This is my post during the blog tour for The Jade Labyrinth by Alanna Mackenzie. In The Jade Labyrinth a young rebel leader undertakes a perilous mission to reprogram the artificially intelligent rulers of a colonial empire, traversing through hostile landscapes and braving grueling mental and physical challenges.
This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 2 till 15 October. You can see the tour schedule here.
By Alanna Mackenzie
Genre: Science Fiction/ Fantasy
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 12 September, 2023
Blurb:
A meeting. A maze. A perilous journey back to an Empire on the edge of chaos.
Walter Saltanetska, leader of the Jade Rebellion, is nearly ready to return to the heart of the AI-ruled Empire that has branded him a treasonous fugitive. His mandate is clear: to reprogram the AI Masters before their earth-destroying habits spiral out of control.
First, he must brave gruelling training in a land fraught with danger—rugged mountains haunted by spirits, a parched desert patrolled by watchful drones, and a labyrinthine cave guarded by armed robots. As his physical, mental, and magical abilities are tested by harrowing encounters, Walter must work to resist forces that threaten to destabilize his mission.
The biggest threat he faces is not one he encounters along the course of his journey, but one that originates within him. Walter returns to the Empire’s capital in a mind-altering disguise that proves to be a double-edged sword. Drawing him closer to a soul mate who rekindles his admiration for the AI Masters, it also distances Walter from the human emotions that sparked his desire to join the Rebellion. In his final showdown with the AI Masters, Walter must keep his mind under control, or risk jeopardizing the mission that he and his allies are counting on to reverse a looming tidal wave of destruction.
The thrilling third installment in The Jade Chronicles, The Jade Labyrinth weaves dystopian science-fiction with high fantasy while exploring an essential subject: the perils and promise of artificial intelligence.
The
Jade Labyrinth – Excerpt
After Walter had transitioned, the laborers
interacted with him differently. It was obvious that they had never seen someone
take such a high dose of lydion, and fear registered on their faces when they
saw Walter’s altered body. “We know what lydion is, and we understand its
potential uses,” the crooked-nosed man, whose name was Penrose, explained.
“It’s just that some of those uses have only ever been theoretical to us, up
until now.”
“There’s nothing to be
afraid of,” Walter said, though he was skeptical of the truth of that
statement. “It’s just a biological process. The nanomachines dissolve into your
bloodstream, and they change not just your physical appearance but the very
substance of your thoughts and feelings. In high concentrations, it’s probably
the most transformative substance known to humankind. That’s why it fetches
such a premium,” he explained.
Suddenly, his tablet
buzzed. A pulse of dread, albeit weakened by the lydion, passed through him as
he read the message from Eva on it: The traders have arrived. Saw them
talking with the AI Fighter who was guarding the entrance you passed through.
Can’t say for sure but looks like he sent someone inside to find you.
Another AI Fighter. Get out of there, Walter.
Walter’s fear was
numbed by the lydion, but apparently the chemical did not eliminate the emotion
completely, because the young man’s hands began shaking involuntarily. Penrose
noticed his anxious state.
“Took too much of it,
did you?” Penrose asked in a jeering tone.
“Everyone, silent,”
Walter commanded. “Be completely still.” He glanced toward the lizard, Terra.
“Terra needs to detect something for me. There’s someone coming after us, and
we need to avoid them. Can you detect them, Terra?” he asked, realizing how
absurd this request probably sounded. On a deeper level, though, he intuited
that Terra could understand him perfectly.
As the men’s tittering
laughter quieted down, the drip-drip-drip of cool water from the
dangling stalactites became the only audible sound. But Terra wasn’t listening
for that sound, or for any sound at all. He was feeling the subtle vibrations
from the tunnel floor, the ones that were triggered by the slightest movement.
After several painstaking moments, the lizard appeared to have recognized some
movement and determined the direction it was coming from: straight ahead of
them. The lizard turned swiftly in the other direction.
“We’re going back?”
Penrose moaned.
Walter put a hand to
his lips. “Not a sound,” he whispered curtly. The rebel leader led the men back
toward the cavern, but just as he had anticipated, there was another tunnel
that branched off sharply, and they took it. And then another, and another.
They tried to lose themselves in the labyrinth, so that the menacing figure
that was after them—a dangerous robot armed to the teeth—would not find
them.
The laborers did not
speak again, but their shuffling steps were still loud and heavy. Walter knew
that AI Fighters had a delicate sense of hearing. Fighters were designed with
all their senses amplified beyond those of a human—except for taste, which they
didn’t need—so that they could expertly prevail over humans in combat. Walter
motioned for them to stop, and the men froze in their tracks. But something was
wrong; Terra had disappeared. In the dim light of the tunnel, Walter could only
see a few feet ahead of him. The lizard could have been farther ahead, but the
creature’s prolonged absence was nagging at him.
Suddenly, a hand
stretched out from the pitch darkness. Its spindly metallic fingers were
wrapped around the lizard’s fragile body, pinning him in place as he struggled
to escape.
Links:
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- The Jade Rebellion (The Jade Chronicles #1)
- The Jade Talisman (The Jade Chronicles #2)
Alanna Mackenzie lives in Vancouver, Canada. She holds degrees in History, French studies, and Law from the University of British Columbia. An environmentalist at heart, she believes in using the law as a tool for social and environmental change. When she is not pursuing that passion, she can be found brainstorming the next chapter in her novels, playing Irish fiddle tunes on the violin, and hiking West Coast trails.
You can find and contact Alanna Mackenzie here:
- Website
- Goodreads
- Amazon
No comments:
Post a Comment