Sunrise Alley

January 1, 2005
Adult/High School -Samantha Bryton, a brilliant young biotech engineer working on machine intelligence, has retired because of unresolved ethical issues concerning how the industry uses her work. On the beach near her secluded cabin, she finds a shipwrecked man, and it quickly becomes apparent that there is something unusual about him. It turns out that the original Turner Pascal is legally dead, but he has been brought back to life in a technologically enhanced but human-appearing body by the shadowy scientist Charon, who uses illegal and amazingly advanced technology. Self-aware, independent AIs (called EIs if they evolve to that state) are extremely rare and prone to psychological instability, and Sam is one of the few people in the world who understands and can work with them. It is no coincidence that Turner has ended up on her beach in his attempt to escape from Charon. As they flee villains who want to acquire Turner's technology, the two try to unravel the mystery of the identity of Charon and the true nature of "Sunrise Alley," a secret society of escaped EIs who may pose a threat to humans. Through many trials and adventures, friendship and sexual attraction gradually develop between Sam and Turner (though she worries about his nonhuman characteristics and dubious legal status). The plot is an epic chase across a near-future landscape, enlivened by twists, complicated puzzles to solve, plenty of intriguing technology, and a strong element of romance." -Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2004
Retired biotech engineer Sam finds the wreckage of a yacht, and its lone, male passenger, on her private beach. She is understandably curious about the man, Turner, who, though his body and brain are artificial, insists, on the basis of his memories, that he is human. Unfortunately, the man he recalls is legally dead. That gets Sam's attention. She retired over ethical disagreements with biotech firms, and Turner is a walking bioethics controversy, created by criminal mastermind and rogue bioengineer Charon, who thereafter captures Turner and Sam, intercepting them as they take refuge with Sam's high-ranking military friends and imprisoning them at his Himalayan fortress. Thanks to Turner's cybernetic enhancements, their incarceration doesn't last long, and they then take temporary refuge in a hideaway, Sunrise Alley, for escaped EIs (systems more advanced than AIs), which have developed in ways their human creators didn't expect. Eventually, they end up with friends and get on with the issues raised by Turner's existence. Asaro reinforces her reputation for combining high-tech adventure and romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)