Harare Review of Books

338 pages.

First published August 7, 2023 (Interstellar Flight Press)

SFF.

In this, the sequel to Level Five x William Ledbetter (ARC), AIs have effectively taken over the world after nano-replicators killed two thirds of the global human population and destroyed large areas of the planet, mainly the largest cities. Mortimer, the benign level five AI, is, along with his fellow AIs, the Cousins, rebuilding and still working to protect humans. The rival faction, the Aggregate, are working towards their own obscure goals still, but both factions are threatened by the rise of a group of humans who are against all AIs.

Level Six reads much more like YA fiction than Ledbetter’s Level Five, and I found the characters and story far less compelling. The novel is driven by the character of Leah Gibson’s daughter, Abby, and much less by action, making it less exciting than the previous novel. Given the current discourse on advanced AI, I would have liked Ledbetter to explore its danger to humanity more deeply, but the end of Level Six suggests there will be a sequel, and perhaps Level Seven will.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Interstellar Flight Press for this ARC.