After On

by Rob Reid
552 pgs

What happens when a social networking program and super-artificial-intelligent online dating app becomes sentient? Potentially, nuclear annihilation of the entire world, of course.

Kuba, Danna, and Mitchell are the owners of Giftish.ly, a soon-to-fail Silicon Valley start-up that provides internet pet food delivery services. But while their company hasn’t been a success, the incredibly powerful collection of algorithms and data-collection tools they created have made acquiring the company a priority for the owner of Phlutter, the social media and online dating app that has quickly grown to billions of users across the world.

The addition of Giftish.ly’s programing and datatools allows Phlutter to achieve what so far has alluded the tech world: true super-AI. But while a super-intelligent sentient being who can match those looking for love, or just a casual relationship with benefits, sounds like a good idea, it’s really not.

After On is a much more ambitious book than Reid’s first novel Year One. But it's got all of the characteristics that made me enjoy that one as much as I did. It’s funny, full of wit and sarcasm, ominous and scary, and told in a unique and entertaining way. On page one, the narrator dares the reader to finish and promises a gift to anyone who does. On the last page, the book delivers. 

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆