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Publisher: Spiral Worlds (2022)

 

Alexandra Almeida probes the philosophical and ethical depths of wealth, technology, pop culture, and religion in a world ravaged by global warming through her sci-fi adventure, Unanimity: Spiral Worlds #1.

Readers will delight in the gradual reveal of both the technology within the story and the dramatic history between many of those involved with the creation and evolution of that technology.

Tom, a screenwriter, works with Harry, the genius inventor of the world’s most popular AI (artificial intelligence) app, to create a simulation that will nudge people toward acting morally.

This virtual world consists of multiple layers, each focusing on a different psychological alignment depending on the needs of the person using the program. A lower level, much like Hell, exposes people to horrors and cruelty, while some upper levels focus on order and happiness.

The project becomes more complex when they upload the entire consciousness of people, creating virtual immortality. The story opens with the digital resurrection of Tom, also known as Shadow, long after his death.

With this rise of digital immortality comes an effective replacement for the afterlife of Heaven and Hell promised by Christianity.

Almeida gives readers a glimpse at a world coming to grips with direct access to this afterlife which is completely and undeniably real. Governments as well as popular culture must deal with new questions.  Should humans have access to immortality? Who ultimately controls this virtual world? Who acts as God within the machine? This story explores the depths of these questions.

The characters are all delightfully complex.

The name Shadow fits the protagonist, given the corrupting task he undertakes, all with the good intention to understand those he loves more completely. Harry, also known as Twist, lacks social skills and empathy, but he knows this and reaches for help from Shadow. The cast is full of inner conflicts and contradictions. They match the complexities of real people and include LGBTQ+ characters among them, making the story more relatable and universal.

With this breadth of characters, readers might be confused during the early introductions in the book. However, this confusion passes as the story goes on and the characters differentiate themselves.

Unanimity’s technology feels well-researched and thought out.

Throughout the novel, readers get more and more of a view of both the complexity of the story world and the ideology behind the virtual reality system. Almeida does a great job of making everything about this story fully believable, as if this AI afterlife could happen in the real world in the near future.

Overall, Unanimity is a strong read for fans of sci-fi, philosophy, and AI fiction, and a gripping first entry for the Spiral Worlds series.

5 Stars! Best Book Chanticleer Book Reviews