Humans create artificial intelligence, but what happens when artificial intelligence gets into the wrong hands? That's exactly what happens in this ingenious spellbinder--and the consequences are murderous. Mother of God is a thriller unlike any other--a chase that takes readers right out onto the cutting edge of technology and storytelling.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Previous thrillers about computers becoming supersmart and running wild have usually fallen flat because of a lack of plausibility and/or humanity. But British writer Ambrose has managed to avoid all the pitfalls in this truly terrifying story of what happens when a serial killer who uses the Internet to stalk his victims meets an amoral artificial intelligence program with a deadly learning curve. Since the murderer started his career with his own mother, the computer program (called Fred) thinks it only logical that he should now help Fred kill Tessa Lambert, the Oxford scientist who gave birth to him. Freud's remark about an angry baby being the most dangerous thing in the world takes on a frightening new dimension, as digital Fred and his human crony evade the best brains of law and science in their determined attempt to erase Tessa.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
There's a slave-revolt undertone to the concept of a runaway computer program?the sense that we humans are ripe for conquest by our electronic servants, not only because we rely on them but also because we barely give them a second thought until they turn on us. That kind of rude awakening is at the heart of this jarring page-turner about a homicidal AI (Artificial Intelligence) program. The book begins with two seemingly unrelated plot lines: Oxford scientist Tessa Lambert, 29, is dumped by her boyfriend before she can tell him she's pregnant, while a serial killer dubbed the L.A. Ripper is hacking into databases to research his next victim. The link between the two is electronic?Tessa has hidden her AI program, nicknamed Fred, in an Oxford database into which the serial killer has hacked. This releases a copy of Fred onto the Internet, where it mutates into an all-powerful binary version of Freud's "angry baby," its rage directed against its "mother," Tessa. In one of the book's many neat twists, Fred enlists the L.A. Ripper?whose lust to kill stems from a mother problem of his own?to help him commit murder. The resulting cat-and-mouse game involves an FBI agent on the trail of the Ripper and Tessa's suspicious government funders, all of which Ambrose (The Man Who Turned into Himself) handles with verve and style. He also comes up with an original take on computer intelligence: a self-aware program that goes from viewing the world as a figment of its imagination to doubting its own existence when it realizes that it's a mechanical construct. Add a couple of stunning surprises and a believable but bleak climax, and you've got a thriller programmed for success.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Net Caper,
By
This review is from: MOTHER OF GOD: A Novel (Hardcover)
Mother of God reads like the result of a bet: take three of the most trite and hackneyed cliches in the modern literary lexicon, and make an interesting tale. Okaaay...Tessa Lambert is a beautiful young computer expert who has written a brilliant Artificial Intelligence program... and just happens to be single and lonely. Excellent! Everybody loves that one, implausible as it is. California has a serial killer on the loose. Great! That's as common as smog! Keep 'em coming! The FBI has assigned a handsome young agent to the serial Killer case who just happens to be cynical and have a drinking problem and a troubled past. Oh, yeah... he's single and lonely. And that's where the predictability ends, my friends. From there, it's a wild ride, as Ambrose takes the three most trite and hackneyed plot devices in history and winds a great tale, full of surprises and suspense. Like Charlie Monk, I can't give it away. You just have to trust me. Even though the book was written in '95, Ambrose anticipated what the Internet became, at a time when even those making a living at it could barely guess. I don't know how accurate his depiction of Artificial Intelligence is, as I am far from an expert, but the book is plausible. On the other hand... there are interminable philosopical discussions, both with the AI program and on it's behalf. Luckily, they have nothing to do with the plot, as I was able to skip all of them without missing anything. I am not a fan of philosophy discussions, a fact that is the source of much disappointment to Medb. The other thing is unpredictability on the part of the serial killer character. In the beginning, he is highly disciplined and very, very careful. But as we get to know him better, he becomes careless, sloppy, and credulous. It's disappointing, and it didn't have to be that way. You also have to swallow just the least bit of deus ex machina, but no more than any other suspense novel. Comes with the territory. Other than the tiresome philosophy, Mother of God is a good book and a quick read. I recommend it highly!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost a great thriller but not quite!,
By
This review is from: Mother of God (Pb) (Paperback)
I have read virtually all of Ambrose's books and each seems to be a different style. This is the first "thriller" and it looks like he needs more practice at this genre.It is basically two overlapping stories. A computer scientist (Tessa) experimenting with artificial intelligence creates a program that starts to think like a person but an evil one at that. It invades the Internet and is able to get into any computer in the world. Tessa realizing the danger of the program, tries to combat it and is almost killed by it. In the meantime the second story is happening in Los Angeles where a serial killer uses the Internet to "social engineer" information about his intended victims and then pose as lost relatives or other fake people associated with the victims. Somehow Tessa's program becomes aware of the killer and starts to give him guidance and ultimately the program wants the killer to eliminate Tessa. The book drags in parts and the way the AI program thinks and is able to take over the Internet is a little far-fetched. There are also parts of the book where you expect Tessa to form a relationship with an FBI agent that never happens. A couple of themes from some of Ambrose's prior books (specifically Coincidence) appear here such as the thought that the whole world is a computer program running on a teenager's computer somewhere waiting to be shut off by the teenager's father. Ambrose is a very talented writer and with a little honing he can probably make his next thriller a full 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book!,
By Aya (Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: MOTHER OF GOD: A Novel (Hardcover)
Note: I have read this book translated to Dutch,so I apologize if you read this and think: "you have got that name wrong".When I first saw this book,I purchased it because I thought the combination of an AI program and a killer was very original. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It is about a computer genius and beautiful young women named Tessa Lambert. One day she creates a computer program that can think. Far away in sunny L.A, FBI agent Tim Kelly is searching for a serial killer who murders pretty young women. The killer breaks into computers to find information about his victims. His brother Josh does also know much about computers and helps Tim,but can Tim and Josh track the serial killer down? Then a copy of Tessa's AI program virtually meets the serial killer in L.A. and uses him as a slave to kill Tessa. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This book was very refreshing. Somehow,it was not as thrilling as I expected. I will not say why,because it spoiles too much. Despite it being not that thrilling,it was somehow a page turner. I can also see some other flaws,(like the fact that Tim and Tessa did not fall in love,and however I can probably see a reason why not,the novel would have been better with some romance in it) but they are not too disturbing and it is still one of the most read novels from my teenage years. The best parts of this book are the characters and writing style; it was not only a thriller but also a nice dramatic story with philosophy discussions and (in my opinion)very good characters. It is a book I have read many times,and each time it is as wonderful. I feel that this book does not have got the attention that it deserves. But opinions can differ from person to person. At least I never regretted that I bought this book,and while it is not the most thrilling book I have ever read,it certainly is a book I will remember,and recommand to everyone. Do not worry that you will dislike the story if you do not know much about computers. I know nothing about computers but I loved the story.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
