Titans

Edward W. Robertson

Jan 2014 · Edward W. Robertson

About this eBook

Rob Dunbar is the world's best history professor. And with good reason: he's been alive for three thousand years, keeping his existence a secret since before the days of Athens.

But a stranger named Baxter has a better use for Rob's vast expertise. Baxter's looking to found a mining company in the Asteroid Belt. In exchange for Rob's help, he'll try to unravel the mystery of Rob's origin.

As they're getting their outfit off the ground, they come under covert attack by HemiCo, a powerful Mars-based corporation. And Rob learns Baxter has a secret of his own—he's not human. He's a highly illegal AI.

Developed by HemiCo in the wilds of Mars, the first AI escaped decades ago. They've been fighting a shadow war against their creators ever since. Dragged to Mars, Rob is thrown into the center of the fight—and becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution that will change the course of human history amongst the stars.

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Keywords: space opera, space exploration, colonization, ai, artificial intelligence, spaceships

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed the book. In terms of overall interest and ease of emersion into the plot, this book is definitely above average. I very much appreciated the way that some familiar sci-fi devices are integrated into the story. However, there were more than a few flaws in the construction of the narrative, the choice to use contemporary references and sensibilities 200 years in the future and in the conversion to this format. I do recommend it to sci-fi fans.

There are parts that are so well written they make you think. About the way history is diluted; and also what a space society would be like, and how an AI would feel. But does history (even if it is recounted by a man living beyond many lifetimes) and sci-fi mix? You can see it does have the balance between biological everlasting life and robotic eternity. Maybe if Baxter's memories were expanded;and how the other AI's escaped.Could make for interesting sequels though.

The premise certainly provides ample opportunity for deeper exploration, but fails to go much beyond the surface. As a result, the story is a little light on substance in some places, keeping to familiar archetypes to move the plot along. In the end, it's still a fast-paced, entertaining read that may be worth adding to the bottom of one's summer reading list.