The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for André's Reboot: Striving to Save Humanity
Because André's Reboot was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
supernatural143
The title and cover of this book are alluring to sci-fi enthusiasts - including me. Without The First Ten program, I would surely read it. I love the way a robot named André narrated the story. He said he was the President's translator, and he freaked out when he learned they are considering a nuclear attack. I saw sentences with missing Oxford commas: “You were programmed for loyalty, duty and responsibility,” "I was able to perceive visual, auditory and tactile information and could sense everything around me, except for odors because Dr. S had not perfected my nasal capacity." Other than these two minor errors, the book looks professionally edited. The official OBC review has piqued my interest. I would like to know what will happen to André after the reprogram, so I will read on. In "André's Reboot", Steve Coleman weaves a tale about a robot (named André) designed to do household works. Through a traumatic incident, André possessed human-like emotions.
#ScienceFiction #Dark #Humor #Politics #Robots
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 4:56 am by supernatural143.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Dolor
I love everything in this book: title, cover, blurb, official OBC review, and first ten pages, so I would read it even without The First program. All of them had piqued my interest. After reading the first ten pages, I decided to read on. I like the way André, the robot, narrated the story in his own perspective. André ordered Dr. Margaret 13, which is also a robot, to reprogram him. I saw a lack of commas in these statements:
“You were programmed for loyalty, duty and responsibility,”
"I was able to perceive visual, auditory and tactile information and could sense everything around me, except for odors because Dr. S had not perfected my nasal capacity."
These are just minor errors. My decision is final: I will read on. André's Reboot by Steve Coleman is a #ScienceFiction tale that revolves around a robot initially designed to do household chores - then acquired human-like emotions.
#Dark #Humor #Politics #Robots
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 4:39 am by Dolor.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
briellejee
Based on the cover and title, I think I wouldn't have sampled the book. Artificial intelligence and robots are not in my line of interest. However, both aspects are appealing to those who are interested in such topics. As for the first few pages, I think I was confused with the names, especially "Dr. Margaret 13" and then "Andre 1". I am not sure if these were relevant but the switch from "Andre" to "Andre 1" and to "Andre Number 1" certainly confused me. This inconsistency reflects poorly editing or writing skills. The plot somehow kept me interested on what will happen to Andre when he reboots and if he will be able to stop the nuclear war he was talking about? I also liked that the author provided a little background on how he was made in chapter two. The first perspective of the robot as the narrative was also a nice touch since it indicated that he has emotions of his own. However, as I've mentioned before, I don't like robot characters and unfortunately, the plot of this one did not convince me further to make this an exception. Thus, I will not be buying the book. This is also personal preference so I think this would be really perfect for people who like this topic. I found no noticeable errors but the ones I've mentioned before, the inconsistencies on Andre's name. The official OBC review was also persuasive enough to tell me to sample it.
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 4:14 am by briellejee.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vickie Noel
The blurb and title would have prompted me to read this book outside the program, though I can't say much about the book cover. It's not one to stop me dead in my tracks. After reading the sample pages, I'm more sunk. I didn't realize the story would be so touching. I felt the special familial connection between Andre and his maker Dr. Strauss, and the former's perception and reaction to it were what made the story so sweet. I couldn't help smiling when I read, "I detected an expression on his face similar to the way he looked at his daughter, Becky." "It was a momentous occasion for me...what impressed me most was the status he had accorded me. Because he recognized me so personally, I now was somebody." I was also impressed when I read how Andre became self-aware; the scene which stimulated the event was realistically conceptualized and delivered in such a manner as to evoke thankfulness from the reader as well as the characters in the picture. The book was professionally edited, although I spotted an error in the sentence, "...so I can I generate aggressive behaviour." I saw an OBC review which piqued my interest. However, the sample is responsible for sustaining it.
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 3:51 am by Vickie Noel.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
ritah
Based on the cover and genre, I would have sampled the book because it captured my attention. I read the official review and sampled Andre's reboot. I liked Andre's voice and his desire to save the earth and humanity even if it meant that he would go against his own programming. I'm curious to find out what Dr. Margaret 13 will do after hearing Andre express his desires. I will be reading the rest of the book because I enjoyed the writing style and the narrative was compelling to read. The book appeared to be professionally edited from the pages I read and I wouldn't change a thing.
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 3:45 am by ritah.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Alice Heritage
I probably wouldn't have sampled this one without the programme as I wasn't particularly on the lookout for new science fiction. However, the sample was good enough to convince me to buy this today because I am fascinated by artificial intelligence and robots developing feelings. The book appears professionally edited - I just noticed an over-large space between "reckless" and "President". Also, there is a reference to "the crying children" and then "Becky began crying" appears a couple of sentences later, which is a little confusing. I loved the writing style in general, especially the portrayal of a robot developing consciousness. The voice was convincingly robotic, for example with his precise measurements of time lapses like "984 milliseconds". Aside from a little repetitiveness about "crying", there was nothing significant that needed to be improved. The OBC review was very helpful. I agree that it would have been better not to be so on the nose about the current POTUS, but at the same time I am sure the political themes are another interesting aspect of the book.
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 3:15 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. There was a little bit of mechanical jargon between the two robots, Andre and Dr. Margaret. I wasn’t into this talk of circuitry and rebooting. I don’t think that Andre trying to stop the impending war is a story I can find myself caught up it. I did like the author’s creativity. Unfortunately, I also noticed errors that told me the book was not professionally edited. For example “I can I” should just be “I can”.
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 2:06 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The cover and the title are indicative of the theme of the book. There are only 2 Amazon customer reviews. The Amazon summary gives a clear description of the story. As I am interested in SciFi stories, I would have sampled the book even if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the interaction between Dr. Margaret and robot Andre-1. I found the story very good, so I am going to read this in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors. What I liked most about the book is its theme. I could not find anything that can be improved in the book. Although I found one OBC review on the book, my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 12:14 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
CataclysmicKnight
I love sci-fi stories, and this cover screams sci-fi. The robots, the fonts, and the title are all reminiscent of sci-fi classics. As such, I definitely would've looked into this book whether it was the book of the day or not.
So far I really like this book. Andre is very specific with his mentions of things like "32.4 seconds," and he's struggling with his role in the White House. The president is calling for the use of nuclear weapons, and Andre wants to stop him from destroying the planet. The book then flashes back to Andre's creation and early days as a home assistant droid. Both of these sections do a great job of showing an AI struggling to find its place while processing new information, and I'm excited to see what happens next!
I didn't see any errors in the book and I have nothing negative to say at all. AI is one of my favorite topics in fiction and this book is already doing a remarkable job with the topic. Regardless of what the OBC review might say, this is a book I need to finish!
First Ten review added on October 24, 2019, at 12:13 am by CataclysmicKnight.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
OliviaLouise
Based on the review, I felt this book had an interesting premise, but after reading the sample I felt that the dialogue was very choppy and melodramatic in tone. For example, as Andre is trying to process the idea of combat, Dr. Margaret is hushing him and telling him to hold still. It felt as though too much of the story was being told through dialogue. I did not find any editing errors, but I’m not interested in reading the rest.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 11:38 pm by OliviaLouise.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Fu Zaila
The cover is impressive. The blurb and reviews were okay. I liked how we were immediately drawn to the fact that Andre was a robot, and so was Dr. Margaret 13. I liked how he mentioned that combat would require special circuitry arrangements. Andre's role as a translator seemed a small task for an efficient robot. I liked how he was able to calm himself when he needed to. There wasn't anything I disliked but I'm not a fan of scifi novels so I won't be reading this book. The book seemed to be edited, but I found a mistake on the very first page, in the sentence "...noting no humans present." It should either have been 'noticing' or 'noting no humans were present'. So I think it needs more proofreading.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 11:06 pm by Fu Zaila.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
unamilagra
Before sampling this book, I may have picked it up because I liked that the OBC review highlighted its focus on exploring what makes us human. In reading the first ten pages, I wasn't really pulled into the plot. I thought the discussion of how the robots were constructed and rebooted was a bit technical and not very exciting. I don't plan to continue reading the book. As far as errors, on the fourth page, there was a mid-sentence paragraph break between the words reckless and president. I don't know if that's just an issue with the free preview.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 10:53 pm by unamilagra.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Delaney35
This is not a book I would normally consider reading; I didn't read any reviews of this book either. This is a book about artificial intelligence that grows up and ends up working for the president and trying to save the human race from themselves. The book opens with Andre, the robot, trying to figure out how to stop the president from ordering a nuclear attack. The dialogue was interesting. I think the opening set up a nice story about artificial intelligence and the dangers of what we could do to ourselves if we are not careful. I did not notice any grammatical issues; it appeared to be professionally edited. Overall, I will not be finishing this book because I am not a huge fan of books about AI.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 10:16 pm by Delaney35.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ekta Kumari
I wouldn't have read the book as it didn't seem enticing. However, I really enjoyed sampling it. The book starts with a sense of urgency that kept me hooked to find out more. I also like how the author incorporates the background details within the narration. I didn't find many errors, but I think there is a sentence structure error in this sentence: You can make the connections and then reprogram me, Margaret, so I can I generate aggressive behavior. Other than that, the book looks clean and well edited. Others interested in this sci-fi read can check out its official review. I'll not be reading any further as I don't think I'll enjoy the whole book.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 9:47 pm by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sarah_Khan
At first glance, I would not have picked this up because I am not a fan of science-fiction. The cover and title are pretty average. I liked that the amazon blurb was short and sweet. The beginning of the book seems well-edited. I have to say that I can not get behind the idea of AI. I found it a little weird when André 1 calls Dr. Margaret 13 his only true companion but also mentions that he created her. I do not see anything that the author needs to improve on. This book just is not my cup of tea. I did not read any OBC review.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 6:18 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Aditi Sapate
I would not have chosen to read this book based on the genre because I'm not a fan of science fiction. However, I would like to mention that the cover is beautiful and would appeal a lot to science fiction fans. After reading the sample, I found it interesting how the book is written from the droid robot André's point of view. I also appreciate the author's honesty when he says he does not pretend to have all the answers. However, I felt that this book was like any other science fiction book with robots. I will not be reading the whole book. The book seemed to be professionally edited. It also had an official OnlineBookClub review which brought to light the political aspect of the book.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 11:46 am by Aditi Sapate.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mbrooks2518
I'm not a fan of science-fiction, especially involving robots, so I would not have read the sample without The First Ten. After reading the summary and the official review, there is just nothing about the plot that appeals to me, so I am not going to buy the book. I did like the way the story opened up with the issues that Andre is facing in the present before getting into his past. I also liked that the author made going through his memories part of the rebooting process.
There is an error on the first page, which says, "'You're vibrating all over.' Dr. Margaret 13 exclaimed." The period after "over" should be a comma. Except for this error, there is nothing that needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 9:45 am by Mbrooks2518.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
KendraRobinson
If I had not read the first ten pages of this book, I would not have picked it up. The cover art and title place this book in the sci-fi category. It looks like it would be a futuristic novel about robots (not my thing). The OBC review I had read confirms that this book is about a robot named Andre, who is a translator for the President of the United States. He figures out he has his own will and reboots himself in order to fight the POTUS' violent decisions. The OBC reviewer mentioned that this book is futuristic, but set in today's setting, which I found a bit odd. The reviewer also mentioned that the author blatantly takes a stab at President Trump, which I also find annoying.
After reading the first ten pages, I will not be finishing this one. There is not a whole lot that I liked about this sampling. If I have to pick something, it would be that the idea behind the book is creative. I did not like the political slander that is within this book. I also couldn't get into the dialogue between the two robots. The book begins with Andre going to his robot doctor, Margaret, to help reboot his system. He had just come from a meeting with the POTUS and was upset about the talk of combat amongst the President and his people.
I found one error while reading - a repeated "I" in this sentence: "You can make the connections and then reprogram me, Margaret, so I can I generate aggressive behavior."
Overall, I won't be finishing this book, because I try to stay away from anything political when I can. I also had a hard time getting into the story from the robot point of view.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 9:13 am by KendraRobinson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
evraealtana
I usually like science fiction, so I might have picked this one up. After reading the first ten pages, I don't think I will continue with it. I found myself disappointed in the way that Andre describes his own point of view as "dispassionate" and "devoid of emotion", but then heatedly argues against military action, describes members of government with emotionally-charged adjectives like "spineless" and "reckless", and marvels at confidence Margaret inspires in him. It's as though the author cannot decide whether Andre has emotions or not, as though he is trying to place Andre in multiple locations along the "machine - human" continuum at the same time. I found it difficult to invest in the concept of Andre with such wild variations in his own "personality". The official OBC review mentioned that the book makes commentary on politics and foreign affairs, which I did not think I would mind since the author's beliefs and mine seem to be similar. I was, however, irritated with Andre's responses to politics. He is mostly machine, after all - why does he claim dispassion while being seemingly incapable of it? Admittedly this is a difficult subject to handle in a realistic way, so I can't fault the author. I just couldn't get invested in it myself. I noted only one error: a nonsense phrase in Chapter 1, which reads, "reprogram me, Margaret, so I can I generate aggressive behavior."
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 7:12 am by evraealtana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Fazzier
If had not read the first ten pages of this book as part of this program, still I would have read it based on the the official OnlineBookClub.org review. The review describes it as a book that makes us think like humans. This, right away, made me interested to read this. Reading the sample has further convinced to read the novel. André, the robot, wants to stop nuclear war planned by the military and, therefore, wants it circuitry to be altered to be capable acting aggressively too. This is intended to prevent the nuclear war and, hence, save the humanity as a whole. I can't wait to find out how things will transpire. I liked everything and can't find any improvement to recommend to the author. The book also seems to have been professionally edited since I found no errors in the sample I read. What I liked the most is the author's concept that robots should be used to save but not harm the humanity.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 3:36 am by Fazzier.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mai Tran
This book reminds me of the movie “Bicentennial Man” which is also about a robot capable of human emotions. It was the saddest tear-jerker movie I’ve ever seen, so I wouldn’t have picked up this book with that in mind. The book is well-edited and easy to follow, but the opening seems a bit questionable and far-fetched to me. Since what happened in the Situation Room and the President’s degree of recklessness are still unclear, it’s dubious that the duty to stop a nuclear war has to fall into the hand of a robot. I won’t continue to read this book for this reason.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 1:45 am by Mai Tran.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
ab2020
Let's just say that science fiction is an extremely unnerving genre for me, and I almost never read it. So, despite the 4-star OBC review of this book, I wasn't so sure I would enjoy the first ten pages. I was right. The book is narrated by a robot, which is somewhat disturbing and unusual in my eyes. Setting that aside, however, the writing is clunkish in places. I didn't find any typographical errors, but on some pages, nearly every sentence begins with a prepositional phrase, which becomes quite tedious to read after a while. Considering the combination of conceptual and literary flaws, I will not be finishing this book.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 1:33 am by ab2020.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
lavellan
I probably would have read André's Reboot even if it had not been a part of the First Ten program. The Book of the Day review was positive and left me interested in the book. The book seemed like it was professionally edited, but I noticed an error while reading. "I" is not needed in the following phrase: "so I can I generate..." I enjoyed how the author organically integrated the flashback into André's reprogramming. I didn't like how the events in the book mirrored current US politics so much. As a result of this, I will not buy the book today.
First Ten review added on October 23, 2019, at 12:33 am by lavellan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Juliet+1
Based on just the title and cover, I guessed that this book would be about a robot. The Amazon blurb and the OBC review confirmed my theory. I have no interest in reading "Andre's Reboot," because I am reading a similar book and have several more of the same type stacked up to read. I don't want to add another to my list, however good it might be.
The first 10 pages did not change my mind. This book is just too much like other books I've been reading lately. I don't plan to read the rest of it.
The writing is fine, although a bit simplistic, and the editing is very well done. It's a good story, just not for me.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 11:20 pm by Juliet+1.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Washboard
I typically enjoy science fiction, and the cover art and title of this one are appealing. The official review also makes the book sound interesting. I did not notice any errors in my reading. In the sample, the reader is introduced to André and Dr. Margaret, both robots, who get deep into discussion about if it is appropriate for André to use physical violence to attempt to stop a nuclear war. While the story seems interesting, I didn't particularly like the writing style, which included remarks such as "I paused for 484 milliseconds" and "I paused for 4.96 seconds to reconsider". I understand it is to illustrate the narrator (André) is a robot thinking in computer terms, but I found it repetitive and unnecessary. I won't be continuing to read this one.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 10:41 pm by Washboard.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kristy Khem
The cover design, title, and blurb didn't appeal to me because I don't enjoy reading about robots and politics. Therefore, I would not have chosen to read this book. I struggled to get through the sample because it wasn't interesting. However, the robot jargon was mildly entertaining such as when Andre was complaining to Margaret and he paused for exactly 4.96 seconds. I chuckled when he described Margaret as an obstinate droid because she was refusing to reprogram his CPU. I disliked the politics in the book the most. I was instantly turned off when I read about the President threatening nuclear war. There was also mention of a fourth commandment that the robots followed and I wondered if this was the author's way of incorporating religion into the story. I felt as if this part didn't quite fit into the story, by referring it to a 'commandment'. I saw no errors while reading so I think this book was edited well. Generally, this story did not capture my interest so I will not buy and read the rest of it.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 9:57 pm by Kristy Khem.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
When I saw this book I thought it was going to be interesting although I don't always care for sci-fi. After reading the review and the first ten pages I have changed my mind about reading it. I was disappointed with the political content - what part I read and what I heard others say about the book making fun of the current President. When I read a book want to relax and forget about the political issues we face today. I liked the part where Andre was programmed to cry and did so every time the little girl Becky cried. It served to change Becky's behavior because it irritated her every time Andre would cry. I only found one error, a misspelled word. Andre's inventer was Mr. Strauss and the name was written as Mr. Strass in one place. (At 67% of the online sample).
I think the story could be improved by putting the characters and events several years into the future instead of currently. I have no plans to read this book due to the mocking of a sitting President.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 9:50 pm by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chelsy Scherba
“...so I can I...” there was a missing period after “can”. I liked the way Andre was described. His emotions seemed mechanical, but emotional as well, which was neat. He wants to save the world from a nuclear attack, but the President will not listen. I’m curious to find out if we learn how he became a White House Android. I like the professional cover and the editing seems professional overall. I agree with the reviewer that lampooning Trump is kind of risky in terms of your audience, but I like the story overall. I’m not really interested in a sci-fi today, but maybe I’ll add it to my list for future reading.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 9:23 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jsovermyer
The cover art is excellent. The intriguing picture and the title, Andre's Reboot, made me want to take a second look at this book. I like sci-fi stories and was anxious to read the sample. Andre is a household android who becomes self-aware after saving the family's children. I like the idea of a robot gaining human emotions. The part about Andre saving his master's children, Becky and Billy, from the hailstorm was exciting. I also like how Andre refers to events happening at precise times, such as at location 154 where it says, "She regarded me for 3.37 seconds." I find this very humorous. The official review rated the story highly, but didn't like the book's political views. Chapter 1 referred to the President of the United States, but it didn't pinpoint President Trump. Perhaps later chapters are more descriptive of him. I found no grammatical or spelling errors and believe this book has been professionally edited. I enjoyed what I read so far and would like to continue. I will be finishing this one.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 8:39 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kelyn
Even if I had not been a member of this program, the genre, cover, and title would likely have attracted me to this book. Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres, and both the cover and title reveal this to be the genre of the book. I am not familiar with the author, so that would have had no effect. The blurb and overwhelmingly positive customer reviews would have established an even more intense desire to investigate the book. It seems to have an "I Robot" feel to it, and that is a book (and movie) I enjoyed. Reading the sample was a mostly positive experience. I did think that a bit less detailed description/commentary on internal circuitry and such would have made it more enticing. I tend to avoid books (and authors, such as Asimov) who overdo their technological explanations. Unfortunately, I find them somewhat dull. I absolutely loved Andre, though. He is both innocent and intellectual at the same time and is an entirely enjoyable character. In the end, however, I decided not to read the book. The clencher of this decision was the review from this program. The book has much more of a political bent than I enjoy. Also, the author displays some very negative connections and 'satire' toward specific people/events in today's society that are entirely too transparent. The book seemed well-edited. The only 'errors' I found were: (1) The author likes to start sentences with "And," but this is not technically incorrect. (2) He also uses sentence fragments as sentences, I assume, for effect.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 8:20 pm by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Verna Coy
Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I likely would not have picked it up because I don’t usually lean toward books about robots. For this reason, I don’t intend to buy and read the whole book. Reading the first ten pages confirmed my first impressions that the book isn’t my style. It was written from the robot’s point of view. Based on what I read, the book is professionally edited. I saw no errors. What I liked most about what I read was the way the robot’s creator was so happy when they realized that the robot had achieved consciousness when he saved the children from an approaching storm. I know that reading who love science fiction will enjoy this story. As far as improvements, I could see no need for any in what I read. I did see the official Online Book Club review and found it informative.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 7:58 pm by Verna Coy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
desantismt_17
This book’s title caught my attention. The description was intriguing, especially as told by a computer, for all intents and purposes. I didn’t like the satire part, but the characters and story sounded interesting. Before sampling, I was thinking about reading. After sampling, I’ll give this a try. The book appears professionally edited. I noticed no errors. At first, the dialogue and narrative felt a bit stilted. As I continued reading, I settled into the writing style and realized it worked well for an android POV character. The nuclear war issue in the first chapter and Andre’s subsequent reaction/removal from the situation room start things of on a kind of bleak note. The description told me the entire book wasn’t about an android trying to stop nuclear war, which really was a big factor in my decision to read. If this had been another “president of the US is ridiculous, and someone has to stop him” story, I wouldn’t have bothered. I am interested to see what happens and have no improvements to suggest. The OnlineBookClub.org review also helped me determine this was more than a warfare story, and I look forward to reading.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 5:17 pm by desantismt_17.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Aubrey Lewis
The overall appearance of the book isn't really that eye-catching for me because it doesn't seem neat and the colors are dull. When I read through the official OBC review, I had a feeling that I wouldn't like the book because it's a science fiction novel, a genre that I dislike reading about, and also because it involves politics. When I finished sampling the first ten pages, I decided not to read the rest of the book. The contents seemed professionally edited so far, and André's character seemed interesting for an android, especially when he asked to be reprogrammed in order to become capable of physical aggression. However, I was very uninterested in the storyline since the genres weren't my cup of tea, and there were numerous terms that were too technical for me to process in the beginning, so I was confused as I read through the paragraphs. I think the author should, as a suggestion, lessen the info-dumping in the premise so that the beginning will be easier to follow.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 3:53 pm by Aubrey Lewis.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Emy Katherine
A special robot with human abilities is on a mission to save the Earth from a potential nuclear war. I do not read science-fiction novels, so I would not have read the book without The First Ten program. Reading the sample and OBC review did not change my mind; however, the book has many positive aspects that will appeal to fans of the genre. The story was told from the perspective of the robot (André), using a humorous, conversational tone that honestly made me smile quite a bit while reading certain scenes. Those who enjoy science-fiction and political satire books will surely enjoy this story. I am not sure the book was professionally edited; I found a missing hyphen and some missing commas throughout the sample. For example, "west northwest" instead of "west-northwest" (location 189 of 460 • 41%). Also, there should be a comma after the adverb "suddenly" in the following sentence: "Suddenly I heard hail pounding on the roof." (location 242 of 460 • 53%)
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 3:17 pm by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
The artwork on the front of the book is really unique compared to other science fiction books that I have read before, which is what encouraged me to read the sample. At first, I was considering buying the book so I can read the rest of it. There were no grammatical errors at all, which made me excited to read Andre's Reboot. However, the Official OnlineBookClub Review stated that this book pokes fun at the current POTUS. While I fully respect others in their decision about who they like and don't like, I do not think that poking fun at any past, present, or future POTUS is acceptable. People should at least respect them for the job that they do; being POTUS is not an easy task. This is why I will not be finishing the rest of the book. However, I do like how the author develops Andre's character and I think that this is the most interesting part of Andre's Reboot.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 2:58 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
cpru68
The opening pages of this book introduce readers to an artificial intelligent character named Andre who has attended a meeting by government officials. He has been excused from the Situation Room when he began to get slightly agitated regarding talk of a nuclear war. Not having been programmed for aggressive behavior, he asks another AI named Margaret 13 who he created as a physician to reboot his system to change his programming to include aggressiveness so he can destroy the equipment that is meant to be used as a nuclear machine. By the first chapter’s end, he is being “put to sleep” by Margaret 13.
I won’t be finishing this book as I am not interested in reading about artificial intelligence, and the story line revolves around nuclear war and political matters. I did not find any errors in punctuation, spelling or grammar so this seems to have been professionally edited. The review made it sound like this was very well written. I appreciate the opportunity to have read the sample pages of this and will send it out on my social media for others to enjoy.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 2:23 pm by cpru68.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Laura Ungureanu
I wouldn't be persuaded by the cover or the review to try this book. However, I enjoyed the first pages. The sample starts with André trying to convince Dr. Margaret 13 to reprogram him to be able to access violent behavior. André works for the President and he thinks the world is close to a nuclear disaster. I like that this story is told from the perspective of the robot. I also like André's specific thoughts. For example, "I paused 4.96 seconds". There's nothing I would change in the first pages. Although I definitely liked the sample, science-fiction novels are not my preferred reads. I didn't find any grammar errors.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 2:04 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
After taking a look at the cover and reading the blurb, I would not have chosen to read or sample this book had I not been part of this program. The first ten pages were witty and easy to read. I laughed at how precise André communicated time frames: “I paused 4.96 seconds to reconsider.” I will not continue reading this book, however, because the AI scenario is too realistic for me to enjoy the story. I was already suspicious when André, who was not programmed for violence, was becoming increasingly agitated. I do not want to see how he evolves. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages. The positive OnlineBookClub review had no bearing on my decision not to read the book.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 1:51 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kajori Sheryl Paul
'Andrè's Reboot' is a book written by Steve Coleman. The title, blurb, and cover did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.
The first ten pages leads me to believe that it is a science fiction. Andrè, a robot, works for the President. He gets to know that the humans have planned to launch a nuclear attack. Nobody pays heed when he condemns nuclear attacks. He is thrown out. Andrè decides to reprogram himself and become capable to stop them. I like the concept. I found some errors. It should have been “What happened?” instead of “What's happened?” I do not think that it is professionally edited. I will give this book a skip as I am not in the mind-frame to read a book of this genre as of now.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 12:34 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MarisaRose
After reading the book blurb for "Andre's Reboot," I wasn't tempted to purchase the book. The blurb made this novel sound a lot like the movies Bladerunner and AI, so the lack of uniqueness dissuaded me from wanting to read this story. An OBC review wouldn't sway my opinion in this case, because the blurb just didn't sound appealing. After sampling the first ten pages, I wasn't eager to continue reading "Andre's Reboot." The book begins with the robot, Andre, informing his doctor about a potential nuclear attack. The book is told from Andre's perspective, and I had a hard time believing Andre was a robot based on his narration. Andre's dialogue is imbued with emotions. The only statements made that I considered "robotic" were the amounts of time Andre attributes to situations, like when Andre states someone regarded him for "3.37 seconds." I thought that was a cute touch, but it didn't take away from the fact that the majority of the narrative sounded like it was written from the perspective of an average human. I thought the writing was enjoyable - I didn't notice any grammatical errors, and the author's style was engaging. However, I don't plan to read any more of this book based on my initial impressions of the narration.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 12:31 pm by MarisaRose.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
I have come across an insightful review of this book (with well-elaborated points of positivity and possible areas of improvement), and it has piqued my interest. However, there are some minor errors present. At 0% in the sample (specifically the Acknowledgements section), there is a missing comma in "...some comedy(,) as well as...". The story certainly starts off with a bang, where the President's translator, who seems to be an android, is getting worked up when there was talk of a nuclear attack. For an android whose purpose is to provide observations/analyses of real-world situations void of emotion (so that decisions made do not have an emotional element), the android is certainly extremely worked up if we were to judge it by human standards. My interest in seeing how these tensions between the human/android binary will be resolved is piqued. I would suggest that the author run it through another round of editing to remove the errors. However, whilst the premise is interesting, I will not be purchasing the book today, only because I am not in the market for science fiction.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 11:12 am by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsTri
The cover and title for this book interested me somewhat, but then I read the Amazon synopsis and OBC review (the only review I read). I think that the "part social/political discourse" aspect of this tome will turn me off. With that being said, I was glad that the sample seemed to be professionally edited. I also liked the part where André was observing the clouds. I won't finish this book, but I also don't have any suggestions because it seems to be written well for its genre.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 10:28 am by MsTri.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Cristina Chifane
I would have probably read the book even without the first ten program considering the fact that I love reading sci-fi books. The title and cover are both original and intriguing. The Amazon blurb as well as the highly positive customer reviews promise a challenging story in which a robot possessing unique artificial intelligence and human awareness tells his own story while striving to save humans from themselves. Although at times amusing, the droid's concerns over the fate of humanity pose some serious philosophical questions with respect to the consequences of our actions. This is the reason why I found the exchange between Andre and Dr. Margaret thought-provoking. As I kept reading the next chapters, Andre's story became more and more interesting. I didn't notice any editing errors. The OBC reviewer also mentions elements of political satire that I would definitely enjoy. I have all the reasons to add this sci-fi novel to my reading list.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 10:13 am by Cristina Chifane.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Theresa Moffitt
I like the cover of this book and the title. I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. It looks like a science fiction book. I haven’t read a review of this book yet. The book begins with a robot, Andre, explaining that he was removed from a meeting in the situation room because of something he said. He is trying to stop the president from taking an action that would adversely affect them. He is discussing it with his companion Margaret who he states he created. The first ten pages are full of action. The writing is interesting. I saw an error on the 4th page of the book,so I don’t believe the book was professionally edited. On page 4, it states “ a reckless President.” However, after “reckless” a new paragraph starts. I don’t typically enjoy science fiction, but this story seems interesting to me so I will finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 9:17 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Juliana_Isabella
I might have chosen this book because I enjoy sci-fi, and I was intrigued by the many themes mentioned in the review. I didn't find any grammatical mistakes in the first ten pages, and I liked that the story dove straight into a dramatic situation. However, Andre's actions seemed illogical, especially for an android, as he could definitely have left the infirmary even after a doctor told him not to, and this would be especially necessary to prevent nuclear war. Due to this oddity, I won't finish the book.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 9:02 am by Juliana_Isabella.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Erin Dydek
The cover on this book made me interested to learn more because I enjoy sci-fi and stories about robots are intriguing. The book was pretty easy to get into. Andre 1 has been thrown out of the Situation Room for causing a disruption. His warning about disaster to come were not well received so he turns to another android for help in rebooting his system. The book seemed well edited and I was interested in reading the ready of the book. However, the OBC review talks about how the book goes into political issues a and mocks the president. I will pass on this book because of that aspect.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 8:27 am by Erin Dydek.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
HRichards
I normally wouldn't have picked this book up considering I'm not a big fan of science fiction. Having read the sample, I won't be continuing on with the book since I didn't find it that interesting. The sample deals with a robot who has been kicked out of a meeting room. He is very upset and is programmed not to hurt humans, causing him to vibrate. He wants to be reprogrammed so he can act against humans. The writing is very good and seemed professionally edited. I didn't notice any grammar errors. Those who like science fiction might like this book. I'm not really interested in the genre. I read the OBC review of this book and it didn't really change my mind about not being too interested in this book.
First Ten review added on October 22, 2019, at 7:11 am by HRichards.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 26%
André's Reboot earned a score of 26%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 26% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for André's Reboot
