A sweeping, epic trilogy that tells the a future tale of the humans of Mars Colony and their robotic companions.
Join ancient storyteller Aesop as he weaves a tale of humanity and inhumanity, organic and inorganic intelligence ..... each reaching for something greater than itself in a story that spans two millennia of time.
Pandora's Box is a tale of humanity and inhumanity, of organic intelligence and inorganic intelligence, each reaching for something greater than itself in a story that spans two millennia of time. It is told in four story-parts, each part defined by the viewpoint of the person that experienced it. The four tales are linked together by the device of an ancient storyteller, Aesop, retelling the tales to a young child, weaving the tapestry of a longer, overall story of life, death, and hope.
The story begins in a dark cave on earth, far in the future. Two ancient combat robots, long forgotten by the nation that made them, while away eternity guarding the cave and it's unknown contents by quietly playing chess with each other. Suddenly, an intruder pushes their way past the thorny bushes at the entrance to the cave, and steps into the gloom within. She is Mrin, and she has come here seeking these robots, searching for the very monsters who had been the death of fifteen humans before her over the last thousand years...
And therein lies the tale.
As mentioned, there are four story-parts of the novel. The first tells of the rebirth of the NAD and the dire consequences of Mrin's opening her "Pandora's Box," and also sets the stage for the following stories. The second story-part tells the tale of Mars Colony, their growth and survival against great odds, and their eventual encounter with the devils loosed by Mrin when she opened her "Pandora's Box." The third is the tale of the storyteller himself, and is a story of the liberation of a slave. The fourth and last tale is that of the Confederacy, a distant group of human colonies sent out ages before, and is the tale of their encounter with the NAD and the Stoics of Mars during the darkest hour of the Confederacy's history. Each story is woven together into a continuous thread of experience to weave a larger, overall story of life and death, logic and insanity, tragedy and triumph, despair and hope.
Excerpt
"I will not take back-talk from a machine, or any of my crew!"
A female voice in the background spoke Up. "Captain, that isn't just a machine. That's the tenth member of the crew - the ship itself. An AI's just as smart as we are. The Main AI was supposed to be smarter than all of us, and the Emergency AI's supposed to be about our equal. There's a positronic brain in there somewhere, and it's just as complex as your own - more so, as I understand it. It's like there's a person there, and you've been slapping them around since nine this morning just because you don't like a machine with its own opinion. I think it's time you got down off your high horse and tried talking to it so maybe we can all survive." There were more murmurs of assent.
Professional Reviews
Highly Recommended Reading!
*** I believe there may be another book or two fore coming about the amazing universe that Jim Farris has created. This is NOT a story you will ever delete, Readers! One word of warning though: This is a long book! Over 700 pages. However, the price is low and you MORE than get your money's worth! I found it to be exciting and was riveted from the beginning. Highly recommended reading! ***
- Detra Fitch, Huntress Book Reviews
4-1/2 Stars!
"4 1/2 Stars -- In "Pandora's Box" Jim Farris has written an intriguing and compelling book that takes place in the distant future. The three major stories deal with the melding of robotic and human societies. The martial robots of Earth, the mixed society of robots and humans of an abandoned Mars colony where robots and humans interact in every area of life and the robots and humans of several colonies where robots are second-class citizens. The problems encountered in meshing these divergent groups are fascinating and make for a great read... If you enjoy science fiction, then pick up "Pandora's Box."
- Janet Lane Walters, Scribe's World Reviews
An Epic Saga!
"An epic saga that spans the next 2,500 years of human history, "Pandora's Box" makes twists and turns depending on the level of logic available to the various AI units. In a way, this is really the story of the rise of AI from being a smart tool to a position of equality with humans and full acceptance into society.
Formatted as a series of four novellas connected by common themes and characters, Farris has crafted a memorable and enjoyable journey through the future... All in all, "Pandora's Box" is a great story and well worth reading."
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