The Disruption
The Disruption is a piquing science fiction novel about AI, religion, and human society.
Weaving through different communities, timelines, and secrets, W. H. Hilf’s intricate science fiction novel The Disruption is set in a future that’s haunted by AI and human horrors.
After the Disruption, when superpowered AI almost wiped out humanity, people are split between a new space colony, Proxima, and technology-free Earth. On Proxima, strange changes in the various computers and androids cause concern. On Earth, tension between a rising cult and a growing rebellion make for dire situations. A grand conspiracy emerges as people attempt to navigate the effects of their own creations.
The novel switches between characters (some human, some android), timelines, and locations at will, drawing gradual links between the events on Proxima and Earth, even as contrasts are drawn between technology-rich Proxima and computer-resistant Earth, resulting in complexity. As the immediate threats are handled, the wider conspiracy lingers, and humanity is set to reunite. Rapid perspective changes also occur, though, and mysteries linger; mushrooms are revealed to be key to survival or defeat.
Complicated relationships and long-held secrets are also at the novel’s core, though no clear hero emerges on the whole. A few characters in this ranging ensemble do stand out nonetheless, including siblings Riley and Marika; most, though, blur together, as the sheer number of included names impedes deep characterizations. Several major reveals and betrayals fall flat because of insufficient setup, too, and the book’s most emotional moments are weakened by the inherent distance between the audience and their focal characters. With so many interesting ideas and character dynamics at play, the novel comes to feel too rushed.
The intricacies of the book’s science-focused plotlines are not always explained in full either, leading to momentary stalls. The two settings, and their ongoing issues, are drawn with more clarity, used to heighten tension and generate momentum. Themes related to how religion is used to control people also arise, with people turning to religion in response to AI challenges and AI learning from their needs in turn. In the end, the book ends up falling short as a standalone: Its ending sets up a coming story and leaves some of the threats to humanity unanswered in this volume. Further, some elements of the conclusion are unconvincing: One heinous antagonist is taken out with relative ease and little pushback, straining credulity.
About AI, religion, and human society, The Disruption is a revealing dystopian novel in which human beings evolve to meet the challenges of their technological creations.
Reviewed by
Katherine Woods
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
