The Last Mandarin

By: Louise Penny & Melissa Fung

Even though books about AI terrify me, I had to read this one because I'm a loyal Louise Penny fan and I love a good mystery. This story reminded me of an Indiana Jones adventure and is just fantastical enough to feel safely unbelievable. Or maybe… I don’t want to believe the truths within?

“The weapons of the New World war are invisible and almost impossible to detect until it's too late.” p28

“Social media was now the loudest voice in the room. Untrained, undisciplined, filled with agendas and anger and misinformation.” p63

“You'd have thought we'd grow out of it, this tendency to do foolish things,” he said. Despite the lines down his face, his voice was calm, musical. "Though I do wonder what would become of the world if young people didn't do foolish things.” p153

“This shift to the far right wasn't limited to Moscow. It was increasingly common internationally, as allegiances strained, has trade deals collapsed, as immigrants flooded in, changing the culture, the demographics. Nations began pulling in on themselves. Began to appeal to the worst part of human nature.” p164

“Those who control, cyberspace control people’s thoughts, which control emotions, and emotions dictate actions. In cognitive hacking, you have the ultimate weapon.” p172

“Pardington was reminded of Darwin's famous line, so often mis-quoted. It was not the fittest that would survive, it was those that could adapt. Which was what made adaptive predictive AI so very dangerous.” p284

“Over delicate finger sandwiches, their crusts cut off, of cucumber, and smoked salmon, and egg. Over pastries, they told them the story. Of hubris, of desperation, of a good, even noble plan for democracy that went sideways. Then south. Before descending into madness.” p482