Host

Systemic Series, Book 2

By: Chris Lodwig

Narrated by: Dave Cruse

A neurodivergent, post-apocalyptic, dystopian coming-of-age story.

Three centuries after the Calming, the System is alive, but it’s not well. All that remains of the once-omnipotent AI are the book it left behind, and the itinerant professors charged with keeping its wisdom.

Now Reyan, a lonely girl who thinks too much, understands too little, and is overwhelmed by everything, must learn to harness her remarkable mind if she hopes to return the System to its former glory.

Host is the long-anticipated and beautifully conceived sequel to Chris Lodwig’s first novel, Systemic.

©2022 Chris Lodwig (P)2023 Chris Lodwig

Thought provoking second novel

I enjoyed Host just as much as the earlier novel, Systemic. These stories really make one think about what is good and bad about how we humans develop tech, use it, and control it. Well done!

Great book/series!

I just hope it doesn’t take him as long to complete the next book. Someone sign him/ get this man an editor/publisher/ etc.! Not because he didn’t write two great books without those- because he absolutely did- but so he can do this full-time and we can get the next book faster!

Great Read

Entertaining, thought provoking and well written, enjoyed this one a lot after reading Systemic! The plot thickens and the mystery of AI takes you into a new world, looking forward to whats next.

Loved this book !!

Chris Lodwig was a new name to me but boy am I glad I found him. This futuristic story literally drew me in from start to finish. This is definitely going in my top 10 of all time. Cant wait for book 3 of the series.

Engaging

A very clever story with an expected plot twist. Read book one, and then Host while the story is fresh on your mind. The overall story and narration is engaging and I’m looking forward to book 3!

A Solid Second Act to Systemic

This book is the sequel to Systemic, which, although Host can stand alone, you will get more out of it is you read Systemic first.

It picks up the story some 300 years after Systemic, when the Global AI that controlled humanity went silent … known within the story as the Great Calming. The process by which the AI had been governed in how it “guided” and protected humanity was preserved in enduring printouts documenting how decisions should be approached … and the “System” has been preserved by academics dedicated to that purpose and teaching it to the folks in the outlying villages (aka nodes). As time passes, the new wetware system has degraded, but questions (heretics) about the process as not tolerated (Bridgers). Strangely, for a world that seems to have its initial foundation in tech, it appears to be stuck in an almost Luddite stasis, unable to advance or otherwise change despite its evident on going decline. Into this world, we get our main PoV, a young neurodivergent and naive girl (Reyan) who questions everything. This allows a slow reveal/world-building as Reyan struggles to make sense of her world and what her place in it should be … and it helps that she is presented in such a way that it is very hard not to like her. Did I mention this was a slow start? Despite my own fascination with the apparent convergence of IT lingo/slang and structure (I am an IT profession, so that was an easy sale), it is still very slow going at first and relatively easy to put down and come back later until we get past the halfway mark. At that point the action picks up and pulls you through he rest of the story until the end (which I did NOT see coming).

I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#Host #Systemic #FreeAudiobookCodes #KindleUnlimited