Guy Haley weaves a superb blend of the fantastical and artificial in his Reality 36: A Richards & Klein Investigation. In the (not so) distant future, the world has changed through the progression of technology and the meaning of what being human is and the question of life is altered.

In a time where the first generation of artificial intelligences are deemed as unworthy, rapid development of increasingly more powerful A.I.’s ranged from series one through seven. As these creations languished, Class Five A.I.’s were the closest to surpassing the human mind; Class Six and Seven were considered more biddable and able to follow directions. Of the many thousands of Fives that were created, only seventy-six were given the right to function and live.

Richards, one of the Five, is distinctly different in his actions and mannerisms. Living amongst the humans and finely attuned to its ongoing problems, including the philosophical questions of life, Richards can appear more human than human at times.

On the other hand, Otto Klein can be considered the model soldier. Initially chosen by the EU to join its cyborg commando program where he would fight machines, Otto ends up in Brazil fighting starved farmers in a political power play of democracy versus Neo-Communism. His body now complete with additional machinery and tech, Otto is more cyborg than human.

Richards and Otto make a wonderfully amusing duo, an artificial intelligence unit and a man-turned-machine. As Richards & Klein, Security Consultants, they are able to tackle insurmountable odds; Richards as the think-tank, Otto as the brute force.

Haley has created characters that are interesting and believable. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses, and the courage to face fear despite the unlikely possibilities. Veronique Valdaire, a former tech in the marines and her trusty A.I., Chloe; the artificial intelligences in one of the Realms, Tarquinis, a lion cyborg amped up with military gear, and Sir Jagadith Veyadeep, a paladin, both who guard the Realm’s safety; and the quirky human-cydroids of Professor Zhang Qifang.

The Realms are basically a suped up Internet where humans and A.I.’s are capable of entering and searching for data, lost information or people. Think The Matrix and its behind-the-neck plugs -- anything you think of, if you are human, will be conjured out of thin air.

There is a depth of subtle context about what it means to be human in a post-humanism society. An issue of contemplation considering the rate that technology is generated at currently. Haley’s usage of cyborgs for military usage, mecha transformers, and the ability to swallow a pill to live longer draws a fine line of what is real and what isn’t. Would it be considered murder to shut down artificial life?

While the start of the novel seemingly had no connection, each chapter a different short story, Haley weaves everything wonderfully together. Reality 36 is gritty, adventure-filled cyberpunk with witty characters and an open concept of what the future could be. The conclusion of Reality 36 leaves a trail for the next novel, in which Richards and Otto continue to pursue k52 to keep their world and all 27 Realms alive.

   -- Cassandra Chin