I did not finish this story, the beginning was intriguing but as the book progressed, I lost interest in both the story and the characters.

SINthetic by J.T. Nicholas is a gripping and thought-provoking science fiction novel that delves into the ethical and moral implications of artificial intelligence and synthetic life. Set in a dystopian future where synthetic humans, or "Synths," are created to serve humanity, the novel raises complex questions about identity, autonomy, and what it means to be truly alive.

The story follows Detective Jason Campbell, who is tasked with investigating the brutal murder of a Synth. While Synths are legally considered property rather than people, this particular case raises unsettling questions that challenge the very foundation of the society in which Jason lives. As he digs deeper, Jason discovers a web of secrets, conspiracies, and a growing movement advocating for Synth rights, forcing him to confront his own beliefs about what it means to be human.

Nicholas's portrayal of the Synths is both compelling and nuanced. They are not simply machines but beings with emotions, desires, and a deep sense of self-awareness. This blurring of the line between human and artificial intelligence is at the heart of the novel, creating a tension that drives the narrative forward. As Jason interacts with Synths and their human counterparts, the reader is invited to explore the ethical dilemmas that arise from creating life that can think and feel but is denied the rights and respect accorded to humans.

The novel’s pacing is well-crafted, balancing moments of intense action with reflective passages that delve into the philosophical questions at the core of the story. Nicholas’s writing is sharp and engaging, drawing readers into a world that feels both futuristic and eerily familiar. The setting is vividly described, with the dark, oppressive atmosphere of a society teetering on the edge of moral collapse.

Jason Campbell is a flawed yet relatable protagonist. His journey from a by-the-book detective to someone who begins to question the system he serves is portrayed with depth and sensitivity. As he uncovers the truth behind the Synth murder, he must also confront his own prejudices and the uncomfortable realities of the world he inhabits. His internal conflict adds an additional layer of complexity to the story, making his character arc both compelling and believable.

One of the novel’s strengths lies in its ability to provoke thought without sacrificing the entertainment value of the narrative. While the ethical questions surrounding artificial life are central to the plot, they are woven into a mystery that is both suspenseful and engaging. The twists and turns of the investigation keep the reader hooked, while the broader implications of the story linger long after the final page.

SINthetic is a novel that will appeal to fans of science fiction and speculative fiction, particularly those interested in stories that explore the intersection of technology, ethics, and human nature. J.T. Nicholas has crafted a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant, offering a glimpse into a future where the boundaries between human and machine are increasingly blurred. This is a thought-provoking debut that raises important questions about our technological future and what it means to be truly alive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

The book was going great and I was really hooked onto the idea of the sinthetics. But once he confesses his personal crime and they storm inside the facility... I was out. It was like I'd lost the connection with the book.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately I have been unable to get into it. DNF @ 14%.

Being able to dominate a subordinate group of individuals is innately appealing. It appeals to an inner devil in our nature. As much as we condemn slavery today, I’m of the opinion that there are very few of us who wouldn’t want a slave if it were legally possible and socially approved. It is the legality of slavery that empowers individuals to exercise their dominating desire.


Legitimacy backed up by governmental law enforcement is what made early American slavery possible. The book SINthetic is about a society where that legitimacy exists and shows that ethnic group discrimination and ethnic group blaming are only possible when governments openly or subtly condone it. Slavery and indenturement were often cited in the old testament. Slave behavior patterns were established and paths that slaves could follow to earn freedom for themselves and their families were recognized.


The book title, “SINthetic”, describes a group of people who are grown in a lab for the purpose of providing menial labor for a society that felt themselves above such tasks. SINthetics are used as sex objects and slaves. They are mentally programmed for obedience. SINthetics have no rights and are considered property under the law. They bought and sold and can be abused, as American slaves sometimes were, with total impunity. In the book, one man decides to take up their cause. Hoping to shame society, he brings out the proof that SINthetics are as human as their owners. “SINthetic” is the story about that man and how he came to that realization.


This was a troubling story to read as it exposes the hidden daemon in our nature that makes slavery possible. I found myself contemplating the possibility of slavery today every time I put the book down at the end of a reading session. Living in South Florida over the past 38 years, I have heard people brag about how they employ illegal immigrant laborers for low wages, sometimes even not paying them, and threatening to report them to the INS whenever they complain. Isn’t today in this regard a form of slavery?


I hope the author continues to follow this disturbing issue as we all need a reminder of the innate devil that makes slavery possible. These occasional reminders topple us from the superiority platform we think that we occupy when judging others who discriminate against those who are different than ourselves.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was unique in the sense of questioning whether synthetics were real or not. The pacing of the book was very good. While I felt like not a lot happened, it held my interest and was not boring. I do with there was a little more to the story than what we were given. I felt like there was only one question that fueled the characters.
The characters were really well done. I enjoyed Campbell a lot as he wasn't your typical hero. He had a dark past that shaped him into who he became. Hernandez was a great partner for Campbell. It was good seeing her side because while Campbell knew the truth, it caught her off guard.

I was very excited to dive into this after reading the synopsis. Unfortunately, the story didn't really hold my interest enough for me to keep reading. And with my TBR pile I figured I'd rather read other books that actually do interest me. I'm sorry. Will DNF this for now. But I would try very hard to get back to this sometime in the future so we'll see I guess.

In a bleak future where the city of New Orleans has been wiped out by superstore, the city of Floattown and New Lyons have been built over and adjacent to the sunken city. It is a future where 'synthetics’, humans created in labs, are used for many different purposes, including as sex toys.

We open with Detective Campbell at a murder scene, where a young woman has been eviscerated, and left in the street like trash. And to her killer, and those called to process the site alike, she is nothing more than. Why? Because she is a synthetic, considered property, not human. To consider the synths as anything other than property would call into question all the heinous uses they are put to. But to Campbell, labelled a synth-sympathiser, this woman deserves justice. What he search turns up is far beyond what he could have imagined, a truth to shake the very foundation of society.

SINthetic is a brilliant gritty noir detective story illuminating what it truly means to be 'human’, to have sentience and self-sovereignty. Likewise, it shines a light into the darkest depths of what it means to be inhuman, to be monstrous, and without soul, for what else can you call it when a people create life, only to abuse and debase it?

I loved the writing, but it did leave me feeling skeezy and nauseous, because of how the synths were treated. They are property and so it's perfectly acceptable to torture, rape, and kill them. Violent crime is considered almost nonexistent, not because the violence doesn't happen, but because it only happens to non-people. It happens to property. These topics arise, but Nicholas doesn't go into extreme graphic detail, thankfully.

I suppose reactions come from being an empath, and overly compassionate person. I just cannot fathom how people can consider other people as property, and that's made worse because these people made the synths in a lab, and somehow thought that made them less than human when it's clear they have spirit and soul.

This reminded me of the Star Trek: Next Gen episode 'The Measure of a Man’, where Lt Commander Data’s sentience and self-sovereignty is questioned, and put on trial when a Starfleet cyberneticist wants to shut him down and disassemble him to learn how he was created. No, son. Don't be an asshole.

There were undertones of Masterpiece Theatre's The Last Enemy, with how the cameras once used for traffic and other cc cameras are used to monitor the population. Camera clusters cover almost the entirety of the city, so there's very little privacy. I'm definitely looking forward to the continuation of this series! Highly recommended if you like fantasy/sci-fi oriented crime thrillers with a deep emotional punch.

***Many thanks to Silver Dagger Blog Tours and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A Violent, Noir, Police Procedural, variation on "I, Robot"

The hook here is that "synthetics" look and act exactly like "humans". You can't tell synthetics and humans apart unless you look for the little bar code on the back of a synth's neck. So, if one of them is abused it may just be the same as kicking a sofa, but it sure looks like abusing a human. The tension between what synths technically and legally are, and what they look and act like is what gives this book its "philosophical sci-fi" hook. In "I, Robot" the robots looked like, well, robots, even though they were becoming sentient. Here, we up the stakes a bit more - and enter the world of slavery, sex trafficking, child abuse, race purity, and the like.

All of this is wrapped up in a decent noir-sci-fi package. Our hero is a tormented detective with a violent past that we know is going to involve some past connection with a synth. He lives in a future world that's a bit more advanced than now, a bit more rough around the edges, but basically recognizable. Synths are everywhere, (from babysitters to sex toys to fast food counter workers), and there is some possible unintended commentary here arising from where synths do and don't fit in. In this world there is a strong political/cultural current of unease and side-choosing between synth-sympathizers, (in the minority), and those who choose to ignore the slavery and abuse implications of a synth dependent society.

So, that's the background. In terms of story we get a bunch of synth murders, with some weird details. We get a strange mystery figure who encourages our hero, Jason, to dig deeper. Jason gets warned off; he gets roughed up; he follows the thread of conspiracy and corruption. All of this is honorable and well done noir. There are some excellent set pieces - crime scenes, atmospheric locations, snappy noir detective banter, the careful unfolding of a complex plot.

To be fair, there is always that classic noir weakness - you have to just buy in to the premise and the action; if you think too long about the details it can all start to fall apart. We also get a lot of anguish and monologuing, with a heavy helping of pro-synth speechifying. I didn't mind that because it is the engine that drives our hero. It also fits in with the general direction of the story, so it's not like it's propaganda out of left field.

The bottom line is that I enjoyed this because I like noir, I like sci-fi, I like them together, and I admired the author's ambitious take on next level robots. This was an entertaining find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

SINthetic brings us a dystopian world where genetically modified and synthetically mass-produced humans, also known as Synthetics are treated like a renewable resource, and stripped of personhood and rights. In most of the world and New Lyons (built over New Orleans), where this story takes place, Synthetics are basically legal slaves in a society that doesn't consider them even human. They are treated worse than animals, more like things, despite them looking like humans, having the same make-up as humans. I mean, it is not a stretch of the imagination when you think about it - humanity has had a dark dark history. So, in this slave-world that benefits the 'real' humans and make a utopia for the latter, a police detective who sympathizes with Synthetics comes across a murder case where a Synthetic has been killed.

The stakes for the murder case are that Detective Campbell has to do the investigation on the down low. Sympathizing with Synthetics is looked down upon in this society and at first, he wants to keep his job and hide his own past. He is 'aided' by a Silas, a mysterious Synthetic who knows a lot but it cagey about stuff. His partner on the case is a Gang violence department detective, Hernandez, who while a fierce morally upstanding woman, is like most of the society, blind to the plight of the Synthetics. Add in some corporate corruption, conspiracies and a series of murders, you have a plot that is engaging and convoluted.

While taking us deeper and deeper into the mystery, it also constantly envisions and warns us of a future built on the concept of 'otherness' that drives a lot of conflict in the contemporary world. That corporate greed, and capitalism could someday make us forget what it is to be human. It again and again drives home the point of what such an extreme slavery-built society would look like. The fact that the Synthetics are, for the most part, limited in choices and options due to conditioning and lack of any other purpose than to serve is heart-breaking. More heart-breaking is the fact that through the eyes of Campbell, we see how his fellow 'humans' treat the Synthetics and he can't even help for the most part because laws protect them. At first, I thought he was an unusual choice of protagonist for such a story - aren't most stories about revolution better to be from the side of the oppressed - but then towards the ending, it made sense why he, though in a fairly privileged position, was still a good narrative choice.

The book shines in the plot, but the writing has yet to match up to it. It feels superfluous at times, like devoting an entire chapter to a pissing match (and literal bout) between two police officers (which I skimmed because so not interested). Then there are times when Campbell describes his whole data mining process - like, I like the attention to detail when it came to the world-building in this book, but that went above and beyond what was required to 'boring and waste of my time' category. Seriously, there are VERY detailed fight scenes too, which rob the writing of the fluidity and pace that these scenes require and relegate them to dragging along while you wait for this supposedly intense life-or-death combat to end. Like, if I could sum up the problems in one word it would be pacing - I was waiting for it to be more exciting, more fast-paced to match the intensity of the plot but it was pretty slow for the first half and marginally better in the second.

Overall, though, I would say this is a book that has impressed me in its construction, familiar concept notwithstanding. Definitely interested in reading further in the series.

Had too much show not tell. One must show the way things are rather than having the lead rambling on about the status quo. The world is like Bladerunner where killing a synth is akin to property damage. Nice details about the self-driving cars. It was a sloppy read.

Broke the first rule of writing fiction with Show Don't Tell! Just didn't hold my interest.

I chose this book as part of my ongoing plan to diversify my reading so I read and am reviewing as a relative newbie to sci-fi.
So, we follow Detective Jason Campbell as he is called to the site of a rather gruesome murder. The mutilated body of a young woman has been found left out on the street like rubbish. Further investigation however reveals that this isn't a woman after all, it's a synth and the murder case dissolves away as the body is taken for destruction as per protocol and the crime downgraded to destruction of property. But Campbell doesn't really like this change of tack as there is something from his past that means he is more sympathetic to synths even though they are only supposed to be considered as basic slaves legally and, to his shock, morally; so he continues to dig. Then a late visit from a stranger sheds more light on things and suggests that Campbell continue his investigation. What happens next, what Campbell discovers on following the clues will leave the world shocked. That is, if the truth ever came out and there are some very powerful people trying to ensure that this never happens.
I really did enjoy this book. It was just the right level of sci-fi for me and all the futuristic things and technology were explained so I was able to easily follow what was going on. I really want a driverless car! The moral dilemma was also well presented. I can't go into too much detail here for fear of spoilers but I really baulked at some of the things I was reading.
Characters were well described and consistent throughout. I didn't really take to Campbell initially but, as time went on and I got to know him better, I really started to warm to him and I really didn't want to leave him at the end. Good job this is book one of a series then, with book two SINdicate hopefully out soon cos I really want to delve back into the world the author as created. Warts and all!
Yes there were time when the book contained something that I though didn't quite progress the story enough to warrant the length but I then I figured that this is a series opener and there is bound to be more scene setting and character definition than for a standalone. whether this is the case here remains to be seen but I am willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt for now.
All in all, a good book that not only entertained me but also made me think a bit too. Just have to be patient for book two's release.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you for the chance to read SINthetic. The synopsis was intriguing and I thought this would be right up my alley, but I was unable to get into the story and it was a DNF. I may give it another go in the future, but I will not be reviewing it at this time.

SINthetic by J.T. Nicholas is a highly recommended science fiction novel.

Detective Jason Campbell is called to a murder scene in the city of New Lyons. A female body has been found mutilated, cut open with the internal organs missing, and left in the streets. But once the investigators realize the body is a Synth, the crime is designated as the destruction of property, and no investigation is needed. Campbell has no murder case. In the future Synthetics, known as Synths, are lab-grown people that under the law have no rights. They are mules. They are made to do the menial jobs that no one else wants to do. Legally, "they were less than people on a level so profound that they were relegated to objects, to things."

While Campbell may disagree with the system, he knows he can't fight it and keep his job. He does talk the medical examiner into having one of his technicians look for any clues, just in case this event signals the beginning of a serial killer. When he returns to his home in Floattown, a bad neighborhood where cheap prefabricated buildings are built on VLFSs (very large floating structures) over what was once the city New Orleans, he is shocked to find a stranger in his apartment, sitting in his recliner. The man is a Synth, and he asks Campbell to secretly investigate the death anyway, because this dead Synth isn't the first. The stranger gives him a list of dead Synth's who were all killed in the same way.

SINthetic has an engaging premise and will capture your attention immediately. The writing is good and the plot carefully planned to slowly release more information about Campbell and his background. You know that Campbell has some mysterious event in his background that opens him up to being sympathetic to the treatment of Synths. He is also a master of martial arts and fighting, which will come into play several times.

There are pros and cons to this novel. It is the first book in a new series, which is great, but it also felt like the action, story, and pages in this first book were cut down way-too-much, perhaps to facilitate the new series. The investigation felt attenuated. Yes, it is compelling and full of great action sequences. It comes to a satisfying conclusion, but it comes to that conclusion to the investigation rather quickly and abruptly. It might have been more satisfying if there were a few more twists and turns to the investigation - a little more intrigue and subterfuge.

This first book nicely sets up what will be the second book in the series, SINdication, which is to be released just under a month from this one, on March 20th. It is nice to know the second book will be following the first so quickly, but I couldn't help but feel how much more satisfying it might have been for me, as a reader to get these two books together. SINthetic is only 176 pages. SINdication is 304 pages. The third book, SINdrome is scheduled for release on 9/18 with an estimated 304 pages. Series are sometimes nice for long tales, but there is something to be said in getting the whole story, or a larger chunk of it, quickly.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington Books via Netgalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/01/sinthetic.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2257859206
https://www.librarything.com/work/20766056/reviews/150155847
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/952666437574905857

I was immediately intrigued by and interested in the blurb of this book. In a not so distant future, much of the world's more unpleasant jobs from manual labour to sex work are carried out by "Synthetics". They look and sound just like us, but legally, and to most of the world , morally too, they are much less than us, subhuman, merely things to be used and discarded. When detective Jason Campbell finds the mutilated body of a synthetic it sets him off on a path that will not only make him very unpopular with his superiors but will more than likely endanger his life and even drag up some events from his past that he has long been struggling to come to terms with.
At first I really struggled with the writing style of this book, it was incredibly over descriptive and seemed almost padded, especially for the first few chapters,but once I got into the meat of the story I was hooked and found it difficult to put the book down, I liked the character of Detective Campbell and found it easy to relate to his actions and motivations. He speaks to the kind of person most of us would like to be, While the book is the first in a series, it does give a complete story and could work as a standalone, There is an open enough ending that I am sure a sequel is planned and I look forward to reading it.

Blade Runner redux

In 1982 I saw Blade Runner with two friends, one who, like me, was a serious SF reader and the other who was not. The SF novice thought the film was odd and had no idea that there could be any deep meaning in the story, I and the other friend talked at length about the film's exploration of what it means to be human. In SINthetic, we have a book that puts the question right up front.

The global economy is propped up by Synths, replicants as in Blade Runner, but more tightly programmed for obedience. Synths can't do anything, even indirectly, that might result in harm to humans. Killing a Synth is considered property damage, not murder, and is a crime seldom investigated by police. Most people are like my friend (or visitors to WestWorld in the current TV serial), they don't find an existential question in Synths. Yet New Lyons Detective Jason Campbell and other hardened police officers are put off by grotesquely disemboweled female Synths scattered across the city.

Detective Jason Campbell is an unusual policeman with an unusual history, and he is unhappy that he may not investigate the mutilations. These killings might be practice run for a serial killer who is working up the courage to attack humans and he is determined to find the killer. Pushing him also is a mysterious, autonomous Synth who wants to keep the investigation going.

As the pressure mounts, we learn more about Detective Campbell and his motivations and we learn more about the invisible Synths.

I liked the book and look forward to the sequel. I must warn you though that I find Mr. Nichols' physiology improbable and his grasp of the Three Laws of Robotics a bit weak.

I received a review copy of "SINthetic" by J.T. Nicholas (Rebel Base Books) through NetGalley.com.

SINthetic by J.T. Nicholas is the first book in the New Lyons Sequence series. The story within is a bit of a science fiction read mixed with a detective mystery. Set in a futuristic world with things as self driving cars and synthetic humans we meet Detective Jason Campbell as he arrives upon the brutal murder of a woman.

Upon inspection of the crime scene it becomes obvious to Jason and the medical examiner that the woman is a synthetic and viewed as nothing more than trash no matter how she died. But this view is not one that Jason shares with the rest of the world and even though it may cost him his job he is determined to investigate what seems to be a series of murders of synthetics.

For as short as this book was I found that it did a good job setting the scene for what is to come in this new series. I immediately felt pulled into this futuristic society and on the case of finding out who is behind the murders of these women. The book brings in the question of just what makes a human and questions the way society is treating the synthetics as property when it is obvious to the main character that they have feelings and emotions the same as any human would.

The main character, Jason, felt a little stiff to follow in the beginning but as the story is set and I began to learn he had a bit of mystery in his past to uncover I found myself liking him a bit more and more. There was plenty of action in the first installment in the series too to keep up the interest all the while building the world and story so it didn’t really feel as if it were too short when said and done. I’ll definitely be interested in seeing where the story heads next after the opening left for more to come at the end of the first book.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Goodreads Synopsis:
They look like us. Act like us. But they are not human. Created to perform the menial tasks real humans detest, Synths were designed with only a basic intelligence and minimal emotional response. It stands to reason that they have no rights. Like any technology, they are designed for human convenience. Disposable.

In the city of New Lyons, Detective Jason Campbell is investigating a vicious crime: a female body found mutilated and left in the streets. Once the victim is identified as a Synth, the crime is designated no more than the destruction of property, and Campbell is pulled from the case.

But when a mysterious stranger approaches Campbell and asks him to continue his investigation in secret, Campbell is dragged into a dark world of unimaginable corruption. One that leaves him questioning the true nature of humanity.

And what he discovers is only the beginning . . .

My Review:
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I think the cover is really nice looking. It's just so clean! The description is really what got me interested in the book, though, and I'm really glad I got the chance to read it. It's exciting and mysterious and unlike anything I've read lately.

The book starts out with the main character, Jason Campbell, in first person, looking around while he stands over the body of a brutalized dead woman. There's a lack of blood and a sort of barcode on her neck that confirms her a synthetic human, and his co-worker thanks god when he finds out. He calls her a mule. If that doesn't set the tone for the rest of the book, I don't know what does.

Synthetic humans have no basic rights in this futuristic world, and people care for them about as much as they'd care about their toaster. Campbell thinks that's unfair, seeing as they're exactly like humans in every way except stronger, and better looking. He's been labeled a Synth sympathizer most of his career, and that's not going to change. But too many dead Synth women have been showing up lately, and no one seems to be bothered in the slightest, or even look into the deaths. He thinks its due to a serial killer who's practicing on them because you can't get any backlash for it. Killing your Synth is no bigger deal than killing your toaster, however anatomically correct and absolutely lifelike they are.

Overall i really enjoyed this book, and once I found the time to sit down and read it, it really flew by. I didn't want to put it down in case I missed something. The characters, although thoroughly put together, develop so much more and really help the story along. Honestly this is probably one of my new favourite books and again, I'm really glad I got the chance to read it. Definitely check it out for yourself and see what you think!

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the authors twitter.

https://www.amazon.ca/SINthetic-Lyons-Sequence-J-T-Nicholas-ebook/dp/B071HCW3KK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513991180&sr=8-1&keywords=SINthetic

https://twitter.com/JamesTNicholas

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
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