Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love all things weird, wicked and ghoulish. Ghost tales, scary movies and trick or treating! It is just so much fun!
And, what could be better than having a positively dark and chilling story to enjoy for Halloween??
That's why today I am treating you to the weirdly twisted and uniquely written, iFrankenstein by Bekka Black.
This is the second instalment in the iMonsters series and is the re-telling of the classic by Mary Shelley. So join me on another awesome JKS
Communications Blog Tour, as we showcase this exciting book.
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Frankenstein comes to life for the wired
generation.
Following her critically-acclaimed iDrakula, award-winning author Bekka Black breathes life into a modern re-telling of iFrankenstein, using only text messages, web browsers, tweets, and emails.
Homeschooled teenager Victor Frankenstein is determined to write his own ticket to independence: a chatbot to win the prestigious Turing prize and admission to the high tech university of his choice. He codes his creation with a self-extending version of his own online personality and unleashes it upon the internet. But soon he begins to suspect his virtual clone may have developed its own goals, and they are not aligned with Victor’s. The creature has its own plan, fed by a growing desire to win darker and more precious prizes: unfettered power and release from loneliness.
As the creature’s power and sentience grows and its increasingly terrible deeds bleed over from the online world into the real one, Victor must stop his creation before his friends and humanity pay the ultimate price.
Following her critically-acclaimed iDrakula, award-winning author Bekka Black breathes life into a modern re-telling of iFrankenstein, using only text messages, web browsers, tweets, and emails.
Homeschooled teenager Victor Frankenstein is determined to write his own ticket to independence: a chatbot to win the prestigious Turing prize and admission to the high tech university of his choice. He codes his creation with a self-extending version of his own online personality and unleashes it upon the internet. But soon he begins to suspect his virtual clone may have developed its own goals, and they are not aligned with Victor’s. The creature has its own plan, fed by a growing desire to win darker and more precious prizes: unfettered power and release from loneliness.
As the creature’s power and sentience grows and its increasingly terrible deeds bleed over from the online world into the real one, Victor must stop his creation before his friends and humanity pay the ultimate price.
Get your copy of iFrankenstein today!!
And now, for your real treat, here's an interview with Victor Frankenstein! Enjoy!
Hello Victor,
Thank you for joining us today. I’m glad we
were able to drag you away from your laptop long enough for a quick chat J
You
didn’t really. I’m typing this on my laptop. The new one.
Oh, well, you can't say I never tried *shakes head*
1.
Tell us a bit more about
yourself.
I’m a homeschooled kid from Palo Alto who likes to program and hang out
online. I used to have dreams of taking
over the world, but I think I need to adjust those a bit.
2.
Why do you have such a dislike
for nature?
The climate control is terrible! It’s too warm, too cold, too windy, and too
wet. Also, there are things out there
that bite you and the last time I tried to commune with nature I was almost
struck by lightning. Should I go on? Err, no. I think we get the picture.
3.
You’re so wrapped up in your
technology. Do you ever worry that you’ll miss something? Life is buzzing
around you yet you seem quite oblivious to it at times.
Life buzzes plenty online, thank you. Touché
4.
Didn’t you ever feel a little
selfish, especially when there was so much of Europe to see with Elizabeth and
all you wanted to do was be tucked away with your laptop?
I was trying to create an entirely new form of life! That’s very time-consuming
and, perhaps, more important than visiting creaky museums full of art.
Although, in retrospect, that’s what I should have done and I have apologize to
Elizabeth many, many (many!) times.
5.
Why was creating a chatbot for
The True Turing Prize Contest so important to you?
I wanted to show my father that I wasn’t wasting time online, that I could
create amazing things there. Also, I
hoped it would make it possible for me to get a scholarship for college. My
father is a photographer, so we’re not exactly rolling in dough.
6.
Do you feel that your haste to
create V.V. is what caused his “malfunction”?
No, I think the concept was flawed from the start.
7.
When you were first hacked,
were you never suspicious that it had something to do with V.V.?
I couldn’t even imagine that he could get so powerful so quickly. Nothing like
that has ever happened before.
8.
And later, when it got more
personal? (referring to a certain letter emailed to you)
Then I started to suspect a very close friend. You know who.
9.
Do you really believe that V.V.
cured Henry? If so, are you not in the least bit curious to see if you can re-create
V.V. for the greater good of mankind? (With proper control measures this time,
of course)
I’m still not convinced that V.V cured Henry, no matter what Henry says. I am curious as to ways I could create a more
controlled V.V and I have some ideas for how…wait…I can’t. I promised
Elizabeth.
10.
Have you tried creating another
chatbot?
Umm…no…not at all…no way. Hmmm, yes sure...of course I believe you *raises eyebrow*
11.
What did you learn from the
entire V.V. experience?
I learned not to create a sentient life form with no moral code. And also that
Elizabeth is amazing, and Henry is a good friend at the worst of times.
12.
It spokes volumes about your
true character when you agreed to be on an even playing field, with Henry, in
the hopes of winning Elizabeth’s heart. So tell me, were you victorious in the
end? Are you a “Golden God” ;)
That’s still playing out. I’m hopeful.
About the Author:
After a childhood often spent without electricy
and running water, Bekka escaped the beautiful wilderness of Talkeetna, Alaska
for indoor plumbing and 24/7 electricity in Berlin, Germany. Used to the cushy
lifestyle, she discovered the Internet in college and has been wasting time on
it ever since (when not frittering away her time on her iPhone). Somehow, she
manages to write novels, including the award-winning Hannah Vogel mystery
series set, in all places, 1930s Berlin, and The Blood Gospel series (with
James Rollins).
She lives in Berlin with her husband, son, two cats, and too many geckoes to count. iDrakula is her first cell phone novel.
She lives in Berlin with her husband, son, two cats, and too many geckoes to count. iDrakula is her first cell phone novel.
Website: http://bekkablack.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Bekka_Black
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