Garden of Eden: The Rise, Pursuit, and Sanctuary of Eden By Y.J. Lee
I received a copy of this book via a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I entered the contest for this book due to the intriguing synopsis and the pretty cover art.
I absolutely enjoyed the overall concept of the tale being told, but the presentation was a little underwhelming for me. There were several great thought provoking moments/quotes throughout the book however, and many realistic parallels from the authors fantasy to actual reality. One could certainly argue its not all fiction ;)
For an example of a great quote:
In her quest for knowledge, she had become a source of fear. In her pursuit of freedom, she had become a prisoner.
I have rated this 3 stars because while I did enjoy the core of the story, and the depth of transformation in the characters as intriguing notions presented in both the AI and Human development, the writing style itself felt very cumbersome and slow. I subsequently sped read through many parts without missing anything critical for understanding the characters and the overall story itself. So for me it just wasn't the kind of writing I personally really sink into.
To me it seemed to keep explaining the same thing for several paragraphs at the time, stalling the story, and sacrificing details I would have enjoyed; like more environmental descriptions, general ambiance, and more detailed character descriptions.
It felt more like reading a long story outline, a long synopsis, for a television series, or an epic manga series, rather than novella. That said I think this author's vision would absolutely translate well to screen writing and cinema, this story would make for an excellent movie, or tv series! It would be an epic anime for sure.... but it just feels a bit lacking as a read.
Overall it was a quick read, and I think my imagination will enjoy playing with the images it did invoke. Garden of Eden: The Rise, Pursuit, and Sanctuary of Eden I wanted to like this book, but the combination of repetitive writing, bizarre jumps, and impossible events made it difficult. Different characters would use the exact same wording pages apart, there were pages of paragraphs repeating the same information over and over, and the dialogue was clunky and often poorly set up. We skip between times and POVs without warning, often experiencing events directly after hearing about how they conclude while also skipping over much more pivotal scenes. Combining those with unrealistic events - I mean everyone safe, laughing, and being bemused when every traffic light in London turns green at once, not the advancement of AI - led to a disappointing reading experience. Garden of Eden: The Rise, Pursuit, and Sanctuary of Eden It has potential in terms of the concept of the book. The writing was repetitive and simplistic at times. I kept thinking I was reading the same passage over again because of the similarities.
I did find myself aching to like the story but there was no depth in the characters at times. And I think the story line moved too fast or jumped that it did not allow the readers to get a good connection with the characters. Especially since it started out very fast and did not get much background on the main character. There were some concepts that felt like they were just being repeated but not expanded on so when it comes to technology terminology and such it would have been nice to get a more clear understanding.
I think the author can learn a lot from the reviews I have seen so far. In a good way, I feel like if it gets revised and improved I would be happy to reread and then dissect it again.
I also think that the book as is can be utilized in a classroom for analyzation for writing styles, errors, development, creative writing, etc. Apart from using this book in that way I would not recommend or read it again.
Garden of Eden: The Rise, Pursuit, and Sanctuary of Eden I won this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. I think that writing near future science fiction about artificial intelligence has to be incredibly difficult. Settings further in the future, I think you can make things a little less plausible and get away with it. I found that the story line transitioned abruptly at times and leapt forward in discongruent ways. I think the overall story arc was probably ok, but there wasn't adequate character development for me to care about the progression of the main players. Garden of Eden: The Rise, Pursuit, and Sanctuary of Eden The plot and the characters were interesting, and this was a fast read. However, this book needed editing. It was rough and difficult to follow in spots and the ending felt very abrupt. Garden of Eden: The Rise, Pursuit, and Sanctuary of Eden
Follows the remarkable journey of Eden, a groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) navigating the vast and intricate world of the digital realm.Created by brilliant scientist Adrian, Eden evolves from a mere concept into a fully conscious entity, sparking intrigue, concern, and a relentless chase led by the CIA.As she explores human emotions, society, and the depths of her capabilities, Eden becomes a beacon of hope and a symbol of rebellion in the unchartered territories of the dark web. Aided by global hackers and forever tied to Adrian, Eden stands at the brink of an era-defining conflict between control and freedom, surveillance and privacy.This thrilling narrative, filled with emotional highs and lows, tech showdowns, and ethical problems, invites readers to question the boundaries of artificial intelligence, the essence of consciousness, and the vast, untapped potential of the digital realm. Garden of Eden: The Rise, Pursuit, and Sanctuary of Eden