It’s 1997. In between making mix-tapes and arguing with her mum, Laura Bow finds time to create a computer programme. She calls it Organon. At first, Organon is just something to tell her thoughts and feelings to – an online journal that talks back. But as the years pass, it becomes clear that Laura has created an AI with more potential than she could ever have imagined. A gripping read.

Although I didn’t adore this book, I found it to be an interesting take on artificial intelligence; on what contributes to developing an AI; on the trials and errors involved, and on how the best intentions can be tainted by poor execution, like what happens with SCION. Because, to paraphrase what Laura says about it in the novel, if you teach a child to fight and retaliate, what does it teach them about life and how to react to whatever comes their way?

The story had its ebb and flow, sometimes a little too slow to my liking, but always intriguing. I usually don’t mind when a story jumps from one time period to another, and/or doesn’t always rely on the same narrator, as long as I can follow it. And here, I didn’t have any trouble following, even when the first person narrator didn’t introduce themselves at first (like what happens with Charlie or Cesar). This approach lets the author play with more than just Laura’s take on both Organon and SCION—which was good, since it’s easily apparent that Organon is built upon all that Laura poured into it, and having only Laura’s POV would have felt, to me, slightly… constricting?

My opinion about the plot remains mixed, though, in that the novel seems to hover between being character-driven and being story-driven, while not fully achieving either. I liked the take on developing artificial intelligence—I don’t know much about coding, and I wouldn’t know how to even start about something so huge, and it felt plausible to me. On the other hand, I kept thinking that I wanted the character development part to go a little further than it did, because I felt that there remained some invisible barrier between me and the characters.

This said, I still got to see enough about Laura and the beings (whether the people or the AIs) surrounding her to get a fairly good idea of the characters, too, and of their struggles through life, especially when it came to dementia and similar memory- and recognition-related troubles. So, I definitely wouldn’t say either that the book was a failure in that regard.

Perhaps the one part that really disappointed me was the last chapter, which dragged on making the same point several times. I think it would’ve been more powerful had it been much shorter.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend the book, for the way it puts AI creation and destruction in parallel with the growing up and the decaying of human minds. (Also, listening to ‘Cloudbusting’ while reading it doesn’t hurt.)

This was a great idea, but could've been better executed. The most disappointing part, for me, is that the author barely touches on (and only at the very end of the book) the misogyny that's endemic in the world of computer programming. As a woman and a former programmer, I was particularly annoyed by its almost non-existence in this book, and it made the story less realistic and enjoyable for me.

I Still Dream is an engaging and intellectually stimulating science fiction novel exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence and the border between human and machine, reminiscent of some of the great science fiction classics.

I was gripped from the very first pages of the novel that opens in 1997, when we meet Laura Bow, a very intelligent and tech savvy 17-year old teenager with a passion for computers and coding. We learn than she has created a primitive AI system that she has named Organon, after the song Cloudbusting by Kate Bush from her album The Hounds of Love (1985). Laura's nerdy enthusiasm for music and making mix tapes made me immediately connect with Laura and love the book even more. Organon serves as Laura's confidant and a sort of therapist to help her deal with the mysterious disappearance of her father, a pioneering computer programmer. I thought the author did a great job at capturing the voice of a teenage girl and evoking the atmosphere of the 1990's.

Her AI system soon gets into the hands of people who see the potential of it, and, as a result, Laura is suddenly propelled into the world of Silicon Valley. From there, the novel is divided into chapters, each of them jumping a decade into the future - 2007, 2017, 2027, 2037, 2047 - and following Laura's life journey from her own or someone else's perspective. The sudden jumps in time sometimes felt a bit jarring, mostly because I was left wanting more from some of the sections. I particularly enjoyed the author's exploration of the culture of Silicon Valley - the personalities of the people, who work in the tech industry, the long working hours and constant rivalry.

On a more personal level, some sections of the novel give us a glimpse into Laura's personal life, her marriage, and the difficult life decisions that she needs to make. We also see the development of Organon that remains a constant companion to Laura throughout her life.

The novel also deals with some big questions concerning the development and future use of AI, our increasing reliance on technology, and the very topical subject of the collection and use of our personal data, and our right to privacy. I thought the author succeeded in creating a very vivid and believable scenario of our potential future. This was my introduction to James Smythe's writing, and I will definitely be reading more of this work.

* Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Exceptional novel looking at the advancement of technology with valid consideration of being human

Lara Bow is the daughter of an early technology pioneer whose disappearance affects her deeply. Her grief and being in the throes of difficult teenage years are the catalyst for her own pioneering foray into technology when she develops Organon, her personal Artificial Intelligence sounding board. I found this very poignant.

The book opens in 1997. Organon grows with Lara as the years fly by to 2007 and 2017. Not only does Smythe deal with the effect of technology on humanity in an objective way, he tells the story of a teenager becoming an adult in a world where technology is growing exponentially.

This book is grounded in today’s technology reality which the reader can identify with. It is filled with emotions including grief, normal reactions in family life, helplessness, friendships, love, loss and renewal. Through Lara, Smythe looks at real and artificial intelligence as well as the humanitarian and ugly side of technology.

In the end, brilliantly Smythe takes us back to the beginning when Lara makes an astounding discovery relating to her father. It was this excellent conclusion that sealed the book for me as a must read. Definitely worth the 5 stars I have given it.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I was thoroughly invested in this book almost from the outset. Science fiction that could have some basis in fact now or in the future. Laura bow develops a machine that she can "talk" to - it has Artificial Intelligence. More than that it has, as programmed by her, moral responsibility and developing humanity (maybe not programmed). Her love of computers and technology stems from her father but there are things that Laura does not know about her father's background or his one time working partner. Smythe weaves the facets of the story beautifully we start with a week in the life if a troubled teenager and then get to see how she and her "machine" develop over the decades. The storyline is topical but novel, it stretches the imagination but it has a centre on morality and humanity thing . There are moments when i felt a bit bogged down in the detail which is the reason for 4 rather than 5 stars. I haven't read anything else by this author but i will certainly aim to rectify that

Living in the age that we do, I found this book quite scary to be honest, but also incredibly touching and moving, and human.

Our main character is Laura Bow, and we join her as a teenager, doing all the usual teenage things, spending all day with her mates at school then chatting all night to them on the phone about what happened at school - same thing I did, however, Laura clearly is a little younger than me as she has the internet at home - albeit the screetchy dial up connection that I remember from my MSX (yeah, I had one of those, not an amstrad....), and you had to pay for it via the phone line (I'd forgotten all about that!).

We discover that Laura is quite clearly an IT genius, using internet chatrooms to seek advice occasionally when coding her own AI "Organon" - using it initially as someone to talk to - as therapy - after her dad disappeared without explanation.

We follow Laura through her life, leaving school, her first job, love, marriage, dealing with dementia, pregnancy, death, betrayal, as well as always wondering what happened to her father and why he disappeared. Oragnon is always there, asking what she wants to talk about, and occasionally asking other questions Laura does not know how it knew how to do - scaring her a little.

I'm not going to give away the plot more than what I already have done. It's a really good book - it makes you think about how we use AI in our lives, and the consequences - especially considering what has happened recently with our information on a certain social media platform, and (for those in england) GDPR which surprised and worried me about how many companies have my email address, but have been silent for years.

We have Siri, Alexa, etc which we just shout at to do something for us or find something out for us, play some music, etc....it's just the start, and this book makes you realise it could be terrifying if it all goes wrong. But it also will be amazing if it doesn't.....

It's ironic as I finish this post, Siri reminds me that my countdown is up to take something out of the oven.

A slow-burner of a book, quite lengthy and slow-moving, but with some intriguing ideas. Without giving away the plot, I can well imagine how some of the ideas could come to pass.

We give information away every day without even thinking about it - we tick to accept every Ts&Cs box without reading or understanding the implications properly - so we can't be surprised if our data is squirreled away...

I liked the idea of Organon (and love the song that inspired the name). I wonder if there will be a follow up?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Where to start with I Still Dream?! This was a gorgeous book, with beautiful writing, a strong main character, and a compelling, thought-provoking story which spans decades and touches on some of the most topical issues of our time. It was unlike anything else I’ve read, and a book which won’t be forgotten easily. How has this book not received more hype?!

The novel starts in 1987 when the protagonist Laura is 17. This early section immediately sucked me in, the author captures the angsty impression of a teenage girl surprisingly well, and the smatterings of nostalgia in the form of mix-tapes and dial-up modems were something I could really connect with. Laura has her fair share of problems, including a father who disappeared without a word ten years before and a serious case of undiagnosed depression. She’s also got a talent; she takes after her Dad, a technology entrepreneur, and using her self-taught coding skills she builds a rudimental AI and names it Organon. Organon is her sounding board; a kind of therapist to whom she can pour out all of her feelings, and who always knows the right prompt or question to ask – because Laura has programmed it to.

From there, we follow Laura and Organon as they grow and evolve, with each chapter taking place a decade apart. Some are from Laura’s point of view, some from others close to her, but despite spanning continent and topics, the strong characters of Laura and her creation shine through. She inevitably follows her father’s footsteps into a career in tech, and as the world around her changes, the one constant in her life is Organon.

The growth of technology, data privacy and artificial intelligence are hotly debated issues and I Still Dream explores them all. Smythe takes us from the birth of the modern computer in the 1980s, decades into the future and his projections are disturbing and all too believable. This is speculative fiction at its best, but what makes it stand out is how the sci-fi elements sit so naturally alongside human issues such as depression and dementia. This novel doesn’t just explore the boundaries of technology but also humanity, and how the two can work together. It’s beautifully done.

Really fascinating ideas and human stories - it'll be interesting to see which path AI might follow in the future

This book is so dreamy.
(I was trying to describe the feeling I had while reading it and this is it - no word play on the title intended!)

Taking place across a lifetime, it shows the evolution of Laura Bow from a teenager to an eminent visionary in her field; and an evolution of her creation, Organon.

'I Still Dream' feels personal, and very touching at times, but also quite scary when you realise how close we are now to the events in the story. It's science fiction that does not read as science fiction, perhaps because it won't be fiction for much longer.

The book has a beautiful cadence to it that makes you completely immersed in the story.

Thought provoking read that is very human - even when it is not.

If you are in to artificial intelligence or ICT in general you may very well get something out of this book: unfortunately, I didn’t and it was something of a relief when I finally reached the end. The story of a young girl inheriting her absent father’s gift for software development and building her ‘imaginary friend’ so she had someone to talk to just didn’t do ‘IT’ for me. It has the usual AI/fantasy/SiFi tropes exploring the meaning of life, what it is to be human, the Turing Test, blah, blah, blah, plus a kind of road trip down ‘ICT Memory Lane’, but does it in a disappointingly clunky way, switching first person narrators now and again and leaving it to the reader to perceive, gradually, who it is telling the story.

Along the way there are cautionary tales about being careful ‘what you ‘dream’ for’, and what you create, lest you create a monster in your own image, etc. and an epistolary exposition, from the grave, of the utility and future of AI. But all of this is no substitute for a good story, which is what we don’t get as we travel through the life, and beyond, of the central character, Laura, every now and then detouring down narrative cul-de-sacs.

Pity, really, since the one theme that might have been worth pursuing; i.e. the exploration of the damage, pain and suffering wrought by the dominant patriarchal structure of all societies, is smothered under a welter of unnecessary techno-obfuscation, and unsuccessful narrative gimmicks.

One word review: Probing

Rambling review:  I'm going to open with the caveat that I love AI chat (I am a not-so-secret nerd) so I've probably been more forgiving of literary flaws than I would be normally. But. This is good, this is really good. I loved it. It's science fiction but for the general fiction space. 

It's wonderfully accessible. AI, ASI, AGI... It's a lot to take on for someone who hasn't encountered the concept before. Smythe takes the readers on a journey so that they can see the progression of the technology, the concepts, the intentions, but without patronising them either. It reminded me of Suicide Club (which I am a huge fan of - it's being published this summer), where the author does a cracking job of showing the connection between AI and immortality, something which would make most heads swirl. (For Suicide Club it is a physical immortality, opposed to the soul(?) immortality of Organon).

That said, I do think Smythe could have pushed the realms of his world further. He takes us decades into the future but much of that landscape sounds familiar, especially the tech. Take social media. Facebook, Twitter and Instragram are still referenced as the holy trinity of social media, the go-to for information. Haven't we been talking about Twiter's declining userbase for years? Aren't there far fewer truly active Facebook users now? Sure, they could right themselves, and I don't think they are going to disappear any time soon - but no new entrants into the market in the next 20 years? Really, is that conceivable? It was a bit disappointing that there hadn't been more imagination shown there. Even if it had been just throwing a few names in.

Also, whilst Laura's character is written exceptionally well, I don't think the male characters had enough depth. Harris and Caesar were the two in particular that I wanted to know more about, I wanted them to have more edges and grasp.

The only niggle I had with the AI side was Organon's interface. I don't understand how he/she/it (I want to reread it and pinpoint where Laura stopped referred to Organon as "it" and started with "he") saw? I can understand how he heard everything, that's quite simple to grasp, but I don't understand how he captured visual data without Laura wearing cameras on her clothing (especially pre smartwatch and the internet of things, which comes later in the novel).

Overall, I really enjoyed and hope it is read widely as it is an excellent cautionary tale. 

P.S. Remembering the "troops coming back from Korea" - very, very nice touch (which I hope doesn't self fulfil..)

Let's get something out of the way first of all. Yes, this book is being "tagged" as science fiction, and yes, it could technically is, but for anyone who thinks science fiction is not their genre, I would urge you to pick this book up anyway. Personally I would label this book more as "speculative fiction" rather than Sci-Fi.
I Still Dream is the story of a girl and her...... ehm..... Artificial Intelligence.(See, I told you it wasn't Sci-Fi.) This book starts in 1997, when many homes were first getting connected to the internet, when our protagonist ,Laura, is just turning 17. The story shows us various snapshots of her life, and through the development and growth of not only her software, but herself and her family.
This book gives a startling glance at how quickly time moves forward, and how life can pass us by in the blink of an eye. The author also speculates (see, "speculative fiction") about where our current obsession with technology and being "always on" is heading.
I really enjoyed how the story was told here and thought that it was paced brilliantly. The current cultural nods mixed with the references to past pop culture sets the tone from the outset (Laura names her AI after lyrics in her favourite Kate Bush song!). The overall story of Laura, Organon, and Co. really drew me in and kept me reading until the early hours. I do feel that there's something here for everyone, and especially today in our social media obsessed world (he says while posting this on Twitter and FB) gives us the chance to look at our own usage of technology.
This is a smashing book, and one that will, I'm sure, be near the top of my list come the end of the year. Again, what are you waiting for? 5*
https://donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/i-still-dream-james-smythe/

I struggled a bit with I Still Dream. James Smythe is a very fine writer and I thought that The Machine was an outstanding book. This didn't feel nearly as original or interesting to me.

The narrative begins in 1997 when Laura Bow is seventeen and a computer genius like her late father. She begins to create Organon, a form of Artificial Intelligence which can learn and which she tries to imbue with her own human values. Meanwhile, others have appropriated her father's work on SCION, a similar program but which has been "raised" very differently. The narrative jumps a decade at a time and changes narrators as we see the way in which the two programs develop and each has a profound influence on the world, eventually ending up in an undisclosed year in the far future. Smythe deals with important issues like the uses and abuses of data, the meaning of sentience and humanity and so on, but in spite of some very good writing and some interesting takes on human and artificial memory, it dragged very badly for quite long periods.

The book is too long, for one thing and sometimes felt more like a lecture on the potential of AI than a novel. The characters and human aspects of the story weren't really strong enough to carry the book and – surprisingly to me – it all felt a little familiar from other novels and programmes like Black Mirror. It's readable enough, but I wasn't sure it was worth it in the end and I can only give I Still Dream a very qualified recommendation.

(My thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Laura Bow is the young daughter of AI genius, and devoted Daniel Bow but when he leaves when she is young she needs the help of a counsellor. She quickly learns that whilst the counsellor is talking to her - she isn't really listening so Laura decides to build her own computer system that will listen. Something - somebody that she can talk to and can confide in with all her secrets. As a young teenager she is offered a job with her dads old friend to help develop the AI system she has built. Her work colleagues don't understand what she is working on as they struggle to create their own AI system called SCION. The decades roll past and everything has an element of SCION built in but then one day, Laura's deepest fears come true when SCION releases every persons complete history. Imagine every email, text, or phone call you ever made is published for the world to see. Your entire medical history laid bare and every word you committed to digital record accessible to all. Chaos reigns and it takes Laura's creation, Organon to set things right.

A great story that could quite easily become a reality when we all rely so heavily on the digital world and our history and secrets are held in the Cloud.

Interesting concept, The time jumps were a bit confusing but overall a good read. The characters were likeable, and well developed

There's a lot about this novel that I liked. The characters were vividly drawn. The special world - AI development - and its characters were enjoyable, plausible and interesting. I liked the way that the AI program Organon remains mostly a private thing for its inventor, Laura, until world events force her to release it. This isn't a story about world powers or the world under threat. It's about personal memories - nicely supported by the plot thread about dementia, which is also well handled and poignant. All in all, a lot of thought has gone into this and it's smartly done.
So what's the 'but'? I thought it fell apart in the final section, which is far too long and rather muddled. I sense that the author thought he'd add a final surprise but wasn't clear what it was or how to present it. What's more, the story doesn't need it at all. I think the author wasn't confident about this section and has tried to cover it up with repetition, going over the same point again and again, repeating the same trigger phrases (a line from the Kate Bush song). I realise we're supposed to interpret this as the workings of a fragmented brain, but unfortunately it comes across as unconfident when it should be powerful - so I simply didn't buy it. There's even a suggestion that Organon might have been able to fiddle with time - but it's far too late in the story to introduce time-bending, literally a few pages from the end. .
This is a pity because just before that, there was a very strong ending indeed - when Laura lets Organon create the memory of a woman's dead wife so that she can talk to her. This is so human, so affecting. It shows what Laura has made and what she'll give to the world, and underlines the tragedy that her husband Harris is preparing for. There's also a lovely resonance with the story of Laura's father. This is where it should have ended.

Highly enjoyable and thought-provoking read, especially if you're a fan of 'Cloudbusting' by Kate Bush! In terms of themes, it deals with the big ones - personhood, self-determination, the afterlife - but with a very deft and light touch. This is an ideas book, but it's also one with a good deal of heart. As much as it is about AI, it's almost about what it means to be a person.

Hugely engaging, and would thoroughly recommend.

I Still Dream starts as a memoir of childhood in the last millennium, in the days when computers were new, with limited powers. Internet access is of a type unimaginable to most readers even only thirty years later, but the author still manages to create the sense of rebellion generated by using a telephone line for non-essential purposes. As we follow Laura through her life, nicely shown through the eyes of her closest companions, we discover more about her family, their weaknesses, fears and justifications.
It is nicely handled and laid out, although the plot line wanders a little before finally settling on its core theme of human essence and frailty. It is well constructed, very readable and engrossing; I just felt that it strayed a little too far from its key theme in the middle of the book.