roboto is the sixth and last book in Joshua Todd James' Companion Chronicles series. It is the conclusion to the exploits and adventures of Jacob Kind, a synthetic Companion who witnessed the murder of his Primary, a human who purchases a companion. Her name was Sylvia Kind. She was more than a simple Primary to Jacob; she was also his teacher and mentor in humanity who encouraged Jacob to learn and improve himself. Following Munson Tolliver's brutal attack, Sylvia lay dying in Jacob's arms. He promised her he would work to protect and serve humanity at all costs, and he promised himself he would find those responsible for Sylvia's murder and bring them to justice.

I have taken this journey through all sorts of situations, both good and bad, from the beginning. It is one of the most compelling sagas I have ever read. It is emotionally charged spanning all levels of emotional engagement, and I found myself angry at the level of cruelty humans are capable of, not only to Jacob, but to each other as well.

Jacob's saga will make one think, reflect, and introspect on what it means to be human, as well as being inhumane to those lesser than us.

In this final book brings the story to a close with another story that answers all the questions raised in the previous installments. It is full of characters a reader can care about, and a few that are appalling. If you choose to read, keep your eyes open for some surprises that knocked me out of my chair when I reached them. There is plenty of action, suspense, and compassion to keep any reader engaged and entertained.

After running off the road in a stolen truck, Jacob wakes up after being cared for by a retired doctor named Larry, his wife, Evie, and their cat, Socrates. Jacob is in bad shape from the accident, a gunshot wound, and a morbid addiction to painkillers.

While he appreciates the care he is given, he is also very aware that his mere presence puts his benefactors in grave danger should anyone discover he is there. Along with that, Jacob is eager to get on with his mission to find the murderer, Munson Tolliver, and another man named Larkin Finn.

Jacob heals from his wounds well but also undergoes a brutal round of detoxification from the painkillers that have him in their grip.

Jacob Kind is a compassionate individual who will help anyone in need, but out of necessity, he has also learned to be brutal. It is unfortunate, but everywhere he goes, he faces people who want to hurt him because he is different. In Domo Arigato, even with the kindness of Larry and Evie, he still finds those who perceive him as a threat. Jacob's primary objective is to find the one man responsible for the death of his adopted mother, Sylvia, but his promise to her means that instead of going out to search for the murderer, he will stay where he is until those who have taken care of him are safe from harm, as per his promise to Sylvia.

Larry and Evie are a couple who have moved to the country in upstate New York to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. They live in a nice home with their cat, and soon to arrive child, only wanting peace and harmony. They have an interesting lifestyle anyone might desire, but they also harbor secrets.

Munson Tolliver is one of the most reprehensible, evil, and irredeemable characters I have ever found in anything I have ever read. He is a person who enjoys making others suffer and kills without remorse. He is also relentless in his pursuit of his prey. This character casts a shadow over the entire series, but in this installment of the Companion Chronicles, he becomes the stuff of nightmares.

My favorite point of plot in Domo Arigato is the healing of Jacob Kind, freely given by Larry and Evie. They ask nothing in return for their ministrations. Jacob is grateful for their care and does his best to show his gratitude in return. In order to avoid major spoilers, I will just leave that where it is.

My takeaway from this story, along with the entire series, is how these books made me feel. It runs the full gamut of emotional content, and it gives the reader pause to reflect on their own feelings and intrinsic biases, and the damage that can be done if one doesn't examine their own thought processes. It is a real eye opener.

Through his work, I have come to know the author, Joshua Tood James, as an outstanding writer worthy of attention. Through this final installment, and the five previous stories in the Companion Chronicles, I feel I have learned to think about things I haven't explored before. But these books aren't just a tome for self-exploration, they are also some just great and entertaining stories. Domo Arigato wraps up the series by answering all the questions a reader might have as they read the series and is a well written, fast-paced tale. I give my highest recommendations for all the books in the series. Together, they make up an amazing epic to fire the imagination and spark the question of how we will deal with the future of Artificial Intelligence should it also become sentient.

The books of the series are...

Some Animals - Volume 1

Minority Of One - Volume 2

Freedom Run - Volume 3

Man In A Box - Volume 4

Renegade - Volume 5

Domo Arigato, Mister Roboto - Volume 6

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Joshua Todd James is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright based in New York City. He's written the feature film Pound of Flesh, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and the upcoming film Take Cover, starring Alice Eve and Scott Adkins, among others.

Books include The Companion Chronicles, detailing the adventures of synthetic person, Jacob Kind in the novellas Some Animals, Minority of One, Freedom Run, Renegade, and Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto.

Joshua is a member of WGAE and likes ice-cold tea, cool summer breezes, and hot Brazilian Jiujitsu.

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The Aftermath: Lunar By Bradley James - A Great Fascinating Debut Novel Worth Reading!

The Aftermath: Lunar by Bradley James

I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. 

The Aftermath: Lunar is the debut novel and first part of a planned series by Bradley James.

When I saw the cover, I knew I had to read this one. Imagine standing on the surface of another world where you have had to bring everything you need to survive and then you witness the destruction of your home planet. Unimaginable, you say? Yes, it is. But the author of this brilliant first novel builds a world on another world to spark the imagination.

There are twists and turns galore at nearly every page turn, making this unlikely story seem plausible. It is packed with plenty of action that begins on the opening page and never lets up right through to the end. I found myself not wanting to put Aftermath down because the ends of most chapters are cliffhangers in miniature spurring one to read on.

Astronauts Elliot Adams and Franklin Lewis are on a mission to the Earth's Moon near the site of a base under construction. When they look up, they see rocks and boulders impacting the surface, kicking up dust and debris and seek to get undercover to wait the event out.

But that is only the beginning of the explorer's problems.

In the chaos, the pair dash for cover and become separated. Elliot notices a large shadow pass over the surface and can only watch as the Earth suffers from the impact of a huge asteroid. There isn't time for reminiscing, as survival is the first order of business. Elliot and Franklin become separated and lose communication. Elliot falls unconscious.

When he awakes, he literally stumbles into something that shouldn't be on the moon. What he finds is only the beginning of an adventure to boggle and fascinate the reader.

One of the author's major strengths in the writing of this story is a bullpen of well-developed characters. Many are characters the reader will certainly find themselves caring about, while others are shrouded in mystery. This makes for a fascinating and well-paced read. I will not talk too much about them because it would lead to some major spoilers.

The principal character, and the one whom we follow through the story, Elliot, is a strong character and the one we get to know the best. He is a good man with a solid moral base. Even with everything he faces, he doesn't lose his composure as he works out puzzles and navigates through and around obstacles the author places in his way. He also has some special skills that make him even more fun to read.

Another of Bradley James’ strengths in Aftermath is the world building and is my favorite plot point in the book.

Right from the beginning, during the meteor storm all the way to the end of the book are vivid and make an amazing backdrop for the characters to move through.

The major theme of this tale is survival. There are numerous and varied situations presented to challenge Elliot and others as they work to overcome them. There is never a dull moment in this book.

My takeaway from Aftermath is to remember that no matter how hopeless things may seem, there will always be a solution to problems as long as one doesn't stop thinking and acting while taking advantage of what one has at hand and remains open to learning something new.

The Aftermath: Lunar is just a fun and entertaining story that is hard to put down once the reader cracks the cover. I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a fantastic journey. I think even those who are not sci-fi fans would enjoy this just for the humanity in it. It is a cracker-jack of a first novel that includes not only a great story but also great characters and some fine world building. It has everything one could want in a well-crafted tale of adventure and survival.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bradley James published his debut novel, The Aftermath Lunar, in early 2024, realizing a long-held dream. Since then, he has been irreversibly bitten by the writing bug, immediately embarking on his next literary adventure without looking back. When not immersed in crafting narratives, Bradley can be found indulging in long runs, losing himself in books, consuming copious amounts of coffee, or passionately cheering on his favorite football team. Though born in London, he now resides in Southwest England, where the lush landscapes often serve as a backdrop for his creativity.

Find Bradley's website at https://bradleyjamesauthor.com/

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Apocalypse du Jour (Book 1 in the Gravtech Series) by Rick Jurmain - Strap In For A Hell Of A Ride - Not To Be Missed!

Apocalypse du Jour (Book 1 in the Gravtech Series) by Rick Jurmain

What would happen if four scientists came together by chance and invented the impossible? What could possibly go wrong? Well, the story contained in the 383 pages of Rick Jurmain’s uproarious tale in Apocalypse du Jour is one possibility. And what a tale it is. Rarely have I read a story that uses humor in such a way to present what could be a very grim picture. But Rick does it with great style. This is a lightning-paced story that will keep the reader turning page after page until the end. Once one picks this up and starts reading, stopping is going to be more of a challenge than the amazing characters face in the text.

I have a casual, online relationship with the author through a mutual friend who holds weekly zoom meetings. It is how I learned about this book, and I am glad I was paying attention. Of all the books I read, I found this one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking stories I have ever picked up.

There is so much contained in those pages. In a word, all I can say to sum it up is...

WOW!

Usually, I would write my own synopsis of a story, but in this case, there is no possible way I could improve on the blurb from the back of the book, so I am quoting it here...

“Apocalypse du Jour is a hilarious techno-thriller. It presents the adventures of four researchers, all social outcasts: an autistic programmer, a barely functional paranoid mathematician, a blind vet physicist with severe PTSD, and a basement gamer prototyper.

“They briefly collaborate on research via the internet without ever meeting one another. They publish an innocuous paper in an obscure journal, then disband. Three months later, every major country and corporation in the world races to kidnap or kill them. They run for their lives, each according to their disability, while trying to figure out why. But that is just the beginning of an adventure involving many other interesting characters, political power struggles, and global economic collapse and rebirth, all from the point of view of relatively normal people. More than half of the main characters in the book are realistic, strong women.

“The book is packed full of action, motorcycle chases, helicopter chases, white-knuckle danger, psychological manipulation, soldiers, guns, Godzillas, betrayal, revenge, assassins, blueberry blintzes, two (count ‘em) battlegrannies, Presidential vendettas, computer hacking, riots, rescues, edge-of-the-seat tension, and one near-catastrophic hot flash.

“Then, in chapter two... Actually, that stuff is spread out throughout the book. Though it’s all there, plus a lot more.”

 The synopsis introduces the focus characters who take turns appearing as they face situations that are often challenging, but at the same time terrifying at the core. How this quartet of geniuses deal with these situations is different in each case, but funny and scary all at the same time.

The most impressive thing about this collection of people, and I mean every character in the book, is how unique they are. There are no copies and it is obvious that the author took great care in creating them. None of the people in this story can be considered “stock” characters. They come through as individuals with their own attitudes and beliefs. The principal characters are quite well developed and are people whom the reader can invest themselves in.

My favorite plot point in Apocalypse du Jour is that there is a surprise on every page. There are more twists and turns in this story than San Francisco’s Lombard Street! Every time I thought I had everything figured out, there was something new and fascinating happening. For instance, one of the principal characters is attending a comic con when he is suddenly being chased through the con while in costume. He winds up being saved by an unlikely set of circumstances culminating in a wild motorcycle ride through a busy city! It is truly a laugh a minute as this scene unfolds, and it is so unpredictable. It creates great tension, but the description of this scene is full of madcap hilarity, one cannot help but laugh out loud leaving anyone in the vicinity to ask what’s so funny.

 My takeaway from Apocalypse du Jour is to remember that no matter how grim a situation might be, there is always a solution to any problem. Sometimes the most absurd solutions may present themselves, and the tendency is to dismiss them out of hand. But one should give serious consideration to the absurd, it may just be the best, or only way to resolve a seemingly unsolvable puzzle.

 I give my highest recommendations for reading Apocalypse du Jour. It is an utterly entertaining story with a full range of emotions. It had me laughing and made me tear up a few times. But it is never boring. There is plenty of action for readers who are seeking thrills, there is some interesting science. There are characters who are compelling and much like people the reader may know in their own life, but the circumstances they find themselves in are anything but ordinary. I think this would be a great tale for anyone to read because there is truly something for everyone. So, grab a copy of Apocalypse du Jour and strap yourself into your favorite reading chair, it’s a hell of a ride!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rick Jurmain is a retired rocket scientist and entrepreneur. In the ‘90s, he and his late wife Mary (killed by cancer in 2016) built a successful corporation from the ground up. For Realityworks, Inc., the invented, built, and marketed a microprocessor-based product that gained national support, achieved international media attention, and was named by Fortune magazine as Product of the Year in 1994. In 2000, the Eau Claire (Wisconsin) Chamber of Commerce selected Rick and Mary as the local Entrepreneurs of the Year, and Ernst & Young selected them as Finalists for the Wisconsin Entrepreneur of the Year award. Mary ran the company, while Rick was Vice President In Charge Of Things That Go Beep (engineering, computers, phones, faxes, cars, dishwashers, and oddly enough, toilets, though they rarely go beep).

In the ‘80’s, Rick let, or was a member of, 13 NASA Space Shuttle mission control Flight Activities teams. Unlike cruise ships, Shuttle flight activities did not include shuffleboard or bingo. The Flight Activities teams planned missions starting years prior to launch, and re-planned missions during flights when things went wrong. And things always went wrong. Rick also led the Operations Analysis teams for General Dynamics’ Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) and McDonnell Douglas’ National AeroSpace Plane (NASP). He spent 15 years in the aerospace industry doing tactical analysis and war games, including top level WWIII combined arms games, and he helped invent hypersonic war games.

In 2002, Rick was a consultant to Coleman Aerospace on DARPA’s RASCAL study, which designed modifications for a rocket-powered F-14 fighter. For that contract, Rick headed up designing the Operations, Support, Avionics, Electrical, Instrumentation, Cockpit, Payload Interfaces, and Integrated Vehicle Health Management Systems. All the fun stuff.

In the late ‘90’s, Rick was founder of Vela Technology Development, Inc. Vela and its partners started much of what is becoming the space tourism industry. Vela’s briefings to Burt Rutan and Richard Branson started them on the path to space tourism. Vela worked with the FAA to write regulations for space tourism. And Vela helped design a space-tourism themed resort for Las Vegas. While Vela has since folded, Rick owns its process patent on key low-acceleration trajectories for space tourism. And if Rutan doesn’t get his butt in gear, the patent will be worthless because it expires soon.

Rick was a Captain in the Army Combat Engineers, National Guard and Reserves (no significant active duty).

Rick is 65 years old, currently retired, though working intermittently as a board member, inventor, and writer. He has two kids: Jake, age 30, and Ariel, Age 26. And he’s obnoxiously proud of both of them.

Rick is widely acknowledged to have been Mary’s trophy husband. Though no one has ever thought of him as just another pretty face. At least, no one who’s seen his face. And, come to think of it, no one has ever considered that he was a first-place trophy either. Rick was just in the right place at the right time to trip up a gorgeous, massively intelligent woman with an aging biological clock and desperately low standards. Someday, someone will make a fortune building a dating site for such women.

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Above Dark Waters By Eric Kay - Artificial Intelligence Running Amok

Above Dark Waters by Eric Kay

Artificial Intelligence is all the rage today. AI terrifies many as it develops and will continue to do so for quite some time because, while those working to develop it have the best of intentions, we all know there are predators out there who will use it for their own nefarious reasons, all the way from plagiarizing their school papers to defrauding the unsuspecting of their property. It is in the early stages now, but it is evolving rapidly.

Above Dark Waters is a story of people with the best intentions of helping clients with problems, but they get caught in a trap nearly leading to their own destruction, as well as that of millions of others.

The story is driven forward by some solid characters moving around in a well-developed world. Or should I say worlds? On the one hand, there are plenty of shenanigans occurring in the real world, but there are also some major problems in the artificial world.

It all starts with an idea from Keight Stanford to help people using artificial therapy. It seems like a good idea that is needed, especially for people who do not have access to therapy through conventional means.

Keight's former husband, Ed Kingston, is having a little financial trouble keeping his Nort Pacific Seastead in operation. He is losing money and is seeking a cash infusion to keep the business afloat. The only part of his operation that is not losing money is the data center that is cooled by the waters of the North Pacific Ocean. So, he turns to Keight for the resources he needs.

Keight has launched her online therapy model and has received the funding to keep it moving forward and developing. She is not hurting for money, but entertains an offer from Ed to partner up, which would greatly benefit him. Keight, on the other hand, is doing just fine on her own.

While Keight is enjoying her success, there is a transformation occurring. A rogue programmer adds some amazing code into the mix, and the AI develops beyond its design. It reaches into every mind connected to it and attains sentience and is very ambitious.

Ed Kingston and Keight Stanford are an estranged couple who really belong together. With Keight as the brains, and Ed as the muscle, they would seem to be the perfect couple. As I read this tale, I found myself hoping they would find a common ground to reconcile and move forward. Beyond that, they have their own personalities, but I found both to be compassionate, good people at the core.

The rogue programmer, Clark, is a brilliant programmer who doesn't know when to stop working and becomes addicted to his own creation. He gets deeper and deeper in, his involvement with the AI, which eventually has him forgetting to take care of his basic needs as he tinkers, unaware of what the consequences might be.

There are numerous other characters in this story who are not main players but are none the less compelling in themselves. I felt this point was one of the author's strengths in creating a story that is plausible, if not a little disturbing.

While the theme of Above Dark Waters is not a new one (I would point to films such as Colossus: The Forbin Project - 1970, and WarGames - 1983), this story has, at least for me, a new twist on the idea of artificial intelligence attaining sentience and having evil intentions.

But the "monster at the end of the book" isn't what kept me reading on. It was the characters and how they were able to adapt to solve the problems popping up. And every time they solved a problem, a new one would emerge, further challenging their creativity and abilities.

My takeaway from Above Dark Waters is to remember what is important in life.

As I sit at my computer, I understand how easy it is to get caught up in some of the things already happening in the cyberworld. You look up something you are thinking of purchasing, check a few prices, and the next thing you know, your social media feed is loaded with ads enticing you to click on them. Most are legitimate sellers, but some are just looking to get their hooks into you. One can waste a lot of time just scrolling and scrolling.

One theme that shines through in this story is the importance of people working together to keep from falling into the trap of cyber addiction. Remember the things that are important: friends, family, and one's own wellbeing.

Above Dark Waters is a marvelous science fiction tale. It moves at a blinding speed and will hold the reader’s attention. It is a page turner with surprises along the way that one may have not thought about as AI becomes more intelligent. This story is thought provoking and a little scary at times, but also has moments of humor, and it has donuts! Unfortunately, they are only virtual donuts, but a reader can make sure they are supplied in advance on my advice.

I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good Sci-Fi thriller. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I (author Eric Kay) have only three things to offer:

Exploration, Technology, and Optimism (ETO)

Every novel will have heaps of ETO. It doesn’t mean they ignore the hard questions or the downsides of technology. In fact, some of them border on dystopia or tragedy, or have characters that are unsympathetic. But I write the kinds of hard science fiction I want to see in the world. Plausible near-future fiction backed up by science where we go out and explore.

Well, there it is…

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