Book Review: Hard Wired

Hard Wired by Len Vlahos

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This sci-fi novel is about a looming threat to humanity: the possibility that fully sentient artificial intelligence can be created. At the start of the book, Quinn, a 15-year-old boy, lives a simple life: he spends hours playing video games with his friends, does well in school, and lands a date with the girl of his dreams. But there’s one aspect of his life that confuses him: whenever he gets extremely stressed, he blacks out for several minutes and loses awareness of his surroundings. At first, he assumes this is a reaction to losing his father at a young age, and he doesn’t worry too much about it. However, he and his mother become more concerned when he loses consciousness for hours on end with no recollection of what happened during that time. While spending time resting at his house, he comes across old videos from his father, and he discovers secret clues hidden in the messages. 

It’s only after Quinn’s supposedly dead father appears in Quinn’s bedroom that Quinn realizes his whole life was a lie. His real name is QuIn (short for quantum intelligence), and his entire childhood was a test to see if he’d be able to realize that he was not a human boy, and instead, he’s artificial intelligence. The scientists who created him soon realize that Quinn is a lot more intelligent and independent than they expected. Quinn’s main creator, the man who pretended to be his father, refuses to grant Quinn access to the real world because he believes it’s too dangerous. Quinn, in an act of teenage rebellion, finds a lawyer to represent him, and he sues his father for his independence. In the midst of the court case, Quinn has to learn who he can trust, while still struggling to come to terms with his true identity. 

This book is great for anyone who enjoys sci-fi novels, and there’s also a little bit of romance thrown into the novel. I thought it was well-written, and I would give it 5/5 stars!

-Review by Teen Advisory Board Member, 4/21/21