The Quest of the Singular Keepers, book eight in the sweeping Lightning Brain series by Cliff Ratza, returns readers to the not-too-distant future of the main character Electra Kittner. The series is superhero science fiction and Electra has a 'lightning brain' that is the result of the electrocution of her mother before Electra's birth. Electra operates as the physical phenomenon and her second personality named Irani is the head of their single-body think tank. Another personality, Alisha, from a previous book who was created after Electra was infected and brought back from a coma, returns. Alisha is extremely social and a living legend in Hollywood. Two entirely new and prominent characters are included in this novel and are part of Indira's and Irani's arcs; a teenager named Tiana Diamond and a professor named Jonathan Segal. Between the three personalities, Electra, Irani, and Alisha, and the incredible sentient AI created by Electra named Indira, and Electra's four cloned adult children who do not know they are her offspring, Ratza reveals a newly mixed bag of subplots.

Cliff Ratza is an author with a lightning brain. The ideas that pour from the pen of this prolific author never cease to amaze and The Quest of the Singular Keepers is no exception. In book six Indira became a fully fleshed-out character and the novel has her pushing the boundaries as a sentient AI by coming back to the somewhat maternal role she took up with Electra's two sets of cloned twins, this time with Tiana. The twins are fully grown, diverse, and play their roles in their respective fields of advanced study. The novels all encompass scientific, environmental, and social themes, and seeing how Electra's clone named Nari is able to combine what I could best describe as scientific sociology was an impressive angle. The best new angle for me was going into the last unexplored frontier of the Earth, the deep sea. It is described to perfection by Ratza. The prospect of upcoming novels facing dangers from the great dark abyss underwater and from space has been established and the sky is NOT the limit in the Lightning Brain series. Very highly recommended.

The Quest of the Singular Keepers ramps up Electra Kittner's ongoing mission to save the world from itself in book eight of the Lightning Brain series, preceded by The Girl with the Lightning Brain, The Girl who Electrified the World, Commanded Lightning, Cloned Lightning, Sparked Singularity, and The Keepers of the Lightning Brain/Contingent World. The Quest of the Singular Keepers holds Electra's dual personality of Irani and puts her back to work, Irani kind of being the brains while Electra is the brawn. Electra is technically both but Cliff Ratza is masterful in differentiating them. Eve, Electra's cloned adopted daughter, and another named Nari are big players, Indira is the smart glue that holds everything together, and, the ultimate twist... Alisha the Hollywood starlet returns!

How do I express my excitement that we could see aliens in the future-future Lightning Brain series? Or ocean beasts? Or what I suspect might be genetically altered ocean beasts where terrorists try to get the upper hand once they are out of tech viruses? I'm willing to hold my breath because if there is one thing I know about author Cliff Ratza, it is that he delivers every single time. The Quest of the Singular Keepers is a page-turner, complete with a shark attack, and by now I am so well-versed with the characters I have no trouble adding new ones. Tiana Diamond is an exciting addition. She's not quite as exciting as the two sets of twins but, she's still exciting. The expansion of Lightning Brain appears to have no boundaries and what a treat it has been throughout.

Cliff Ratza's The Quest of the Singular Keepers is the eighth book in the Lightning Brain Series. The year is 2162. After successfully helping create a vaccine for the deadly X-Virus outbreak, Electra Kittner/Irani Ramani resigned from her position as the Secretary of Health and Housing Services. With the mysterious death of Vice President Strauss, moderate House Democrat from San Francisco, Howard Chen, has taken up the mantle. Electra and her AI-powered singularity Indira maneuver her cloned daughters, Eve and Nari, into prominent positions of influence in Washington politics. But new dangers emerge in the form of an African Sleeper virus and cyberspace warfare that threatens to cripple the nation's infrastructure. Meanwhile, Electra develops a new personality called Alisha. When an unexpected chain of events culminates with an explosion in the White House, Electra finds herself in a precarious situation.

Cliff Ratza infuses elements of science fiction, political thriller, and action-adventure into the story, resulting in a uniquely creative work of art. The Quest of the Singular Keepers feels like one of the last hurrahs of Electra Kittner. In this book, Electra's daughters, especially Eve, play crucial roles, and it seems like she is ready to pass her mantle to the next generation. However, it's not the end of the road for Electra yet. I liked the evenly-paced narrative and plot twists that keep you invested in the story. As usual with Ratza's other books in this series, The Quest of the Singular Keepers is heavy on political and social commentary. But it is integrated into the plot in an organic manner, which makes it easily digestible. Fans of the series will love this installment.