The Expert System’s Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Vertigo

Vertigo

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What happens if everything in a society is controlled by expert systems? Medicine, planning, building, law-making, justice… everything. And this is not self-aware, sentient artificial intelligence but merely rule based expert systems. That is the question Tchaikovsky asks in this short, thought provoking novella.

It is an interesting premise that is handled well and, though there are strands that begged for deeper explanation and examination, they are not really sufficient to justify a bigger book. I feel Tchaikovsky has got it pretty much right; it is rather too much for a short story and not enough for a full novel and works very well just as it is.

A quick easy read that left me doing more pondering than I might have expected from such a short little book.

4/5 stars
 
This is wonderful. Tchaikovsky can really write, and what an imagination.
Even when the prose seems dense, he still manages to make his works an easy, or perhaps a comfortable read. I am 1/3 done with the follow-up book, The Expert System's Champion (about the same length as this first book), and am enjoying it very much. He is becoming my go-to author for SF (which I rarely read these days).
 
Im a really big fan of Tchaikovsky, ive been singing his phrases sine the Shadows of the Apt series. Then I really enjoyed his Children of Time series (these were wonderfully well written and paced).

I'll definetely give this a shot because I haven't read a book by him I haven't enjoyed yet. I have some more Fantasy stuff of his to read as well.

Great author who doesnt get as much recognition as he deserves imo.
 
Agreed. I've only read a few of his books and short stories and I've loved everything that I've read so far. (Dogs of War even made my favourites list.) I've not yet read the Children Of books, but they're on my list. Shards of Earth book is a great space opera.

Tchaikosky's writing stile is very dense and he doesn't seem to waste a word. Possibly my favourite living writer.
 
The weakest one of his that I've read so far was probably Ironclads which I read quite recently. It was okay but fell below most/all of the rest I've read. I'm also a bit concerned about Ogres; it's in my current pile but I'm not sure if it will be to my taste. But hey ho, can't please all the people all the time.

Rodders said:
Started this today. It's interesting and not at all what i was expecting.
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It absolutely was not what I was expecting either! Poor choice of title? Or maybe subtle choice!
 
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I have Ogre's on my pile too. I was going to read it after the Expert Systems Champion.

I'm enjoying Tchaikovsky's range of stories.
 
The title is a bit mad, and if I recall correctly, it takes a fair while for it to make sense. But when it does, the title seems very good, if perhaps a bit cheeky, since its meaning isn't obvious right away.
Sometimes a title can give too much away, I think; this one had me intrigued before I ever picked the book up, because it seemed so unusual. (And because I pretty much just inherently trust Tchaikovsky, nowadays.)

I think the book of his that I'd say is my least favorite is Redemption's Blade (I think I've read five of his, now). I thought it was fine... pretty good even, but somehow it just didn't seem as special as the other books I've read by him.
 
Cat's Cradle said:
The title is a bit mad, and if I recall correctly, it takes a fair while for it to make sense. But when it does, the title seems very good, if perhaps a bit cheeky, since its meaning isn't obvious right away.
Sometimes a title can give too much away, I think; this one had me intrigued before I ever picked the book up, because it seemed so unusual. (And because I pretty much just inherently trust Tchaikovsky, nowadays.)

I think the book of his that I'd say is my least favorite is Redemption's Blade (I think I've read five of his, now). I thought it was fine... pretty good even, but somehow it just didn't seem as special as the other books I've read by him.
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I haven't really read any fantasy for years now as I've sort of gone off it, but I have been tempted to try his Shadows of the Apt just because of how much I like his SF.

And I'm pretty sure you're right about the title taking quite a while to make sense!
 
I'm not much of a reader of (new) epic fantasy type novels either, these days. Shadows of the Apt does tempt me, though. (He is a very prolific author, isn't he?)

If your interest in fantasy returns, Vertigo, I'll recommend a book that is for me easily the best new fantasy I've read in the last ten years. It's The Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman.

The Blacktongue Thief: Amazon.co.uk: Buehlman, Christopher: 9781473231177: Books

Buy The Blacktongue Thief by Buehlman, Christopher from Amazon's Fiction Books Store. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction.
www.amazon.co.uk

​

 
Shadows of the Apt is a big series and there's a lot going off. He spends a little bit of time with lots of characters and deep dives into a few. The world and setting keep on expanding along with the Lore. Its definitely a completely unique take on a Fantasy setting.
 
I finished it this morning and found it to be a very satisfying read. I struggled at first and wondered, but it soon picked up and took me in a few directions, which i really enjoyed.

I think you're correct about the length of the story, Vertigo. Any more would've just been filler.

On to The Expert Systems Champion now.
 
Rodders said:
I finished it this morning and found it to be a very satisfying read. I struggled at first and wondered, but it soon picked up and took me in a few directions, which i really enjoyed.

I think you're correct about the length of the story, Vertigo. Any more would've just been filler.

On to The Expert Systems Champion now.
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He seems to be good at the novella format, he has quite a few around 150 to 200 pages mark and I find most of them very good. I'd recommend Firewalkers and Walking to Aldebran (an SF rewrite of the Beowulf story).
 
I've read and enjoyed both (although I felt that Firewalkers was slightly better as it had a more defined ending). I have Ogres on my Kindle and intend to read it once I've finished the Expert Systems Champion. (Typing this has made me realise just how literal the title is.)
 
Perhaps I'll wait until you've read and reviewed it.
 
I finished The Expert Systems Champion last night. I found it to be a surprisingly good read with quite a satisfactory ending.

I enjoyed that it went back to The Ancestors and told a little bit of their story too. Well, half of the ancestors, anyway.
 
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