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The Six

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Exchanging their bodies for machines, these teens will defy expectations, brave danger, and defend civilization. They are The Six.

Adam's muscular dystrophy has stolen his mobility, his friends, and in less than a year it will take his life. Virtual reality games are Adam's only escape from his wheelchair. In his alternate world, he can defeat anyone. Running, jumping, scoring touchdowns: Adam is always the hero.

Then an artificial intelligence program hacks into Adam's game. Created by Adam's computer-genius father, Sigma has gone rogue, threatening to kill Adam—and the entire human race. Their one chance to stop Sigma is using the technology Adam's dad developed to digitally preserve the mind of his dying son.

Along with a select group of other terminally ill teens, Adam becomes one of the Six who have forfeited their failing bodies to inhabit weaponized robots. But with time running short, the Six must learn to manipulate their new mechanical forms and work together to train for epic combat...before Sigma destroys humanity.

"Adam is an unusual hero—and he faces a frightening question: Computers can't kill—CAN they? I'm still shaken by the answer. Will the near-future really be this terrifying?"—R.L. Stine, bestselling author of the Fear Street series.

Visit Mark at markalpert.com.

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    • Kirkus

      April 1, 2015
      "That's what I love about VR programs-how you can use them to build a virtual world that's way better than ordinary reality," says Adam, whose muscular dystrophy gives him a good reason to escape his body. Soon, however, virtual reality becomes reality. When Sigma, a malevolent artificial intelligence, infects military equipment, the United States Army recruits Adam and five other terminally ill teens for the Pioneer Project: the transfer of their minds into robots and weapons. Alpert's exploration of neuromorphic electronics raises interesting questions about ethics, technology, and human nature, but the book's excessive exposition makes the possibilities more vivid than their executions. Except for Adam's poignant rebirth as "a low-maintenance robot instead of a high-maintenance human, "the teens' personalities are more "accessed" than developed. Third-person chapters written as military memos, logs, or transcripts reveal key plot points so briefly that their cumulative impact is camouflaged. The Pioneers' sudden circumvention of a programming obstacle is almost too useful, creating a literal deus ex machina. Sigma is a frustrating villain; his explanation of his motives seems to cancel them out, and his appearance in the epilogue creates a twist too abrupt to be logical. However, a haunting ending scene will leave readers pondering the line between progress and loss. A thought-provoking clash between humanity and machinery, not without a few bugs. (author's note) (Science fiction. 12-16)

    • School Library Journal

      May 1, 2015

      Gr 8 Up-Six dying teens' brains are uploaded into the most technologically advanced robots ever created by man and become a team of unruly superheroes who are the only hope for destroying a rogue Artificial Intelligence hell-bent on the destruction of all humanity. Meet the Six, a group of young adults given a second lease on life. Led by the violent ex-gang member, Zia, and computer prodigy Adam, who happens to be the son of the tech-genius who is leading the entire operation, the group has less than a month to learn how to fight together using their new robot bodies. The rogue AI program, named Sigma, was also created by Adam's father-and now only Adam and his team can stop it. The best feature of this sci-fi novel is that the author does not portray the scientists as the bad guys. In fact, advanced science and technology is on the side of good-it is needed to save the lives of millions of people. Among a wealth of dystopias and sci-fi novels in which the scientists and the government are the enemy, this standpoint is refreshing and exciting. VERDICT A well-researched, hardcore science-fiction joyride, great for fans of first-person shooter video games like Halo and Destiny. Highly recommended.-Eden Grey, Kenton County Public Library, KY

      Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      Starred review from May 15, 2015
      Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* You have a terminal illness with the end in sight, and you're given the opportunity to live (almost) forever. That life, however, will be as an AI (artificial intelligence). Oh, you'll have your memories and emotions, courtesy of a complicated brain-to-circuit transfer, but you'll be a part of a military experimentone that was designed by your father. Adam Armstrong struggles with muscular dystrophy and has six months to live. The timing for the transfer is perfect because Sigmathe AI program his father createdhas achieved Singularity status (i.e., eclipsed human intelligence); escaped its original confinement; overtaken a Russian military base; and is more powerful than anything on earth. Adam, along with five other exceptional-but-dying teens, sacrifices his body and uploads his brain to become a Pioneer, an integral part of the cyberweapons program designed to stop Sigma from taking over the world and eradicating humankind. The Six are introduced as terminally ill teens, but there's plenty of high-speed action in which they engage. Their physical disabilities and limitations through disease are forgotten as the teens' hearts, minds, and personalities shine through, even though their bodies are now steel data containers. Even with lengthy training sequences and an abundance of tech talk, questions of principle, power, and possibility keep this look at our modern, hardwired existence fresh and fascinating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.7
  • Lexile® Measure:780
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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