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Zero Percenters: A Novel Paperback – December 7, 2019
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Would you sacrifice your humanity to live free from pain and suffering?
Conservationist Anja Lapin always stood firm against her father’s profiteering. But in her wildest dreams, she never guessed his tech company would stumble on an algorithm enabling humans to digitize their bodies and secure artificial immortality.
Before Anja can stage a protest, terrorists take out the research team, along with her father. Billions adopt the new technology in record time, lured by an eternity free from pain and filled with pleasure—even if it means losing a few pieces of their identity.
Anja finds she’s one of the last two flesh and blood humans remaining on Earth. But while her worries turn to the future of consciousness, her father’s rival plots to hijack the network of digitized people and claim ultimate control.
Can Anja counter the attack and safeguard a brave new stage of human evolution?
Zero Percenters is a metaphysical science fiction novel. If you like exploring futuristic possibilities, artificial intelligence, and the meaning of life, then you’ll love Scott T. Grusky’s intriguing adventure.
Buy Zero Percenters to witness the future of consciousness today!
- Print length284 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateDecember 7, 2019
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.71 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100965119041
- ISBN-13978-0965119047
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Transcendence-seekers will sink blissfully into this fable of how technological liberation from the flesh might lead to mass enlightenment. -BookLife Reviews
A bright, excellently thought out, page-turning tale. Humanity's never ending struggle towards balance is explored with a contemporary computer-age twist in Scott T. Grusky's fine science fiction novel, Zero Percenters.
-IndieReader
Grusky's story goes beyond the usual imagining of virtual society by asking what the uploaded have lost and how conflict will emerge in the virtual.
-Amazing Stories
This is a book for today's society... Grusky has given the world much to think about in terms of the future and what to possibly expect. -San Francisco Book Review
Readers of sci-fi won't be the only audience to appreciate this vivid, personal story of a woman placed in impossible situations. Fans of thriller and high-tech novels of terrorism and survival will also be enthralled by a story packed with satisfying twists, exceptionally strong characterization, and high-tech intrigue that keeps the story logical, fast-paced, yet firmly rooted in emotional elements.
-Midwest Book Review
This book was wonderfully written... an excellent read for fans of realistic science fiction.-Manhattan Book Review
Like Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End or Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, Zero Percenters is another articulate voice advocating for continuation of life because of its joys and the inexpressible experience of existence. The book is populated with very human characters, even the AI "concierges," self-aware constructs charged with caring for their human counterparts. -BlueInk Review
Zero Percenters is philosophical science fiction--a novel take on what it means to be human. In Scott T. Grusky's science fiction thriller, a young woman grapples with morality as humanity evolves into a digital form.-Foreword Clarion Reviews
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Furthest Press (December 7, 2019)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 284 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0965119041
- ISBN-13 : 978-0965119047
- Item Weight : 13.3 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.71 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,134,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #135 in Genetic Algorithms
- #2,266 in Religious Science Fiction & Fantasy (Books)
- #6,298 in Humorous Science Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
DRONES, DYSTOPIA AND DHARMA: Scott T. Grusky lives in Los Angeles, California. He holds an M.A. in economics from Harvard University and has spent most of his adult life either writing about technology or slogging through its trenches.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They praise the descriptive writing style and imaginative concept. However, some feel the characters lack depth and are one-dimensional.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They say it's a fascinating philosophical exploration that will appeal to readers of sci-fi adventure stories and self-help books. The story tackles some interesting questions about human consciousness.
"...Following the science fiction setup, the story focuses much more on issues of human consciousness, as well as the developing mindfulness of robotic..." Read more
"...This engaging story will appeal to readers of scifi adventure stories and self-help/wellness books alike." Read more
"...Overall it was a really intriguing read and I would be open to reading more from the author, just based on the genius concept alone...." Read more
"...across the earth in real time and on a speculative, mind-expanding leap through consciousness...." Read more
Customers find the writing quality descriptive, with writerly touches and thoughtfulness. They appreciate the intriguing premise and creative, speculative description of the journey toward the essence of the novel. Many fantasies are explored and much detail is provided via numbers and statistics that are easily accessible.
"...expect of a story related from an AI point of view, the prose is clean and serviceable without superfluous imagery and writerly touches...." Read more
"The basic premise of this novel is intriguing...." Read more
"There are so many fantasies explored in ZERO PERCENTERS: A NOVEL by Scott T. Grusky including turning into a bird, child, or even David Bowie...." Read more
"...The characters were a little one dimensional and vague at times and the story just didn't go where it could have gone...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's original concept and theme. They find the writing engaging with its detailed descriptions of breathtaking vistas. However, some readers feel the book is too realistic.
"...an AI point of view, the prose is clean and serviceable without superfluous imagery and writerly touches...." Read more
"...Anja's personal journey, one that takes her to breathtaking vistas described with loving detail, this metamorphosis quickly pivots from scifi to..." Read more
"This book was a trip. I loved the concept so so much, and it could of really turned into one of my favorites, but unfortunately it fell a little..." Read more
"...Grusky does a good job here and tackles some engaging questions about the nature of consciousness, authentic experience and suffering...." Read more
Customers find the characters one-dimensional and vague at times. They feel the storyline lacks strong characters.
"...The characters were a little one dimensional and vague at times and the story just didn't go where it could have gone...." Read more
"...The characters are one-dimensional, and the one evil doer is vanquished quickly and easily...." Read more
"...What are lacking in his storyline are strong characters. Each character reads as the same, with nothing to differentiate from the other...." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2019With dystopic fiction currently the rage, Scott Grusky has daringly created a utopian vision of a future in which the most pressing of global problems are solved in the nick of time. The solution is a technological breakthrough which not only relieves humans from the breakdown of flesh and blood, but also from the physical necessity of consuming the planet’s scarce resources and polluting the Earth with noxious byproducts. ’Nuff said: it is a challenge to review this novel without giving away more of its plot than one would wish to know before reading the book.
Following the science fiction setup, the story focuses much more on issues of human consciousness, as well as the developing mindfulness of robotic humanoids such as the narrator, Vicia, who are actually extensions of smart phones with human body “covers” and some cool new aps. “Nam myoho renge kyo” came to mind, as well as my vestigial TM mantra. Veeeery interesting.
As one might expect of a story related from an AI point of view, the prose is clean and serviceable without superfluous imagery and writerly touches. Much detail is supplied via numbers and statistics which are effortlessly accessible to Vicia. I read this novel in 4.2 sittings and recommend it highly as a very provocative interlude from our toxic and troubled present. There are worse marketing slogans than “eternal loving kindness!”
- Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2020The world stands upon the brink of breakthrough - or disaster. One young woman who still cares about preventing global catastrophe - Anja Lapin - appears on the scene as a savior-to-be, introduced by glowing praise from her beneficiaries in the not-too-distant future. But when she first shows up, she's more petulant than inspiring, getting into a spat with her scientist dad and storming off to be alone.
As ZERO PERCENTERS goes on, however, Anja develops from this unremarkable beginning into a person who changes lives - and helps the rest of humanity take the next step in their evolutionary path, from biological to digital beings.
This book is built on a high science-fiction concept, but the execution is surprisingly down to earth. Rather than bogging the reader down in a tech-heavy explanation of the algorithms that make "zero percent" biological human beings possible, the story leads onward to the implications of such a transformation. Paired with Anja's personal journey, one that takes her to breathtaking vistas described with loving detail, this metamorphosis quickly pivots from scifi to philosophy. How would humanity's search for meaning change if we no longer had to worry about disease, pain, or death?
The answer, as ZERO PERCENTERS tells it, would be to shift along with our digitized bodies from selfishness to love, from physical to spiritual transcendence. While the inciting incident seems far-fetched, the conclusions this book reaches are all too close to the struggles everyone faces as a conscious person in a rapidly changing world. This engaging story will appeal to readers of scifi adventure stories and self-help/wellness books alike.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2019This book was a trip. I loved the concept so so much, and it could of really turned into one of my favorites, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. The characters were a little one dimensional and vague at times and the story just didn't go where it could have gone. Overall it was a really intriguing read and I would be open to reading more from the author, just based on the genius concept alone. Just kept waiting for the story to turn into something it didn't.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2020The basic premise of this novel is intriguing. When the opportunity suddenly arises, virtually all the people in the world digitize their bodies in a matter of months, so they no longer feel pain, no longer need sleep, no longer need food. They can fly, change shape, and get wherever they want to be with no help from planes, trains or automobiles. Thy will live forever. There is so much this author could have explored. What happens to the world's infrastructure? Do some parts of the world become seriously overcrowded? What issues arise when everyone will live forever, but there are no new births? And so on. But the plot goes nowhere. The story is just a series of scenes describing beautiful scenery the beings fly over, with a major focus on mountains. There is also a theme of meditation, which becomes important to beings who are going to live forever with nothing much to do. The characters are one-dimensional, and the one evil doer is vanquished quickly and easily. I found this book so disappointing that I began skimming through hoping something interesting would happen. But it never did.
Top reviews from other countries
- Ravin Tija MauriceReviewed in Canada on December 18, 2019
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
I am wondering as I write this review, if all great sci fi novels are a commentary on human existence. Because Zero Percenters is both.
When I first started reading I was concerned that I was going to get weighed down by the science; not the authors fault, more having to do with my ability to understand technical terms. But Grusky has a knack for making the sci aspect totally accessible and easy to understand, and so very realistic that you can see it happening in real life. I loved the fact that he told the story from the perspective of a 'concierge' - a term he created for the AI that goes along with the zero percenters. Vicica was fascinating and complex, and I enjoyed her attempts to learn about things that make us human along her journey.
Sci fi fans will enjoy this one. I recommend it.