Five by Five—New tech novel looks at the possible future of AI

By Max Bowen

In his new book, “Quinto’s Challenge,” debut sci-fi author Peter McChesney looks at a world where artificial general intelligence has has remade the world into something complete new.

The book opens with the US President challenging scientists to develop new technology to make resurrection possible. Soon after, a quantum physicist makes the discovery that changes everything—unlocking the power not just to restore life, but to reshape the world. But in the wrong hands, that power could become a superweapon of surveillance and control, changing the world as we know it forever.

In this Five by Five, Peter’s talks about his time in the tech world and its influence on his writing, his take on AI, and resolving the ethical dilemmas of evolving technology.

Tell me about your time in the tech world and the perspective it gave you on artificial intelligence.
I’ve been tech-curious since childhood in Australia, drawn to new gadgets and emerging technologies. That curiosity shaped my career, which spanned roles in cybersecurity, HR tech and autonomous driving.

In the HR space, I helped companies adopt AI-powered hiring tools that supported, rather than replaced, human decisions. Later, I led an organization working on AI-based autonomous driving, helping those systems better interpret the world.

These experiences gave me a front-row seat to AI’s power and limitations. I saw how effective it can be when curated by humans, but also how easily it can be over-trusted or misused.

That perspective shaped “Quinto’s Challenge,” which imagines a future where artificial general intelligence (AGI) has made much of the workforce obsolete, sparking backlash, and where even AGI has been surpassed by “Manufactured Sentience”: androids that think, feel, and act.

What do you see as the ethical dilemmas and how can we resolve these?
Several ethical dilemmas have emerged from the AI revolution. One is the use of personal data and copyrighted material to train AI without consent, something I believe should only happen with explicit permission. Another is the rise of deceptive generative content. In “Quinto’s Challenge,” AI-generated media is regulated, but public trust remains shaken.

The book also explores the societal cost of overreliance on AI, especially how it can diminish creativity, purpose, and genuine growth.

Finally, large language models reflect the biases of those who train them. These tools don’tthink, but rather generate outputs from human-fed data. The more society relies on them, the more power is concentrated in the hands of their creators.

While there are no simple answers, I believe ethical training, smart regulation, and stronger media literacy will all be part of the solution.

What led you to writing a book on the topic and did it further your knowledge?
While AI features prominently in “Quinto’s Challenge,” the story was sparked by something else: the question of whether science could one day achieve the religious promise of resurrection. That intersection of faith and science became the heart of the novel, framed as a presidential moonshot to conquer death itself.

I wanted to explore not just how resurrection might work, but what it would mean for society, politics, and identity. Could it inspire a kind of secular belief in an afterlife?

AI helped me imagine how such a future might unfold, from fully automated construction to universal basic income and sentient androids. While the book is character-driven, it’s also grounded in plausible worldbuilding.

Writing it expanded my understanding of AI’s potential and limits, as well as the ethical and psychological questions we’ll face as the lines between humanity and technology continue to blur.

Tell me about the real life science behind your book.
“Quinto’s Challenge” draws on three major scientific threads. First is quantum mechanics, specifically the principle that information in the universe is never truly lost. The novel explores that principle, specifically by how the memories and personalities of every person who ever lived may still be encoded in spacetime, and how such data might one day be retrieved.

Second is advanced genetics. Today we have the basics of cloning. In the novel, cloning is used to remake the bodies of the deceased once their full genome is obtained.

The third thread is AI. AGI helps reconstruct data from spacetime, but even that falls short. Enter Manufactured Sentience: conscious androids capable of furthering the work (although a neurodivergent physicist ultimately provides the missing breakthrough.).

Other extrapolations include SecondSight, a mixed-reality lens that replaces all smart devices and serves as a platform for both exposition and plot.

Do you see this book as any sort of cautionary tale when it comes to cutting-edge tech?
Absolutely. Technology is power, and power is neutral. How we use it determines whether it uplifts or endangers humanity.

In “Quinto’s Challenge,” the scientific discovery that makes resurrection possible is awe-inspiring. But like the Manhattan Project, it carries dangerous alternate uses, so potent that no government could resist.

That captures the book’s cautionary thread. Whether it’s nuclear energy, political power, or cutting-edge tech, each demands strong ethical safeguards and public accountability.

Quinto’s Challenge asks not only can we do something, but should we? It doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does offer hope: that even in a world reshaped by staggering technological forces, human unity, brilliance, and belief can still work wonders, even the resurrection of the dead.

It’s a world of daemons and magic in Alison Levy’s new book

I’ve been a longtime fantasy fan, and so it was a real pleasure to speak with Alison Levy’s new book, “Blue Flame,” part two of the Daemon Collecting series, out on Oct. 11 through SparkPress. The new book continues the adventures of Rachel Wilde, who comes from a dimension adjacent to ours. The people there have structured their society around daemon collecting: they locate, catch, and repair malfunctioning daemons (creatures out of phase with our world that tempt people to do good or evil).

While introducing Leda Morley, last of an ancient line of gatekeepers, to the ins and outs of her daemon-collecting work, Rachel Wilde encounters something far more dangerous than any daemon: a young boy who stands alone against an unseen yet terrifying enemy that has invaded his home—an inhuman creature who, hellbent on revenge for a minor slight, intends to harm the boy’s oblivious family. Meanwhile, Leda’s brother, Simon, is feeling left out of his maternal family legacy but is coping partly by helping Rachel’s friend Bach—a previously homeless man with unusual mental abilities—get his life back on track.

In the midst of all of this, Bach unintentionally but serendipitously makes contact with a capable otherworldly being who, with great reluctance, agrees to help Bach and his friends take on the dangerous creature that’s just become their problem to solve. Together, this group of unlikely allies must put aside their differences to save an innocent child, and his family, from a monster—before it’s too late.

Alison and I dive into the worldbuilding that went into this book and the new characters that we meet. She talks about the daemons and the system of magic she created and how it all works. We look at how writing this book compared to her first novel, “Gatekeeper,” and her plans for the release of “Blue Flame.” Along with being a writer, Alison is also a mental health advocate, and we go into how writing the new book helped and how it can be a platform to help others.

A family story leads to a debut novel in “One April After The War”

Picture this—you're cleaning out the home of a relative who's passed on when you find a scrapbook and the message “Please finish this story.” What's your answer? For author G.S. Boarman, that answer was “Yes,” and we all benefit with the new book “One April After The War.” Here's a quick synopsis:

Fresh from concluding a counterfeiting sting in Cincinnati, Secret Service agents Merritt and Argent are tasked by President Ulysses S. Grant to convince Miss Warner to return with them to Washington, D.C. For the two Treasury agents, this simple assignment to escort the socially awkward and willful young woman on an 800-mile railroad journey from Louisville, Kentucky to the White House proves far more interesting and difficult than the men could have ever thought possible. And, in the face of danger, it may just turn out that Mary is more of an asset than a problem for the two agents.

In this episode, G.S. and I talk about the discovery and what led them to complete the story, a gripping historical adventure set right after the Civil War. We're introduced to the origins of the Secret Service, a much different organization than the one we know today. We also learn about the main characters, Secret Service agents Merritt and Argent and Mary Warner, and the work that went into creating them.

This book explores the themes of mental illness and sexism and what is was like to be mentally ill in the late 1800s. G.S. and I also look at the endless research that was done (enjoyably so) to make this book happen.

A long-held secret drives Kristine Ochu's “Campfire Confessions”

Annie’s devoted her life to raising four sons and volunteering wherever she’s needed. Most people consider her a saint—but they don’t know she’s hiding a big secret. When this secret finally catches up with Annie, best friends Jo and Sondra rush to her side. An adventure in the great outdoors leads to a sharing of pasts among the three friends in Kristine Ochu's debut novel, “Campfire Confessions,” now available through BooksFluent.

In this episode, Kristine and I talk about Annie, Jo, and Sandra and what each brings to the story and how they drive the plot. Kristine goes into the creation process and how she crafted this cast.

Kristine has a pretty diverse background as a log-rolling champion, international human resource executive, motivational speaker, and longtime screenwriter and we look at how all these experiences factored into the story.

Rhode Island Author Expo returns!

Me with Angelina Singer

A couple weeks ago, one of my favorite events, the Rhode Island Author Expo, saw its big return to an in-person format. Over 100 authors attended, and there were panels for book marketing, hybrid publishing, world-building and much more. I was there to emcee the show, as well as interview some of the great writers.

Opening this episode is Tim Jones, creator of the Sour Grapes comic. We go into the origins of the comic, its many characters, and how Tim's gotten it into so many newspapers over the years.

After that, Angelina Singer and I catch up after two years, and she has quite a bit to share. She's released her Rewind Duology and worked with Chelsea Kwoka to create the audiobook version.

To close out this episode, MC Madjoucoff and I talk about her book, “Fried Catfish,” a comedy/drama all about the world of catfishing.

Mark Sheldon dives into the third book of his serial killer series

Just in time for the holidays, author Mark Sheldon joins me to talk about the final chapter of his Sarah Killian series, “Sarah Killian: The Marching Tides,” available on Dec. 10 through Crystal Lake Publishing. Here's a little excerpt from the plot, written in Sarah's rather unique way.

For my final mission, I (begrudgingly) team up with my good for nothing, S.O.B. assassin ex, Jason. Why would I do such a crazy thing? Well, aside from the obvious answer that I am crazy, we are fleeing from the mysterious organization known only as the Marching Tides—a collective hell-bent on bringing down the Trusted Hierarchy of Everyday Murderers (T.H.E.M.) and exposing their shady dealings to the world at large.

Pretty cool, huh? And in this episode, Mark and I dive into the plot of the final novel, as well as some of the twists and turns of the series. We look at Sarah's character, how she came to be, and what led Mark to write this interesting take on the world of serial killers and assassins.

Rhode Island Author Expo, Episode 2: Elizabeth Devlin and Apryl Scott

In this second collection of interviews previewing the annual Rhode Author Island Expo, I'm talking with Apryl Scott about here recently-released book of poetry, “The Book of Jade.” The book was written following a powerful spiritual moment in the author's life and we talk about what that was and the change it led to. We also get a few readings from the book, and also talk about Wrestless Communications, which she founded.

Following that, it's writer Elizabeth Devlin for her book, “Home Waters.” It's a blend of drama and science thriller when Becket Fallon learns of a toxic algae that could threaten the entire East Coast. Elizabeth talks all about the research she did for this novel and the amazing folks she worked with to develop the very realistic scientific threat.

Galia Gichon dives into the Women's Suffrage Movement in new novel

Over a century after women were granted the right to vote, Galia Gichon explores this pivotal moment through her new book, “The Accidental Suffragist.”


It's 1911, and Helen Fox is a factory worker living in New York's tenements. When tragedy strikes in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Helen is seduced by the cause for women’s suffrage and is soon working alongside famous activists.


In this interview we look at how this subject came to Galia's attention and the research she undertook to learn all about it. We learn about Helen Fox, her motivation to join the movement, and how she changes as a person. Galia's been able to hold several in-person readings and book events and talks about the experience of being in front of an audience.

Planet DIVOC-91 takes an in-depth look at life in a pandemic

Planet DIVOC-91, a nine-part series from Webtoon, is an offbeat sci-fi satire about a pandemic outbreak in the far reaches of outer space. But the story goes way beyond that. Each chapter features the work of a different creative team and cover artist and is interspersed with short articles, links to videos, and other pieces of art by young adults about issues related to COVID-19, and mixes from world renowned DJs and Producers.

Writer Sara Kenney (who wrote the first part and laid the groundwork for the series) and artist Nick Brokenshire (who drew the second part) join me to talk about the creative process and the different directions aspects of the pandemic that get examined.

Boston author begins at the end

Author Christine Meade joins me to talk about her new book, “The Way You Burn,” available through She Writes Press. The book opens with, well, the original ending as David returns to his New Hampshire cabin to find it on fire, with his girlfriend Hope the likely person behind it. This book explores David's attempts to understand the complicated pasts of his loved ones by unraveling the vast webs of secrets they’ve kept hidden.

We talk about the many changes this book underwent since Christine first wrote it as well as setting it in Boston, where she lives and the fun she got to have with that. We also look at releasing a new book amidst the pandemic and how that entire process has had to change.

I hope you're digging the new opening and closing tracks, provided by the amazing Sarikaiden. Be sure to check out his music and his podcast, Mumble the Owl.

Rhode Island Author Expo, Part 3

Part three of my podcast series from the 6th annual ARIA writer's expo.

Lisa Gardner talks about how to make great characters.

Rebecca Harrington shares tales of celebrity diets and social media faux pas.

Sharon Contillo tells us all about her book, “The Little Christmas Ornament.”ll about her book, “The Little Christmas Ornament.”