Emily Eternal

Emily Eternal

by M.G. Wheaton

4.5 out of 5

Synopsis
Meet Emily - she can solve advanced mathematical problems, unlock the mind's deepest secrets and even fix your truck's air con, but unfortunately, she can't restart the Sun.

She's an artificial consciousness, designed in a lab to help humans process trauma, which is particularly helpful when the sun begins to die 5 billion years before scientists agreed it was supposed to.

So, her beloved human race is screwed, and so is Emily. That is, until she finds a potential answer buried deep in the human genome. But before her solution can be tested, her lab is brutally attacked, and Emily is forced to go on the run with two human companions - college student Jason and small-town Sheriff, Mayra.

As the sun's death draws near, Emily and her friends must race against time to save humanity. But before long it becomes clear that it's not only the species at stake, but also that which makes us most human.



Review
Emily is an artificial consciousness, programmed to read people, and help them with their problems. Threatened with the end of the world, her super-computer and her scientists are enlisted to try and preserve humanity.

I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is an artificial consciousness - not artificial intelligence. She's not really sure she can quantify the difference, but it's very important to her. She was designed by scientists to learn and replicate human mannerisms, to be able to access their memories, and sooth their pain. Her program is only in the early stages, but it could be a significant, therapeutic help; especially as the world is coming to an end.
The sun is expanding, an event that everyone said wouldn't happen for billions of years. It was bad enough when they thought they had years - but now there's only weeks left.
Emily's talents as a super-computer are called upon, in a last-ditch effort to try and preserve some semblance of humanity for the future. But there are other people, working in the shadows, trying to hijack her plans, which will effectively doom mankind.

I really liked Emily, she's smart and funny. She's well-aware that she's a computer, and likes to adjust her program, to choose her own personality. She develops opinions of the people around her - friendships, and those she doesn't quite trust.
Her program is only five years old, and despite having the appearance and maturity of someone in their thirties, Emily is still very innocent. It's quite sweet watching her hold firm to her morals, because her creator did - and then because she's decided it's the right thing to do.

The story really does examine what it means to be human, and a god (or goddess!). That people are a messy, faulty bunch; but they're generally a well-meaning group that deserve to be saved. It also looks at the lengths you could go to save them, and whether you should.

Everything was great, and I was completely on board, until the last act. I still enjoyed it, but it was a leap too far for me.
It was a very clever path to take, but after how systematic everything was, I felt the ending was "And so this happened. The End."
Soooo many questions.


Overall, this was a 4.5 out of 5 for me. I look forward to reading more of Wheaton's work.

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