Sunrise Alley (Sunrise Alley Series Book 1)

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For me, at least. Maybe if I was an older woman, falling for a potential sex toy The heroine doesn't DO much, in the end, except being the center of the fixation of several male characters, from paternal feelings, to romantic love, to obsessive-stalker behavior. There are end-of chapter reveals too glaringly intended to keep one reading, only to be defused at the beginning of the next chapter by a qualifyng "not really". It gets a bit better by Chapter 10 or 11, but I wished all the time for a deeper exploration on the issue of what it means to be a human running on a different substrate.

Or wishing to have more adventures with the cool stuff the androids can do. Apr 20, Amanda rated it really liked it. I used to be a huge reader of scifi but had fallen off the wagon in recent years in favor of romances and mysteries. I found Sunrise Alley to be a nice reintroduction into the genre. Set not all that far into the future, Sunrise Alley tackles the ethical dilemma facing a society where humans use biomechanical parts to improve quality of life in place of organ transplants, artificial limbs and eve I downloaded Sunrise Alley from the Baen Free Library, which is an awesome source for scifi e-books.

Set not all that far into the future, Sunrise Alley tackles the ethical dilemma facing a society where humans use biomechanical parts to improve quality of life in place of organ transplants, artificial limbs and even for cosmetic reasons. These advances have also led to the creation of androids, who are built using similar types of biomech. Alongside the advances in medicine and robotics has come the development of artificial intelligence. Sunrise Alley takes us through a event that brings about a new development, the merging of forma man-made technology with a human personality into the extraordinary intelligence of Turner.

Samantha Bryton must lead the charge to help keep Turner safe from forces that would destroy him, both from fear and in the name of science, while she helps society determine if he is indeed man or merely a machine. Sep 23, Jon Norimann rated it really liked it Shelves: I haven't read this genre is a while since I've been addicted to historicals and romance , but this was a nice change. Honestly, I picked it up only after knowing there was a relationship in it. The problem is, Turner Pascal is dead and the man she saved is a EI or basically a android created by an evil genius from the dead Turner Pascal's brain.

Turner escapes from the evil genius know I haven't read this genre is a while since I've been addicted to historicals and romance , but this was a nice change. Turner escapes from the evil genius known as Charon and arrives at Sam's place for help. And that's were the chase begins and both of them try to figure out who to trust and where does the line of humanity end. It was a fairly good read. The story was intriguing and the sci-fi aspect was highly evolved.

The romance was also kinda nice, though Sam's random bursts were slightly annoying. Ok, maybe its understandable since Turner's 8-fingeredness probably wouldn't have turned me one either. Still, the romantic in me could only see Turner as human, despite his capabilities. I would have rated this book higher if it wasn't for the whole 'Charon' identity crisis. Seriously, it was so messed up by the end. Fine, everyone's 'Charon', happy? It was just so unnecessary by the end, specifically the 2nd to last chapter. I mentally just ignore it. It doesn't add anything to the story.

I liked the epilogue and it was one of the better sci-fi romances I've come across. This is actually more sci-fi than romance, but it was enough to keep me invested. But only if you like the sci-fi aspect. Not particular to the robot romance, but in general. The first half was pretty exciting. I was hooked on the adventure. By the time things got all twisted up, it just became unbelievable to me. Too many things just sort of just happened. That first half, our main characters were pushing the story and making it ha no spoilers, and not a book report I'm experienced with this sort of sci-fi tale.

That first half, our main characters were pushing the story and making it happen. The ending half was more sluggish. Like crossing a river Then the stones ended and we get all wet and walk through mud the rest of the way. The final twist was most unbelievable. How was this not known all along? As a reader, I felt cheated. But, it was a great story when we felt certain that it was us main characters against the world.

Everyone was suspect, evil and trying to control us. So as all the murky water started clearing up, I kept asking myself "really" over and over. I just wish it was pulled off a little better. All in all, a nice concept, good characters, and interesting. I'm glad I read it, all twisted up. Dec 28, Simeonberesford rated it did not like it Shelves: She also seems to boast a strong arts streak with lots of dance and literary interests. One of her novels has won a Nebula award. She has also a hat full of Romance awards though I cannot comment on how respected they are and is well published in both respected peer reviewed scientific journals and in literary SF journals.

It is necessary not that you suspend disbelief but that you suspend thinking. It is not worth it, not for the sake of her hackneyed prose, uninspired plotting and wooden characterisation. Technically this was romance, but, how can you have a romance between two ciphers, two puppets, mouthing sawdust phrases? Well, It is pretty hard especially when you are also trying to block out the voice in your head telling you how unlikely the whole premise is.

Sep 28, Rebecca Huston rated it liked it Shelves: This one that didn't care much for, despite wanting to really like it. The main character was fairly transparent, the plot predictable, and by the end I didn't give a damn.

There's a sequel, but I'm not going there. Only for the die hard fans. For the longer review, please go here: Jun 15, John Loyd rated it really liked it. Preeminent EI scientist Sam Bryton on her morning jog along her secluded beach discovers the wreckage of a yacht, goes for a swim, finds and rescues the survivor. It turns out that Turner Pascal died, was stolen from the morgue, his brain imaged and downloaded into an EI matrix in his rebuilt body. He thinks he is human, Charon thinks of him as an android and his property.

Turner knows that Charon will be chasing him. Sam and Turner get caught and manage to escape several times. Whether it's Cha Preeminent EI scientist Sam Bryton on her morning jog along her secluded beach discovers the wreckage of a yacht, goes for a swim, finds and rescues the survivor. Whether it's Charon, the military, Sunrise Alley or whoever.

They don't know who to trust except each other and they become close very quickly. There is one reference to the characters in The Phoenix Code. This appears to be in the same universe a decade or two later, when AIs are more developed and some have become EIs.

Editorial Reviews

Very smoothly written, the pages went by quickly. I really enjoyed the Sam and Turner relationship. Asaro does a great job in integrating romance seamlessly into all her stories e. The Quantum Rose is awesome. There is a mystery element to the book--we don't know the identity of Charon. There is a thought provoking element--what kind of rights should sentient machine intelligence have?

Critic Reviews

In Turner's case, where does humanity end? I wouldn't put this up with her Skolian novels, all of which are awesome. Still it's fun, entertaining read incorporating machine intelligence, romance, an enigmatic villain and a couple of really likable main characters. Sep 16, Alex Shrugged rated it liked it Shelves: This robot romance begins well. I had the feeling that the main female character "Sam" was similar to Dr. The "Sam" character is not as strong. The action is reasonable if somewhat confusing, but I expected that initially. Lots of twists and turns, but once the story reaches Sunrise Alley the place, not the book then the story breaks down.

It manages to keep my interest, but at that point I have no idea This robot romance begins well. It manages to keep my interest, but at that point I have no idea where the story is going or why. If I go into more detail I'll give away spoilers and I don't want to do that. This book is partly a romance. By that I mean there is some "bodice ripping" going on and swimming through the sea in panties to rescue a hunky guy.

Occasionally it gets a little steamy, but in comparison to full-out romance novels, this is light in comparison.

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Luckily it doesn't last too long, but it is embarrassing to an old guy like me. I suppose women feel they must endure ridiculous love scenes written by men as well so fair is fair. I have seen other reviewers praise the author for a previous series that impressed them. I will give the author another chance. Frankly, even this series has some promise. I may read the sequel to Sunrise Alley which is " Alpha ". Dec 09, Gail rated it really liked it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I liked it, but I might have liked it more as a book, rather than audio.

It felt very episodic coming as audio, and harder for me to keep track of who was who, since I'm so visual. However, it's a good adventure story. The heroine rescues the hero on her private beach just after a big storm and he tells her he's a dead man who's more or less been resurrected and reconstructed as a self-aware android.

After this, the story seems to become a series of abductions and escapes. It's a good read. Jun 17, Josephine rated it really liked it. Well written not a new concept but well written. Sep 24, Kerry rated it it was amazing Shelves: The theme of this book is age old and timeless: What is it that makes us human? The setting is not. This is Earth in , where information and nano-technology and probably other sciences not specifically relevant to the book have advanced at a great pace.

Dr Samantha Bryton has been a leader in her field; she works with and develops artificial intelligences. In this book, Asaro develops the concept of two different types of artificial intelligence. The first, AI, is artificial intelligence a The theme of this book is age old and timeless: The first, AI, is artificial intelligence as we generally consider it now; it is limited by its programming but able to think within it.

The second she calls EI, which stands for "evolving intelligence". This is AI that has surpassed its programming, becoming sentient. Now, that intelligence is not limited by programming and will evolve through experience and learning. Sam is one of the best in her field, but after blowing the whistle on ethically dubious research and suffering the following publicity, she has retired to her secluded home for some much needed time to herself.

Her solitude is broken when, after a storm, she finds a man washed up on her beach. He says his name is Turner Pascal and he needs her help. She soon discovers he isn't kidding. Technically, Turner is what is called a forma - an engineered body with an EI brain. But, he insists, his mind was imaged moments after he died, and he is still Turner Pascal and he is human. It takes a little convincing, but Sam believes him. He has escaped from the madman and genius who made him and soon both he and Sam find themselves on the run, not knowing whom they can trust.

The story takes them from California to captivity somewhere in the Himalayas and back to the States, constantly trying to stay ahead of their pursuers and find out just exactly what is going on. All the while, Turner is trying to figure what and who he is now, certain he is human, but discovering he is also more. Luring him on are tales of Sunrise Alley, supposedly a haven for EIs who want to be free individuals.

Buy for others

Technically this makes up the third in a series with The Veiled Web and The Phoenix Code, but there is no requirement to have read the other two. It is also interesting that the technology and terms in this book match many that occur in Asaro's Skolian Imperialate series. I have a vague idea that she has said that the Skolian books occur in the future of these books, but I can't remember where I heard it or if it is even true.

So what did I think? I'll admit right at the start that I'm biased. I love Catherine Asaro's books and I started this already predisposed to like it. It was a little slow to start, and the plot is very convoluted - you have to pay attention, especially to who is who, since that occasionally changes.

It's about science and technology and how they may change they ways we define our humanity. It's about dealing with the ghosts of our past and about two people learning to expand their views of who they are and how they care for each other. I found this a very fascinating and enjoyable read.

Sam is immediately a likeable character and if Turner seems a little naive at the beginning, part of that may come from having recently died and being artifically reborn. He certainly develops and matures over the course of the book. At the end, he is perhaps both more human and less human, and a much stronger, deeper man for it. Sam, despite her work with EIs in the past - if not one in such a human and straight out "pretty" body - finds she carries her own share of prejudices that she must acknowledge and overcome.

At the end, they are two people who fit together and are determined to stay together. Sunrise Alley is not a romantic tale with a few futuristic sounding words thrown in. There is science in this science fiction. Asaro has a PhD in physics and her scientific background and knowledge shows in all her books. She has a great talent for combining science with an understanding of human nature and an ability to create strong, flawed characters that engage the reader.

Mar 08, Mars rated it it was ok. It started well enough, and investigated questions of what it means to be human And theeen it went downhill really fast. That happens in this book. Charon's real identity is probably the single stupidest thing I've read in a while. Jan 29, J. Dobias rated it really liked it Shelves: I don't care what everyone else says-I enjoyed this book. Sunrise Alley by Catherine Asaro I picked this e-book up in the kindle version- probably from the publisher-I don't see it on Amazon.

I'm familiar with Catherine Asaro and had not yet read any of her novels. Very disappointing if you've enjoyed previous works. One person found this helpful. Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase. Samantha "Sam" Bryton is one of the top in the biomech field.

Unlike most research scientists though, Sam believed there were ethics even when dealing with EIs. There is a difference between AIs and EIs. AIs are artificial intelligence. EIs, however, are evolved intelligence. In this day and age, most humans are part biomech. As long as over fifty percent of the person remains human, the person is considered alive. But if the human is over half mesh, then the human is no longer considered human or alive. Unlike AIs, all EIs can evolve.

The thin line deciding where humanity ends and mesh begins remains unknown. To Sam, EIs should be treated humanly.

Sunrise Alley

Sam "retired" from BioII when her husband, Richard, died due to experimental components used in creation of forma bodies. One morning, after a storm, Sam goes walking upon her private beach to discover a shipwreck with one survivor, Turner Pascal. But records show that Turner died previously.

She learns from Turner that he really did die, but he woke up to find himself in a lab and being experimented on by a mad man known as Charon. Charon is the most ruthless criminal of the twenty-first century. No one knows who he really is or what he really looks like. Sam and Turner find themselves on the run across the country, pursued by Charon. They seek help from an underground organization called Sunrise Alley. Those within Sunrise Alley grant Sam and Turner sanctuary, as well as, support. Problem is that the cybernetic outlaws have their own hidden agenda.

If you have ever watched and enjoyed the old movie "Logan's Run", then you will simply adore this tale.

Sanctuary is for EIs, instead of humans over age thirty. This title is a stand alone story; however, one of the characters from this book, Alpha, has had her story just released as well.

Hardback Editions

Be sure to look for it! If it is even half as enjoyable as this story is, you are in for a treat. Some of the ideas the author had were interesting despite the reoccurring, A. I listened to it as an audio. I'm not sure if it was the reader's interpretation of the characters or the writer's, but there was a distasteful feeling about the two main characters. I liked parts of the ending, but it was surrounded in corny scenario. Sam's access to the military and her relationship with General Thomas was refreshing. The story has a descent flow even with it's story limitations.

It feels like it was written for an adolescent or a teenager. If that is true then mention of a sex scene or two is inappropriate. Though I wasn't satisfied with the story, I came across a cheap copy of its sequel and will read it, to see if it is any better. See all 18 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Set up a giveaway. What other items do customers buy after viewing this item? Primary Inversion Kindle Edition.

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