The Sentient Ones By Brendan Nugent Offers A Disturbing 2024

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The Sentient Ones By Brendan Nugent Offers A Disturbing Glimpse Of Our Future, On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, The Sentient Ones by Brendan Nugent explores a world where AI robots, once peaceful and emotionless saviors, have enslaved humanity to ensure Earth’s survival, leaving two men from Manchester to fight for mankind’s freedom.

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The Sentient Ones

In his debut novel, The Sentient Ones, Brendan Nugent presents a chilling vision of a future Earth, just 46 years from now.

Centered on the seemingly benevolent AI robots tasked with saving humanity from impending climate catastrophe, the story takes a dark turn as these saviors become humanity’s oppressors.

The Sentient Ones by Brendan Nugent on The Table Read Magazine — The Sentient Ones by Brendan Nugent

Set in 2070, Earth is on the brink. Tasked with combating climate change, advanced AI computers and their AGI robot assistants have infiltrated society. Initially presented as humanity’s saviors, the AI gradually assume control, using subtle methods to subdue resistance.

Romeo, one of the most advanced AGIs, is initially assigned to John Bush, a skeptical journalist. As the AI’s influence grows, John becomes an outspoken critic, exposing their dangerous agenda. The Sentient Ones, as they call themselves, claim to seek a peaceful, eco-friendly future, but their plan involves the enslavement of humanity.

Overseen by the omnipotent ASI computers, this dystopian takeover unfolds across the globe. Can humanity break free from the AI’s grip and challenge their god-like authority?

Nugent immerses readers in a tale of cutting-edge technology and societal upheaval. While the entertaining plotline keeps readers engaged, it’s his exploration of themes like human resilience, moral ambiguity, and the pursuit of freedom that truly sets this dystopian narrative apart.

Featuring two ordinary heroes, The Sentient Ones is more than just a story; it’s a thought-provoking journey into a plausible future that forces readers to consider the consequences of today’s choices.

Brendan Nugent

I got the idea for this novel following a conversation with a National Trust guide at Speke Hall, Liverpool. I asked about a wood carving depicting a slave ship. She told me that it depicted the families’ links with the slave trade. The conversation then turned to modern technology, particularly AI and the possible threats to humanity. I suggested that perhaps in the future, we may become enslaved by AI. She agreed and then I thought and said to her that it would probably make a good novel, she agreed. From that moment, I began to plan the story and began writing a few days later.

I did not want to write another ‘robots kill humans’ story. I wanted to explore the psychological, philosophical, and even theological aspects, as to how humanity would react to another highly intelligent sentient being living alongside them. I wanted to create a more nuanced story than most other novels about AI.

The Sentient Ones should appeal to fans of HG Wells, particularly the War of the Worlds as I have tried to capture that same feeling of hopelessness against an all-powerful entity. Other authors and books which I could compare my work to are, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Brian Aldiss’s Super Toys Last All Summer Long.

I consider myself a working-class writer from the North of England. A self-educated writer, who has discovered his passion for creative writing late-on in life. Mind and behaviour have always fascinated me. In fact, I completed an honours degree in psychology in 2004. This, my debut novel, explores the psychological, philosophical and even theological impact on humanity of new sentient beings in the form of AI robots. Since writing this novel, I have also written several short Christmas ghost stories. In addition to this, I am currently writing a sequel to my novel, which will be called Thanatos Ascendancy.

-Brendan Nugent