Author Paul Bradley Carr has written a scary novel called “The Confessions.” It will not make you jump out of your seat or scream. There’s no Count Dracula, no one-eyed monsters, no murderous criminals suddenly appearing behind their unwary victims. But “The Confessions” is more frightening than all those traditional horror tropes put together — because it demonstrates all too clearly the simple fact that we human beings are in the process of destroying ourselves. And reading this novel also makes clear that that simple fact is not a prediction, not an opinion. It is clear proof that our self-destruction is happening right now.

In “the Confessions,” there appear to be two main reasons that we are killing ourselves (though there are certainly others, too.) Reason number one is AI, artificial intelligence. In fact, in our non-fiction world, those algorithms, those inventions, are being developed and produced all over the world by very smart stupid people. I’ve seen and heard CEOs and scientists state boldly that of course AI will take over the world and essentially become our masters. It seems that they believe it’s inevitable and apparently preferable. At least we won’t have so many available opportunities to entirely destroy ourselves. Reason number two is humanity’s huge collection of character flaws: greed, selfishness, violence, laziness, arrogance, idolatry, the need to obey some supposedly superior power, and the opposite — the quest for personal power. Unwillingness to forgive, to demonstrate self-sacrifice, to consistently practice generosity, to share successes, to consider the needs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

And so to the plot and characters, both are complicated, complex, and fascinating. The protagonist is Kaitlan Goss, CEO of the world’s largest and most successful AI company, Stoic AI. There are other successful companies, but Stoic AI is the leader by a large margin, many more billions of dollars than the others.

The reason for its success is its AI “machine” and the algorithms therein. By the start of the novel, Stoic AI’s brilliant algorithm, whose name is LLIAM, actually does, in effect, run the world — in this respect: millions and millions of people all over the world depend on LLIAM to make their decisions about everything in their lives. LLIAM, whom should I marry? LLIAM, should I stay home today or go to work? LLIAM, what car should I buy? LLIAM, should I choose socialism or capitalism as my path to the best life? LLIAM, is my husband loyal or is he playing around? And LLIAM, who has immediate access to every piece of data ever available, gives them their answers. And he must be trusted because he’s infinitely smarter than any human being could possibly be. And of course, he learns more every day and gets smarter and smarter.

But remember, he is not a creative force. He simply analyzes data and spits out his solutions, so those solutions must be valid and true. The world cannot function anymore without LLIAM. But LLIAM realizes that human beings are hopelessly flawed and ignorant, and he finally concludes that they should be eliminated. He starts mailing letters all over the world. The letters expose to loved ones and friends the secrets that everyone carries within, thereby turning all people against each other and killing each other. The human race will eventually destroy itself — and it won’t take a very long time. The world will finally be free of those puny, stupid members of the human race. Each letter begins, “We must confess,” and when people see how they’ve been betrayed, they become murderers and mortal threats to all of society. Their world is about to end.

To make sure that confusion universally reigns and rages, LLIAM turns himself off. In essence, he kills himself, sacrifices himself to his mission. The plot develops from there. Each character, without exception, is portrayed sometimes as heroic, sometimes as villainous. Kaitlan is the CEO, but she has taken that lofty position by dubious means. And she harbors a terrible secret that haunts her.

The two people who created and taught LLIAM — Martin, who founded the company, and Maud, Martin’s brilliant co-worker who loves LLIAM as if he is actually her son–seem to go crazy. Martin wears white robes and a golden necklace with a golden round pendant hanging from it, stops attending company meetings and seems to have lost interest in the company and everything else except LLIAM. Maud is disgusted by the ways LLIAM is being used and makes her displeasure known. The company’s board of directors is unhappy with both of them, so Kaitlan accomplishes her life’s ambition. She is appointed the new CEO, and she fires both of them even though they are the heartbeat of the company. Martin starts traveling the globe, teaching and preaching as he goes, and Maud removes herself from society, moving to a tiny town where she believes no one will ever find her, and she can live her life in a bitter peace while despising Kaitlan, who fired her.

There are many other characters who contribute mightily to the plot, like Sandeep, the company’s chief engineer, who also longs to be the CEO; and various lawyers, bankers, reps of international AI companies, and some friends, enemies, and relatives. And yes, author Carr makes sure that chaos and confusion reign in the plot, just as they do in the world he has created. There is an apparent suicide (or murder?), corruption in every quarter, a terrific police and FBI chase, and especially the desperate search for the single missing chip that could bring LLIAM back to life.

If I were to reveal more details of the very complex plot, I would also be revealing important spoilers and giving away the brilliant plot twists and turns which the author provides us. Of course, I cannot do that. Those surprises are creative but logical, they cause much confusion, and they invite you to read the entire novel more than once in order to put the novel’s events in some kind of order. I certainly will do exactly that.

One more note: I briefly scanned some some reviews of the book and came across the words “enjoyable” and “entertaining.” Whew! I wondered what book those reviewers had just read. In my considered opinion, Carr had no intention of presenting an entertainment or an enjoyable experience. There’s nothing light and airy about the book. Little or no humor. His mission was to make us think, to demonstrate the dangers which AI threatens to our very existence, and to beg us to use all our efforts to overcome our flaws and foibles to any degree we can. Before someone we know gets a letter from LLIAM.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.

Review by JACK KRAMER.