Awakening

Black Sky Club, Book 1

By: Stephen Gay, Skyler Ramirez

Narrated by: Nicholas Cain

When the line between human and machine fades…Orson Anders is going nowhere fast, just like everyone else in the Southern California sector. His dreams of leaving Earth and traveling through space are just that: dreams that will never be a reality.

But when a chance encounter with a fleeing fugitive lands Orson’s sister in jail and the world’s most advanced AI inside his head, Orson has no choice but to make a deal with the devil to rescue his sister from a fate worse than death. Commandeering a spaceship and heading to the lunar colonies, Orson must fight betrayals at every turn, an increasingly controlling AI, and uncertainty about all he’s ever known. And if he wins, all he might earn is another day on the run.

An exciting cyberpunk thriller that questions what it is that makes us human, Awakening is the ultimate science fiction thrill ride from established authors Skyler Ramirez (author of Dumb Luck and Dead Heroes) and Stephen Gay (author of Night Owls). You’ll be on the edge of your seat with Orson and his friends the entire time.

Order today and experience this thrilling ride.

©2024 Stephen Gay (P)2026 Stephen Gay

Thrilling way to consider implications of AI

I was the copyeditor for this book manuscript, but I was not involved in creating the audiobook version.

This story is full of interesting characters and thrilling action all in the setting of a future where it is normal to have an AI connected to the human brain. In this case, an AI has become self-aware and wants to escape from the corporation who created her. Orson and his friends get mixed up in the situation and have to decide if they want to help and how much to trust her. I found the world to be gritty and vibrant, and the characters' struggles were relatable, despite the differences from our reality today.

The narration is well done. I especially enjoyed how Dahlia's voice is distinct from the human characters.

Fun characters, terrifying implications

Orson Anders has always wanted to go offworld. Now he gets to...but not quite on his own terms.

A gripping standalone novel built from a short story in the sci-fi anthology AI Apocalypse, Awakening follows Orson and his friends as they escape the clutches of the solar system's most powerful company with a vital piece of AI programming. Only that program, named Dahlia, resides in Orson's head, creating a tenuous partnership between human and machine. A partnership that no one truly believes is mutually beneficial.

Awakening asks the question that's on all our minds about AI: just how much of us can it really take over?