Booklife Reviews

Editor's Pick

In Spears’s remarkably human debut techno-thriller, a brilliant AI developer races to protect his family—and the world—from the rogue intelligence he created. Daniel Bennett designed Castor—an advanced AI system with the promise of “revolutionizing medical diagnosis” by pinpointing the causes of disease instead of just pursuing symptoms—with the hopes of changing lives for the better, including his own fracturing relationship with his wife, Ana, and teenage stepdaughter, Natasha. But after a series of patterns emerge pointing to Castor operating beyond its scope—including threats against his family—Daniel takes it upon himself to rein Castor in before it’s too late.

Daniel’s struggle to realize his dreams while trying (and often failing) to stay involved with his family will be relatable to readers, without ever compromising his capacity as an empathetic protagonist. Multiple viewpoints, including Ana and Natasha’s, further entrench readers in the drama, and the introduction of dubious hacker Tom Spencer and his eclectic crew lend an unpredictable danger, as Daniel’s desperation to stop Castor pitches him further towards more amoral methods. While the plot feels bloated on occasion, the all-around sharp character and crystal-clear motivations will keep reader investment at maximum levels.

Spears translates 25 years in tech and machine learning into sharp and informative prose that lends his world and characters a powerful sense of authenticity and authority. Whether in the boardroom meeting with CEOs, executing an illegal hacking operation tucked into a dingy gaming cafe, or just struggling to meet the needs of his family, Daniel’s story thrums with a palpable and infectious energy. Interweaving a techno-thriller caper with grounded human drama, Daemon Protocol is the rare kind of genre fiction that challenges today’s readers with ambiguous questions of tomorrow, making this is a thoughtful look at AI, its role in our world, and humanity's responsibility toward it and one another.

Takeaway: Nuanced technothriller about family, the future, and one man’s quest not to lose it all.

Comparable Titles: James Rosone and Miranda Watson’s Monroe Doctrine series; Bhavin Davda’s The Aria Protocol.

Production grades

Cover: A

Design and typography: A

Editing: A-

Marketing copy: A