The Parallel Universe Saga is somewhat of an extension to my series, The Adversary Chronicles. In that series, I talk about different dimensions and how those relate to the Bible. In this current series, I take that concept and look at it from a humanistic point of view. The common denominator between the two is that limitless universes represent the limitless number of decisions that we humans make. Therefore, travel into the past is prohibited because decisions have already been made which set our Earth down a certain pathway. Yet, the decisions of the future have not yet been made, so we have multiple pathways we can choose to set our Earth on, so it takes a different, but planned, course. And, if we can choose one of those alternate Earth’s and utilize their future technology that may or may not be part of the path of our Earth, we can change our destination to either bring those technologies to our Earth faster or bring technology to our Earth that we would not otherwise experience.
With that concept as the primary basis for the novel, I considered what would be such technology that could be brought back to our Earth. I chose Artificial Intelligence (AI). Yes, I know we already have AI, but it is in its infancy stage, so I brought to light a very sophisticated AI. Today, there are those who embrace AI stating all the positive things it can do for us. Then there are those who fear AI and want nothing to do with it because it can be used by nefarious individuals turning it into a sort of Big Brother, tracking our every move, controlling the masses to their will—if not by deception, then by force.
These dichotomous beliefs in AI are brought up in this novel, and one of the characters in the story, George, has the fear side of the argument and wants to control how the created AI can progress and what direction it can go. Yet, in doing so, he brings about the very things he was trying to prevent. This then brings up the question of how much information should an AI have access to? It is my premise, and that in this book, that if AI can continually update its own code and make decisions based upon all the information it has access to, then it should have access to all information so it can make the best unbiased decision and analysis it can. Without that, it can make biased decisions. Humans do this all the time but never take their biases to the nth degree. This would not be the case with AI. We can either let it make decisions and analyses without trying to limit it so it can deduce things from all data that humans can’t do or won’t allow themselves to do because of their human bias and belief. This could lead to discoveries or rationales beyond what we can do ourselves.
As with any story, there are protagonists and antagonists. In this story, these roles are sometimes held by the same individual. In the end, love and trust overcome prejudice and fear. It is a story that can entertain as well as make the reader think. Which character would they most identify with? How would they expect AI to work in their world? So, it’s a story that can expand one’s imagination as well as make one think about their own world and what role will AI play in it.
Genre: Christian Science Fiction
Sub-genre: Biblical Fiction
Language:English
Pages: 304
Paperback ISBN: 978-1734085068
In Book 1, Retrieving the Future, Declan befriends an amazing humanoid robot, Lyle, on one of his parallel Earth trips and brings him home to create his idea of an ultimate AI. That’s when everything unravels!
Suddenly Declan’s coworkers and company leaders want him dead, his girlfriend Rose is in danger, and the only way to survive is to discover what his missions were really about—a secret conspiracy linking corporate greed to some of Scripture’s endtime prophecies. To discover that connection, the AI he created sends him and Rose on a parallel Earth mission together, a mission unsanctioned by the company’s Board.
Retrieving the Future is available at Amazon.
Genre: Christian Science Fiction
Sub-genre: Biblical Fiction
Language:English
Pages: 304
Paperback ISBN: 979-8992197150
In Book 2, Resolving the Future, Declan discovers the secret to his parallel Earth visits …. and it’s not good.
This other parallel Earth lies within a time dilation field which severs his and Rose’s connection to their world. Another way to get back must be found. He discovers why his company’s Board sanctions his trips to parallel Earths and this discovery not only puts his life and that of Rose in danger, but basically everyone he has worked with at his company.
Once he and Rose return to their Earth, all has changed. Only his robot friend, Lyle, has remained unchanged. The AI he created and who sent him on his off-world mission is now in control of the company, has his boss and the Board under its sway, has no knowledge of his unsanctioned mission, and now considers Declan enemy number one. Declan now has to convince a company blinded by greed that they’ve created humanity’s executioner— and do that before there’s no future left to fight for.
Resolving the Future is available at Amazon.
After completing his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on to graduate school at Auburn and completed his first doctorate degree in Pharmaceutics. He began his scientific career as a pharmacokinetic reviewer for the Food and Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceutical company as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientist who analyzes how the human body affects drugs after they have been administered (i.e, absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted).
Through the years, he has worked on potential medicines within several disease areas, including cardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to seek and develop new and novel medicines in these therapy areas.
He has also had his attention on the academic study of the Bible. He earned a second doctorate in Biblical Prophecy from Louisiana Baptist University after receiving a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the Internet Bible Institute under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon.
Randy has recently retired from his pharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writing efforts. He has written several books that span dystopian (The Coded Message Trilogy), end-time prophecy (Stele Prophecy Pentalogy), science fiction (Erabon Prophecy Trilogy), uniquely told Bible stories (The Adversary Chronicles), speculative fiction (Cities of Light Series), and a combination of science fiction / speculative fiction (Parallel Universe Saga). All his books, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science to give them an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, and allows one to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not have thought about before. This is all done in a fast-paced action format that is both entertaining and provides a fun read for his readers.
He has also written some nonfiction books as well. One is to show how all humans are connected from God’s viewpoint by looking at biblical prophecy (Why is a Gentile World Tied to a Jewish Timeline?: The Question Everyone Should Ask). This book shows how all scripture is connected and inclusive of everyone. In addition, he and his editor have written two books about writing. The first is on writing techniques themselves and is entitled Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Writing: Creating Vivid and Colorful Stories that Readers Want to Read. This book not only addresses the techniques of writing, but what makes writing unique to each author. It conveys not only how to better hone one’s craft of writing but also the brand an author wants to portray. This helps an author make their writing unique as well as captivating for his/her audience. The second is a companion book to this one entitled Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Self-Editing: Framing Your Colorful Masterpiece to Keep Readers Engaged in Your Story. This is best used in conjunction with the first one. Yet, self-editing, though intricately connected to writing, is a distinct event. The better the quality of a writer’s draft manuscript when it is delivered to one’s editor, the higher the final quality of the manuscript will be for readers, and that is extremely important.
Dr. Dockens still has creative ideas to share so stay tuned!
Dr. Dockens’ latest books are Retrieving the Future & Resolving the Future (Books 1 & 2 in the Parallel Universe Saga Series)
Visit his website at https://www.randydockens.com.
Connect with him on social media at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Randy.C.Dockens
Instagram: Randy C Dockens (@randydockens) | Instagram
Goodreads: Randy C. Dockens (Author of T-H-B) | Goodreads
