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A review by theeditorreads
Wire Wings by Wren Handman
5.0
Synopsis:
Graciela Neumann's father along with his friend has created the first AI ever. It exists in a virtual reality world called the Waves, the same world in which his team launched a feature called Dive a few years back. Dive lets you have the ultimate sensory experience. Now, while he refers to the AI as an 'it', the AI has appeared in the form of a 'he' in front of Gracie. She is in love with him, with Thomas. While he appears in a number of forms in that world, something about his eyes seems familiar to Gracie. But is he what she thinks he is, what she thinks she wants?
Review:
A futuristic story or something set in the very present? From its mysterious beginning, Wire Wings captured my imagination from there to the instance when Gracie met him for the first time. With terms that are as familiar as on a beach to something right out of the future, a virtual reality world where you can feel through all of your five senses, a place where you can be whoever you want to be. Gracie too adopts various personas, as and when she sees fit.
Gracie's best friend in the real-world is Khaiam Fadel. A story set in the latter part of the twenty-first century, with hardly any birds, it felt like a dystopia in some instances. It's always as interesting as it's amusing to read a futuristic story. To see some things which have advanced well beyond what we visualise while to see some other things that never change.
Gracie and Khaiam were a part of a trio before they lost one of them. Supporting each other, Khaiam seems to be losing Gracie too, sometimes. Because she's trying to find a phantom. Their friend Calista died three months ago, which devastated both of them and led Graciela to suffer from severe panic attacks.
The AI - Thomas - seems to be following her, popping up in the most unlikely of places in the Waves. It feels to Gracie like she knows him from before, in that he feels like home to her. Even though he behaves quite weirdly sometimes.
An outstanding story questioning what is real vs what is virtual. A story where you will be taking sides about whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beneficial or risky. A timely story about the pitfalls of too much dependence on technology, to the point of forgetting life outside of it. Of creating something that is beyond your control. It reminded me of certain sections of some episodes of Black Mirror.
This story gave me all the feels. A story which is science fiction at its core, which has its heart in the right place, which belongs to at least two more genres which I won't point out here since it will kinda give away the story, along with a touch of philosophy. This was such a diverse read, whether it be in regards to the representation of genders or nationalities.
The secret that is revealed in the end, there were hints throughout the story and halfway through the book I somewhat guessed it. And what a twisted ending it was, where the epilogue completely threw me off!
Thank you to The Parliament House Press for an e-ARC of the book.
You can read the first two chapters here.
Originally posted on:
Shaina's Musings
Graciela Neumann's father along with his friend has created the first AI ever. It exists in a virtual reality world called the Waves, the same world in which his team launched a feature called Dive a few years back. Dive lets you have the ultimate sensory experience. Now, while he refers to the AI as an 'it', the AI has appeared in the form of a 'he' in front of Gracie. She is in love with him, with Thomas. While he appears in a number of forms in that world, something about his eyes seems familiar to Gracie. But is he what she thinks he is, what she thinks she wants?
Review:
A futuristic story or something set in the very present? From its mysterious beginning, Wire Wings captured my imagination from there to the instance when Gracie met him for the first time. With terms that are as familiar as on a beach to something right out of the future, a virtual reality world where you can feel through all of your five senses, a place where you can be whoever you want to be. Gracie too adopts various personas, as and when she sees fit.
Gracie's best friend in the real-world is Khaiam Fadel. A story set in the latter part of the twenty-first century, with hardly any birds, it felt like a dystopia in some instances. It's always as interesting as it's amusing to read a futuristic story. To see some things which have advanced well beyond what we visualise while to see some other things that never change.
No one ever walks in silence, not really, but somehow when words are absent the other little sounds don’t rush in to fill the void.
Gracie and Khaiam were a part of a trio before they lost one of them. Supporting each other, Khaiam seems to be losing Gracie too, sometimes. Because she's trying to find a phantom. Their friend Calista died three months ago, which devastated both of them and led Graciela to suffer from severe panic attacks.
The AI - Thomas - seems to be following her, popping up in the most unlikely of places in the Waves. It feels to Gracie like she knows him from before, in that he feels like home to her. Even though he behaves quite weirdly sometimes.
He stalks closer, his voice intense, the light in his eyes blazing, burning, and Gracie realizes for the first time that fire, however beautiful, doesn’t just burn. It consumes.
An outstanding story questioning what is real vs what is virtual. A story where you will be taking sides about whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beneficial or risky. A timely story about the pitfalls of too much dependence on technology, to the point of forgetting life outside of it. Of creating something that is beyond your control. It reminded me of certain sections of some episodes of Black Mirror.
This story gave me all the feels. A story which is science fiction at its core, which has its heart in the right place, which belongs to at least two more genres which I won't point out here since it will kinda give away the story, along with a touch of philosophy. This was such a diverse read, whether it be in regards to the representation of genders or nationalities.
She wonders how easy it is to forgive someone when we’re afraid we might lose them, and how hard when we think we won’t.
The secret that is revealed in the end, there were hints throughout the story and halfway through the book I somewhat guessed it. And what a twisted ending it was, where the epilogue completely threw me off!
Thank you to The Parliament House Press for an e-ARC of the book.
You can read the first two chapters here.
Originally posted on:
Shaina's Musings