Best Dystopian
2 stories
THE END OF WAR (Watty Award Winner) by BenSobieck
BenSobieck
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A secret program in the United States seeks to replace human militaries with artificial intelligence-driven machines, but the machines aren't so willing to play along. *** Picture a world where humans no longer fight wars. No more families missing loved ones. No more veterans with lifelong mental and physical scars. No more conscription. For the super-secret End of War Project inside the United States government, such a reality is already here. The project models out how artificial intelligence can overcome dangerous and morally sensitive war scenarios with algorithms and automation. The centerpieces are "autonomous combat machines," or ACMs, that look like humans but function like supercomputers. After a string of brilliant successes in the field of combat, the End of War Project is preparing to reveal itself to the public, but something unusual stands in the way. Against their programming, the ACMs start exhibiting all-too-human signs of apprehension, guilt and compassion as they're pushed to perform ever more extreme tasks. The human leaders of the End of War Project race to find who "hacked" the ACMs, but what they find is even more startling--and revealing--than they could ever imagine. ***2019 Watty Award Winner - Science Fiction***
The Last She (Books 1-3, the Last She Series) by hjnelson
hjnelson
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Ara, the only woman left alive after a plague, is searching for a way to save humanity. She thinks there isn't a man she can trust, until she meets Kaden. ***** A plague has swept over the Earth, killing the majority of the population and every female. Except one. Ara witnessed the horror and destruction, but for the last three years she has survived. Now, desperation and hunger force her out of the mountains and onto a dangerous path; across the flooded downtown and through the gangs of survivors is hope. Ara's father spoke of a clue that could save not just her, but humanity. Then she is captured by a group of men. Despite the seeming kindness of Kaden, a young man her own age, Ara doesn't know if she can trust them. Then again, there's no way she can cross the plague-ridden city on her own. Men. Monsters. Is there a difference? This is the story of The Last She. (This book contains all of The Last She Series - Book 1: The Last She, Book 2: The Last City and Book 3: The Last Creation) [[word count: 250,000-300,000 words]]