“A Salinger-esque criticism of the human world’s myopic cruelty…Instantly memorable, compulsively readable.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Hard Wired is YA science fiction at its best.”
Jay Kristoff, New York Times bestselling author of the Aurora Cycle and Illuminae
“Len’s vibrant prose casts a spell as he weaves many of the best elements of science fiction and myth together to create a unique and engrossing yarn. A page turner for sure, but one that haunts long after it has entertained.”
Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Rising Saga
“Len Vlahos has penned a wildly inventive page-turner of a novel that cleverly blurs the lines between sci-fi and reality. It’s Blade Runner meets Ex-Machina with a delightfully complex narrator who will upload right into your heart and never leave.”
Jessica Brody, bestselling author of Sky Without Stars and the Unremembered Trilogy
“The novel’s combination of nerdy humor and scary science, which gets scarier as the plot proceeds, is sure to captivate sci-fi lovers and haters alike.”
New York Times Book Review
“Vlahos deftly balances an initially familiar science fiction plot with a deep dive into relevant issues such as privacy, free will, and the characteristics of being human…Page-turning yet grounded in humanity, this is a highly recommended purchase for YA collections.”
School Library Journal
“Vlahos hits the perfect balance with Quinn, who comes across as simultaneously fully computer—surfing the internet in nanoseconds, unable to function in temperatures above freezing—and fully human. Hand this one to readers of Jay Kristoff and fans (or soon-to-be fans) of Black Mirror.”
Booklist
“This is definitely one of those books where every time you feel like you know what’s going on, another layer gets peeled back. I felt like I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to know how far the rabbit hole went and whether Quinn would find an exit to his freedom.”
The Story Sanctuary
“Hard Wired is both empathetic and chilling, a compulsively readable struggle for self-determination that answers the what if of sentient AI in a wholly believable, heart wrenching way. Quinn is so painfully sympathetic that you have to chase him all the way down the rabbit hole—even though you’re afraid of where the last page will take you. If your heart, like mine, melts for superintelligent AI with feelings, read this book.”
Alex Schaffner, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline Massachusetts
“Len Vlahos’ perfect blend of the real and the fantastical is a revelation in his latest, Hard Wired. I read it in one sitting; I just couldn’t get enough.”
Mitchell Kaplan, Books & Books, Coral Gables, Florida
“Fascinating. Disturbing… Can’t put it down. Len’s voice is spot on—the characters might well be sitting in the room with me.”
Patty Norman, Copperfield’s Books, Sonoma, California
“I love this edgy, poignant look at what it means to be alive. The scary part is that the AI might be more humane than the humans in the story. This book will ask you a lot of questions that are not that easy to answer.”
Jamie Rogers Southern, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina