Mal Goes to War - by Edward Ashton

About the Book

"The humans are fighting again. Go figure. As a free A.I., Mal finds the war between the modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical Humanists about as interesting as a battle between rival anthills. He's not above scouting the battlefield for salvage, though, and when the Humanists abruptly cut off access to infospace, he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary, and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting. A dark comedy wrapped in a technothriller's skin, Mal Goes to War provides a satirical take on war, artificial intelligence, and what it really means to be human"--

Book Synopsis

The humans are fighting again. Go figure.

As a free A.I., Mal finds the war between the modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical Humanists about as interesting as a battle between rival anthills. He's not above scouting the battlefield for salvage, though, and when the Humanists abruptly cut off access to infospace he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary, and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting.

A dark comedy wrapped in a techno thriller's skin, Mal Goes to War provides a satirical take on war, artificial intelligence, and what it really means to be human.

Review Quotes

"Ashton offers a technothriller with heart that will appeal to fans of the 'Murderbot Diaries' from Martha Wells but also to readers looking for more AI-led stories like Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill and Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden." --Library Journal, starred review

"Ashton's vision of the future feels all too plausible and his blend of action and humor keeps the pages flying. This is sure to please the author's fans." --Publishers Weekly

"A funny, fast-paced, fish-out-of-water tale that should satisfy Ashton's growing fan base." --Booklist

"A fast-paced adventure that is told with all of the dark humor expected of an Edward Ashton book." --Reactor

Praise for Mickey7:

"Sci-fi readers will be drawn in by the inventive premise and stick around for the plucky narrator." --Publishers Weekly

"Mickey7 is a smart philosophical satire masquerading as an adventure novel." --New York Journal of Books

"The fun [in reading Mickey7] is trying to keep up with Mr. Ashton's twists and turns, and the extra fun is that you never do." --The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Edward Ashton is the author of the novels Three Days in April, The End of Ordinary, Mickey7, and Antimatter Blues, as well as of short stories which have appeared in venues ranging from the newsletter of an Italian sausage company to Escape Pod, Analog, and Fireside Fiction. He lives in upstate New York in a cabin in the woods (not that cabin in the woods) with his wife, a variable number of daughters, and an adorably mopey dog named Max.