System Error: In Your Favour

by Iain Clements

The world is in the midst of the worst financial crisis in recorded history. The 24 hour rolling news stations are struggling to keep up with the number of banks collapsing, companies going into administration, and the wider effects these issues are having on the public. Many experts are trying vainly to explain just what is going on, but in London's Canary Wharf district computer specialist Kate Meer understands all too well the cause of these seemingly unconnected problems. A new artificially intelligent computer system called C.A.R.L that she designed is out of her control. As events in the world continue to spin out of control and the global financial markets embark on a roller-coaster ride, Kate has to join forces with James Gold, a notorious hacker, to try and regain control of their renegade system before it’s too late.

77 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2013

About the author

Iain Clements is a freelance writer, originally born in the United Kingdom.

In addition to several fiction novels including "System Error: In Your Favour" and "Tweet of Faith", (available on Amazon.com and other on-line stores) he has published and presented numerous technical papers on subjects including Salesforce.com, e-learning, Customer Relationship Management Systems, and e-learning design.

Reviews

[Al · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of artificial intelligence run amuck when an anthropomorphic computer develops a mind of its own has been done to death. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for another story that treads similar ground (no story is ever completely original) and this one has potential. However, with most people having better understanding of computers and how they function, it is harder to for the reader to suspend disbelief and maintain that suspension to the end. I struggled with that some, but was mostly able. However, this wasn’t my only concern with System Error …

My other issues were largely technical. Proofing issues such as using the wrong word (“David seemed monetarily put off by the question…”) or outright typos (“‘Typical of head office not to inform tell us’ mused on the investigators.”), to start.

Then there was convoluted syntax, as in “Kate sat at her computer terminal late on Wednesday afternoon with the fading light of the sun shining through her half-lowered blinds on her floor.” What were the blinds doing on her floor? Another example, “…he would have put money on betting that this application would be rejected,” seemed a touch redundant (“would have bet” is much clearer although I guess technically he could have bet something other than money).

Last, the ending cheapened the story and whatever impact it might have had. Explaining why would be a spoiler, so I won’t say more, but the story would have been at least marginally stronger had it ended before the last chapter.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Bryan Cacciatore · Rating 2 out of 5]

When a virus made to infiltrate a bank's system collides with their new AI, it inadvertently gives that AI a mind to think for itself. That is the general premise of System error: in your favor and it played out quite interestingly. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading, but it ended up going down a fun path. There was some unbelievability in the banks over reaching of power, and the author didn't do much digging into how hacker groups operate, but otherwise it followed a good story line.

If you are in the mood to just sit back and watch a powerful computer system (with more powerful than currently available from a bank server) run away and do what it thinks is best for how it sees society, give it a read. If you get caught on things that don't fully make sense but are just there to push the story forward then you will want to pass on this one as there are quite a few "really?" moments. Overall it was a good read and a fun take on a computer than can think for itself.

[Mike Nemeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iain Clements takes on the concept artificial intelligence from the perspective of a hacker and an information technology specialist. The IT woman works at a too-big-to-fail bank and ends up heading a team that creates a super computer program. At first the program does what it's told, taking big data, crunching it and determining who to lend to and who not to lend to. Simple right? Hardly. Kate has created the first step toward Isaac Asimov's robot mind, without the Three Laws. Her creation learns to think for itself when hacker James joins in, seeding a rogue program into its memory banks and giving the system a personality reboot. The story's short and the bad guys are real bumblers. It's got some errors, but the plot moves along rather quickly. Clements is a Brit so expect some spellings not accepted by The Associated Press. I liked that bit.

[Sean Randall · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this irritating. An author who mixes up philosophy and psychology, adds things for the sake of bulk (I'm talking about the ATM), uses command-line computer parlance with, clearly, no understanding thereof and then has the gall to show you an extract of another novel featuring very similar geographical constraints, so you don't even feel as if you've finished the first. Not remotely impressed with this mishmashed mess-up.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on a goodreads giveaway it was pretty good and it dint take
me long to read and the book is ok if your into theses type of books :)

[Iain Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iain Clements

[Iain Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cracking read...