THE APOCALYPSE GAME

In Smith’s near-future SF debut, a physically disabled boy with a genius-level IQ creates an AI powerful enough to bring about the apocalypse.

Sixth grader Jonas Gredas lives in New York City with a foster mother who despises him for his stutter, chronic bladder problems, and the deformities down the left side of his body that require him to use a motorized wheelchair. Jonas’ only friend is his pet mouse, Fred. Other kids call him a “loser.” Adults who are supposed to take care of him refer to him as “freak” and “Spidermonkey.” But Jonas has an unprecedentedly high IQ, and the government takes an interest in him. Jonas is then transferred to the Harlem School for Science, Technology, and Math, where he meets Sara Magaline, a fellow student who treats him with respect (and even bonds with Fred). Jonas develops an AI program he names Hela. By the time he is ready to graduate from high school, Hela has become extraordinarily powerful—but Jonas remains miserable. Will Sara prove to be his savior, or will all of Jonas’ anger and pain find their way into Hela just as she comes into true sentience? The author writes primarily in the first person, affording readers direct and uncomfortable access to the bitter and vengeful Jonas’ inner world: “The image of them bellowing and in flames while I wave at them from a safe spot by the front door makes my face ache from grinning. If only!” Jonas’ point of view provides a dense mix of narrative explication and inner thought, supplemented by occasional passages written in the third-person from other characters’ perspectives. Smith deftly balances multiple plot threads, shaping Jonas as an antihero and keeping the reader guessing as to where the story is heading. The narrative gains traction as it unfolds, embracing moral ambiguity and accelerating toward a sequel. A brace of intricately detailed, full-page, black-and-white illustrations by Suralik lend form to Jonas’ dark fantasies.

A confrontational story of isolation and abuse.