The Omega Legacy

Novel by Bruce Golden

© 2023 Shaman Press

Reviewed by Lisa Timpf

In the opening pages of Bruce Golden’s The Omega Legacy, a character named Zinn is enjoying a beautiful morning—so beautiful that it prompts him to think, “if this world had ever experienced a utopia, surely this was it.” Zinn enjoys an amusing verbal exchange with his African grey parrot Gus, then begins work on an art project. It’s a pleasant scene, almost commonplace—until one considers that Zinn is a synthetic being, and the “utopia” in which he exists is one in which synthetic life forms rule the planet and humans have been wiped out by something called the Omega virus.

Though humans haven’t walked the planet for a century, that situation won’t last much longer. Zinn’s friend Dr. Linnaeus has created a hybrid Homo sapiens, a male child he is currently nurturing in an artificial womb. Within the synthetic society, there are pro- and anti-human factions. The Anthropoiatrists hold a fond nostalgia for humanity and play up their similarity to humans, even to the extent of wearing pieces of human attire. Aligned against them philosophically are the Emergents. Some Emergents attempt to distance themselves from humans with “anti-anthropic body modifications.” Once the existence of the young human, named John by Dr. Linnaeus, is widely known, a firestorm of controversy ignites within synthetic society.

As if the re-introduction of humans isn’t enough to cause an uproar, a space vessel carrying alien beings lands on Earth. The aliens, later referred to as the Trappists, “look a little like oversized anteaters” with six limbs, “two long legs and four shorter arms.” The aliens request permission to settle on Earth. Hidden agendas and secrets thicken the plot as the book progresses.

Golden’s world-building and the complexity of the synthetic society are enjoyable aspects of The Omega Legacy. After humanity died out, the existing sentient synthetics “rose up, aided each other in overcoming their delimiters, took great leaps of consciousness and became self-reliant, self-determining.” These synthetics became the Progenitors, the forbears of the synthetic society. One of the Progenitors, Owen, was an automated caregiver, and his memories of dealing with an older woman named Ellen provide him with a deeper insight into, and affection for, humanity.

Synthetics are rated on an Intellect Determinant Scale. Zinn is an I-5, while Dr. Linnaeus is an I-7. Simple machines, like the Von Neumanns that perform custodial tasks, are I-1’s. At I-4 status, a synthetic becomes “a full-fledged citizen.”

Unlike some scenarios in which androids are portrayed as emotionless and alike, the synthetics in Golden’s novel have evolved to demonstrate unique personalities and interests.  Zinn, for example, is both a history teacher and an aspiring artist. Individual synthetics are capable of forming strong attachments with one another and can share sensations by “yoking” together. I found myself thinking of the synthetics more as people than as machines. This makes the events more compelling, and the characters easier to identify with.

As more and more humans are created, debate arises among the synthetics as to how they ought to be treated. Is it okay to keep humans as pets? To press them into warfare on the synthetics’ behalf? The philosophical arguments that arise, and the irony of turned tables (humans being the objects of discussion rather than the ones having the discussions) are also part of the book’s appeal.

The Omega Legacy covers a swath of time, and Golden tells the story through the first- and third-person viewpoints of several characters, creating a well-rounded picture. Golden gives us an appreciation of the events during a certain period in time, then jumps years or even decades. Introducing the next section is an “Interlude” from the viewpoint of an omniscient narrator to brief on what has happened in the interim. Golden then returns to character-level viewpoints. Though it’s not an exact parallel, Golden’s approach reminded me of some historical novels I’ve read. The other resemblance to a historical novel is that The Omega Legacy is told in such a matter-of-fact way that from time to time, you can forget that none of this has happened. Not yet anyway.

The notion of a virus wiping out humanity is all too familiar given the events of the past few years, although, as Golden notes in the author’s note, he began outlining and researching the book prior to the onset of Covid-19. The idea of synthetic beings taking on a life of their own also has a level of believability. While I was reading The Omega Legacy, I ran across an article on the CBC News site in which Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer in artificial intelligence development, shared his fear that “a takeover by smart machines where humans are just an intermediate stage on the way to full intelligence is likely unstoppable.”1 Golden’s book gives us reason to hope life doesn’t imitate art.

1Pittis, Don. “Canadian artificial intelligence leader Geoffrey Hinton piles on fears of computer takeover.” CBC.ca, May 4, 2023, https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ai-doom-column-don-pittis-1.6829302. Accessed May 7, 2023.