SIMPOC Audiobook By Ray Jay Perreault cover art

SIMPOC

The Thinking Computer

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SIMPOC

By: Ray Jay Perreault
Narrated by: Zachary Johnson
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About this listen

The entire human population is attacked by a very suspicious virus. SIMPOC's programmer doesn't come in to work, that day, the next, or ever. The commander of the space station Oasis, Joan Herl, is forced to abandon the station because of dwindling resources. When they land on earth, they are attacked by another thinking computer who would do anything to protect itself and to continue thinking.

The moon colony, Dessert Beach, is trapped as their resources are running out, and they must decide when to come home. They have only lifeboats to carry them back to the lifeless Earth, and what will they find when they enter the atmosphere and land?

The astronauts trapped on the Mars colony, Red Dirt, are in worse condition. Their systems will break down and resources will run out. Coming home for them is a different story. The lifeboats aren't made for that purpose and must be rebuilt before the colony breaks down. Should they stay and take their chances on Mars, or should they journey back to Earth?

©2014 Raymond J. Perreault (P)2015 Raymond J. Perreault
Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera Space Fiction Scary Thought-Provoking Mars Solar System

What listeners say about SIMPOC

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Engaging Storyline Intriguing Ai Perspective Distinct Character Voices Thought-provoking Themes Unique Concept
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Simpoc the thinking computer

I had fun listening to this. The story starts off before humans succumb to a deadly virus, with the programming of Simpoc. We get to see how Simpoc is awoken, starts to learn, and eventually has to deal with the programmer not coming back. I have read a couple of AI books recently so this book was right up my alley. The story continues with the consequences of the virus being realized by the few people who are not exposed to the virus; mostly the space station, the moon base and the mars base. It is interesting to think of what astronauts would go through if earth had a calamity this disastrous. This looks like it will be something similar to an episodic series and I really want to know what happens next!

I had trouble following the date structure in audio format, and consequently could really only get that ‘time had passed’ but not how many days/months passed from the computer’s perspective. That was really the only complaint about having it in audio, otherwise listening to the book lent an extra feeling of loneliness that I don’t know I would have gotten in the print version.

The narration was really good. Not only were all the human character voices distinct but the female character sounded believable, the accents were decent, and most impressively even the robots had distinct sounds! I think doing a good robot voice (one that was still pleasant after 2 hrs) is impressive enough, but the fact that the narrator could do several that sounded distinct (and like they had their own personalities) was a nice treat.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

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Wow! Best book yet!

This book was amazing!! Not at all as it first seems- turns galore. Just fabulous.

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Thought Provoking and Engaging

This book explores the ethical dilemmas of advanced AI in a collapsing world. SIMPOC’s empathy and Julius’s self-preservation create a gripping conflict. The astronauts’ return to Earth is intense, making this a must-read for sci-fi fans

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A Rarity: Intelligent Sci-Fi!

What did you love best about SIMPOC?

It's really logical... the progression of events makes perfect sense and it stays close enough to reality that it's completely believable.

What did you like best about this story?

From an IT guy with 30 years in the industry, the computing stuff was pretty dead on, but not super-technical. Perreault hits all the right beats, but doesn't bore you with details. Many writers let the tech get in the way of the story, not here.

Which character – as performed by Zachary Johnson – was your favorite?

SIMPOC. A learning computer. Brilliant. Have to say that Termin (spelling?) was also great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. I actually would leave early on a drive and arrive early just to listen to more.

Any additional comments?

This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. It's not just a quick 5-star because I received it free... you can check my other reviews. I only give credit where it's due. The narration by Johnson was also great. As someone with voice acting experience, he's quite talented, down to the different personalities and cadences in voices to the accents.

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SIMPOC is an oxymoron: apocalyptic, yet uplifting

As others have mentioned, I was wary of narration from the point of view of an inanimate object. It is an idea many authors have experimented with and few have succeeded with. With that in mind, SIMPOC was a delightful surprise.

SIMPOC is indeed a thinking computer- a perfect mix of humanized and mechanized; he (or she, depending on how it's programmed) is capable of self-awareness and, to an extent, even empathy. SIMPOC destroys the common sci-fi trope of the self-aware AI antagonist. The supporting characters are well-written as well. Without giving too much away, I found myself missing a certain programmer, despite his brief appearance in the story.

I bought the audiobook version of the book and found it very easy to listen to. A human voice gives SIMPOC's moments of loneliness and doubt a tremendously different feel. Well-done and worth considering, even if you don't typically listen to audiobooks.

I look forward to the next book in the series. I did not anticipate that I would enjoy this story as much as I did.

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SIMPOC 1

Zachary Johnson does a good job with narrating this short book.Everyone on Earth gets a virus just as a computer with intellegence comes online.Astronauts are left in space and when they return life on Earth is changed forever.
A good first book in a series.
This audiobook was provided to me at no cost for a fair and honest review

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Compelling Story

Where does SIMPOC rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

SIMPOC is an incredibly compelling story. I couldn't stop listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of SIMPOC?

The Tensity of the story and the plight of the humans in space trying to get back home was the best part of the story.

What does Zachary Johnson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The Narrator does a great job of portraying the computers and their 'thoughts'.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The story was compelling and the narration was great. The only slight criticism I would give is that the computer dates don't translate well to an audiobook. The timeline was difficult to follow because of this.

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Mesmerizing

Great story, much better than I expected. I had difficulty putting it down, er, pausing it. Well developed, it showed expertise in several areas, which made the story very believable.

My only "complaint" is, I have to buy the next book to (hopefully) complete the story. It went into an unexpected phase before the EOF.

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Compelling storyline unfolds!

A fantastic listen! "SIMPOC" features an intriguing plot and fantastic narration by Zachary Johnson. Perreault's storytelling shines, delivering a riveting tale of survival and technology. Can't recommend it enough!

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Need to read again!

Amazing this book has totally rewired my brain need to read it again. recommend to everybody

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