In
the Gleaming Light
By HR Moore
What
happens when the robots steal our jobs?
Speculative fiction novel "In the Gleaming Light" gives a much
needed plausible imagining of the world thirty years from now.
Automation, robots, and job stealing are
topics that capture the imagination of many, but the big question is this: what’s
to be done when these things start to have a meaningful impact on our lives? Universal Basic Income, the favoured solution
of entrepreneurs and academics alike, has been creeping into the press, but if
you stop someone on the street and ask them about it, the chances are you’ll
get a blank look.
“In the Gleaming Light” gives an engaging,
pacey, intrigue-filled look at the world thirty years from now, complete with a
clear representation of the complex and controversial political issues that
underpin it all.
Blurb:
It's 2048. Automation has stolen vast swathes
of jobs, and the government pays everyone a no-strings-attached income, enough
to live on, in order to keep the economy going. Society is split
into those who can get jobs; engineers, managers, creatives, and those who
cannot.
Iva Brooksbank, Senior Investigator of the
Enforcement Office, has made a career of taking down corporate moguls who flout
the rules, and now she has Guy Strathclyde, CEO of Cybax Technologies, firmly
in her sights. She's sure he's up to something, and races to find
evidence that will stick, before her time runs out.
Lulu Banks, a world famous artist, uses her work to
highlight the deep inequalities and injustices the world now faces,
perpetuated, she thinks, by the relentless march of technology. But when
she finds herself the object of Guy's affections, she has to decide if she can
trust his intentions, or if he's just the same as all the other corporate big
dogs.
HR Moore, author, explains:
“In the Gleaming Light was born out of my experience and
observations in life and at work, and also through a general interest in the
not-too-distant future of our world. With a background in financial
services and change management, I've seen first-hand the unrelenting pace of
change and drive towards automation, that is having, and will continue to have,
a significant effect on everyone.
The
changes that have taken place in the last twenty years are mind-boggling, and
there's no evidence of the pace slowing down. Indeed, automation is
predicted to put significant numbers out of work, and, if that happens, the
social consequences will be extreme.
Automation
and Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a solution, are areas gaining a great deal
of traction, with entrepreneurs and academics shouting about the need for
governments to step in, governments running UBI trials in response, and the
media starting to step up their coverage. However, the topic is currently
stuck in (relatively boring) academic and political channels, and I think
there's a real need to bring these important topics to life through engaging,
fictional portrayals. In the Gleaming Light aims to do
this in a plot and relationship-driven way; it's book club fiction, designed to
stimulate conversation, with drama and romance throughout.
Importantly,
“In the Gleaming Light” is not passing judgment on the march of technology, or
UBI as a potential solution, but I feel passionately that this is a
conversation that effects everybody. The
more that can be done to get people involved from all backgrounds, now, as
opposed to after the fact, the better.
And given
the gender skews of people working in technology, I’m especially passionate
about engaging women in this conversation.
The workplace is biased, and it’s important that women utilize
technology to help level the playing field.
The worst case scenario would be a future world that’s dictated
(passively and accidentally) by a relatively small handful of (mostly) men. Now is the time for us to talk about these
issues, and it’s essential that the debate is equally open to all.”
In the Gleaming Light will
be released on Amazon on 1st March, 2019 in both eBook ($4.99 / £3.99) and paperback ($10.99
/ £7.99)
formats. The eBook is currently available on Amazon UK ~ Amazon US
Excerpt:
Lulu flopped to the ground as she crossed the
makeshift sprint finish line in the sand, her chest heaving as she tried to
regain her breath. It was a glorious
morning, even at this early hour, the sun reflecting furiously on the flat calm
of the sea, playing about as the water moved gently up and down, slivers of
silver light trying to fool onlookers into believing it could be warm. Tiny waves lapped lightly at the beach, the
sound calming Lulu’s exhausted body, helping her settle her racing heart.
‘Darling, you’re a little distracted this
morning,’ said Bertie Baqua, her slight, Asian fitness instructor, as he caught
up with her. He was renowned the world
over and in great demand, but he and Lulu had been friends for years, Lulu
having attended his classes before he was famous, their friendship secured on
the dance floor of a dubious Salsa club in Brighton.
‘I opened my exhibition last night,’ she
replied, as though this were enough.
‘And?’ he replied, clearly requiring more.
She thought about keeping Guy a secret, but
knowing Bertie, he probably already knew.
‘And Guy Strathclyde came.’
‘Did he indeed?’ flounced Bertie, laughing
with his eyes.
‘He keeps asking me out,’ she shrugged, as
though this were obviously a problem.
‘And?’
‘And, I thought he was a typical corporate
mogul. I mean, he was obviously given
his job by his dad.’
‘Which is frowned upon these days,’ said
Bertie, frivolously.
‘Which is illegal these days,’ snapped Lulu,
rolling over and propping herself up on her arms.
Bertie raised an eyebrow and a shoulder
simultaneously. ‘Touchy,’ he said. ‘You must really like him.’
‘I don’t know him. But I was surprised about his opinions on
certain topics.’
‘In a good way?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, what’s the problem then?’
‘I just never thought I’d even entertain the
idea of dating someone like him.
And I think he might be dangerous.’
And I think he might be dangerous.’
‘Isn’t that a little prejudiced?’
Lulu rolled her eyes. ‘Maybe,’ she pouted, playing with the grains
of sand between her fingers.
‘What harm can come from going on a couple of
dates? If you like him, then great;
you’re not breaking any rules by dating him...apart from ones you’ve perhaps
created for yourself for no good reason.’
Lulu huffed as she brushed the sand
away. ‘I suppose so.’
‘You’re welcome,’ he said, reaching down to
help her up.
‘You’re insufferable,’ she said, refusing his
hand and throwing a towel at him instead.
Bertie snickered, and didn’t stop.
‘What now?’ she asked, not understanding the joke.
‘Looks like you’ve got company,’ he said,
nodding up the beach.
Lulu’s head whipped round. ‘Oh God,’ she breathed.
‘I’ll say,’ said Bertie, nodding his head in
approval.
Guy reached their workout spot and held his
hands up; they were full of coffee and paper bags. ‘Hungry?’ he asked hopefully. She paused, considering another refusal. ‘Oh, come on,’ he said, ‘of course you’re
hungry; you’ve been working out for ages.’
Bertie nudged Lulu towards Guy. ‘I’ve got another client, so I really must be
going,’ he said, as though the breakfast invitation had also been extended to
him, which of course they all knew it hadn’t.
‘Have fun,’ he said, suggestively.
He stuffed dumbbells, balls and elastics back into his bag, hoisted it
over his shoulder, and headed back up the beach, throwing Lulu a double thumbs
up, complete with accompanying indelicate head nod behind Guy’s back.
Lulu ignored him. ‘You’ve been watching me work out?’ she
asked, not sure whether to be flattered or a little bit freaked out.
Guy laughed.
‘Not really. I’ve been working in
the café up there,’ he said, pointing to the beach’s edge where a Chutney Café
stood, the chain that had gained supremacy when it innovated the old players
out of the market by replacing humans with robots. ‘They’re not technically open yet, but the
manager took pity on me and let me in early.’
‘Charmed by your smile, no doubt.’
‘I am very charming,’ he said, flashing her
his best grin. ‘I’m so glad you’ve
noticed.’
My Review:
In 2048 the world is running off of automation. Homes run
off of automation if the resident so chooses. You can buy a robot or butler as
they are called to cook, clean, and even do laundry. Most jobs have been taken
over by robotics but there is still a few jobs left for the humans who want or
still need to work.
The government pays everyone a certain amount of money to
help them with living expenses. There are a few people who still need a job to
help with expenses but there are a few who chose to not work and just stay at
home to play games.
Lulu Banks is an artist who started out just selling her
work as sort of a hobby but when word got around about how good she was the
rich started buying her work and she became famous.
Guy Strathclyde, CEO of Cybax Technologies, life is going
great, his work is running smoothly until Senior Investigator of the
Enforcement Office, Iva Brooksbank decides that Guy is up to something and starts
nosing in his business. Iva thinks Guy is doing something illegal and sets out
to prove it.
Two brothers Sam and Ben lived with their parents neither
have a job. All they do all day long is play games until the day their mother
finally gets fed up with the two of them and throws them out. Sam and Ben move
into their own apartment but Ben figures out real quick just how much his
parents paid out for bills. Ben decides to get a job to help with all of the
expenses at their new apartment but Sam doesn’t want to grow up so he just
keeps on playing his games and having his butler do all of his work.
In the Gleaming Light tells of a world where you can chose
to sit at home doing nothing where everything is done for you and playing games
or you can go out and get a job and hopefully make a difference in the world
and your life.
If you like books with futuristic worlds that are ran by
automation then you are going to love In the Gleaming Light.
About the Author:
Harriet was born in Germany in 1987, her
family returning to the UK, to Dorset shortly afterwards. She lived there until
she was 5, her grandfather teaching her the basics of cheating at cards and
swindling chocolate, her mother starting to instil a (some would argue)
unhealthy relationship with cake, and the neighbours demonstrating that some
people don't understand cherry blossom is there to be picked, mixed with mint
and water and sold as perfume.
Then there was Scotland; stealthy guinea pig
breeding, riding horses, advanced cards, more cake, then to Devon and school in
Exeter. She loved maths in the early years, but by the time she got to A Level,
Sociology was her favourite subject, opening her eyes to things she'd never
before considered, namely, nobody is really right, nobody is really normal and
primary socialisation has a lot to answer for.
At the age of about 12, Harriet started
rowing for Exeter Rowing Club. This quickly took over her life and before too
long she was clad in lycra, training 6 days a week and competing at events
around the country.
After finishing her A Levels, Harriet went to
university in St Andrews, studying Philosophy for two years, then switching to
Management. She was particularly interested in the change elements of her
course and especially the areas concerning how people create and react to
change. After four very civilised years by the sea, she ventured to London, to
foray into the strange world of insurance (surprisingly, more interesting than
you might think). She worked as a
Project Manager on large change programmes before founding her own consultancy
in 2015.
Harriet has since worked on a number of
insurance related projects that helped influence and inspire In the Gleaming Light, specifically
around the use of connected devices in the home, data collection and
utilisation within financial services, and how automation can both reduce
costs, and significantly improve vast swathes of tiresome, long-winded
processes.
Harriet has recently moved from Bristol in
the UK to Portsmouth in New Hampshire, with her husband Chris and two young
daughters. When she isn't writing, editing, eating, running around after her
kids, or imagining how much better life would be with the addition of a springer
spaniel, she occasionally finds the time to make hats.
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