Well Done!

Enjoyed the book, interesting plot! Worth the credit.



"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

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Silicon World

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would highly recommend this 3 book bundle

Which character – as performed by Joe Hempel – was your favorite?

Joe Hempel did a great job narrating this book

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This books are about artificial intelligence.. Man against Machine. This is a science fiction but its looking like it's getting to be real as the AI is getting better everytime.

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Entertaining

Solid Sci-Fi. Relatable characters. Joe did a great job of narrating. Highly recommended this book!

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

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An exploration into the synthesis of man & machine

William Massa's Silicon World science fiction series includes Silicon Man and its prequel Silicon Dawn, both titles deliver thrills and action. Set in the near future, the series explores the complex relationship between humans and androids.

If you love the classic Blade Runner (1982), or the anime Ghost in the Shell (1995) you'll be sure to enjoy Silicon Man. And if you enjoy similar sci-fi like Automata (2014) and Neill Blomkamp's Chappie (2015) you'll be sure to enjoy Silicon Dawn as well.

Crossing the Darkness is an original take on the Sci-fi/Horror genre in the tradition of Alien (1979) and Event Horizon (1997). Thrills abound as the tension mounts in the struggle to survive on a space ship against an unknown force.

Massa is also the writer of the Occult Assassin series. I had read and enjoyed that series, and was eager to read Crossing the Darkness. This bundle was a great way to get all three books, especially to hear them brought to life by an experienced narrator.

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A great collection of books

Joe Hempel does a phenomenal job in the narration of them and bringing these books to life. If you enjoy good science fiction, horror, and dark fiction -- these books are definitely for you


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

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Great series

I'm not sure whether to call this a series or not. The stories aren't tied to each other. They are each a great stand alone story of artificial intelligence. William Massa does a great job creating different scenarios of how A.I. could effect our lives. As always, I really enjoyed Joe Hempel's narration!

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3 people found this helpful

Excellent Series of Stories

I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review, my review was in no way influenced by the free book.

This series of audio stories are well written, well produced, and thought provoking. I found these stories to be timely considering we are experiencing advances in robotics, computers, and news articles regarding the militarization of drones and robots.

The narration is well done and the narrator, Joe Hempel, brings to live the humanity and characteristics of each person in the story.

This is an excellent listen for anyone with an interest in science fiction or fantasy.

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Worth My Struggle

I have to break this review down by the three books in this series because my opinion changes vastly throughout this audiobook.

Silicon Man - I struggled to get through this first book, I had to restart several times because it just couldn’t hold my interest, it was the longest 4 ½ hours and took me a week to get through it, I never connected to the main character Cole Marsalis or cared about his predicament. At this point, my rating was 2 stars and that was basically for the quality of the author’s writing skills and Joe Hempel's narration.

Silicon Dawn - This book starts off with a bang and never lets up, it takes place years before Silicon Man. Adam is a new model AI sent to earth to become the partner of Detective Jane Malveaux, Jane has no trust for anything AI, but they strike an uneasy truce to hunt down a serial killer. I enjoyed the twists and turns in this story and the explosive ending, I loved it! So… I gave this story 4 stars and was so glad I did not toss this audiobook into the DNF pile.

Crossing the Darkness - You know that saying, the best is yet to come? It’s true! Crossing the Darkness is an epic listen. It’s cyberpunk, space opera, and horror all rolled into one! Ex-con Faith Cadena decides the only way to escape her past is to move far away, um… make that light years away. When she mysteriously wakes from a cryogenic state, she steps right into a living nightmare. This story reminds me a little of Alien, a strong kick ass woman, just trying to survive. It’s action packed from start to finish and I absolutely loved it! I gave this story 5 stars and I was so over the moon, (bad pun intended) ecstatic that I did NOT toss this audiobook into the DNF pile.

The entire audiobook clocks in at just under 12 hours, and Joe Hempel did an amazing job narrating all three books, his voice really suits the science fiction genre and he is fantastic at conveying the emotion, fear and suspense required in this quality production audiobook.

My rating if you average it out comes to 4 stars, but I just can’t, I have to give it 5 stars and if you end up struggling with book one like I did, don't give up! Skip to chapter 20, you can thank me later.

This audiobook was given to me to me at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review, thanks, Audiobook Boom!

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2 people found this helpful

A nice collection of android-based novels

In the world of Man vs. Machine, humans struggle with the concept of androids. More and more, androids are performing better than humans at jobs, better in bed, better than humans in many ways. But humans have always been able to justify that androids are soulless creatures, and hence humans will also be better. As technology improves, the AI of the androids become more complex, allowing independent thought and philosophical reflection. Does the old adage "I think therefore I am?" hold true with a machine?

All three books in this collection have different story lines and are not in any way connected.

Silicon Man
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Silicon Man is about a cop named Cole who is the commander of a special unit of police run by the company that is the main manufacturer of androids. His job is to track down, and either capture or kill rogue androids.

Cole's family was killed by an android in the recent past, which I'm sure influenced his decision to join this special unit. This killer android is now the leader of an "underground railroad" group that helps androids who have become "self-aware" escape to their freedom. Cole agrees to transfer his consciousness into an android body to go deep undercover and crack this illegal smuggling ring. Having to cope being inside an android body almost drives him insane, and as he tracks down his family's killer, the truth gets turned on its head.

This was my least favorite book in the collection,. I couldn't get past that the author might have been trying to connect an underlying narrative with this book and the 1800's slavery underground railroad. If this isn't the case, and I'm totally off, I apologize to the author. But there still seemed to be an underlying sense that the androids were oppressed somehow and needed to be given independence. What next, reparations?


Silicon Dawn
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The second book takes place 20 years earlier than Silicon Man. The most advanced android in existence, part of a line of androids developed on the moon, travels to Earth. "Adam" is the first android of his line to reach Earth, and his resemblance to an actual human is uncanny, so uncanny there there is no "uncanny valley" effect. His personality has been programmed as that of a human detective to help solve crime. His makers are intensely keen on observing how Adam performs. While on Earth, he is partnered with a female detective who hates androids. Adam must deal with overall anti-android prejudices while at the same time deal with this female detective.

I liked this book better than the first. It had a crime noir feel to it. While not spectacular, and again having a slight social justice underlying tone, this book is an entertaining listen. It further fills in in the universe of Man vs. Machine, specifically the differences between the older 2000 androids and Adam's 3000 model.


Crossing the Darkness
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The third book involves a colony ship on its way to a outer world, it's hold full of miners in cryosleep. The main character, Faith, awakens alone. She must figure out why is the only one awake on the ship, and why she keeps finding dead bodies...

This book really had nothing to do with the first. There were no androids, nor mention of androids, so it sits as an odd duck in the collection. At it's core it is a horror novel, full of suspense and surprises. There is an abundance of gore and several cringe-worthy moments of raw violence. I liked it!


Narration
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Regardless of the underlying content of a book, the quality of the narrator stands separate. Joe Hempel is an outstanding and professional storyteller. He has truly honed his craft as a suspense and horror narrator. There was absolutely nothing he did wrong worth mentioning in all three books, and I highly recommend this collection.


Disclaimer
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This audio book was gifted to me by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Humans & Androids living together... Mass Hysteria

SILICON DAWN
Silicon Dawn by William Massa is action packed from start to finish combining science fiction, homicide, and mystery. It is a story about the shaky beginnings of a great detective duo and I sincerely hope there are more stories with Jane Malveaux and Adam in the future.

Adam, the newest AI model, is endearing as he embraces the human experience, including humor and religion. Jane despite her horrible past experience with mechanical beings learns to look beyond and see Adam as an individual and a valued partner.

William Massa paints a wonderful picture, warts and all, of future earth and the beings that live upon it. I am told that Silicon Dawn was originally a screen play for Warner Bros. but sadly it was released from its contract when I Robot went into production. I hope they reconsider it in the future as this story and the one that follows, Silicon Man, are perfect for the big screen.


SILICON MAN
Silicon Man is about how humans treat their creations when their creations start exhibiting human wants, feelings, and full awareness of self. Follow the story of a futuristic Underground Railroad for Androids with both human and android assisting the so called “roque mechs. Commander Cole Marsalis's (human) job is to hunt down rogue mechs. He is sent on the ultimate undercover job by becoming that who he hates, an android. No possibility of Murphy's Laws interfering in that undercover job, noooooo, none at all......

William Massa again delivers an action filled techo-thriller full of fabulous characters and settings.

I eagerly await new episodes of this exciting and intriguing story about beings fleeing and fighting for their right to live and follow their dreams.


CROSSING THE DARKNESS:
The third story is not directly related to the previous two but could possibly happen in the same universe at a different time. The Horizon spaceship is loaded with 4,000 people in cryogenic sleep and a skeleton crew heading for work assignments on Saturn. A passenger and ex-con, Faith, is awoken from her cryosleep and discovers that she is the only one in her area awake. As the communications do not appear to be working, Faith heads off in search of the crew to let them know of the malfunction in her tube. She runs a dying man and then into ex-cop Hacker and all heck breaks loose. Yes, there is an artificial intelligence being involved in the kerfuffle.


The Narration:
Joe Hempel’s brilliant narration brings these stories to glorious life. His timing, characterization vocals and inflections are well done and pack an emotional wallop. I really felt like I was at a movie instead of just listening to the story.

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3 people found this helpful