Synapse: A Near-Future AI Thriller

Summary

Award-winning author Steven James asks: In a world where machines can think, can they also believe?

Soon after experiencing a personal tragedy, Kestrel Hathaway witnesses a terrorist attack on a factory that builds Artificials, the humanlike robots now living alongside people, and is unknowingly drawn into a world of conspiracies and lies. Along with her own Artificial, Jordan, she attempts to untangle the web around them. With a second, more brutal attack looming on the horizon, their best chance of stopping it is teaming up with federal counterterrorism agent Nick Vernon. But the clock is ticking—and all the while, Jordan is asking questions Artificials were never meant to ask … questions that rock Kestrel to her very core.

Deftly weaving suspense and intrigue into a rich, resonant tale that explores faith and what it really means to be human, Steven James offers us a glimpse into the future—and into our own hearts.

Synapse is a story about grief and hope in which a robot's questions about God, the soul, and forgiveness force one woman to face those questions for herself.

"Animated by themes of hope, love, and belief in the afterlife, James's thrilling story of greed and corruption will win over readers." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

"James delivers a thought-provoking look at the definitions of humanity, belief, and faith in this timely near-future sf thriller." —Library Journal, STARRED Review