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I've Been Asking That Question Myself

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:46 am
by tomwinwa
Just came across this forum and the book, so this is in a sense a greeting and hello as well as a comment.

I've been thinking about that very point myself and have written a novel coming out in April of next year, based on this very concept (note: I am *not* trying to plug the book, but it *is* what I'm doing). It takes place in 2082, 30 years after the (literally) overnight collapse of all technology worldwide. This occurs subsequent to the so-called Singularity, and is caused by the Intelligent Internet (or what they call the Intellinet in the book).

Generally, SF tends to fall in one of two perspectives when looking at what happens when AI becomes more intelligent than humans...what I call the "Terminator" outcome where the AI seeks to destroy humans, or the Asimov "I Robot" outcome where it becomes a benevolent parent/servant. But I pose a third option...that the AI pulls the plug on humanity, says sayonara and takes off for the stars.

Anyway, this scenario was also deeply inspired by Thomas Cahill's "How The Irish Saved Civilization" so I have an organization called the Archives (located on an isolated South Pacific island) that sends retrieval specialists throughout the world to locate and recover all the knowledge and technology remaining in the ashes, to prepare for an eventual renaissance. One of the key factors that Cahill points out, which enabled the Irish to preserve knowledge through the Dark Ages, was the fact that it was an island society, far removed from many of the cataclysms that swept over Europe. And the knowledge existed in obscurity for the most part.

So this is one scenario which I foresee for rebooting civilization :)

Although this first book is already written, I will definitely spend a lot of time on these boards combing through ideas for the two sequels!

Re: I've Been Asking That Question Myself

PostPosted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:15 pm
by lewis
Hi Tom, your book sounds like a fascinating concept, thanks for sharing it on the discussion boards here! When it comes out, have the publishers send me a copy as I'd love to read and post about it on The Knowledge website.

Re: I've Been Asking That Question Myself

PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:21 pm
by tomwinwa
I will get an ARC to you as soon as they are available.

The book is called "The Archivist" and release is scheduled for April 2015.

Re: I've Been Asking That Question Myself

PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:09 am
by lewis
Brilliant - it will coincide perfectly with The Knowledge coming out in paperback!

Re: I've Been Asking That Question Myself

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 5:10 pm
by tomwinwa
Hey Lewis! It's been a while, but I have some updates. The Archivist is coming out in August now, at Worldcon/Sasquan in Spokane, WA, USA.

Also, I now finally have an ARC that I can send you, either in PDF or physical copy. Private message me and let me know.

Thanks!

Tom Wright

Re: I've Been Asking That Question Myself

PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:35 pm
by germanforestgump
Hello Tom!
Very interesting Your Book!
Are You planning a german Version soon?
Please let me know - I need always a huge Number of new Books to survive my boring Job!

many Greetings, Your Hans

Re: I've Been Asking That Question Myself

PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:56 pm
by Strongbow
Thanks Tom - just preordered it.