Mazarin Blues - Hardcover

by Al Hess (Author)

An anxious recluse with an annoyingly chipper AI in his head. A corporation that wants them both dead. And a 1930s subculture fighting back...

Introvert Reed Rothwell is part of a subculture of art deco enthusiasts, pushing back against bland mainstream society and its mandated technology. Stuck with an AI assistant in his head is bad enough, but when he's inflicted with a forced upgrade to a new beta version, named Mazarin, the navigator starts to take on feelings and opinions of his own.

When rumors spread of beta navs turning on their pilots, Reed is determined not to become a victim. Mazarin hasn't become violent yet - the AI is sympathetic and understanding - but with beta participants coerced into slitting their own throats, it's only a matter of time before Reed is next. The AI megacorporation already has an unhealthy interest in Reed, and all the beta testers who have sought help for their navigators have disappeared.

Desperation drives Reed further into the art deco subculture, where he meets a handsome bad boy named Jax, who is not only the exact kind of romantic support Reed needs right now, but he has connections to illegally terminate Reed's AI. But Mazarin has never tried to harm Reed - he loves Reed.

Grappling with ridding himself of intrusive technology, the morality of hurting his self-aware AI, and avoiding the attention of a company that wants to sweep Reed's existence under the rug might be too much for one hep cat to handle.

Winner of the 2022 Indie Ink Award for Best Gay Representation, and semi-finalist in the 2021 SPSFC, Mazarin Blues is a character-driven cozy decopunk sci-fi with M/M and enby/enby romance, featuring a main character with autism and an anxiety/panic disorder, and an accidentally self-aware A.I. with way too many feelings.