Maybe the robots are watching me. Last night I posted on the possibility of silicon overlords, and lo and behold, this evening I happened to run across this old Discover article on AI.
Maybe you remember ELIZA, the world’s first e-therapist. She was a simple Java program that people could interact with in a proto-texting sort of way. As an attempt at passing the Turing test, her programming was pretty simple: you tell her something and she replies by turning your statement into a question. (E.g. “I had a bad day.” “Why did you have a bad day?”)
What was really fascinating for me -- as a sci fi writer, a philosopher, and a technophobe -- was that 50% of the people who interacted with ELIZA couldn’t tell she was a machine. (It doesn’t follow that she passed the Turing test; it only follows that 50% of people just like to hear themselves talk.) Now fast-forward to 2007, when chatbots like ELIZA had advanced so far that Discover magazine could publish a conversation between them.
Who could have guessed that even computer programs like talking philosophy? Check it out: I chat, therefore I am.
Are you worried that robots will take over the world and kill us all? If so, you may not be a total whackjob. Or even if you are a whackjob, you might still find a job at Cambridge. Yes, one of the top universities on the planet now maintains a Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, dedicated to keeping an eye on potentially dangerous technology.
Obviously the sci-fi fan in me is fascinated. The writer in me has a different fascination: namely, what decisions go into crafting headlines for a story like this? Some media outlets were pretty level-headed about it. Others were, well, not. Here’s how MSN describes three scholars opening an obscure think tank: “Robot overlords wiping out the human race may become reality.”
So I finally got the audiobook of Daughter of the Sword. Despite the fact that I own a Kindle, I’m not so good with technology, so I needed help getting the book onto my device. I got it just in time for Thanksgiving, so I could go home and show the fam.
I’ll start by saying that my experience working with Audible has been really great. When they contacted me to express their interest in Daughter, I said I felt very strongly that the reader should be able to correctly pronounce all the Japanese names in the book. Audible said sure, no problem, and they made good on their word, hiring actress Allison Hiroto. Seeing her last name is Japanese, I thought, okay, I’m in good hands. Even so, for weeks I’ve been looking forward to hearing her and confirming that she got all the Japanese right.
She did. She’s great. The only name they didn’t get right in the audiobook is mine. The first line: “Audible presents Daughter of the Sword, by Steve Bean.”
Well, that will happen. Everyone gets my family’s name wrong. (It’s “Bine,” not “Beene.”) I hasten to add that Audible has already fixed the problem, and that their ability to fix this in a matter of days speaks as much to their professionalism as their ability to have produced the thing in the first place. (No hating on Audible!)
The upshot of the error was that playing my audiobook got a lot of laughs from the family, and it was really a lot of fun. I’m no good in the kitchen, and since everyone else brings something delicious, at least this year I could bring something hilarious.
Thank you, Audible! For the error and for the swift correction!
The World’s Biggest Bookstore in Toronto made me a featured author, and they were kind enough to send this picture of the endcap where they posted an interview with me.
If the typeface is a little too small in the photo, you can find the interview here too.
Daughter of the Sword is going to appear in mass market paperback next September, and today my editor sent me the flap copy to review. One of the really cool things that happens when your book gets a second printing is that the publisher can include a few pages listing all the praise you’ve collected from reviewers. I’ve really enjoyed reading the reviews as they’ve come in, but seeing all of the highlights in one page blew my socks off.
Shameless, maybe, but I have to share:
“A noir modern Tokyo overwhelmed by the shadows of Japanese history…A compelling multifaceted vision of a remarkable culture, and a great page-turner.”—Stephen Baxter, author of Stone Spring
“Daughter of the Sword really captured my imagination. The interweaving of historical Japanese adventure and modern police procedural, Tokyo-style, caught me from two unexpected directions.”—Jay Lake, author of Endurance
“Effortlessly combines history and legend with a modern procedural…will have you staying up late to finish it.”—Diana Rowland, author of Sins of the Demon
“An authentic and riveting thrill ride through both ancient and modern Japan. Definitely a winner.”—Kylie Chan, author of Heaven to Wudang
“Bein’s gripping debut is a meticulously researched, highly detailed blend of urban and historical fantasy set in modern Tokyo…Bein’s scrupulous attention to verisimilitude helps bring all the settings to life, respectfully showcasing Japan’s distinctive cultures and attitudes.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A great police procedural urban fantasy that deftly rotates between Mariko in present day Japan and other warriors in past eras.”—Genre Go Round Reviews
“[O]ne of the best debuts I have ever read…an epic tale that heralds the emergence of a major talent.”—Fantasy Book Critic
“Daughter of the Sword reads like James Clavell’s Shogun would have if it had been crossed with high fantasy by way of a police procedural.”—Otherwhere Gazette
“Beautiful writing, a smart and resilient protagonist who meets her match in a coldly demented villain.”—All Things Urban Fantasy
“[An] impressive debut…Bein’s breadth of knowledge about Japanese culture and history makes this story believable and will satisfy anyone looking for a fast-paced mystery with a fantasy edge.”—RT Book Reviews
I’m very excited to announce the first public event for my first novel! On Saturday, October 6th, I’ll be doing a reading, autographing, and Q&A session at the Barnes & Noble in Apache Mall in Rochester, MN. The event is from 2:00-4:00 PM, and the city of Rochester has been gracious enough to block off the streets just to throw an after-party of epic proportions for little old me.
Okay, so that last part isn’t quite true. I’d planned all along to throw an after-party, but right after the reading and signing event there’s a big block party downtown called the Venue. Beers, burgers, and bands by the bucketload. Half of the people I would have invited to my after-party are going to be at the Venue, so I’m just inviting the other half to come on down. It’s going be a blast: lots of live music (including Mason Jennings and my personal Rochester favorites, the Astrogliders), plenty of good eats, and local artistic talent on display to boot. Better yet, if you buy a copy of Daughter of the Sword at the Barnes & Noble shindig, you get $5 off the price at the door for the Venue shindig.
So put it in your calendar and come on down:
- Saturday, October 6th
- 2:00-4:00: Book launch event at Barnes & Noble Apache Mall (details here)
- 3:00-whenever: party at the Venue (details here)
- Buy a copy of Daughter of the Sword at B&N and your receipt gets you $5 off at the door at the Venue
Today is publication day for Only a Shadow, released a month early to whet your whistle for the next story of the Fated Blades, Daughter of the Sword. This is my second published novella and my first electronically published anything, so I’m very happy this day has finally arrived!
As if to celebrate pub day, I got an e-mail from my agent this afternoon confirming that HarperCollins wants to publish Only a Shadow in Australia and New Zealand. Thanks, Aussies and Kiwis, for your interest in my work! I’m looking forward to flying down to visit some of you in your hemisphere next spring.
And also in celebration of pub day, I’ve officially entered the blogosphere. Here is my very first guest post, “Why swords?” My host is The Qwillery, where Daughter of the Sword was selected for their Debut Author Challenge.
Today is publication day for Only a Shadow, released a month early to whet your whistle for the next story of the Fated Blades, Daughter of the Sword. This is my second published novella and my first electronically published anything, so I’m very happy this day has finally arrived!
As if to celebrate pub day, I got an e-mail from my agent this afternoon confirming that HarperCollins wants to publish Only a Shadow in Australia and New Zealand. Thanks, Aussies and Kiwis, for your interest in my work! I’m looking forward to flying down to visit some of you in your hemisphere next spring.
And also in celebration of pub day, I’ve officially entered the blogosphere. Here is my very first guest post, “Why swords?” My host is The Qwillery, where Daughter of the Sword was selected for their Debut Author Challenge.
The fantasy I write tends to be pretty muted. The characters in Only a Shadow have no trouble believing in the magic sword they’ve set out to steal, because A) they live in the 1400s, where belief in sorcery was common, and B) they’re ninja, so magical mudras and mantras are a normal part of their training. I like “realistic” magic, if there is such a thing: magic that blends into the background, without knocking the world out of whack.
Until tonight, I figured I’d never write a story with a lot of wizards running around the streets throwing fireballs at each other. That never quite fit into the category of “realistic” magic for me... until tonight. Check out this video of a real live fireball throwing jamboree in El Salvador. It ain’t magic, but it sure is a bunch of people running around the streets throwing fireballs at each other.
The fantasy I write tends to be pretty muted. The characters in Only a Shadow have no trouble believing in the magic sword they’ve set out to steal, because A) they live in the 1400s, where belief in sorcery was common, and B) they’re ninja, so magical mudras and mantras are a normal part of their training. I like “realistic” magic, if there is such a thing: magic that blends into the background, without knocking the world out of whack.
Until tonight, I figured I’d never write a story with a lot of wizards running around the streets throwing fireballs at each other. That never quite fit into the category of “realistic” magic for me... until tonight. Check out this video of a real live fireball throwing jamboree in El Salvador. It ain’t magic, but it sure is a bunch of people running around the streets throwing fireballs at each other.
