I started this read really liking it. It was a bit slow in the beginning and some of the technical aspects of the “game” were a bit odd and unrealistic but I loved the beginning plot. It deviated as the game progressed and the relationship between the fmc and her mom was explored in the story. I ultimately liked the concept of the book better than execution.

Thank you BooksGoSocial Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.


OK.. I think I may like sci-fi. This was an interesting little gem. I KNEW it... I had the feeling the end would be the way it was..... BUT was a very entertaining book.
YES!
give it a try! 4.5 for me.

Thoughtful YA about artificial intelligence.

A great concept – student enters a programming competition where she must watch her creation navigate several challenges to prove her coding abilities. But Breck seems much more aware and capable and… life-like than Liv programmed him to be. Is he still just a computer programme, or has he become something else?

This two-narrator story gives us both the coder and the simulation perspectives, I really liked following Breck as he experiences dreams, sleep, independent thought and seeing himself as different from the clearly created ‘player’ he must fulfil his challenges with.

I could also picture his world. Watching Liv in the real world speak with him, and work for him when she realises what he is, it was quite tense and there was a lot of moral/ethical philosophising between characters that felt like a debate one might have in school.

There’s a Q&A with the author at the end as well, which answers a few questions about his reasons behind the book and his own thoughts on the topic.

The story goes in directions you might expect, but also throws a few surprises at you, and I think has a lot to say to contemporary readers surrounded by fast-advancing technology.

Loved the voices chosen to portray the characters, just the right amount of humanity/tech about them, and an easy way to access the story.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

This book was an unexpected surprise. I went in not expecting much and this book ended up being a complete 180 from that. It was such an engrossing novel! I never expected it to go in the direction it went in. eMortal leaves you thinking about where we are very quickly going with AI and sentience. The machines are alive: Or are they? Skynet is coming for you… And we are doomed! AI can have… feelings!?!?!

Liv has entered a contest to code an advance AI and the winner receives a glorious internship that she could only dream of. The contest is nearing the end and her creation Breck is seemingly becoming self-aware, has deep thoughts, and just seems human. But Breck is not aware that when the contest is over, so is he.

We have dual narrations of both Liv and Breck, the AI she created. We see Liv’s home life and with Breck we see the challenges he is working on for the contest. All while seemingly becoming more ‘real’.

Both narrations were intriguing for me, but Breck takes it all. You can see him evolving into something, and he begins to question so many things. I adored Breck, while his and Liv’s situations leave you thinking. There are so many thoughts this book leaves you with such as Who Am I?, Why are we (humans) here?, and Can AI learn and develop emotions? Are they truly alive?

The narrators both did an extraordinary job. Rebecca H. Lee was great a Liv while Stacy Carolan was perfect as Breck for me!

The surprising direction the book takes just adds to the thoughts the book leaves you with. This was my first book by Schafer and I really glad I came across it. Many thanks to the publisher BooksGoSocial for offering it on NetGalley as a “Listen Now”. I might not have ever found this book otherwise.

Something fun for you to do, which I also did: If you go on the author’s website https://steveschaferauthor.com/ you can actually converse with Breck. He will ask you lots of questions!

eMortal is a must read!

First time listening to a complete book on audiobook! I loved the narrators' voices, Brick's voice was my favorite due to the diction, but Liv's was a little high-pitched but still pleasant to hear..
A book that leaves us anxious to know what will happen next and in the end leaves us surprised with its conclusion..
Especially in this age where AI is becoming part of our lives, this book makes us wonder if and how we can separate true human emotion or emotion created by AI...is this all REAL?

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would.

In this story we get to follow Liv, who's entered a competition about creating an AI that needs to evolve and get through different tasks for them to proceed in the competition. Breck not only learns and becomes smarter, he also starts developing feelings, and soon seeing him as only a code in a computer gets more and more complicated.

The story is well written with fun little twists, and I found myself really caring for Breck, wanting him to succeed and have his wishes fulfilled, despite knowing that technically he wasn't real.

Quick and easy read that feels highly accurate now in a time when AI is becoming more and more popular everywhere, for better and for worse. Highly recommended.

Amazing narrator!!! Anything with AI and I’m hooked. I loved the plot and the characters. It hooked me right from the start.
Can’t wait to listen to the other book by this author.

4.5

Such an amazing story.
I always love scifi with a bit of philosophical aspect to it, and emortal nailed it.
Looking forward to read more of the author’s books.

Liv enters a coding competition to create an Artificial Intelligence system able to solve a series of challenges within a simulation. The story is told as a dual POV between Liv and her AI Breck, with brief intermissions from the competition runners. Liv's coding becomes a little too advanced and Breck becomes self-aware, beginning to show emotions and doubts, as the story continues Breck's POV is written as more and more human-like, showing his character development.

Meanwhile, Liv is roped into working in her family's traditional toy shop during spring break, unable to continually monitor Breck's progression. During an arguement with her mother, it's accidentally revealed to Breck that the world he lives in may disappear at the end of the contest and they grapple with the ethics of AI sentience and the differences between virtual and real worlds for those within them. I should have seen the twist at the end coming, but I was too engrossed in the story and rooting for Breck in the competition!

With thanks to Netgalley, BooksGoSocial Audio, and the author for access to this ARC audio book.

Themes
🤖Artificial Intelligence 💻Coding
👨‍👩‍👧Family Dynamics 🌐Dimensions

I really enjoyed this!!! Respectfully, based on the cover of this book I expected a tale of much worse quality. But it was really good. Really clever, a different twist on the AI stories we are seeing pop up now. It was really intelligent, I could have possibly done without the twist at the end, as the plot itself was interesting and engaging enough, but I digress.

“eMortal” by Steve Schafer is a fast-paced sci-fi novel that dives into the relationship between artificial intelligence and human identity. It follows Liv, a 17-year-old programmer, who creates an AI named Breck for a big government competition. But as Breck starts to think and feel like a real person, Liv is forced to question what it truly means to be alive. The book combines exciting twists with deep questions about technology, ethics, and the future of AI. With a mix of action and emotion, eMortal is a thought-provoking read that keeps you hooked until the end.

I listened to this for a bit, I didn't personally enjoy the Nerrerator but the book was enjoyable, I dnfd thus pretty early on due to the nerreration I didn't finish it. Thank you for the copy

Let me start by saying that the narration elevated this work and kept my attention.

AI is all the rage these days. Everybody and their dog wants a piece. But most don't have a solid foundation of computer science, let alone machine learning, generative models, training methods, and so on. If you do ... you'll probably find yourself as frustrated as I was reading this.

Breck the AI starts to have feelings, somehow. And dreams. And other very human things that make no sense within a simulation. Oh yeah -- Breck was just made in a snap for a contest, nbd. And will somehow "die" at the end of the contest. Huh?

There's no rhyme or reason here.

There's a nice twist, which I won't spoil, but it raises more questions than answers, and has indeed been a minor brain teaser for philosophers of science the past several decades at least, one that has already inspired much science fiction, notably The Matrix.

I also couldn't really grasp why the mother was so totally clueless about her daughter's freelance career and AI genius. Also, for such a poor family, how they heck could they be able to afford a machine learning computer? I guess the daughter secretly paid for one?

There was just so much suspension of disbelief and those in the know will be rolling their eyes.

Let me say something good: the story has heart. I just wish the science/fiction elements had been more on point.

This book is interesting and makes you think.

In "eMortal" by Steve Schafer, Liv is a high school junior and an expert computer programmer. She enters a contest programming an AI to solve challenges trying to beat other AI at it. Her mother wants her to help out in the family toy store .

Her creation, Breck, learns so fast that it seems he's becoming sentient.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5 by Rebecca H. Lee and Stacy Carolan
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 36/8 = 4 4/8

Thank you to Netgalley, Books Go Social, and Steve Schafer for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was such a welcome surprise. The gist of it is a young girl, who’s very good with programming and enters an AI programming challenge. The character she builds in this world shows signs of sentience. There are lots of concepts to ponder and a spectacular twist at the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this one :) Thanks to the author and @booksgosocialgroup for my advanced copy.

This book was such a fun little surprise. Emphasis on surprise - AaAaAAAaahh!!!!! *Existential Dread*.

I didn't expect to become so attached to the characters and all of their stories. Schafer took some old tropes and changed everything about them that makes me groan (no whiney teen mc here!). It was really refreshing.

The whole coding and AI thing was super cool to read about and no jargon was shoved in your face - it was very accessible.

Thanks for allowing me to read and review this! It was genuinely fun and I think it would have been a great and also important story for me to read when I was a lot younger.

I did have a problem with Liv and her mother's resolution though.. without getting into spoilers, I think that the ending was something different and therefore refreshing and I am all for family first and building community and relationships but jeeeez Liv sure cops it from her mother... that the whole situation with those two characters was a resolution that left me feeling sad for Liv.

Quite a contemplative ending! Loved it.

Although I find the topic interesting and love that it’s YA, I find the story is moving too slowly and I am too bored and uninterested/don’t care about anyone enough to finish. I am very glad female friendship is showcased. I mostly struggle with the mother and how has she is at parenting.

Thanks netgalley for my ALC

I really enjoyed this book, and the thoughtful q&a that followed! I’m a fan of ya sci-fi and didn’t expect this book to have such a jaw dropping twist ending, so i Was pleasantly surprised. The writing is good the pace and structure of the story is strong and wow I keep thinking about the ending and its implications. I hope lots of people pick up the book and share it with their friends!

eMortal is an engrossing, thought-provoking journey that effortlessly pulls you into the intricacies of Liv's multi-layered life—balancing her personal struggles and a high-stakes coding contest in which her AI creation, Brock, must complete numerous challenges. The alternating narrative between Liv and her creation, Brock, is executed brilliantly. As Brock learns, questions reality, and becomes increasingly self-aware, his growth is captivating as it is unpredictable.

Additionally, the superb narration by Rebecca H. Lee and Stacy Carolan breathes life into each character and scene alike, enhancing the already compelling storyline and making the complex themes both accessible and entertaining. Overall, eMortal is a skillfully crafted audiobook that not only entertains, but left me pondering the boundaries between human life and artificial intelligence.

A huge thank you to Netgalley, BooksGoSocial Audio, and the author, Steve Schafer, for providing me with a free advanced listener's copy (ALC) of this book. I am voluntarily leaving this review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this! It was enjoyable and posed a number of questions I wasn't expecting to face. That said, I predicted the twist and found that Liv dealt with it all far too smoothly and it was almost brushed aside?