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    Synapse
    Synapse
    Synapse
    Audiobook9 hours

    Synapse

    Written by Steven James

    Narrated by Thérèse Plummer

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Thirty years in the future, when AI is so advanced that humans live side by side with cognizant humanoid robots called Artificials, Kestrel Hathaway must come to terms not just with what machines?know,?but with what they?believe.

    Soon after experiencing a personal tragedy, Kestrel witnesses a terrorist attack on a nearby artificial factory and is unknowingly drawn into a world of conspiracies and lies. Along with her own Artificial, Jordan, they attempt to untangle the web around them. With a second, more brutal attack looming on the horizon, their best chance of stopping it is teaming up with federal counterterrorism agent Nick Vernon. But the clock is ticking--and all the while, Jordan is asking questions Artificials were never meant to ask . . . questions that rock Kestrel to her very core.

    Deftly weaving suspense and intrigue into a rich, resonant tale that explores faith and what it really means to be human, Steven James offers us a glimpse into the future--and into our own hearts.

    Synapse?is an unforgettable, gripping story of dreams shattered, truth revealed, and hope reborn.

    Praise for?Synapse:

    "Perfectly timed and thought-provoking,?Synapse?is a smart, intense thriller that keeps the suspense?building until the final page. Steven James once again delivers a perfect amalgam of character and?plot, totally immersing the reader in an irresistible narrative." --Simon Gervais, international bestselling author of?Hunt Them Down

    "Next-level suspense that keeps the pages turning, combined with next-level writing on par?with the great literary masters . . .?Synapse?is not merely a thriller you should read--as 5G?approaches and advances in AI snowball, it is the thriller you can't afford?not to." --James R. Hannibal, award-winning author of?The Gryphon Heist

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateOct 8, 2019
    ISBN9780785225294
    Author

    Steven James

    Steven James is the critically acclaimed, national bestselling author of sixteen novels. His work has been optioned by ABC Studios and praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books, and many others. His pulse-pounding, award-winning thrillers are known for their intricate storylines and insightful explorations of good and evil.  When he’s not working on his next book, he’s either teaching master classes on writing throughout the country, trail running, or sneaking off to catch a matinee.

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    Reviews for Synapse

    4/5

    33 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I loved how Stephen James wove the matters of faith with the language of science !
    • 4/5
      Christian Mass Effect? Religious Deus Ex? Fair warning on this book: It is explicitly Christian Fiction - and it is pretty damn heavy handed on the preaching. If that isn't your thing, you don't want to read the first sentence of this thing. The story itself is decent enough, but the hyper preaching aspects drag what could have been a pretty awesome scifi tale that could challenge some of the Golden Age masters into just another book that likely won't reach much beyond your local (dying) Christian Bookstore. Instead of a subtle exploration of whether robots could have souls ala Blade Runner, you get what amounts to mini sermons - which is theoretically appropriate, with the central character being a preacher. Overall a solid story that could have been so much more, and recommended if you can withstand the preaching.
    • 4/5
      When I finished, I am reminded why I am drawn to speculative/sci-fi fiction. Being written from a Christian viewpoint, I like the conclusions better than those of a secular book. Steven James packs a lot of solid Biblical truth into Synapse and utilizes key story threads to do so. The lack of bad language or bedroom scenes is a real plus for me! I enjoyed seeing how James develops the characters of Kestral, Jordan, Nick, and Trevor. Interestingly enough, ALL of them show growth. You’ll have to read the book to see why that’s an ironic statement. The action really accelerated near the end. I love to be surprised by who some of the villains and allies are, and this book did not disappoint.It did take me a while to get into the book, as James uses different point-of-views and even tenses for each character. Switching out of third-person past to the first-person present and back again was not comfortable for me. There were spots where James felt it appropriate to write the text all next to each other, with no breaks for words. These spots could be a paragraph long, and unfortunately, I was also fighting off dizziness the day I read this part, so I was doubly dismayed. All in all, though, I did enjoy the book. It came together well in the end. I would read another of Steven James’s novels and see where he takes mankind.I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the author and publisher. This does not affect my opinions, for which I am solely responsible.
    • 4/5
      Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Steven James for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of Synapse. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.This story is set 30 years from now. Artificial Intelligence has advanced to the point where Artificials have been given rights under the law. There is a continuum of robots with ones that perform simple functions like doing your cooking and cleaning to ones that are awake. They have an algorithm that allows them to learn based on categories like emotion, memory, curiosity and pain. They look and feel exactly like humans and it can be hard to tell the difference. Humans are called Naturals and can be enhanced, for example, if you’ve had an accident. They can replace arms, eyes, ears, any human body part. These semi-bionic humans are called Plussers. Kestrel is a preacher, unmarried and we meet her in the hospital having just lost her baby. She is alone and sad and after leaving the hospital she witnesses an attack at the plant where they make Artificials. She tries to give first aid to someone she finds injured from the attack. Her estranged brother, Trevor, happens to be an upper level executive at this company. They became estranged after their parents died when an older Artificial model gunned them down by mistake. This sends Kestrel off to a path toward G-d and away from technology. Trevor chose a different path towards the advancement of robots. Kestrel becomes embroiled in the investigation in trying to find out who caused the attack. There are a group of Purists who believe that these technological advancements are dangerous and have instigated terrorist attacks before.Trevor purchases a high end Artificial for Kestrel, originally intending it to help her with the baby. Although she is against it, she ends up accepting the Artificial, Jordan. As he awakens, he struggles with his own consciousness, learning the difference between right and wrong and his ability to believe in G-d. Kestrel tries to guide him as she struggles with her own faith. Nick, the agent working on the case, protects Kestrel as she is now in danger from the terrorists. They start to develop feelings toward each other. This story has many different levels. You have the main story with the mystery of who is blowing up the plants. You can follow the storyline of Kestrel, the loss of her daughter, reconnecting with her estranged brother and the mystery of who is causing the terrorist attacks. Then there is the storyline between Kestrel and her Artificial, Jordan. This is a separate storyline. Jordan is like an innocent child who becomes awake and although Kestrel is very reluctant to have an Artificial, she starts to develop a relationship with him. Jordan is also on a quest to discover G-d and Kestrel, a minister, has recently become disillusioned. There is a whole conversation about who can believe in G-d, what does it mean to believe in a higher power and what happens when we have a lapse in faith. Then there is a lot of commentary peppered throughout the book about the whole technology slant. You have every possible angle covered. Are we moving too fast, what is suffering while we are making all the technological advances. Basically any conversation you have ever heard about technology is covered in this book.What I did appreciate is that is the conversations never became preachy. It wasn’t one idea being valued over another where it was being shoved down your throat. There were plenty of ideas from all different angles being presented so you can enter the conversation from any entry point. Sometimes it was a little much but it didn’t bother me that much. Also, the different strains of story never interfered with each other. The story moved along nicely, actually at a quick pace. I really liked the relationship between Kestrel and Jordan and would have enjoyed even more of the two of them. The romance was sweet but a little slow, maybe underdeveloped? I loved all the technology, it’s so interesting to me. So we are 30 years in the future and have made huge leaps from self driving cars to living, thinking, feeling AI’s. But infrastructure is still a problem, so you still have to deal with things like traffic. Hilarious! Protests still happen based on ideas that are being discussed today so it makes it very relevant. There was a lot of content and I really enjoyed this book. I hope there will be more, maybe a series? Doesn’t look like this is the plan. The book raises lots of ethical and philosophical questions that will make you think twice the next time you look at your phone!
    • 4/5
      A futuristic techno-thriller that explores questions as old as time, Synapse will keep you on the edge of your seat. I found Steven James’ latest novel a mind-bender as I sought to process the interactions between Artificials (cognizant robots), Naturals (humans), and Plussers (specially-augmented humans) and the search for terrorists with varied agendas and motives. The basic premise is simple — Purists (those who oppose the spread of technology) are out to prevent a leading tech company from unleashing new advancements — yet this book has so many twists and turns along with thought-provoking questions on God, that its complexity requires a careful reading. Readers will find themselves questioning the technology that makes our lives easier, and in turn, as a couple of characters state, reflecting on the distractions that keep us from thoughts of eternity. I especially found main character Jordan, a cognizant robot with free will, intriguing. In Jordan, James has created a machine that feels, thinks, and aspires to what humans should. See, I said mind-bending. The novel is action-packed, and will appeal to those with a preference for the thriller and dystopian genres. And the faith messages shared will certainly make any reader re-think any conceptions they have on the goodness of God in a fallen world.Recommended.Audience: adults.(Thanks to Celebrate Lit and Thomas Nelson for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
    • 5/5
      This was a spooky idea for a book. Would we really want robots with artificial intelligence that were so real looking that we couldn’t tell they weren’t human? In this time robots could even be taught to feel pain. Some people love the artificial intelligence and others are fighting back. I loved the characters. This book is well written and makes you really think about whether robots with AI have a heaven of their own. I love how this author portrays his answer. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
    • 5/5
      When I was growing up it was hard to believe that in the future I would live in an era where cell phones were so small they could fit in the palm of your hand or laptops that you take with you and were able to connect with a click to the web. I remember watching The Jetsons and thinking how cool it would be to have flying cars that whisked you away to your destination. With the above mentioned subjects, the author has given us a glimpse into a world that isn't that far fetched of what it could be like in ten or twenty years in this wonderful display of creativity.The book may not be for everyone but I really enjoyed reading the story and letting my mind imagine what would happen if we had "Artificial robots that helped us through hard times. Kestrel is a pastor of a church who is grieving the loss of her child. I know people will say she was in sin because she had a baby out of wedlock. What the story portrays is a look at sin in a different way. I wasn't sure at first where the author was taking us. As I began to learn more about Jordan, I understood how the author took something that wasn't suppose to have emotions and gave Jordan everything a human could feel. Jordan's curiosity about God was one that many of us have wondered before. Why would God allow bad things to happen and watch His people suffer? Can Jordan really experience everything a human does? With technology taking leaps and bounds everyday, it is not too far fetched to have an Artificial pop up in the market place. Do you remember when a test tube baby was unheard of? The author expands our thoughts and allows us to question our beliefs. I found the story to be emotional at times and loved the secondary plot of a terrorist threat. The twists at the end are unexpected and really enhanced the story. I don't want to ruin anything that may give the book away so I will leave you with these thoughts: The story is rich in faith and really takes a look at the question many have asked. Is God real? In this thought provoking science fiction book we are able to look past what we can see and get a sense of what it is like as characters experience faith, grief, forgiveness and hope. I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
    • 2/5
      Before Synapse, I had only read a couple books by Steven James (The Pawn and The Rook), but those two books gave me high expectations of his latest thriller. Unfortunately, I may have set my expectations too high.Synapse begins as Kestrel Hathaway gives birth to her daughter—and must begin mourning almost instantly. In the wake of her loss, she encounters a terrorist attack, receives an Artificial, Jordan, as a gift from her brother, and becomes drawn into an investigation enmeshed in the technology and politics of her present. Now, this setup has all the elements to create an intriguing futuristic thriller—but it failed to keep me intrigued, actually. As a pastor, Kestrel naturally has thoughts and conversations regarding both God’s role in human suffering and His relationship with human-like AI, all of which proved entirely thought-provoking. However, amidst these (extensive) moments of spiritual contemplation, the story becomes a little lost and does not feel developed enough to live up to the suspense and thrill I anticipated. There is just too much Synapse tries to deliver, I think. As the pages flew by, I found myself far more interested in the relationship between Kestrel and Jordan, that reconciliation of faith and his manufactured being, than anything else in the story. Still, Synapse has received some glowing reviews from readers who enjoyed it far more than I did. If it piques your interest, it could be a great read for you.I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.