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J-F Dubeau

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The Life Engineered (World Engineered) Paperback – March 1, 2016

by JF Dubeau (Author)

4.2 284 ratings

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"J-F. Dubeau’s The Life Engineered is a real page turner for anyone interested in science fiction and good literature. It brought a smile to my face as some passages made me reminisce of my own time spent aboard Galactica as a Raptor pilot!" ― Leah Cairns, Battlestar Galactica and Interstellar

JF Dubeau’s debut novel, The Life Engineered begins in the year 3594, where humanity is little more than a memory―a legend of the distant past destined to reappear. Capeks, a race of artificial creatures originally created by humans, have inherited the galaxy and formed a utopian civilization built on the shared goal of tirelessly working to prepare for their makers’ return.

One moment a cop dying in the line of duty in Boston, the next “reborn” as a Capek, Dagir must find her place in this intricate society. That vaguely remembered “death” was but the last of hundreds of simulated lives, distilling her current personality. A robot built for rescue and repair, she finds her abilities tested immediately after her awakening when the large, sentient facility that created her is destroyed, marking the only instance of murder the peaceful Capeks have ever known. For the first time in their history, conflicting philosophies clash, setting off a violent civil war that could lay waste to the stars themselves.

Dagir sets off on a quest to find the killers, and finds much more than she sought. As the layers of the Capeks’ past peel away to reveal their early origins, centuries-old truths come to light. And the resulting revelations may tear humanity’s children apart―and destroy all remnants of humankind.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"J-F. Dubeau’s The Life Engineered is a real page turner for anyone interested in science fiction and good literature. It brought a smile to my face as some passages made me reminisce of my own time spent aboard Galactica as a Raptor pilot!" ― Leah Cairns, Battlestar Galactica and Interstellar
"A different spin on the future of artificial intelligence." ― Geek and Sundry

"Tired of stories of humanity fighting against robot overlords? Read one for the robots. A fascinating investigation of whether even creatures we created could avoid our own foibles and fates." ― Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt, Sword & Laser

About the Author

With a deep fascination for science, JF Dubeau's inspiration for writing books comes from the clash of thought and science, ultimately, how this tension will affect the human race. Dubeau currently works as a graphic designer, telling other people's stories in images and brands. When not writing books, in his spare time he writes and illustrates a web comic called The Eldritch Age.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sword & Laser (March 1, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 175 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1941758592
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1941758595
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,191,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,967 in Technothrillers (Books)
- #6,949 in Genetic Engineering Science Fiction (Books)
- #15,037 in Dystopian Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 284 ratings

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J-F Dubeau

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I love stories. I love consuming them and telling them. Whether as books or comics or movies or interactive role playing games or even on stage doing improv, I just love stories.

I currently work as a graphic designer where I get to tell other people's stories in images and brands. In my spare time I write and illustrate a web comic called The Eldritch Age.

I have a fascination for science, both as it is right now and for the possibilities it opens up in the technological sense but also the philosophical one.

This is where the ideas for my books come from; the clash of thought and science and where, in the long run, it can lead us as a species.

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4.2 out of 5

284 global ratings

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Alf Hansen

Worth the wait!

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016

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I have had the pleasure of following the process of this book making it this far. And as an avid reader, it's been an absolute joy to see this gem of a book being refined into what it has become.

This is both an homage to great sci-fi writers and a great way to familiarise yourself with the genere. Not many books can claim this, but I'm happy to recommend The Life Engineered to both sci-fi veterans and readers willing to give it a first go.

Bottom line. Read it, because it's a great book and you won't regret it.

Disclaimer: I am a backer of this book from its inkshares campaign.

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T

Intricate sci-fi world as seen from the robot side of things

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2016

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite the few quirks it had that, for me, made the reading of it not as immersive as I would have liked. This is an intricate world portrayed in this story, teeming with many different robotic life-forms. The characters are likable and their tale is an intriguing one, and the science-geek in me danced with joy at the technological aspects scattered throughout the story.

But.

I wanted to be able to connect with the characters, I really did. There's a fine line one must walk when portraying robots with human tendencies, and while the story describes the characters as completely computerized yet with filtered personalities to make them compatible (and, I figure, relatable) to humans... something just didn't click with me. They didn't seem robot enough, if that can be a complaint.

The other biggest thing I had against this story was the pacing. When I wanted things to move fast because it was a tense moment and a lot was at stake, Dagir opened up an information file and I got a bunch of world-building. When I wanted some explanation as to what was going on, things just carried on as if I knew precisely everything and the information had been given to me and I was expected to understand the meaning of the portrayed actions.

It was a bit confusing, honestly.

But.

This is a brilliantly imagined story. As stated before, the science-geek in me ate up the technological parts of the book, described so well that the impossible seemed very possible. The concept of the intricate Capek culture and "caste" system if you will was absolutely amazing. The action scenes were well-written and drew me in, playing in my mind like I was watching them on the big screen. I loved the epic spaceship Capeks and the mythological naming/class system going on with them (though some of the names I still can't pronounce properly!).

So, my overall opinion on this book: if you like old-school sci-fi movies, you'll like this book. If you enjoy the vast world of space and all the possibilities it holds, you'll enjoy this book. If you love those intense, mind-blowing space battles of Star Wars, you'll love this book.

And if you want to know what it's like from the robot side of things, you need to read this book.

One person found this helpful

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Kristopher M. Schnee

Pretty Good, But There's Such a Thing As Too Action Packed

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2017

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Quick, the place where you are is exploding! Run to the next place! Wait, that exploded too! I love good world-building, and there's some of it here, but since large chunks of the setting keep exploding, it's a little tough to settle down for long enough to learn about this otherwise interesting world. For me, it would have been nice to have a chapter where the heroine gets a quiet moment to explore this far-future society of androids who have varied, self-designed bodies and fly between the stars.

I enjoyed what I got to see of the setting, along with the premise and some cool set-piece scenes. Maybe we can get a sequel?

One person found this helpful

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Rob Dalton

Excellent example of the genre

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016

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A well-balanced mix of speculative sci-fi and political thriller. "The Life Engineered" is a strong first showing from new author J-F Dubeau. As a fan of the genre I've found that truly good modern sci-fi is, for me, hard to come by - a lot of it feels formulaic, hokey, or made with movie deals in mind. Not so with this novel; it's a well-told tale with plenty of twists, exploration of sociopolitical themes on the level of Asimov, complex and unique characters and gripping space battles, with a heavy dash of mythology and legend. Highly recommended.

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2015

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Part science fiction, part mythology, part commentary on war and jingoism, and part "Little Engine That Could", J-F Dubeau's "The Life Engineered" takes just the right parts of all those things and weaves together an interesting, compelling, and ambitious story. Dubeau builds a fully fleshed out world full of fully fleshed out characters. Despite the fact that everyone in the book is some form of Artificial Intelligence, the wide range of humanity on display is sure to give every reader someone to relate to. Dubeau manages to give humanity and objective points of view to all kinds of robots, right down to the villain of the tale.
Dubeau's world building skills are in full effect here. It runs a bit heavy for my personal taste, but it in no way takes away from the enjoyment of the story, or the attachment to the characters. Ultimately, it weaves a more complete picture around the events happening and works to transport your brain to the future in which this tale takes place. The world-building is done in a way that falls into the natural pace of the storytelling. I found it a bit jarring at first, but it plays to the rhythm of Dubeau's writing style and I soon got very used to it.
Bottom line: Read this. Dubeau's got something to say, and he's built himself a damn fine platform with which to say it. There's a story. There's a point. There's a humanity to a story about robots, and it's all worth experiencing. A great weekend read, whose conclusion is both looking to the future and sewing up the past. It's brilliant.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Philip Chan

A thought-provoking space opera

Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2020

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Space opera is perhaps not quite the right description for a Utopian society discovering war for the first time. Nevertheless, it is an exciting journey though a fascinating universe that touches on deep philosophical questions like free will, purpose, and what it means to be alive.

Woody

Thoroughly enjoyable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2014

Verified Purchase

A fast paced scifi adventure that is well written. Got lots of action, scifi and twists on the way. The ending leads into a option for extending the story so isn't as finished as I would like, but I would be happy to continue on with the adventure. ... I thoroughly enjoyed it.

JOOLS

Ok

Reviewed in Canada on August 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

Some interesting concepts but I got bogged down with all the hard to pronounce names given to all the different characters.
For me it was a distraction that made it hard to follow.
The story was the same old concept about good versus evil,with a bunch of machines instead of humans.

2 people found this helpful

go4bust

couldn't put the book down!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2014

Verified Purchase

Really nice reading. Hope there will be more of the same, even if not a sequel. Look forward to a sequel if one is planned.