The story in Two Thirds of a God has a very intriguing premise - a terminally-diagnosed scientist has her brain scanned and becomes a virtual ‘post-human’ after her death. Early in this novella, character development seemed to be ignored in favor of story development, but later in the story, the author does a much better job of bringing the characters into focus and making the virtual human’s development a very compelling part of the story. The author has a background in computer science and working for the space shuttle program and writes a truly hard science fiction story. He brings all of his experience to bear in this story and gives some wonderful background to the science involved here. This was a short, quick read, with a meaningful and thought-provoking story. Recommended!!

[2.5 stars rounded down] [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7470650598]

“And yet, the possibility of harm from the scan pushed her toward saying yes. Comminitng to a risky endeavor paradoxically felt like defying her illness… She had the possibility of leaving another mark on the world. As Benjamin asked, what did she have to lose?”

I really wanted to love this book. Two Thirds of a God is an intriguing sci-fi novella about a terminally ill woman who scans her brain into a virtual human à la Black Mirror, sends it up alongside the satellite that she and her team have been developing, and the government plot that hinges on the control of that satellite. The premise is golden and the characters are enjoyable, but there were many issues that stopped me from rating this much higher.

Starting with much of the good, I was entertained the whole time. Page-time is utilized very well in this novella, with little down time (but, at the same time, there is plenty of time for rest in between events, especially in the dialogue between ELE and Charlotte or LNX). The chapters are very short, usually with multiple POV swaps within those short chapters. I already enjoy books with short chapters, and I felt that the author used the format very well. He understood how little time you inherently have with a novella, and did not bog down the reader ever.

Early on in the story, there was a building sense of seeing how the average person loves scientific development for the spectacle of it, not the actual details of how it works. I wish this motif was kept more heavily through later moments in the novella, but while it was there I really enjoyed it.

Charlotte was my favorite character and her POV chapters were a standout. As a full AI - compared to ELE who is an uploaded scan of a human, she had a strongly written tone and style that came across well. Her first POV section was my favorite chapter in the novella, as I found how she was constantly interrupting herself with her self-imposed jobs very entertaining. Her, and MON189 (who I’ll mention later) are the two fully AI characters in this story and both have genuinely fun narration moments. I’m sure the author's background in computer science gave him some creative ideas for how to write AI characters, and that comes across in these two POVs.

Ultimately, other than Charlotte, most characters did not have a distinct voice. I don’t need excessive accent markers, of course, but this book was to the point where if you were to remove character names, you wouldn’t be able to tell that dialogue didn’t all come from one single character. It made, despite the fast-paced chapters, dialogue-heavy parts of this novella slog on. On top of this, dialogue is written very basically to a distracting point. There are only so many times I can read variants of “Benjamin sighed,” “Daniel said,” “He shook his head” as dialogue tags for nearly every interaction before it all blends together. So many interactions could have had these tags cut out or otherwise written less basic.
With this, there is very little attempt at creative or poetic prose. Everything is written very matter-of-factly. It’s not necessarily bad to many readers, but I prefer more detailed, showcasing of characters' feelings and events that happen. For instance: “It utterly confused me. I felt the loss of Eleanor deeply, even though I was her in every way that mattered.” feels like an almost juvenile attempt at describing a character’s thoughts.

I like how, throughout the second half of the novel, we have this presence of MON189. He acts as a warden for the satellite and instills a needed sense of tension and unease. Not too directly involved with the character, at first, but a far away, but also scarily near, figure. I think that the way he reacts to some of ELE’s actions is really fun to read… but I was very disappointing in what the author does with him (rather, lack thereof).

From what I can tell, the author is American (or, at least he currently lives in the US). There are several moments when writing Eleanor/ELE, an English woman, where he has her narrate the meaning of something uniquely British to Americans. For instance: “‘Who caused us trouble in the sixth form?’ I asked. The sixth form in British schools is much like a junior or senior year in high school in the US.” There is no need for a British woman to translate what the phrase “sixth form” means to Americans as a random thought in her head. As an American, no I did not know what sixth form meant, but I would much rather be expected to look up the meaning myself instead of the character, for no reason, randomly thinking of what it means related to US schools. It just reeks of the author’s lack of faith towards his audience being able to understand concepts.

Though I enjoyed my time reading this novella, I ultimately felt disappointed by the lack of quality in some core departments. It's so close to being so good, but these things hold it back too much. Minus my main criticisms, the plot is very fun and I enjoyed the cast of characters a lot. The preview to the sequel that was included was very intriguing, and I hope to read it in the future.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an eARC of this novella. Two Thirds of a God follows the story of ELE, the first virtual human. I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and well written. There were plot twists and it kept me guessing. I struggled a little with some parts where there was explanations of AI, satellites and technology as I have very limited prior understanding of these topics. Overall, a nice quick read and the ending has me interested to see how the story progresses in the next book. 4⭐️

Thank you Vance Mitchell Gloster & Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for a review.

A quick sci-fi read, this fast-paced novella is strengthened by a woman protagonist.

Around 77%, there’s a bit of telling instead of showing which takes one a bit out of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this first book. The preview of book two at the end convinced me to continue on with this series, whether or not I receive an ARC.

A thrilling novella; un-putdown-able! Vance Gloster’s Two Thirds of a God is a thought-provoking and gripping science fiction thriller that delves into the complexities of artificial intelligence, power, and the ethical dilemmas of technological advancement. Set in the near future, this novel is a compelling exploration of what it means to be human in a world where the lines between natural and artificial intelligence are increasingly blurred.

The story follows Eleanor Burton, a brilliant developer leading the team for the OrbitNet internet satellites. When she receives a fatal diagnosis, Eleanor becomes the subject of a ground-breaking brain-scanning experiment. Upon awakening, she discovers that she has been transformed into a virtual human—an unauthorized program running on the primary OrbitNet satellite. As she navigates her new existence, Eleanor must keep her presence a secret while uncovering a covert operation that seeks to exploit her abilities.

Gloster’s writing is sharp and immersive, capturing the tension and urgency of Eleanor’s predicament with precision. The novel’s exploration of themes like intelligence, power, and the ethical implications of technology is both timely and thought-provoking. Eleanor is a compelling protagonist, her intelligence and resilience making her a character readers will root for as she grapples with her new reality and the moral dilemmas it presents.

If I had to provide some minor critique, it would be that there is an occasional slip between British and American English when the British character is narrating. While this may not irk most readers and, for the Americans at least, may even go unnoticed, it certainly pulled me out of the story for a moment which I found quite jarring. That being said, the author is American, so I suppose the slips in vernacular should be forgiven.

The supporting cast, including the enigmatic figures behind the covert operation, adds depth and complexity to the narrative. The pacing is masterful, with each twist and turn heightening the suspense and keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Gloster’s prose is clear and evocative, capturing the intricacies of the technological landscape and the emotional stakes of Eleanor’s journey.

Two Thirds of a God is a story of survival and self-discovery, of the ethical challenges posed by technological advancement and the enduring quest for power. It’s a tale that will captivate fans of science fiction and thrillers, leaving them reflecting on the implications of a world where artificial and natural intelligence intersect.