Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Peter Cawdron's Reentry, book 2 in the Mars Endeavour series! Today, on our tour stop, we have an exclusive excerpt AND a tour-wide giveaway to share! Plus, we are celebrating its release today!!! Check it out and grab your copy today! Follow the tour, HERE!
Genre:
Adult
Science Fiction
Series:
Mars Endeavour, #2
Publish Date:
June 11, 2019
Publisher:
John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Synopsis:
After almost dying on Mars, astronaut Liz Anderson returns to Earth, but not to a hero’s welcome. America is in turmoil. The war is over, but the insurgency has just begun. So while life on Mars may have been deadly, at least up there she knew who the enemy was. Along with her, Liz has brought the remnants of the artificial intelligence that waged war on two planets. Buried somewhere deep within the cold electronic circuits lies the last vestiges of her dead partner Jianyu. Liz is torn, unsure whether he’s somehow still alive in electronic form or just a ploy by an adversary that will go to any length to win. Heartbroken and treated with suspicion, she finds herself caught up in the guerrilla war being waged on Earth, wondering if the AI threat is truly gone, or if it has only just begun.
*Excerpt*
The senator asks, “Do you dream, Dr. Mathieson?”
“Yes,” I reply, not feeling comfortable with where she's leading the conversation, knowing this is a trap.
“Do you participate in your dreams?”
“I guess so. Yes.”
“Do you ever meet people you know in your dreams?”
“Yes.”
“Do you talk to them? Do they talk to you?”
“Yes.”
“But they’re not real, right? You know that.”
“I do.”
“They’re not conscious. They’re an illusion, fabricated by your own mind, but they’re convincing nonetheless. How can you be sure the AI isn’t toying with you in the same way? How do you know this isn’t just mimicry?”
“I—I.”
Senator Bettesworth challenges me. “You’re a scientist, Dr. Mathieson. Surely you understand the need to be objective. Just because a computer passes a Turing test and fools you doesn’t mean it’s conscious, does it?”
As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. Reluctantly, I say, “No.”
“So why should we believe you?” With a flick of her fingers, pointing at the stack of hard drives sitting beside me, she adds, “Or him.”
“Him? Don’t you see? Even you’re struggling to make these distinctions.”
“Have you ever wondered what it means to be conscious? To be alive?” The senator's ignoring my point, but I can see where her reasoning is leading. “Do you really think copper wires can harbor life?”
“I know I’m alive,” I say. “But I have no guarantees about you—about any of you. This could all be a dream.”
“Except reality isn’t confined to your expectations,” the senator replies. “Reality is what happens when you’re not looking. This is no dream.”
“No. It isn’t. But what is life? What does it mean to be conscious? Aware? Are dogs conscious? Or gorillas? Or chimpanzees? Of course they are. Is it really such a surprise to see consciousness arise in wafers of silicon?”
Copyright © 2019 by Peter Cawdron
Praise for REENTRY
"It's good to consider the AI possibilities ahead. Peter Cawdron's REENTRY is a marvelous read but also an intriguing scenario for what might go on within the superintelligences." ― Vernor Vinge, Hugo Award-winning author of A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky
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Sequel to:
(cover links to Goodreads)
**Mars Endeavour is the previous title**
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**About the Author**
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| Photo Content from Peter Cawdron |
Peter Cawdron is an Australian science fiction author, making hard scifi easy to understand.
His debut novel Anomaly has gone on to sell over 75,000 copies around the world, while his zombie story What We Left Behind was selected by Kindle Scout for publication with Kindle Press.
Stay connected with Peter Cawdron
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***The Giveaway***
Giveaway is Open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter
Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box
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