The Life Engineered (World Engineered) Paperback – 1 Mar. 2016

A fast paced scifi adventure that is well written. Got lots of action, scifi and twists on the way. The ending leads into a option for extending the story so isn't as finished as I would like, but I would be happy to continue on with the adventure. ... I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Really nice reading. Hope there will be more of the same, even if not a sequel. Look forward to a sequel if one is planned.

Before I start reviewing, let me just exclaim that J F Dubeau’s debut novel is brilliant. It has been a while since I had the energy to engage myself in a proper Sci Fi novel, and Dubea’s “The Life Engineered” was exactly what I needed.Most of the book is set at AD 3594, a time where the humans have long left the galaxy. But they did not leave without a legacy… Capeks, a race of AI robots originally created by humans, have inherited the galaxy and formed a civilization built on the shared goal of preparing the galaxy’s planets for their makers’ return.Capeks are able to create their own, and that’s how we meet Dagir, our story teller, a third generation Capek, who’s last incarnation in the nursery (where Capeks “live” hundreds of simulated lives as humans before being ready to emerge to the world), was of a Boston cop and a mom.Dagir, initially built for rescue and repair, joins the Capek society, at a time when for the first time in centuries it sees a conflict between rival Capeks, and the universe is on the brink of a civil war.Who will prevail? What is the mystery in the base of this Capek clash, and most importantly , where and why have the humans vanished? It is left for Dagir and her friends to unravel the answers to these questions…First, I found the writing of Dubeau simply a joy. He manages to set the scene to a whole new universe in just 3-4 chapters, helping us learn everything that is important, with the help of Dagir, as she learns it all for the first time upon the process of her birth. Second, the story is gripping and straight to the point. There’s no mucking about with too much technicalities, something you might have expected when introducing a whole new specie of robots.The story, though may sounds complicated, is quite straightforward: a group of robots is set out to save the galaxy. Whereas in the process we get a brief look into Dubeau’s brain and glorious universe.This has been published with InkShares, which makes you wonder, how much talent is actually wasted out there, for books that will never reach the print. Chapeau to whoever preordered and made this true. Can’t wait for the next one…

First a few words of background. If you would rather read the actual book review skip on.I bought my digital copy of this direct from the publisher, Inkshares.As the first book I have had delivered from this crowd-sourced publisher I must say it does both them, and the author huge credit.I was also trying to get my book published via this site and did not meet the goal. I don't feel any resentment as I respect the high bar set, and the overall quality of the presentation and editing of this book exemplifies why it is worth it.----------------------------------------Review proper.This book explores a concept that I myself have given a lot of thought to. The idea that as robotics advances to the next generation of excellence, with superior A.I. and highly sophisticated body structures there may come a day when the most sentient beings in the universe are in fact robots, and not humans.I wrote a short story based on a dystopian view of this type of future. While Asimov codified the "laws of robotics" I chose to imagine a world where such safeguards had not been instigated and robots had simply out competed humans for resources.J F Dubeau's vision is more optimistic, but rest assured, there is still plenty of threat and, despite the non human nature of the protagonists, I still felt very strongly for the hugely varying heroes of the piece.Interestingly, the reader is also permitted a stab of sympathy for the antagonist as well. It is admirable that there are no mono-dimensional characters in the entire book.There is a certain amount of mystery right from the start, and more is piled on as, like a good detective thriller, you suspect first one, then another participant.The main heroine (robots don't really have gender, but Dagir is surely female nonetheless) is a bit like Glenn Close in Jagged Edge (sorry if my movie reference is badly dated) in that she does not know who it is safe to trust, but she is fortunate to have a very dedicated and determined supporting cast who in some cases make the ultimate sacrifice, for the greater good, in a very "human" way.And then at the very end, you begin to realise just how wonderfully optimistic this whole book concept is. I loved it because the optimism is believable.I hope there will be a sequel, although I fear the nail biting that will ensue until I have devoured its contents to the last full stop.

For a book about artificial intelligence, Dubeau does a superb job of avoiding cold and clinical clichés and instead the reader is swept along on a roller coaster ride with characters who are diverse, well realised, and infectiously likeable. This is by no means hard sci-fi, this won't stretch your knowledge of science but instead will treat you to an exciting adventure about actions and consequences and the nature of free will. A new author with a book that's well worth the read - I'm already looking forward to the next one!