Review of Brian, Created Intelligence

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 11 Mar 2024, 22:25

[Following is a volunteer review of "Brian, Created Intelligence" by AJ Pagan IV.]

3 out of 5 stars

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AI is all over the media right now. What if AI was linked to a real brain, one that was genetically manufactured purely for research and problem-solving? That’s the premise of Brian, Created Intelligence by AJ Pagan IV.

The entire concept was what I really enjoyed about this book and why I was so keen to read and review it. As an AI fan, I was curious to see what story the author would spin. He didn’t disappoint me; the plot was fascinating, if somewhat frightening. There’s nothing to say that the developments of this book could eventuate sometime in the future.

An aspect of the story that was refreshing and a legitimate concern for the future of AI is — no spoilers — one of the character's emotional connection to Brian. This issue gave the story an additional layer, a concerning one, but it was fascinating at the same time.

Another element that I thoroughly enjoyed was Brian’s musings about the human race. They’re spot on, and I found myself nodding and agreeing with him.

Unfortunately, that’s where the praise ends. Now for what I didn’t like. My biggest challenge with this book was that it was not reader-friendly. While the idea of the chapters being dates and times is novel, it didn’t work well. As the periods jumped from days to months to years in the future and in the past, I needed to keep checking the table of contents to see where I was in the timeline. The author fixed this in one instance in part two by using a sub-heading, ‘The Next Week,’ but that was it. This action is needed throughout the book for every chapter.

For example, ¾ of the way through the book, the narrative suddenly jumps to a character’s backstory ten years ago. If the reader isn’t paying close attention to the headings, it becomes a random chapter about a single incident that doesn’t fit the current timeline. Once again, I had to refer to the chapter list to determine where this chapter fits into the story. Then there’s another chapter headed ‘Time Unknown, Date Unknown,’ throwing even more confusion into the mix.

That’s not the end of it. An aspect of the author's style that irked me greatly was how the narrative switched from third to first person, often inside a chapter, from one paragraph to the next. I was constantly having to go back to the previous paragraph to be sure I understood whose thoughts I was now 'hearing.' Then, there are often no scene breaks. I was reading about two people in one place; the following paragraph was about another person in another location, unrelated to the previous one. This happened more frequently as the book continued. Frankly, I would have stopped reading if I hadn’t committed to reviewing this book, as it just became too frustrating.

A final negative is that the book is a slow burn. The first third is the development of the artificial intelligence Brian and an insight into the other characters. This section dragged me down; it was jargon- and tech-heavy. Now, I work in this field and have a lot to do with AI daily, yet I still had to refer to Google numerous times to understand some of the described processes. For people completely new to this field, these sections will go way over their heads. I was glad when things started to happen in the final chapter of part one.

A positive thing is that the book is professionally edited; I found only one spelling error. However, I encountered numerous line breaks mid-sentence throughout the book, but I put this down to an e-book formatting issue, so that’s not on the author.

As I said, the book isn’t reader-friendly and needs to be rethought in structure and presentation. Despite the potential for the storyline, I didn’t enjoy the experience and had to push myself to finish it. I struggled with the star rating. Because it was so hard to read, I wanted to give it a 2, but with the impeccable editing and the fascinating storyline, I will give it a generous 3 out of 5 stars.

The book will appeal to sci-fi, dystopian future fans, who are also fascinated by AI and are prepared to accept the unusual structure and jumping around of the narrative.

******
Brian, Created Intelligence
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Rob Carr · Post by **Rob Carr** » 18 Mar 2024, 03:33

Fascinating reading someone's review when they just read exactly the same book as you. I landed on a higher rating than you did but I had essentially the same thought process in coming to my rating - great concept and ideas but not that easy to read. I found the little bits of plot lines that didn't get closed a bigger challenge than the jumping around though.

Cristiano Bellucci · Post by **Cristiano Bellucci** » 19 Mar 2024, 02:09

Thanks for your review, Stephen. I also enjoy reading about AI and how it can change the world. I understand that there are new ideas in the book. It may be improved.

Jennifer Coxon · Post by **Jennifer Coxon** » 19 Mar 2024, 10:56

Thank you for your honest review. I do find it can ruin your enjoyment of a book when you get lost and don't know either the location you are reading about or the point in the timeline. However, I wouldn't have made it through the initial section with all the technical jargon, so I think I will give this book a miss.

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 19 Mar 2024, 19:11

Rob Carr wrote: ↑18 Mar 2024, 03:33 Fascinating reading someone's review when they just read exactly the same book as you. I landed on a higher rating than you did, but I had essentially the same thought process in coming to my rating - great concept and ideas, but not that easy to read. I found the little bits of plot lines that didn't get closed a bigger challenge than the jumping around though.

hehe I felt the same reading your review, I can see from your pov why you rated it higher. If the signposting hadn't bothered me so much, I'd have scored higher, as the overall plot was fascinating.

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 22 Mar 2024, 00:15

Cristiano Bellucci wrote: ↑19 Mar 2024, 02:09 Thanks for your review, Stephen. I also enjoy reading about AI and how it can change the world. I understand that there are new ideas in the book. It may be improved.

Hi Cristiano, thanks for stopping by; if you like AI, then I think you'll really enjoy the story. The issue I had with the chapters isn't an issue for many other readers, so if the plot works for you, go for it.

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 22 Mar 2024, 00:16

Jennifer Coxon wrote: ↑19 Mar 2024, 10:56 Thank you for your honest review. I do find it can ruin your enjoyment of a book when you get lost and don't know either the location you are reading about or the point in the timeline. However, I wouldn't have made it through the initial section with all the technical jargon, so I think I will give this book a miss.

Hi Jennifer, yeah this book isn't an easy read, it's a shame as the story is so fascinating, but I totally understand why you'd skip it.

Gerry Steen · Post by **Gerry Steen** » 22 Mar 2024, 09:16

Fusing AI into a human's brain could potentially create a super-human with the capacity to do good or bad. This would be akin to turning a miniature poodle into a pitbull. If the human is happy and ethical, the goodness will be magnified. If the human is angry and unethical, the damage will be tenfold. A happy and well-adjusted pitbull is a great friend to have by your side. A fearful and aggressive pitbull? Not so much. That's my way of looking at AI with humans. I understand from your review that this book could have been great if it had been written in a reader-friendly manner with more use of layman's language to share the AI concepts. The lack of clear timelines would have driven me nuts. Thank you for this honest review. The author may be thanking you as well, because you have indicated to them how to improve the readability of the book from one AI person to another.

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 22 Mar 2024, 21:53

Gerry Steen wrote: ↑22 Mar 2024, 09:16 Fusing AI into a human's brain could potentially create a super-human with the capacity to do good or bad. This would be akin to turning a miniature poodle into a pitbull. If the human is happy and ethical, the goodness will be magnified. If the human is angry and unethical, the damage will be tenfold. A happy and well-adjusted pitbull is a great friend to have by your side. A fearful and aggressive pitbull? Not so much. That's my way of looking at AI with humans. I understand from your review that this book could have been great if it had been written in a reader-friendly manner with more use of layman's language to share the AI concepts. The lack of clear timelines would have driven me nuts. Thank you for this honest review. The author may be thanking you as well, because you have indicated to them how to improve the readability of the book from one AI person to another.

Hi Gerry, what you've said is exactly it, the capacity to do good and bad is raised in this novel, both by the 'creation' and some rogue government officials. Lol character could easily be referred to as an aggressive pitbull.
Yes it was such a shame that the signposting is all over the place as the story itself is fascinating.

Anu Anand · Post by **Anu Anand** » 26 Mar 2024, 00:26

Thank you for your honest review. I too find the concept of AI absolutely fascinating and was intrigued by the premise of this book. I understand your concerns about the book's structure and presentation. It can indeed be tiresome when a narrative jumps around without clear markers, making it challenging to follow. Your feedback provides valuable insights into the reading experience.

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 26 Mar 2024, 20:30

Anu Anand wrote: ↑26 Mar 2024, 00:26 Thank you for your honest review. I too find the concept of AI absolutely fascinating and was intrigued by the premise of this book. I understand your concerns about the book's structure and presentation. It can indeed be tiresome when a narrative jumps around without clear markers, making it challenging to follow. Your feedback provides valuable insights into the reading experience.

Hi Anu, if you're intrigued by AI, I think you'd enjoy this book. Other reviewers didn't find the structure as challenging as I did so you may feel the same way.

Terry Kimble · Post by **Terry Kimble** » 29 Mar 2024, 13:48

I'm sending you a virtual pat on the back for sticking it out and writing the review for us, Stephen! The story's premise is alluring, but I'm already easily confused—I don't think I could handle the structural issues you speak of here.

Thank you for sharing your forthright opinions.

Sarah Zain · Post by **Sarah Zain** » 29 Mar 2024, 14:39

This isn't an easy read at all. I felt the burden of reading the book from the way you interpreted it. I agree with you that the story has great potential, but the negatives have a greater impact. Great and honest review Stephen. You analyzed the book wonderfully.

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 29 Mar 2024, 21:22

Terry Kimble wrote: ↑29 Mar 2024, 13:48 I'm sending you a virtual pat on the back for sticking it out and writing the review for us, Stephen! The story's premise is alluring, but I'm already easily confused—I don't think I could handle the structural issues you speak of here. Thank you for sharing your forthright opinions.

Thanks Terry, I wanted to quit many times, but the story itself kept me wanting to know what would happen. The structural and signposting issues were just too prevalent throughout.

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 29 Mar 2024, 21:23

Sarah Zain wrote: ↑29 Mar 2024, 14:39 This isn't an easy read at all. I felt the burden of reading the book from the way you interpreted it. I agree with you that the story has great potential, but the negatives have a greater impact. Great and honest review Stephen. You analyzed the book wonderfully.

Hi Sarah, did you read it too? It really was tough. Shame as the story had me hooked.