Cloudthinker: A science fiction thriller - Paperback

by Andrew McGlinchey (Author)

WINNER: First Place 2023 Writer's Digest E-Book Awards for for Science Fiction.

Numbers don't lie. But people do.

When misfit math genius Boogie Wu solves an ancient mathematical conjecture, she never expected it to provide the key that unlocks Apex Corp's most disruptive new technology: a job-taking AI service that simulates connections of the human brain.

When Boogie discovers whose brain Apex is simulating, she must confront the ethical and spiritual consequences of a technology that doesn't just think, but feels.

As it becomes clear that profit is only the start of Apex's ambition, to prevent them tipping the world into system-resetting chaos, she will have to solve a new kind of equation, one whose only solution equals danger..

Set in a future so near you can touch it, Cloudthinker is a profound and propulsive new thriller that confronts big tech, memory and consciousness, and what it means to be human.

Selected Reader Reviews:
✭✭✭✭✭ "If ChatGPT had a villain origin story, this would be it" - Deborah N.

✭✭✭✭✭ "Crackling near-term, hard-SF dawn-of-AGI novel. More ideas per page than any book I've read in ages... Rather than worrying about whether AI understands in a way that would satisfy a philosopher, he asks whether they feel in a way that would terrify an ethicist." - Harry S.

✭✭✭✭✭ "WOW. I always hope but never expect a book to be this good! How much did I ENJOY it?... and on a scale of 1-10 this was 17-19 or something!" - Randy F.

✭✭✭✭✭ "This book will take you down the winding trail of "what ifs" that are fast becoming a reality for all of us. Thrilling and thought provoking. I forgot this was a work of fiction several times." - Joe S.

✭✭✭✭✭ "In many ways, Cloudthinker feels like a movie waiting for a screenplay." - Jules K

✭✭✭✭✭ "The timeliness of the AI progression nailed it, I think - everything from Wuhan to the current state of language models felt like the changes were worryingly plausible" - Sean R.

✭✭✭✭✭ "You can read it as a philosophical and ethical journey into some of the most interesting topics emerging in today's society." - JT.

✭✭✭✭✭ "I picked it up and read it in a single sitting. And then went back and read it again a few days later. A gripping and engaging story both times!" - Jordan D-M.

✭✭✭✭✭ "This distinctly creative, imaginative, and profound debut novel will delight fans of sci-fi, thrillers/suspense stories, technothrillers, and cyberpunk". - Terri Stepek for Reader Views

✭✭✭✭✭ "Hits the zeitgeist in a big way." - Jennifer Hill for Reedsy Discovery