Singularity Heights


Fiction - Science Fiction
355 Pages
Reviewed on 09/02/2019
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Lex Allen for Readers' Favorite

In Singularity Heights by Jay Solomon, readers are immersed in a potential, future New York where robots (bots) handle almost all aspects of daily life. Following the "Great War," surviving humans in the only remaining and habitable city developed a system that gives control of the livelihood, business, and enforcement of government laws to a population of bots that strictly follow rules established by humans in a far distant past. Humans no longer work and the two-percent "MoMos" enjoy a life of luxury and wealth over the impoverished ninety-eight percent "NoMos." The lives of Jaden, an "Einstein" among the underground rebellion and Sunny, a young woman struggling to survive, intertwine with DeShay, a congressman and multi-millionaire, to create a fascinating story.

Jay Solomon's writing style is lean, smooth, and fast-paced. His characters, bots, humans, and personal assistants, are carefully modeled to reflect realistic personalities. Though the scope of the story is huge, Solomon creates it in three parts that enable continuity while maintaining a fast pace by eliminating long explanatory passages that tend to drag a story down. From page one, I instantly established empathy, sympathy, like or dislike for each character as they were introduced. Sub-plots weave seamlessly throughout the main storyline to create a great reading experience with all the twists and turns of real life. Among dystopian science-fiction / thriller stories, I would rank Singularity Heights at the top of a shortlist that reflects our current world and what it might look like in the not-so-distant future. A fascinating and smart story written by a master and guaranteed to please all fans of these genres as well as those who simply enjoy a great story well told.

Keyla Damaer

What happens in a world where robots are employed to do everything mankind needs? This is the imaginary world Jay Solomon leads us to in Singularity Heights. While Washington argues on increasing security measures and the national wage, the destinies of three characters intertwine. Deshay, Sunny, and Jaden meet in the only place run by humans, a coffee bar with real coffee served, in a world where humans don’t work anymore because bots do everything humans need to be done. Bots and humans live side by side, mostly in a peaceful way, although there are extremists who think they know better. They protest against the legislation approved after the Big War that caused poisonous radiation and almost annihilated the world population. At least, according to the official version of history. Legislation keeps the divide between the unemployed 98% of the American population and the 2% rich.

Singularity Heights is a perfect summer read with an interesting window on a future after a nuclear war. But the war is not at the center of the story, just part of a background of this future. In this novel, Jay Solomon deals with the long-standing issue of labor mechanization. In a future where no one works, what will people do? How they will survive. The characters in this story don’t fare as badly as in other dystopian books I’ve read, but the system in which they live is rigged and some of them want to understand what is beyond the reality that the bots and politicians feed them every day. The author handles delicate matters with wit and humor. Funny scenes appear here and there to light up the dark moments of this visionary and compelling story. A recommended book.

K.C. Finn

Singularity Heights is a futuristic work of science fiction penned by author Jay Solomon. Written for adults due to its graphic content and themes, this intriguing not too distant reality sees humanity living in an extreme wage gap where inequality is taken as the norm and decisions on wealth are only made by the wealthy. As robots keep everything in check through vast and oversaturated automation, the meeting of three central characters could be the catalyst for a vast upheaval of everything they know. The system is rigged for them, for their whole lives, and Sunny, DeShay and Jaden can’t help but wonder why.

Author Jay Solomon holds up a mirror to today’s society, then takes it on an incredible journey of exploration and adventure. The plotlines of Singularity Heights are tightly woven and well thought out, with every question answered and the exposition of reality neatly woven into dialogue and context so that it never interrupts the action. The central characters are ordinary, relatable people going through the same struggles of purpose and relationship that we all do, which makes them prime targets to explore the effects of dystopia and disaster on a society trying to rebuild, but also keep tight reins on its people. The description is stylish but not overdone, leaving some moments to breathe in the atmosphere but not too many that it overwhelms the action. Overall, Singularity Heights is a highly accomplished work of modern science fiction that is sure to please fans of realistic speculative drama.

Sherri Fulmer Moorer

Imagine a world where AI (Artificial Intelligence) does all the work, while humanity simply collects wages and prospers through good investments. It sounds like utopia, right? Now imagine this world rose from the ashes of a war that left most of the world immersed in dangerous radiation, and the lingering political system ensures that the rich stay rich, while the poor stay poor through rigged systems monitored by the AI overseeing all of the work. Suddenly, this world doesn't seem much better than our own, as protests erupt to fight to get our old system back to establish a semblance of equality. Singularity Heights, by Jay Solomon, takes us into this futuristic world as we witness life from the perspective of four strangers whose lives are intertwined through chance and choice as they fight to determine who is really in control of life - and the world - as they know it, and to determine if it really can change.

I enjoyed Singularity Heights because it's a different type of science fiction. It seems to have more of a "literary" bent, as it explores not only the science behind the futuristic society, but how this science affects the relationships people have with the AI running the world, and with one another. Jay Solomon has done a great job of painting a picture of a future that isn't too grand or bleak to be believable, and I especially enjoyed the complex relationships among all of the characters. Although four are mentioned in the description, I found all of the characters to be interesting, and the author has created an intriguing picture of how lives intertwine. An excellent and compelling read.

Astrid Iustulin

As we are living in a world where technology has more and more influence in our society, a book like Singularity Heights can invite reflection. This novel by Jay Solomon is set in New York at a time when bots have taken control. Human beings do not need to do anything anymore. They do not even have to work and, worst of all, think. Bots have empathy, and they can be helpful to their protégés who, for their parts, find it difficult to have good human relationships. This is the world where the three very different protagonists of Singularity Heights act and interact: Congressman DeShaw Miller, a lovely woman named Sunny Kwon, and Jaden Conrad-Cruz, who has his reasons to mistrust bots.

Singularity Heights is a fast-paced novel that is enjoyable and critical at the same time. As I am worried about the excess of technology in our lives, I found good advice in this book alongside a great story. Solomon explores the matter from any point of view because his three protagonists show the possible reactions to bots. The fact that one of them is a congressman reveals the political implications of a society where human beings are, as Sunny says, “a distant second” in comparison to bots. However, bots are not the real problem, but it is how human beings shape their world that influences their lives. I have found this an intelligent concept. In short, Singularity Heights is an amazing read. Solomon can entertain his readers and make them think, and I always value books like these.