Synapse was an engaging story that really made me wonder what our future is going to look like. Honestly, I don't think James is far off! This was a thrilling read that had me turning the pages as fast as I could, and maybe even chewing some nails now and then.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was an interesting concept, but the execution fell a bit short for me. I love the sci-fi/dystopian feel, but found it rather slow and confusing at times. Unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

Beginning as minister Kestrel Hathaway faces the loss of her unborn child, Synapse by Steven James explores the future morality of progress for progress sake, focusing on conflicts over human enhancement and artificial intelligence. Kestrel is forced to consider her own beliefs after being in the wrong place at the right time for an attack by purists, bringing her to the attention of federal agent Nick Vernon, and receiving an unwelcome gift from her brother - an Artificial named Jordan.

Kestrel's attraction to Nick and attachment to Jordan grow as does the danger from the purists, as she grapples with her faith as well as Jordan's questions about the afterlife and the nature of souls. Jordan somehow comes out as one of the more sympathetic characters, and his interactions with Kestrel more compelling than the romantic thread with Nick, and with his prayer standing out as a wonderful moment in the story.

A great deal of self-talk is incorporated into the constantly shifting points of view - Kestrel's in first person, others in third - which may throw the reader at first, but is so skillfully done that it soon begins to feel more natural.

More thought provoking that the average thriller, at least in my experience of reading thrillers, Synapse is at times grim but ultimately hopeful and an interesting work of Christian Fiction.

This review refers to a temporary digital galley read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are only my own, honest opinions.

"Synapse" by Steven James is a complex look into the future of AI.
The story does not start as you might expect it to. That gives it time to build.
You learn a little at a time, and go along for the ride.
There are cognizant "artificials" in the mix.
And a big corporate entity that profits from making them.
Perhaps you've read something similar.
This one has some depth and some good characters as well.

Before Synapse, I had only read a couple books by Steven James (The Pawn and The Rook), but those two books gave me high expectations of his latest thriller. Unfortunately, I may have set my expectations too high.

Synapse begins as Kestrel Hathaway gives birth to her daughter—and must begin mourning almost instantly. In the wake of her loss, she encounters a terrorist attack, receives an Artificial, Jordan, as a gift from her brother, and becomes drawn into an investigation enmeshed in the technology and politics of her present.

Now, this setup has all the elements to create an intriguing futuristic thriller—but it failed to keep me intrigued, actually. As a pastor, Kestrel naturally has thoughts and conversations regarding both God’s role in human suffering and His relationship with human-like AI, all of which proved entirely thought-provoking. However, amidst these (extensive) moments of spiritual contemplation, the story becomes a little lost and does not feel developed enough to live up to the suspense and thrill I anticipated. There is just too much Synapse tries to deliver, I think. As the pages flew by, I found myself far more interested in the relationship between Kestrel and Jordan, that reconciliation of faith and his manufactured being, than anything else in the story.

Still, Synapse has received some glowing reviews from readers who enjoyed it far more than I did. If it piques your interest, it could be a great read for you.

Absolutely fascinating novel! Robots who can have emotions and whose emotional capabilities can be dialed up or down! Robots who can wonder about their salvation and whether they can be saved. (Short answer - no, because they don't have spirits and souls.)

Thought provoking novel. I enjoyed some parts and not others though.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the ecopy. This is my honest opinion.

Wow. Excellent fast-paced writing, with incredible thrills and mystery! Steven James, never fails to provide gripping, can't turn the pages fast enough Christian thrillers. For anyone looking for this kind of read - this comes highly recommended - especially if you're interested in techno-science fiction. If you're not technology-oriented as I am, this may be difficult to understand.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC for this my honest review.

While I am of the Christian faith, I do not appreciate or particularly enjoy religion shoved down my throat and especially not in the fiction I read. I have read several books that would fall in the genre of Christian that I absolutely loved but I found this to be over the top, and didn’t make it passed the second chapter. I won’t be posting a review to any social media outlets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

I couldn't get through enough of this to leave a comprehensive or fair review, so I am not going to feature it on any platforms. The beginning was too sad and I felt that the use of a dead baby as a plot device was unfair. I also have no interest in God or Religion and felt that there were too many religious references throughout.

3 Simple Things You Should Know about Synapse
He’s a master of words–and points of view. Of tenses. Where most authors find one and stick to it, Steven James weaves several into a perfect web of connections that somehow manage not to short-circuit your brain. If you’d told me ten years ago that I’d love a book full of first, second, and third-person points of view, as well as past and present tenses, I’d have laughed. Especially at the thought of them all in one book.

But true to form, James doesn’t just pull them off, he does it in a way that makes you feel like it couldn’t have been done any other way.

So what are those three “simple” things?
I’m calling them simple because I’m keeping my review of them as succinct as possible.

James knows characterization and story. As far-fetched as this plot would have seemed even fifteen or twenty years ago, he makes me believe it not only can but will happen someday. He not only suspended my disbelief as I read the book–but also of what could be.
This is no mindless thriller that keeps you hopping without anything to feed your soul. I’ve complained a lot about Thomas Nelson this year–about their seeming deviation from strong faith elements in their books. Well… Synapse gave me hope that they haven’t abandoned solid Christian fiction after all. This book has such deep, rich faith-filled elements that I know I’ll need to read it another time or two in order to really and fully grasp all that James wired into his story.
It’s almost impossible for me to talk about this book without giving away cool things that only the reader can discover for him or herself. So, I’ll just say this. I loved it.
Recommended for lovers of light speculative fiction (it’s not heavy sci-fi that you can’t follow if you aren’t of a scientific/nerdy turn of mind) and for lovers of well-crafted stories that make you think without turning preachy. James did a beautiful job of balancing all sides of various issues without seeming to come off as wishy-washy. I am thrilled to have received a free review copy of the book, and I’m eager to purchase a copy for a few of my friends. I think it will be well received.

AI is a tricky subject. On one hand, it could greatly improve our lives. On the other, it could become too intelligent and be out of our control. This is a great addition to the subject of AI. Highly recommend.

When I finished, I am reminded why I am drawn to speculative/sci-fi fiction. Being written from a Christian viewpoint, I like the conclusions better than those of a secular book. Steven James packs a lot of solid Biblical truth into Synapse and utilizes key story threads to do so. The lack of bad language or bedroom scenes is a real plus for me! I enjoyed seeing how James develops the characters of Kestral, Jordan, Nick, and Trevor. Interestingly enough, ALL of them show growth. You’ll have to read the book to see why that’s an ironic statement. The action really accelerated near the end. I love to be surprised by who some of the villains and allies are, and this book did not disappoint.
It did take me a while to get into the book, as James uses different point-of-views and even tenses for each character. Switching out of third-person past to the first-person present and back again was not comfortable for me. There were spots where James felt it appropriate to write the text all next to each other, with no breaks for words. These spots could be a paragraph long, and unfortunately, I was also fighting off dizziness the day I read this part, so I was doubly dismayed. All in all, though, I did enjoy the book. It came together well in the end. I would read another of Steven James’s novels and see where he takes mankind.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the author and publisher. This does not affect my opinions, for which I am solely responsible.

This one was unique. I enjoyed the dystopian style story. It keeps the reader guessing with it's many twists and turns.

Wow just wow! What a thought provoking, timely read. I’ve been intrigued by AI over the last few years as we see it popping up more and more in technology today and I have to say I absolutely loved Synapse! I was drawn in to Kestrel’s heartbreaking story of personal tragedy as I turned each page, intrigued by Jordan and his journey of self awareness and faith and heartwarmed by the second chance love budding between Kestrel and Nick.

I loved how Steven James interwove faith into this story. It was a raw and real depiction of how we can struggle with the unanswerable questions in life and what it means to be human. From start to finish I was hooked and would totally recommend!

#NetGalley #Synapse #Goodreads

Title:  Synapse
Author:  Steven James
Genre:  Suspense, thriller
Rating:  5 out of 5

Thirty years in the future, when AI is so advanced that humans live side by side with cognizant robots called Artificials, Kestrel Hathaway must come to terms not just with what machines know, but what they believe. Is hope real for them, or merely an illusion? 

Kestrel Hathaway is a minister reeling from unthinkable tragedy when she witnesses a terrorist attack and steps in to render aid. When she’s questioned by the officials, she realizes the possibility of another attack—a devastating one—is looming, and she and her Artificial, Jordan, work together to untangle the lies and secrets wrapped around the attack.

Federal counterterrorism agent Nick Vernon is determined to stop the attack he knows is coming. He doesn’t want Kestrel in danger—but her insight might be just the thing he needs to break the case.

And Jordan is asking questions an Artificial should never ask; questions about life, God, and the afterlife. Where does the line between humanity and Artificial blur?

This book was a wild ride from the very first page. I read it straight through because I had to know what happened! I was very intrigued with Kestrel, who is a minister asking tough questions in the wake of tragedy. I’ve never read a suspense/thriller book with a minister as the main character, and I think every novel of this type set in the future that I’ve read has done away with the idea of faith and religion, so this was fascinating to read. I highly recommend this novel—but don’t start it unless you have a few free hours to kill right then!

Steven James is a bestselling author with a master’s degree in Storytelling. Synapse is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

It was in 1999 that I first was faced with the issue of robotics and humanity as I watched Robin Williams’ humanity develop over 200 years. In the final scene, Robin’s robot character is worn out - he lays down and “dies”. His current owner, the great-granddaughter of the original owner, has had so many body parts replaced with computer upgrades that the only way she can die is to ask the nurse (another robot) to turn her off.

Synapse addresses many of the same issues - only it does not occur 200 years into the future but 30 years into the future.

Kestrel has just lost a baby during childbirth; her brother, Trevor, buys her “an artificial”, Jordan. Jordan is special in that he has a history and he begins to question his own relationship to God. It takes three explosions, a corrupt technology company, and groups of normals, plussers (those augmented with technology - be it arms, eyes, hearts, etc.), and artificials, to find a resolution to the crisis facing that future world.

The book read like a light cozy mystery, but it is science fiction that addresses difficult issues - grief, evil, love, forgiveness, etc. Written with a strong Christian message as it addresses these issues, the book is a well-written novel offering hope. I do not know if the author is considering additional books based on these characters, this reviewer hopes so.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I was hesitant to read this because I knew it would be a little more “techie” than my normal type of novel, but I am so glad I did. It was both poignant and edgy at every page-turn. It tugged at your heart on one page, and on the next made you think through not just elements of artificial intelligence and the society in which we live and may eventually live, but also, it challenged you to examine your thoughts about beliefs and God and intelligent beings. I truly did enjoy reading this novel. Action-packed and suspenseful! From Jordan - “ They spend the vast majority of their lives pursuing what doesn’t matter while neglecting the things that they know do.” From Kestrel - “In that moment, I realized that if I had to choose between knowing the why and knowing the who, between closure or intimacy with the Lord, I would choose the Father too. Just as Jesus did. Even if I had to live lost in the questions, as long as I could live there with him beside me, I would be okay.” I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is my first exposure to this author and indeed it didn’t disappoint. Synapse is a futuristic whodunit that is believably familiar despite the futuristic setting. It puts forth some thought-provoking concepts and asks some serious questions about the nature of God, humanity, and salvation. A wonderfully crafted story with plenty of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last page.

The book raises lots of ethical and philosophical questions that will make you think twice the next time you look at your computer, tablet or phone. There is a whole conversation about who can believe in God, what does it mean to believe in a higher power and what happens when we have a lapse in faith. Then there is a lot of commentary peppered throughout the book about the whole technology slant. Are we moving too fast, what is suffering while we are making all the technological advances, and what is the societal cost to both humans and sentient AI beings?

James did a beautiful job of balancing all sides of various issues without seeming to come off as vapid or insipid. I definitely look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lot different than I would typically read. I did find parts of it interesting. There are robots called Artificials. Kestrel has an Artificial assigned to her named Jordan. I loved Jordan and how he wanted to be human. The story is set thirty years into the future. A lot of things different from today, but a lot of things still the same.

If you are into reading about robots and how things may be in the future, you will love this book. Someone that isn’t into tech/computers may not understand a lot of terms in the book.

I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit. This book review is my own opinion.