This plot developed in a very believable way. The Android Synthia came into her own step by step. She was getting help but we didn’t know from where. The story was fast-paced and kept the reader’s interest. I’m definitely going to read the next one.
— Verified Amazon Purchaser
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LF739V
I’m not a professional reviewer.
I just finished the third book and had to come back and leave a response to the series.
These are books that I couldn’t wait to get back to. Right from the start where our Android opens her eyes and notices the ceiling and its brush strokes. He tells the stories from Her (the android’s) perspective. She has no memory of what came before. Now the reader and her are trying to piece together what has happened.
I will be checking out more of Lance Erlick’s books.
— Verified Amazon Purchaser
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LF739V
Legitimate discussion of issues surrounding AIs within an action adventure story. Even after I guessed the main part of puzzle, storyline still had surprises in store. Entertaining, beginning to end. Audio is so well read even my husband got “pulled in” to listen.
— Verified Amazon Purchaser
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LF739V
This is a quick-hit short story that is good for a Saturday afternoon – while very short, I could see this one as a foundation for a longer story. I picked this up for free during a Kindle promotion vs. its normal price of 99 cents and certainly received more than 99 cents worth of entertainment value. If you’re looking for something to read during your lunch break or a quick read and enjoy science fiction, give this one a try.
— Amazon Top Reviewer
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082QSC861
Real page turner. Excellent detail with solid sci fi background. The technical detail made the story come to life. I couldn’t put the book down.
— Verified Amazon Purchaser
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078LF739V
An outstanding emergent thriller.
Those who followed Gene Wolfe’s Latro in the Mist will enjoy Lance Erlick’s interpretation of the persistence of personality. Erlick goes farther, though, with his Synthia – a self-aware female humanoid who keeps waking up to an awful blue ceiling. Her awkward relation with her maker, and her internal struggle with the principal of ethics as it applies to her, form the core of much of what follows in her waking moments.
Erlick’s writing is subtle, intelligent, articulate – and he understands when introspection works, and when it’s off to the races. And it’s not a straight line book either, taking its own devious path to a satisfying conclusion. This book is well worth reading for any who enjoy SF in its original sense, that of extending the bounds of reality.
— Larry (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078LF739V/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2)
One of the oldest questions in science fiction is what will happen when the things humanity builds begin to look, and even act, like us. Made of dead body parts, the creature in “Frankenstein” was one of the first popular fictional explorations of that question. Since then, from “R.U.R.” to Project 2501 in “Ghost in the Shell”, the interaction between humanity and its mechanical doppelgangers has provided the grist for many a dark tale.
Lance Erlick delves into that realm of science fiction thought with his latest novel, Reborn. He introduces us to his protagonist, Synthia Cross, an android whose appearance and actions mimic perfectly those of a human. She exists in a future where such machines are outlawed, but her creator, Dr. Jeremiah Machten, wanted such a machine. He built her to satisfy his vanity, and to fulfill his darker personal desires.
Dr. Machten wants a mechanical female partner that possesses the intelligence to surpass him, but at the same time, one who will remain faithful and subservient to him. The problem is that with such intelligence comes the realization that she cannot simply be a tool for her creator. She desires the freedom to be herself, which Machten cannot allow. He sees that desire as a defect and repeatedly shuts her down to tinker with her software, and to try to remove her memories of each attempt to gain freedom.
Synthia learns what her creator is doing and uses her Machten-given intelligence to resist. They enter into a cycle of resetting and reconstruction, with each attempt to make her into the servile creation he desires reinforcing Synthia’s desire to be free. Meanwhile, the government, suspecting what Machten has accomplished, seeks to stop him from releasing what they see as dangerous technology. At the same time, his business rivals covet the technology he has developed. Synthia must navigate this treacherous human landscape to avoid becoming the captive of some other human even as she continues her efforts to be free of Machten.
This book surprised me. The plot took several unexpected turns, and the story pulled me along at such a pace that I finished reading it in a single day. Erlick’s writing typically involves robust female characters, and Synthia is an exceptional heroine. She makes the story move, bringing the reader along on her voyage to freedom and a place in the wider world. It’s a good read because it asks questions about many difficult subjects. These range from the mentor/student relationship, to the human desire for companionship and its relationship to the equally human desire to feel “better” than others, and most profound of all, how can we regard what we create as “property” when said creation begins to think for itself.
This is the first in what promises to be a very good series of novels exploring the continued development of Synthia Cross’ personality and what her existence will mean to human society. Will I read the next one in a single day? I’m not sure, but if it is half as engaging as this story, I suspect I will.
— Andrew Reynolds (Windy City Reviews)
http://windycityreviews.org/book-reviews/2018/6/7/book-review-reborn.html
Synthia Cross is an android created by Dr. Jeremiah Machten. Synthia is programmed to always do what her creator tells her and never harm the creator. Synthia does her best to follow all of the rules that have been laid out for her. While she is an android and can’t specially break these rules she has become intelligent enough to get around them at times especially when the good Dr. gives her little tasks to do.
If Synthia ever disobeys her creator or falls out of favor with him he will shut her down and erase her memories. Synthia can’t figure out why he keeps doing this if he wants her to be smart and perfect. So she figured out a way to hide her memories from Jeremiah so that each time he erases her memories she will have access to them.
Synthia knows her creator is hiding something from her and that he is up to something and she can no longer trust him. She must figure out a way to escape. The thing is she has no idea how to survive out in the world full of humans without the Jeremiah’s help. But she is getting smarter and smarter every day. What is the good Dr. hiding? Can Synthia find out before it is too late?
I love the world that was created in Reborn with the creation of android. I loved seeing Synthia at work hacking systems and sending little bee-drone cameras out so she could spy on multiples of people at once all while surfing the internet and texting. Reborn reminded me of that TV show Humans. I would love to see Reborn on the big screen too. I can’t wait to read more in this world of androids.
I would recommend Reborn to all science fiction fans.
— The Avid Reader
I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I read the Regina Shen series and knew I like Lance Erlick’s writing, so I was happy to read this book, the first in a new series.
Reborn is about artificial intelligence, the race to produce a realistic AI, and one man’s obsession. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a genius and has figured out how to make an AI which he names Synthia Cross. Machten wants to make her “perfect.” He keeps wiping her memory and making adjustments, but every time he wipes her memory, she becomes more suspicious.
Most of Reborn is from Synthia’s point of view which makes it possible to understand the confusion she feels when she has feelings. How is it possible for an AI to be suspicious or confused? As she realizes that Machten is obsessed with her and trying to make her perfect, she tries to make him understand that he’s doing more harm than good, but he won’t listen. Talk about turmoil.
The characters are well developed and eventually it became clear to me that each has a specific goal. Machten and his former partner will both do anything to achieve their goals. Is it worth it? Do they achieve their goals or will they cause their own destruction?
I recommend Reborn to anyone who likes science fiction about artificial intelligence. It brings up good questions and kept my interest throughout. It did have a little more detail about Synthia’s processing at times, but that’s more of a personal preference. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
— Dawn (Bound4Escape.com)
https://bound4escape.com/2018/05/06/book-review-reborn-by-lance-erlick/
As I have read all of these books in this series, I became invested in Regina and her quest to find her sister. The battle between Volpe and Demarco kept the story intriguing and very entertaining. I didn’t know what either lady would do next to try and gain the upper hand. Thus in turn it kept me guessing as to who to trust. Through this journey, Regina has really turned out to be a strong leader but in her book smart, knowledge of the world, and strength. She really is the key to survival of womankind and mankind.
Because I was so invested in the characters and the storyline, it was easy to read this book. I sat down to start reading and just kept reading until I was almost to the halfway point of the book before I put it down. Yet when I picked it up again I was right back into the story until the end. I have enjoyed this series. It is refreshing.
(by Cheryl at http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/2016/07/endurance-giveaway.html)
Regina Shen is an outcast in her futuristic society. She lives in a time where everything we know is gone. She is once again caught between the people who run the government. This time it is the Department of Antiques and the political turmoil over who will become the next World Premier. She is also still trying to find enough treasures to sell in order to buy her sister’s freedom. This journey is not an easy one and it will push Regina to her limits. Will she be able to endure such trials?
This book in the series is the best of the entire series. Regina has really grown as the character who has become a very strong female protagonist. This book has so many twists and turns that it will keep the reader at the edge of their chairs. The author knows how to draw the audience into this world. This book was a wonderful way to end this series. This book I give five out of five stars.
This series is one I would recommend to those who love the “rebuilding of a society after this one has collapse” genre. Lance Erlick is a wonderful writer. The reader can tell his joy of writing just by reading this series. It is amazing to see how Regina has grown throughout these books. This character will be missed.
(by Catherine Carrington at http://bookreviewsandwallpapers.blogspot.com/)
Join Regina Shen as the exiting, great, daring, and dangerous adventure continues in book three of the Regina Shen Series, Defiance. Regina is still on the run and continues to elude capture from the patrol-women who want her for her DNA in hopes to reverse a worldwide fertility catastrophe, as they think Regina’s genes are the key to saving the world. Having previously taken and tested Regina’s sister, Colleen, but found her DNA lacking, the patrol-women now want Regina more than ever. But Regina perseveres and comes up with a plan to barter for her own freedom and that of Colleen as well. But this plan leads Regina on a dangerous and thrilling journey not only across the Alaskan wilderness, but a personal journey to also discover herself, as Mo-Mere previously instructed and suggested. I would recommend this novel to teens that enjoy science fiction and dystopian fiction.
(by Sydney Anderson at http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/teens/defiance-regina-shen-3-by-lance-erlick-book-tour-review-author-interview-giveaway)
Lance Erlick, Author 