Level Seven

Killday, Book 3

By: William Ledbetter

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

A year after the radical Kilburnites thought they destroyed all AIs and reclaimed Earth for humanity, something malignant is growing in the ruins of the once great cities and no human has been able to get close enough to find out what it is.

On the other side of the solar system, Abby Gibson, daughter of the hero who saved Earth on Killday, is nearly killed in the cold vacuum of the asteroid belt by something she doesn't understand. Now, the stealthy object is on course to destroy the space habitat she calls home.

In Level Seven, the exciting culmination of the Killday series, AIs strive to evolve into a super intelligence and might destroy humanity in that pursuit. But could their hopes of achieving godhood actually lie with the nearly extinct humans they intend to eradicate?

©2023 William Ledbetter (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.

My favorite in the series!

While I enjoyed elements of all three books, Level 7 was the most engaging for me. The issues the characters have to work through felt realistic, and Mortimer’s POVs were some of my favorite chapters - Ledbetter did a great job bringing an AI to life in a way that was relatable and still AI.

A.I. Awesomeness

A fantastic trilogy.

Well thought through A.I. and Human issues coupled with space exploration and nanotechnology.

Good but missed opportunity

I really like the series and this one was great too but I'm not sure about the ending and immortality.
What defines everything every aspect of humanity is our mortality.

A Great Addition to a Terrific Series

I've really enjoyed this series so far, and this latest work was a solid entry that took the story in some interesting directions and provided fairly satisfying conclusions for many of the characters fans have come to know and love. The progression of technology and stakes in this series call to mind The Three Body Problem (albeit on a much more relatable timeline). I especially like the way that, as AI has come to play a larger part in our real lives, the author has seemingly sought to include some small details that flesh out the AI entities in this series and make them all the more plausible and familiar. MacLeod Andrews narration, as always, is wonderful and provides exactly what the story calls for.

One minor critique: I wish the author had gone into slightly more detail about the advent of programmable matter. The series has done a great job making near-future advancements such as nanobots, artificial general intelligence, and gravitational manipulation feel plausible and fleshed out. Programmable matter, however, is sort of hand-waved without much exploration of the ramifications or limitations of the tech. Those types of fascinating technical tangents are part of the reason I keep coming back to this series. However, I do understand that others may find those types of details tedious, so it's a matter of personal preference.

If this does turn out to be the last book in the Killday series, as the summary implies, it's a satisfying enough sendoff. Though, if that does turn out to be the case, I will say that the denouement (particularly the epilogue) felt a little rushed for my liking. I would have liked more time with some of these characters as their shared journey drew to a close.

I'm holding out hope that this isn't the end, but a jumping-off point for a deeper exploration of the questions Ledbetter has explored so well in this series this far. However, if the author decides his work here is done, I would like to thank him for providing a wonderfully thought-provoking and exciting series that was a genuine pleasure to listen to!

Great Sci-Fi Listen

Currently one of my favorite sci-fi authors love this series very smartly written with and exciting and timely subject matter especially now with AI front and center on humanities zeitgeist

Different then the first two

It was a good story, but more science fiction than the other two. The first two gave you the sense that they could happen and maybe we are on that path now. This one is a regular science fiction story, though I will say an enjoyable one and I’m interested to see where it goes. But the first two are a bit magic.

Interesting series and expertly performed!

This didn’t go where I thought it was going to go. Fascinating series nonetheless. I’m very much looking forward to new works by this author. And, I seriously hope that this performer is the one to read it! I don’t think there could have been a better duo for these books.

Top notch narration!

Macleod Andrews’ narration is amazing. His ability to produce vastly different voices, while keeping each one distinct and nuanced is exceptional. Good book too, but Macleod’s performance really carries the story.

details

I disliked the sometime monitored sind of the narrators voice. Other than that it was fine.

Not the ending I expected

Have enjoyed this series for from the get go... was really sure how I thought it would end but didn't see it going the way it did..