What Do You Think, Mr. Collins?
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In a parallel universe more technologically advanced than our own, adoption of artificial intelligence at the city of Paradise has proceeded rapidly, with no effective government or technical controls. From construction workers to IT professionals, working men and women face the grim prospect of a future without a job.
With any new technology, there are always those eager to employ it for nefarious purpose and personal gain. Uncle, the Chinatown boss, with the help of his nephew Eddie, and Nigel, a programming genius who will stop at nothing in an effort to compete with the AI Coders, plans to rig the mayoral election and take control of the city, threatening the very foundation of democracy itself.
High on the hill above Paradise, the great inventor Sidney Maddow lives in isolation with Alfred, his powerful, sentient AI butler. What will happen when Alfred decides to port himself to the Quantum Supercomputer that he’s built in Sidney’s basement?
Join Ben Collins and this cast of characters and more, to try to make sense out of a world where the boundary between thinking man and thinking machine has become blurred and unrecognizable.
Praise for this book
Review Rating 5 Stars
What Do You Think, Mr. Collins? is a work of fiction in the science fiction genre penned by author Neal Bialostosky. It is aimed at the mature reading audience owing to the presence of explicit language throughout and some violence. The book is a wild and surrealist journey through the lives of two characters living in the city of Paradise. One is an AI butler who has realized that the city is in danger, but nobody else seems to care as the mayoral race in which the incumbent is being challenged by a black hole is just too exciting. The other is a man trying to push his way through a red-tape nightmare so bizarre that Rumpelstiltskin himself is involved.
I thoroughly enjoyed this exploratory and surrealist tale which takes readers through the secrets that lie beneath the city of Paradise. One of the things that I was most intrigued by were the ideas and the pure creativity sewn into the plot, making you think deeply about not only the story elements, but the wider themes and reflections on life around them. Author Neal Bialostosky has a keen sense of atmosphere, which he builds through tension and clues that he delivers through clever dialogue and scenic description. The characters in this novel are fully realized and three-dimensional, with protagonist Ben having his own flaws and quirks that make him feel like a character you can easily connect with. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to fans of science fiction, and those that enjoy thrillers with a connection to the real world. What Do You Think, Mr. Collins? will make you question and think deeper about the world around you, and will stay with you long after you put the book down.
Rating: 5 Stars
What Do You Think, Mr. Collins? by Neal Bialostosky follows an eccentric and highly skilled computer network manager, Ben Collins, as he navigates a city undergoing a series of mutations, perhaps teetering towards the precipice. It is a parallel world like Earth, known as Paradise, a world where androids live alongside humans. While everyone is interested in the race between Mayor Teresa Vasquez and a powerful businessman and reality TV star, their world is experiencing bigger troubles. The only one who seems to know what is going on is the AI butler, Alfred. Meanwhile, Ben Collins navigates a world filled with corrupt media, experiencing racism and a terrorist attack, and more. Follow him in this intriguing tale as encounters with characters reveal who they truly are.
This is a brilliantly plotted and skillfully written novel with interesting characters, one that reflects the problems of our world and time, especially the political ones. While this beautiful world features the Garden of Eden, it also has the Chinese mafia, immigration issues, and terrorism. The political hype can be compared to the experience of watching Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the race to the White House. While this is a novel with an imaginary setting, it is, indeed, rooted in contemporary reality. The author's gift for character stands out and readers will enjoy following characters like Nigel Dearborn, who is a secretive and dangerous Russian programmer. What Do You Think, Mr. Collins? is science fiction that explores the world we create with our technology and the problems we bring with it. It is a fast-paced story that is vividly realized with a protagonist who makes for great company.