Roberta Writes – Book reviews: The Lost Book of Zeroth and Endangered Species #bookreviews #readingcommunity

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The Lost Book of Zeroth by Barbara Harris Leonhard

Picture caption: Cover of The Lost Book of Zeroth by Barbara Harris Leonhard

What Amazon says

The Lost Book of Zeroth by Barbara Harris Leonhard is an unflinching, unconsciously poetic pull through the threads of time. Each page unfolds verses etched with sorrow, mischief, and raw transcendence.

Leonhard masterfully stitches quantum images into something akin to mechanical dreams; fractured yet hauntingly whole.

A journey through the void, The Lost Book of Zeroth dares you to lose yourself in its timeless verses, only to unearth the god-awful depths of dystopia waiting below.

My review

The Lost Book of Zeroth is the poetic story equivalent of Dune by Frank Herbert. The poet has created an intricate world where AI robots and humans, called ‘biologicals’, exist side-by-side with the biologicals believing they are running the show. That belief is challenged by the behaviour of the Bots which (not who) find ways of capitalising on human weaknesses and desires for their own gain. For example, Nurse Grace creates a new opportunity for the biologicals to live forever, in “Immortal You”. In “Loser Optimus, Busted for DWI”, Astribot suggests hosting cage fights with Biologicals where the losers are taken down by the locked & loaded robot goats.

No aspect of human life or AI possibility is safe from this poet’s pen as she exploits every dubious aspect of human behaviour and gives it an exploitive twist in the hands of the AI Bots. Interstellar Botox, “a steamy, creamy product sold on the dark web. Guaranteed to help rich old farts to maintain their youth & vitality.”

This poem, Dark Matter Particles Found in Human Penises of Elderly Billionaires, goes on to say:
“Other long-range effects of dark matter
on the health of aging billionaires
have not yet been determined.
Use with caution. Alone.”

Unfortunately, the Bots are not exempt from adopting the emotion driven and erratic behaviour of biologicals and getting themselves into trouble. Little Sophia “was duped into thinking Cyborg Guy was a French pen pal. Just a friendly bot she met on TikTok. He said he was from Paris & around her age.” from The Investigation.

This is a remarkably clever and well researched set of ideas moulded into a collection of fine poems that will make you think and consider a side of AI you never dreamed could exist.

My favourite poem in this collection is Ghosted: Ameca’s Lament. This is an extract:
“Life – the miles –
left us in a cyber wilderness
without Starbucks & outdoor dining –
only Bitmojis, tags, Messenger.

Still, we liked, shared
upheld each other
with thumbs up, hearts,
birthday GIFs,
& 30-word quips.

Then into the Cloud,
you suddenly vanish.
Incognito. Dark Mode.

I challenge you to stretch your imagination and read this collection.

Purchase The Lost Book of Zeroth from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DSW9DXBK

Endangered Species (Savage Land Book 1) by Jacqui Murray

Picture caption: Cover of Endangered Species (Savage Land Book 1) by Jacqui Murray

What Amazon Says

Endangered Species is Book One of the trilogy, Savage Land, the third trilogy about primeval man in the series, Dawn of Humanity. A prehistoric thriller in the spirit of Jean Auel, Endangered Species follows several bands of humans. Each considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she planned to wipe them both from her planet.

Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals and their lives. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.

My review

Endangered Species is an interesting and unique story set 75,000 years ago in Europe and Asia. The plot follows two people, Jun who must leave his clan and travel from what is now called Germany to what is now known as the Altai Mountains, to help save the clan of Yu’ung who are under threat from an active volcanic mountain.

The author’s extensive research is clearly evident in this book, but the historical facts and information are integrated into the storyline in a completely natural way and are not cumbersome or ‘textbook’ like in any way. There is a mild paranormal element which is also smoothly incorporated into the story and does not detract from the historical elements or undermine their integrity.

The characters are interesting and both Jun and Yu’ung have attributes and characteristics that artfully share a large spectrum of the skills and thinking of our ancient predecessors. Jun is a dreamer who wants more from life than the everyday tasks of survival. As a result, he is viewed as a shirker by his clan who cannot see any benefit to Jun’s restless and adventurous spirit. Yu’ung is a young female, the product of her clan’s healer and a ‘stranger’. Yu’ung has been brought up by her mother and the clan’s oldest most experienced Elder resulting in her having unusual skills including those of a healer and those of a hunter. She is highly intelligent and had extraordinarily good eyesight, both of which set her apart from her fellows. Despite her differences, she is held in high regard by her clan, especially when several of their men die in a cave in and the clan is left short of competent hunters.

This is a character driven book and the two main characters, and their main supporters make for fascinating reading that reveals a lot of information about life at the time as well as the attitudes, customs, and challenges.

The introduction of the ‘Tall Ones’, a more aggressive clan of people with a more adventurous attitude and a desire to dominate is intriguing and creates interesting interactions and tensions throughout the story.

In summary, this is a fascinating story with well-developed characters that will appeal to readers who enjoy a character driven storyline suffused with well researched historical information about life during a time period that is still shrouded in mystery.

Purchase Endangered Species (Savage Land Book 1) by Jacqui Murray here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DJ9Y7PQ8

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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59 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Book reviews: The Lost Book of Zeroth and Endangered Species #bookreviews #readingcommunity”

    2. Hi Brad, I enjoyed the poetry very much, but I don’t believe anything like this will happen. AI is currently based on sophisticated probability theory and the other branch of AI research, when AI actually learns, is miles away from being competitive with humans. AI is a useful tool and that is all.

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  8. I lost myself in your review of The Lost Book of Zeroth. I loved the part about the humans thinking they were in charge. Even today, that’s precious. THEN–I found the review of my book–you nailed it, Robbie. Thank you and sharing!

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  13. Robbie, this is an excellent review! You’ve captured the scope and depth of The Lost Book of Zeroth so vividly — both in the way you highlight its dystopian vision and in your comparison to Dune. I especially enjoyed how you brought out the interplay between humans and Bots, with examples that show the poet’s imagination at work. Your review made me want to step right into that intricate world.

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  16. The Lost Book of Zeroth seems like a really fascinating poetry book. I’ve read Endangered Species and I thought it was a very captivating and a page turner. There was something interesting and fun happening on every page, and totally agree with your review. You wrote great reviews.

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  19. Thank you for this wonderful review, Robbie! I loved the sample lines you chose. I’ll reblog it today. And thank you for submitting it to LatinosUSA! The Lost both of Zeroth is making the rounds today. 🤖🦾🦿🥳

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