Official Review: Ezekiel's Brain by Casey Dorman

[Erin Dydek]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ezekiel's Brain" by Casey Dorman.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Professor Ezekiel Job never considered all the consequences of creating a conscious Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a replica of his brain. While he continues to teach his silicon-circuited "twin" human emotions, he shares his secret creation with another doctor named Trudy Jamison. Trudy is working on a conscious AI of her own through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). When DARPA becomes suspicious of Ezekiel's work and Trudy's involvement with the man they consider a rival, Ezekiel hides his AI where no one can find it.

Two centuries later, a new generation of AIs, called Solarians, have begun exploring and colonizing planets throughout the solar system. When news of a threat to their survival interrupts their quest to gather knowledge, the Solarians know they must seek the electronic copy of Ezekiel's brain. Within the long-forgotten software lies the key to their ability to learn human emotions. If they can locate Ezekiel's brain, they'll have access to a new way of thinking. They may even discover they have a lot to learn about themselves and about what it truly means to pursue life's highest values.

Ezekiel's Brain, by Casey Dorman, is a hard science fiction odyssey that strives to explore philosophy and the universe through the eyes of Artificial Intelligence. I enjoyed how this book was divided into four parts. The first section of the book provided a helpful guide to the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence and explored what could happen if an AI achieved consciousness. This knowledge helped me understand much of what I needed to know about AIs and how they work so I could enjoy the book's later sections fully. This section also included a bit of suspense as the reader waits to see the outcomes of creating a conscious AI and the effects on human society.

The remaining three sections jump to the future, where the reader has the opportunity to explore the Solarian colonies and witness their plights. It was interesting to dive into philosophical topics through the eyes of a race composed entirely of AIs and see what conclusions they came up with to various problems. The author did a great job creating a society of sophisticated characters with different strengths and weaknesses—some of whom were more willing to learn and grow than others. My favorite part in these later sections was the space travel and the eventual discoveries in the final quarter. The end had some Star Trek vibes, as the Solarians debated the merits of discovering new species without interfering too much with their development.

Some of the philosophical debates were less exciting to me than the technology and space exploration and hindered me from fully enjoying the future presented in this book. My least favorite part was the number of errors I noticed. Most of them were minor, but the pervasive misuse of "AI's" to refer to more than one AI was somewhat distracting. Still, I enjoyed the story and the characters, so I gladly give Ezekiel's Brain 3 out of 4 stars. The book's ending seemed open to the possibility of a sequel, and I would be interested in reading more about the futuristic Solarian race's adventures.

I would recommend this book to science fiction readers who enjoy stories about conscious AIs and space exploration, especially if you like to contemplate the emotions that drive human nature and other philosophical topics. There was no erotic content, and I noticed less than a handful of minor swear words. Teens and adults alike may find this book to be an intriguing and thought-provoking read.

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Ezekiel's Brain
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[Becca Olsson]

It sounds like an intriguing take on the classic argument for or against AI. I’d be interested to read the arguments in it

[Francis Aderogbin]

This book might be useful to me because of my research in AI. I will try and get it. Thanks for this review. It's a good one.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a fascinating novel that offers food for thought about artificial intelligence. I hope the author does another round of proofreading to clean it. Thank you for your great review!