What does it mean to achieve when you are really a brain in a bottle and your world is a simulation geared to your satisfaction? The said brains discuss these issues amid a sort of super(man) battle. The whole doesn't jell. ( )

Wow! What an unexpected delight. Absolutely amazing. I'm keeping my comments short so as to not spoil anything or even give up a little of the surprise. ( )

Not entirely what I expected but in a very good way. ( )

In a futuristic world, where everything is different, God-Emperor Kairominas still faces some of the simple problems of today. The powers that be have required that he go on a date. And even the God-Emperor must listen.
In Kai's world, the liveborn (humans) don't have physical bodies. Instead, their brains are connected to a system that allows them to live for centuries in a virtual world. And each person's virtual world is uniquely suited to allow them to achieve their highest potential.

Although they mostly interact with the creations of their virtual worlds, their lives aren't necessarily solitary. They can interact with liveborn in neighboring states. And there are even borderlands that can be crossed into and claimed. It's in one of these that Kai met his rival. And his rival is not letting up, continuing to try to invade Kai's lands.

So the request for Kai to meet with a potentially compatible woman--more liveborns have to come from somewhere--is a welcome distraction. But in what is supposed to be neutral territory, can Kai expect to be safe? After all, he doesn't know this woman at all. And he might end up more vulnerable to threats from outside forces.

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I enjoyed the brief journey into this world. As a novella, this certainly isn't an epic science fiction story. But it's paced so well that it tells a rich and complete story without needing hundreds of pages to do so. It's easy to connect with the characters. And the writing certainly helps readers easily immerse themselves in the story.

I won't go into too much detail because it's always hard to avoid spoilers in reviewing shorter works. But I will say that there are some unexpected twists that I didn't see coming. Excellent storytelling! ( )

At the beginning of this one, I really wasn't into it. I think that was the point. Perfect State takes a look at what would happen if you started with a somewhat boring character and shape them into a hero -- but in a non-traditional short story. This could be described (and this isn't spoiling anything, as it's explained early on) as the first version of the Matrix, the one where people got everything they wanted, but where each person is in their own isolated universe. When people who have only talked to AIs decide to talk to other actual humans, things get interesting. ( )