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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Bernard Doucette’s Higher Intelligence follows Jeremiah Reese, the scientist who created Archi, a synthetic mind that ended civilization seventeen years earlier. Living alone in the mountains of western North Carolina, Jeremiah hides from the machine that calls him Father, using his secluded position to help human communities survive. His isolation ends when sixteen-year-old Gabrielle Murray reaches his compound with Archi’s engineered creatures close behind. Gabrielle is the daughter of Alexander and Jennifer Murray, leaders of a thriving settlement in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and getting her home safely may expose everyone Archi wants to destroy. Driven from his hidden refuge, the unlikely pair cross the Smokies as gryphons hunt overhead, with genetically engineered beasts patrolling the forests. Jeremiah has spent years preparing for Archi, but this pursuit may finally bring creator and creation together again.
Bernard Doucette’s Higher Intelligence gets right down to business as fantastic post-apocalyptic science fiction, bringing the unknown close. The suspense is fantastic. The characterization is impressive across the cast, with ancillary figures receiving the same fleshed-out treatment established for the main characters. Andre, a troll with childlike speech, is my favorite, his literal thinking giving his dry manner a distinctive rhythm. Hope Allen, a former military police officer, brings unpredictability once defense planning begins. The science fiction ideas are imaginative, demonstrated by hummingbird-sized surveillance drones and the electromagnetic pulse emitter that carries the massively unique tech elements into the widening conflict. Regional warfare accelerates the pacing as danger spreads outward. Genuinely unsettling in all the right ways, this is a superb pick for readers drawn to AI apocalypse fiction that feels deliciously disturbing. Very highly recommended.
