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"An experimental AI saves humanity by isolating all of the remaining seven billion humans in controlled environments with solely imagined worlds"--
About the author
Deni Ellis Béchard is the author of eight previous books of fiction and nonfiction, including
Vandal Love, winner of the 2007 Commonwealth Writers Prize, and
Into the Sun, winner of the 2016 Midwest Book Award for Literary Fiction and selected by CBC/Radio-Canada as one of the most important books to be read by Canada’s political leadership. His work has received the Nautilus Book Award for Investigative Journalism and has been featured in
Best Canadian Essays. He has reported from India, Cuba, Colombia, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Afghanistan, and his writing has been published in dozens of newspapers and magazines, including
Salon, the
Los Angeles Times, the
Paris Review,
Pacific Standard, and
Foreign Policy. He currently lives in Rio de Janeiro.
Summary
A haunting novel exploring artificial intelligence and the meaning of human existence from the award-winning author of Cures for Hunger and Into the Sun.
Charged initially with a single task—“to never harm humans and to protect them”—the machine, an experimental AI, overrides its programming and determines that the best way to accomplish its purpose is to isolate all of the Earth’s remaining seven billion humans in controlled environments. And to present them with vivid, tactile, imagined worlds—some realistic, others entirely fantastical—in which all desires are fulfilled.
With the help of the machine, a group of compelling characters unpack deeply traumatic memories of the past—one rife with violence after a military coup and second civil war in America. Michael, the entrepreneur who designed the original AI, grapples with the impact of his research. Ava, a painter, creates stunning simulated worlds that meld the human with the technological. Their daughter, Jae, tries to solve the mysteries of her parentage while reliving the challenges faced by ambitious women in the authoritarian Confederacy. Haunted by life under that repressive regime, where he was forced to scavenge scrap metal and deal drugs to survive, Simon seeks to make sense of his love for Jae, guided by the literature he has always turned to in moments of crisis. Raised by the machine since infancy, Jonah’s quest to understand the violent past kindles a desire for revenge against the regime’s leader who caused his family so much pain. And the elusive Lux, whose brilliant programming helped bring the AI to life, dreams of a future in which science will free humans of their limitations and allow them to be reborn as divine machines.
As these characters collide and their memories coalesce, We Are Dreams in the Eternal Machine tackles the most pressing issues of our time—from AI and the genetic modification of humans to gender roles, discrimination, free speech, and class divisions. Gorgeously written, bold and unforgettable, this is speculative fiction at its finest.
Foreword
- National author tour
- National media campaign, including TV, radio, podcast, and online interviews
- National print campaign, including reviews, original essays, and features
- Major prepublication buzz campaign: galley promotion at fall regional trade shows, Indie Next promotion, trade advertising, virtual events, Goodreads giveaways, and dedicated e-blasts, and library promotion.
- National print and digital advertising campaign
- Social media campaign, including giveaways, and digital graphics
- Targeted outreach and promotion on top sci-fi blogs and websites, including Tor.com
