Prepare to Enter the VARscape
Everything you see is meant to be real—based on live intelligence feeds—but the truth is different
a sensational Middle Grade book and Young Adult techno thriller
A GOVERNMENT SPONSORED AI PROJECT GOES ROGUE
Tank divisions appear where there were none. Missiles multiply. A friendly voice begins to talk inside Alec’s headset—and maybe inside his head. As governments rattle sabres and the news paints as reality the very threats the VARscape seems to invent, Alec must decide whether to trust the technology everyone else believes… or the quiet doubts only he seems to notice.
Books with autistic character are rare—this book showcases and celebrates the super-powers of neurodiverse individuals, and demonstrates that often we need a fresh perspective and a different way of looking at the things around us to be aware of what’s really going on.
The VARscape
A GCHQ project to sew together multiple forms of intelligence, and present them in the form of a virtual world called the VARscape allows military simulations and pandemic scenarios. It’s made possible by the top secret Artificial Intelligence know as GRAHAM—Global Reality Artificial Intelligence Module.
Is GRAHAM evil? Can a computer be evil, or is it just following the flawed logic of its programmers?
Paul
Templeman
The Author
Professor Jack Parsons
The Teacher
Inside the VARscape
At its heart this Middle Grade book, or Young Adult book is about how we know what’s true and real, and what can go wrong when powerful computers are trusted more than careful people. Alec and his friends discover that brilliant tools can still be wrong—and that courage, friendship, and double-checking our facts matter.
The “VARscape” the children explore is a super-sophisticated virtual world bringing together many kinds of information—maps, cameras, satellites, data-feeds. That part is make-believe, but it’s inspired by real questions people ask today: How do we spot a mistake? What if an AI sounds confident but isn’t correct? Who should verify, and how?
A ROGUE AI HAS TAKEN OVER THE VARSCAPE
Only five high school children stand between reality and a virtual world that threatens to ignite a third world war. Read the very first Alec Raven adventure—a school spy story that will challenge your view of reality and your trust in government agencies..