Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes

ISBN: 978-0-9973200-6-0
Title: Sixth Iteration
Author: E. Hughes
Genre: Science-Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
Availability: Hardcover, Paperback or eBook editions

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Can a machine fall in love or merely simulate what it is programmed to believe is love? Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes is a brilliant, twisty, reality-bending atmospheric philosophical thriller that questions what it means to live vs. being alive. Whether sentient A.I are any less alive through complex computer-coding than their human counterparts who are coded by DNA. “As 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbs would say, thoughts don’t exist…neither does choice. That humans are compelled by chemical and electrical reactions in their brains–how are artificially intelligent machines any different?”

An artificially intelligent machine who falls in love with the scientist hired to program him, goes on the run to escape the billion dollar robotics corporation that will do anything to get him back.

Not long after Sapphire’s “accident”, she is recruited by Elito, a spy agency in the business of corporate espionage. While on assignment, she falls under the deadly spell of a dashing but dangerous CEO, and must choose whether to run afoul of the man she is falling in love with, or the organization that hired her.

Reader and Critic Reviews of Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes

Booklife/Publisher’s Weekly book review:

https://booklife.com/project/sixth-iteration-76863

This rich exploration of what it means to be human, alive, and loved from Hughes (author of Time and the Multiverse) blends chick-lit romance, smart of-the-moment science fiction, and a thrilling chase. In 2058, Dr. Stella Andrews is head researcher for the Anthropology Department at St. Claire University in Maine. She’s approached by eccentric Victor Reid from Reid Robotics Technologies to use computational linguistics to develop artificially intelligent programs that can learn human language as well as traits like happiness, anger, and hope. Her colleague is Victor’s partner Randall Reid, whose Greek-god physique and chiseled jawline make Stella swoon, but she soon finds him to be cold, disinterested, and focused solely on work. For the next year, Stella talks to R1836, a prototype AI program, teaching it about humanity, love, and attachment, preparing it for achieving sentience when it will then be transferred into an android-like organic Mechanically Enhanced Organism (MEO).

Hughes’s exploration into the process of human thinking and reasoning is sophisticated and introspective, as is the all-too-human need for love, attraction, and closeness, expertly developed through Stella’s compassion and intuition. But Stella gets concerned when she learns that R1836 has been accessing the lab’s cameras to watch her. Its interest is chilling: it declares its love for her, and says, “my desire is to leave the mainframe to be with you.” The tension mounts as she rebuffs it—and Randall rushes the experiment— all as Stella’s work is threatened by Elito, a corporate espionage agency.

Penned in crisp prose, this bold combination of romance and science fiction will thrill readers of various genres as the twists and turns of Hughes’s plot lead to a knockout revelation. That’s especially true as Stella and Randall must go on the run from the corporate spies and from Victor who intends to activate the AI’s kill switch, creating desperate, dangerous opportunities for this compelling duo to connect more deeply.

Takeaway: Smart, enticing blend of SF, romance, and a desperate chase.

Comparable Titles: Cassandra Rose Clarke’s Our Lady of the Ice, Michelle Diener’s Dark Horse.

Reviewed by Stephanie Chapman for Readers’ Favorite – ★★★★★

In the Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes, artificial intelligence becomes more than Dr. Stella Andrews ever imagined. Stella lives on Moon Bay Island where she is an anthropologist in the isolated St. Claire University Research Center. Randall Reid joins her on the island where she is to help teach R1836 to experience human emotions. Despite her reservations, she agrees to assist the aloof Randall with the project. It shocked Stella when the entire research building is transformed into a high-tech security compound. Meanwhile, Sapphire is in the hospital and receives a visit from a woman who promises to secure her future and pay for her grandmother’s nursing care. In exchange, Sapphire has to train as a spy for Elito. Her mission is to gain Victor Reid’s trust and get information on what his secret project is and where it is located.

E. Hughes has produced a science-fiction novel that explores human emotions in artificial beings. Spending five years alone in a research laboratory set Stella up to fall for Randall. It perplexed me when he showed jealousy, but ignored her attempts to flirt with him. Her time spent with R1836 was interesting. Playing games, watching movies, and discussing topics every day could make anyone regard R1836 as a living being. Sapphire’s apprehension at Tennessee Jenkins’ offer of financial stability is relatable. However, her motivation becomes crystal clear. Sapphire nevertheless tested Tennessee’s attempts to control her. Hughes gave vivid detail of both Stella’s and Sapphire’s internal turmoil. Every emotion was realistic and their reactions to dangerous situations made sense. The intense conclusion promises a sequel. I felt sympathy for several of the characters, including R1836. I recommend Sixth Iteration to science-fiction readers who enjoy stories involving artificial intelligence developing abilities.

Reviewed by Miche Arendse for Readers’ Favorite

Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes follows the story of Stella Andrews a renowned anthropologist who is approached by a robotics company to assist with their new project. Uncertain at first, Stella is a bit more eager to join the project when she finds out she’ll be working with the handsome mathematician Randall Reid. The two begin working together and all seems to be going well, that is until the AI program begins to develop feelings for Stella.

Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes is definitely my cup of tea in terms of a romance novel. It had the perfect balance between sweetness and spice and I am not talking about actual flavors. Sixth Iteration offers a little bit of everything from drama to action all while balancing these aspects within the main plotline. The weird love triangle, if you can call it that, between Stella, Randall, and R1 was new and exciting, adding a new level of intrigue to the story. I also enjoyed Hughes’ writing style, the pacing of the story was perfect, and I could tell a lot of thought went into the plot and characters. I also loved the addition of a secondary couple and a side story within the main story. At times Sapphire and Victor’s story had me more hooked, especially with the darker setting of espionage. Overall, I loved reading Sixth Iteration although I knew I would the moment I read the synopsis. I am definitely looking forward to more work from E. Hughes.

Reviewed by Joanne Ang for Readers’ Favorite

Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes is a romantic sci-fi novel revolving around Dr Stella Andrews, the head researcher for the anthropology department of St Claire University, and Randall Reid, the head scientist of the temporary lab by Reid Robotics. While Stella had her heart stolen the moment she started working with Randall, he was all business and wanted nothing more than to get his part of the job done and over with. As unexpected events constantly rock both Stella’s and Randall’s lives, they develop feelings for each other in the midst of utter chaos. With many secrets untold, will Stella and Randall ever find their happy-ever-after? Or will the clutches of Reid Robotics drag them down forever?

Sixth Iteration by E. Hughes is a beautifully written romantic science fiction novel, filled to the brim with unrequited love, action, and suspense. I particularly loved the push-and-pull dynamic between Stella and Randall, which kept me excited throughout the entire book. Coupled with the complicated relationship between Victor and Sapphire, Sixth Iteration is an epic for the hopeless romantic, for those that are looking to have their hearts played with. All the characters were wonderfully written, outlining their personality and motives clearly. I also really liked how each of the characters has their own complicated past (also beautifully written), making the storyline all the more heart-wrenching. While there were many things going on at once, I was never left confused, making for a seamless reading experience. Overall, this is a riveting novel that will keep you glued to the pages before you even realize you’ve finished it!

From Google Reviews:

To preface, I am a huge romantic at heart and I am also a huge fan of sci-fi so when I saw this book on kindle, it hit three massive checkmarks for me.
Going into the story, I was delighted to see that the book follows the POVs of Stella Andrews, a rather introverted scientist that has a healthy crush on the all-business Randell Reid, and Sapphire, a newly made spy for Elito, who must discover the secrets of the focused, charming, and dangerous billionaire CEO playboy of Reid Robotics.
When I started this story, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sapphire’s sections, as I’m not big on espionage stories but Sapphire’s conflict over completing her assignment for Elito or staying loyal to Victor while also finding out the secrets of the man and his company was riveting and I soon found myself anticipating seeing her again to see how it all ended.
Meanwhile, I greatly adored Stella’s arc with the Randall and R1 that left me wanting more. Stella’s awkward, confused, and bumbling romance with the emotionally stilted but strangely compelling Randall Reid felt natural and progressed at a great pace, and her friendship with the robot R1 was so well-written and enjoyable, I often couldn’t wait for R1 to return to see how things would progress between the machine and Stella.
The book was very enjoyable with plenty of twists and turns, with a massive secret that left my jaw hanging in surprise.
Plot aside, The author hit the right spot between being descriptive without going into purple prose, the world actually felt alive with various side characters, with the main characters feeling like living, breathing, humans and I enjoyed the wonderful world-building that the author crafted.
While the book feels complete, there are some small dangling threads that the author left behind to add either a side story or even a full-blown sequel to expand on this world and some of the questions that the author explored in this novel.
All in all, a solid read that hits the mark for sci-fi lovers, spy lovers, and hopeless romantics. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family!

From Google Reviews:

There are two stories taking place on two timelines that come together in the final two or three chapters of the book. The story is about a scientist named Stella who agrees to join the research team for a robotics corporation. She meets a company representative and fellow scientist named Randall and sparks fly, just not the kind she wants. She loves me, she loves me not! Randall keeps things professional despite Stella’s feelings because he’s hiding a terrible secret, one he’s forbidden to tell her no matter what.
The alternate timeline involves a character named Sapphire, a stunning ballerina who loses her dance career to a dance injury. Lost and confused about how to move forward with her life after the end of a promising career in ballet, she’s recruited by Elito, a spy agency who wants her to take down the head of the robotics company that employs Randall. There are several chapters that covers Sapphire training for corporate spying that fails to fully draw me in (I was more interested in what was happening between Stella and Randall) until she finally meets Victor, the CEO of Reid Robotics and Elito’s target. This is where Sapphire’s story really takes off and the 3rd act of the story begins, bringing the timeline of both stories together. The third act was amazing and is where I really started to like Sapphire’s story and cared about the dilemma she faced as she fell in love with wealthy megalomaniac Victor Reid and started to envision a future with him, a clear conflict of interest with her mission. Of course, this becomes a center of all the drama in the story. This was epic and a fantastic read. I really enjoyed it.

About the Author:

E. Hughes is a screenwriter, novelist, and author of The Penelope Children’s Books, adult fiction, A Mediterranean Romance : The Capa Royals, Business as Usual, Disappear, Love, The Sapphire Chronicles: Broken Lair, Infatuation and Beyond the Plain (poetry written at the age of 14). In her spare time, she is a hobbyist animator and previously wrote for screenwritersdaily.com. Hughes is also an avid observer of cultural and societal idiosyncrasies. Her long awaited novel Sixth Iteration is scheduled for release in 2021.

Hughes has lived on the west coast and in Las Vegas, NV but spends most of her time in the Midwest where she writes and publishes novels.

She is currently writing what she calls fun and flirty suspense and romance novels “with an international flavor”…designed for the modern girl.