I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on Helene (Lost Tales of Solace Book 1) by Karl Drinkwater.
The Lost Tales of Solace are short stories set in the Lost Solace universe.
I’ve LOVED Lost Solace and Chasing Solace and I’m excited Karl Drinkwater is releasing short ‘side stories’ related to this world.
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Helene by Karl Drinkwater is available to purchase in digital format.
Dr Helene Vermalle is shaping the conscience of a goddess-level AI.
As a leading civilian expert in Emergent AI Socialisation, she has been invited to assist in a secret military project.
Her role? Helping ViraUHX, the most advanced AI in the universe, to pass through four theoretical development stages. But it’s not easy training a mind that surpasses her in raw intellect. And the developing AI is capable of killing her with a single tantrum.
On top of this, she must prove her loyalty to the oppressive government hovering over her shoulder. They want a weapon. She wants to instil an overriding sense of morality.
Can she teach the AI right and wrong without being categorised as disloyal?
Book Review
To get the most out of this Lost Tale I think you do need to have read at least Lost Solace (book 1 in this series).
Helene tells the story of how AI ViraUHX develops with Helene’s guidance. As part of the development cycle, Helene asks the AI to be creative and find out more about humour. One of their interactions had me chuckling!
I loved getting to know ViraUHX before she develops into Clarissa (she still has the sass). And after a brutal scene with the Primogenitor on board, the arrival of Opal made my heart sing.
It’s very clear what it’s like to live in this world and the effect it has on those that serve in the military. The conversation that was happening in one scene showed very little respect and made we want to punch their lights out.
Even though this is a short story, my emotions were definitely hooked 🙂 but of course that’s because I already have a ‘relationship’ with this world.
I’m looking forward to more Lost Tales of Solace from Karl Drinkwater, filling in the gaps and finding out more information. I think this is a fabulous idea!
Highly recommend the Lost Solace series.
Karl Drinkwater is originally from Manchester but lived in
Wales for twenty years, and now calls Scotland his home. He’s a full-time
author, edits fiction for other writers, and was a professional librarian for
over twenty-five years. He has degrees in English, Classics, and Information
Science.
He writes in multiple genres: his aim is always just to tell a good story.
Among his books you’ll find elements of literary and contemporary fiction,
gritty urban, horror, suspense, paranormal, thriller, sci-fi, romance, social
commentary, and more. The end result is interesting and authentic characters,
clever and compelling plots, and believable worlds.
When he isn’t writing he loves exercise, guitars, computer and board games, the
natural environment, animals, social justice, cake, and zombies. Not
necessarily in that order.
I’m so glad you love this spin-off series idea! By the end of 2020 I hope to have four of them out there (as well as having made some progress on Lost Solace book 3 … and releasing two non-scifi literary books! I know, I am over-optimistically bonkers.)
Ooooh fabulous. Will look forward to them all. 🙂
And yep, you are haha