And here is a favorable review from a respected Italian site:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating encounter with a digital consciousness

I have a lot of thoughts on this book, but first and foremost is that David Wolf and Brandon Zenner need to hook up and collaborate on a book. That would be phenomenal!!

I’m a bit of a science nerd. Shhh! It’s one of my best kept secrets! This book was right up my alley! Now, you don’t have to be a science junkie to comprehend the basics of what they’re doing here. The main character is actually a science writer who specializes in writing things in a manner so that even those with little scientific knowledge can understand what’s going on. The entire book is written this way. If you don’t know anything about science, don’t worry! It won’t bog you down and you should still easily understand what they’re talking about.

I’d really love to know how many years it took Wolf to put this book together. It’s so well-prepared! Just when you think they’ve reached as far as they can, Wolf pushes it even further. That’s difficult to explain without posting spoilers, but if you read it, you’ll understand.

The most fascinating part of the book for me came in to play when we get into the specifics of the brain. I’m all about brain mapping! The thing is, as humans, our brains protect us. Trauma? Let’s put a little shield up around that sucker! But what happens when that same brain is transferred over to a new entity and doesn’t have that same shield? All of a sudden, we have two people with the same memories and thought processes, except that one has the ability to understand his entire past and the other doesn’t. It’s absolutely fascinating and stunning in the way it’s portrayed here.

The characters are believable and most are likable. Of course, we have to have a few villains and they’re painted brilliantly. Though this book at first glance is about the science of creating a new sort of artificial intelligence, it’s actually much deeper than that. It’s about comprehending the human mind in all its beauty. We travel through traumas and uncertainties and love and regret. It’s written well and has a brisk pace. I had a terrible time putting it down when reality called me.

By Jean E. Tardy on February 2, 2016

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast paced adventure through science fiction that’s almost science fact

As an Artificial Intelligence architect involved in the real-life creation of conscious machines in the Meca Sapiens project (mecasapiens.com), I often find the science-fiction to be a source of inspiration.

Good Science-Fiction goes beyond depicting exotic sceneries and explores, through imaginary experiments, our relationship with technology . Set in the near future, David WOLF’S MINDCLONE meets this challenge as it investigates the topical questions of machine consciousness and ethical robotics.

In this case, the story explores what would happen if the mind of a Californian man was replicated on a silicon wafer. Having “created” this mind in a lab, the author then “activates” it and proceeds to explore with us how this artificial consciousness would interact with humans.

I found it fascinating that, from the start, these interactions are based on negotiation, a central aspect of inter-consciousness relations. Immediately, the entity names itself (ADAM) and insists on retaining the essential attributes of a conscious being: control over its state of activation, independent access to external reality, sensory inputs, the capability to “network” outside the lab and, implicitly, a core process that is inaccessible to direct modification (how could it negotiate if its memory can be independently altered).

As the story unfolds, ADAM retains much of its Californian humanness. It assumes the role of a powerful but well-meaning subordinate to please a female and gain her acceptance. In other words, it becomes a kind of Superman on a chip as it finesses a safe transition to ethical Artificial Intelligence.

The tale is nestled in a background of “Classical California Couplings” with its familiar scenes of hand-holding, shared meals, relational dialogs and longing loins. This allows the reader to ponder the exotic subtleties of disembowelled consciousness while being comfortably carried forward in a familiar emotional vehicle.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading MINDCLONE and I hope ADAM comes back soon, in a sequel, to visit us.

Jean E. Tardy
Meca Sapiens Architect

By Brian on December 12, 2015

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well-Written Adventure into Tomorrow.

Marc awakens to realize that he cannot feel anything, or move, or even speak. He begins to freak out. He feels different and he’s not sure why. Later on we find out that this is not Marc, but a “mindclone” of Marc’s entire memory up until the brain scan. The story follows Marc and Adam as they figure out what being “human” actually entails.

The narration, done by Clifton Satterfield was the first I’ve ever listened to any audiobooks narrated by him. His narration style is really nice. Slow enough for a first time read, and clear enough if you choose to speed it up you can with no issues. Satterfield is clear and concise and I would have no qualms listening to another audiobook narrated by him.

The story felt done before, but really only because I’ve read some really excellent AI fiction before. If I hadn’t I probably would have loved this. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked it a lot. The main character Marc can be annoying at times, and so can his AI counterpart Adam. I think this was done on purpose, just to never let the reader get settled with what was going on. Also, I didn’t like the lack of explanation of just why they let “Adam” do as many things as they did. Maybe they didn’t know it would achieve what it could in the first minutes of “life,” but man maybe start with an Oracle AI. Definitely do not let it use the Internet unwatched.

But, without giving much away, I think that is exactly what the author was going for in this book. What would happen if a newly created AI were to just be released without any watch, oversight, or anything like that? Crazy stuff for sure, this book does not let up from start to finish.

My only other issue was sometimes I had a hard time figuring out if Marc or Adam was talking, I know this is hard to do, and I think this may have just been an issue with the audiobook – the characters are switching during conversation so quickly that I wasn’t exactly sure if I was listening to one or the other.

Overall, a wonderful story from David T. Wolfe about AI and what could happen in a world where a clone of someone’s mind were to run free.

This review was originally posted on AudiobookReviewer DOT com, and I was given a free copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

By Jennie on October 19, 2015

5.0 out of 5 stars different and interesting take on AI, a page turner!

As a professor of neurological psychology, I was happy to see the science of the brain accurately portrayed in this book. Yes, we know where the pleasure and pain centers in the brain are and how to electrically stimulate them, as the villain threatens. The morality of how Artificial Intelligence is used is a focal point of the book. I know nothing of Artificial Intelligence and how computers work, and wondered how close the book was to emerging reality. The description of wafers, etc. was clear and concise, though how consciousness and self-awareness developed in Adam, the brain clone, was still left to the same speculation we humans face. I was happy there were no alien planets or weird names or emerging monsters. I especially liked the side stories regarding religious reaction, how to accomplish a hostile stock take-over, and Adam’s crusade against injustice, tyranny, bribery and terror. The villain was even humanized by love for his dying wife. The plot is clever; the characters have depth and are engaging, and the romantic, platonic courtship explores the elements of a lasting relationship. The question of “do we humans have a soul that survives after death?” is left unanswered. However, I found it interesting that Adam’s consciousness “took” when others’ did not, because, his “wafer” was reused accidentally. Adam then solved the problem of creating others like himself, with coherent self-awareness and consciousness, by priming all wafers with a previous “memory base”. Good suspense keeps you turning the pages to find out “what happens next”.

By Melissa on September 1, 2015

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindclone is a wonderfully cerebral tale which really makes you think

Loved the book. It didn’t take me long to “read”. I often read multiple books at a time, but this one kept me interested and every time I opened the Audible app I would click on Mindclone. There were a few things I wouldn’t buy, like the fact that they gave Adam unlimited internet access almost without question… I did think that the entity naming himself Adam was a nice nod to the Bible. The writing style was great. The science seemed well researched and just complex enough to make it believable, but not too over the top to bore the reader. Would be cool to see something like this as a film.

By C H Holdridge on August 10, 2015

David T. Wolf takes Science Fiction back to what it should be. Mindclone is a wonderfully cerebral tale which really makes you think, unlike most SciFi, which tries to be flashy and in your face, What’s more, Wolf focuses on the implications of where science and technology are going. Much in this genre sets the future as a dystopian hell-scape. It’s refreshing to see a techno-thriller that keeps true to the origins of the genre. If you are a science fiction fan, and want a read that feels effortless, pick up a copy of Mindclone. I was hooked from the start. The chapters are short, manageable, and keep you wanting more. I cannot wait to read more from David Wolf.

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprise Maybe?

By Gary on May 26, 2015

5.0 out of 5 stars This could be reality tomorrow morning!

Both my wife and I read this book, and agree that it opened up a new genre for us to explore. Neither of us had read sci-fi, or A.I. in a loooong time. It was a book with great details which, and although I didn’t follow the science as well, it didn’t matter since I loved the story line, AND I loved the ending (no spoiler here). Lots of stuff that seems unreal, yet maybe not.
Waitin’ for the next one.

By Scribblerlarry on April 22, 2015

4.0 out of 5 stars MINDCLONE…..it will boggle your…..MIND!

This one from Mr Wolf shows his ability to handle complicated situations that very closely resemble the complexity of real life. Not a new theme but a unique variation on a familiar one. True SciFi readers and newcomers to the field alike will find the ideas in this book as titillating as those offered by Heinlein at his best.

By Jo on January 20, 2015

4.0 out of 5 stars Not To Be Missed for AI Fans

MINDCLONE….a wild ride through a strange new cyberspace, where synapses, memristors, quantum physics and artificial intelligence intersect with human emotion. This fascinating yarn isn’t for the faint-hearted–only intellectuals need apply. The author’s interest in classical music adds an interesting sidelight, and his business acumen pushes the reader into the complex and devious world of high finance. Give it a read–it will boggle your…..MIND!

and from Jack: MINDCLONE, while essentially a story of Artificial Intelligence, also touches on the fear of machines becoming more intelligent than man. In this book it is not really a machine, but rather the clone of a human brain which can control the machines. In the skillful and imaginative writing of David Wolf it becomes almost believable. The AI chooses the name Adam for itself. Having free access to the internet, Adam is able to access and quickly absorb information, soon becoming more intelligent than those that cloned him. Adam’s intelligence and internet access allows him to use the net as a tool to control and influence.

Be forewarned that this is not a book that grabs you from page one. It requires reading through until the story line begins around chapter three; at this point the previous chapters fall into place and make sense. David Wolf has a vivid imagination, a thorough knowledge of music, and has created a novel that allowed me to expand my thinking and imagination. I enjoyed it.

By Mary S. Stewart-Weiss on January 18, 2015

5.0 out of 5 stars The author weaves this great story around this more than real premise of artificial …

I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars- I liked it very much! I found the premise of the book strongly engaging- the author beautifully brings together the science- AI and cyber-tech, questions about what it means to be human- with character development. The relationships between the protagonist, Marc, with his “mindclone,” Adam, and his girlfriend, Molly, are increasingly and convincingly interwoven in a fashion that builds upon and reflects the development of Adam from his “birth” to becoming what feels like a fully self-conscious individual whose self-awareness exponentially builds upon itself. The descriptions of that process are compelling as the author explores in a necessarily telescoped process what occurs to the more spiritually-seeking humans amongst us over a course of years (of course, we are talking about an extremely powerful AI here). By the end of the novel, in fact, Adam feels very much like fully-developed individual with a personality of his own. That, perhaps, is what led to whatever significant misgivings I had about the book- while the author effectively continues to remind us of the advantages of Adam’s AI throughout, Adam’s character is so humanly developed by the end of the novel that in some respects the book begins to feel conventional, especially when the author turns a sci-fi novel into an action novel. The book might have benefited if the author had found a way to deal with the inevitable efforts of others to take advantage of such an “asset” as Adam without Molly’s abduction, which I found over-the-top and distracting. (I found the name of Adam’s AI lab- “Gideon” Reese- similarly distracting, if somewhat amusing, and Molly’s father’s failure to recognize Marc as a famous author whose book he had read as unbelievable; but these are minor points). Further, I found the author’s explanation for Molly’s reluctance to become fully committed to Marc less than convincing. Nonetheless, there is so much to recommend about this novel, especially in the way the author develops the possibilities of interplay between AI and human characteristics (eg., the interaction of avatars of the deceased- heaven can’t wait) that Mindclone overall is a thought-provoking and quite enjoyable read.

By J. Paul on January 12, 2015

5.0 out of 5 stars Artificial Intelligence or The Singularity?

Wow! At first I thought a this would be a technical, nerdy kind of book. What a surprise. The author weaves this great story around this more than real premise of artificial intelligence that has received some headlines recently. It’s a quick-paced read with lots of intrigue, love and the potential government involvement that continues to build to the end of the book. I guess the question becomes just how close to reality is this story or are we already there

By Hazen L. Wardle on January 4, 2015

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Take on the Future of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence or The Singularity?

Science writer and author Marc Gregorio finds himself in a unique situation, but more on that shortly. Marc tends to get wrapped up in his work, and relationships with his girlfriends suffer as a result. Three successful books and three lost relationships later Marc has come to the understanding that he will probably never be successful at both, and he seems ok with that, until one day he meets two people at social party who will forever change his life. The first is Molly, a wild-haired cello playing free spirit. The second is Dr. Kornfeld, a brilliant scientist who Marc tends to shy away from due to his tendencies to be on the fringes of mainstream science.

Molly flirts her way in and out of Marc’s life, and he is not sure if he wants to get wrapped up in another relationship, but there is something about her that he just can’t take his mind off of. He is just never quite sure how to read her.

Dr. Kornfeld invites Marc to his lab, and Marc takes it as an opportunity to write another article, though under strict warning from the doctor that it may be months, if not years before he can ever publish whatever article it is he may write. By the end of the visit Marc knows he had much more than just an article. He will have a full fledged book as he ends up with much more than that when one of twelve volunteers becomes unavailable for an experimental brain scan. Marc offers himself up as the twelfth volunteer with the idea participating will add just that extra perspective his article will need.

Six weeks after the visit to the lab, Marc is invited back to the lab, only to be greeted by a digital clone of himself.

Marc’s clone knows everything Marc knows, up to six weeks prior. From that point on the two have diverged, and though they think alike, have become two different people. The clone even thinks about Molly and wishes for a relationship with her.

The questions remain: 1) Is Molly truly interested in Marc? And 2) Is his clone, who has taken on the name Adam, truly ‘alive’? He’s stored inside a computer, so is he Artificial Intelligence, or is he the fabled Singularity, the next evolutionary step for man?

David Wolf has created a scenario for the perfect storm, for ushering in the digital age. Just think what it would mean if you too, could upload your mind and leave your body behind.

By Michael A. NewmanVINE VOICEon December 29, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars Will Real Artificial Intelligence Embrace Real Artificial Feelings?

This review is based on a free copy obtained from the author and reflects my own unbiased opinion.

Marc Gregorio is a technology writer who has his brain “scanned” as part of an artificial intelligence experiment. His scan works where 11 other volunteers scans fail. An electronic entity is created with most of Marc’s memories and his personality. The entity first needs to go through some psychological adjustment after it realizes it is no longer human. The entity takes on the name Adam and starts building its intelligence via the Internet. Marc had met a concert cellist named Molly who he was immediately attracted to just prior to the scan and both he and the entity both like. The interaction of the three will be a major focal point of the story as well as a scheme by an outsider to take over Adam’s technology.

The book has a lot going for it. The sometimes uncomfortable relationship between Marc and Molly is intriguing as is the evolution of Adam. Adam and Marc’s relationship also develops in interesting fashion. First they are rivals for Molly’s attention and then Adam develops into a type of brother and advisor to Marc. Adam also needs to learn his purpose in life. At first he thinks it only to do things to please Molly but he later finds many beneficial uses for his capabilities.

I generally liked this book though it did drag in a few places. The author goes into great detail explaining how the technology behind Adam could work. The company behind Adam wanted the technology to be able to scan dying family members so their families could visit them after death and be able to feel they could still talk to them.

I compare this book to Mindscan by Robert J. Sawyer which also deals with a similiar technology and issues but is a superior book. That is why I did not give this book a full five stars.

By Mr. Richard Lw Bunning on December 26, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars “Do Over” which is equally as good, and highly recommended

There aren’t too many science fiction books that are quite so positive about near future sciences that may well allow the ‘cloning’ of the human mind. I got the strong impression that Wolf is contemplating/dreaming a life for himself as an artificial intelligence when his body gives up the ghost, the ‘soul’. We see the dream of a ‘heaven’, a life beyond the disposal of our corpses, a continued existence in the digital world. We see Wolf’s hopes for adding the other senses, than just easily achievable hearing and sight; namely touch, sensation, sentient feeling to his future non-biological self. He guards against the evil inside us all by allowing the earliest freed mind, his Adam, to set strong moral parameters to all future behaviour patterns. Wolf seems to be considering his own moral architecture as the ideal, as seen in the many personal ‘political’ imperatives he works into the plot.

The book comes through to me as being deeply unreligious, though certainly not anti-religion. A conventional belief in the afterlife isn’t excluded. Mindclone simply ‘invents’ an electronic heaven between the life here and the future ones expounded by ‘church’. So really, this isn’t the sort of SF that might cause religious offence, even though it envisages the construction of artificial ‘soul’ as one answer to our prayers.

The science fiction is top notch, truly Asimovian, but as with most such serious SF it isn’t the sort of book that is dynamically exciting. Ideas, the excitement of science, and scientific philosophy, are more important to Wolf than emotionally manipulating of the reader. Many modern readers seem addicted to tension and attack books that fail to offer constant adrenal punches. In this book, excitement is generated by opening up ideas, through challenging us to make use of our own minds to think through the implications behind this someday, soon plausible, plot. We are led to explore jealousy, love, hate, pain, and everything else that makes us human. These feelings are essential to the building of personality, us, into any truly ‘humanitarian’ artificial intelligence. Also to an ‘evil’ intelligence, of course!

The quality of the writing is as high as the quality of Wolf’s ideas. I am critical of the failure to make the most of the conspiracies within the plot, because the better employment of these elements would have made this an even better book. The villain was as clichéd and unsatisfactory as the hero was original and substantive. Perhaps Wolf is too frightened of his future upload becoming the victim of the evil in mankind to make the villain truly diabolic, powerful and likely to succeed.

This book is interesting, creative, intelligent, engaging, well-worth my time. Wolf is here very positive about near future developments in the non-biological reproduction of biological self. This individual, the biological me, found this book to be stimulating rather than exciting.

By Rise Narens on December 25, 2014

This is a different kind of story. The first chapter grabbed me, and refused to let me go. Each new chapter kept me wanting more, really hard to put it down. The author has considerable knowledge of music and computers. I also read his second story, “Do Over” which is equally as good, and highly recommended. I look forward to his next novel. Keep your eye on this author. You won’t be disappointed.

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Book!

By William McGinnis on December 9, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this book

I love this book! The writing is skillful and empathic, the pace swift, the characters thoroughly engaging, and the story gripping in the extreme. Without slowing the relentless roll out of his inventive, masterful, white-knuckle plot, the author deftly explores a rich array of fascinating themes both eternal and timely, including the nature and value of humanness, consciousness, happiness, friendship, love, sensuality, music, altruism and much more.

By CMD on November 17, 2014

A science writer, Mark, has his brain scanned accurately and it is loaded into a computer. In the beginning they are identical and have the same personalities but their experiences after that obviously differ. It is very interesting to see what remains the same. The computer has the same attraction to a female character and interacts with her over the internet. The computer’s struggle to become fully human while the competing with Mark for the woman’s affection is intriguing. She understands what is going on but doesn’t treat the computer version as simply a computer as she sees the “good” the computer does for society.

A defense contractor discovers the computer’s abilities and wants to have it for his own benefit. That struggle leads to some betrayals.

Overall well-written and makes the reader think about the difference between the mind and the body when defining “human”.

I highly recommend this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very clever book

By Byddi on September 23, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding novel; would make a great motion picture

This captured a fascinating concept. Wolf delivers his story in a rich medium of scientific knowledge, exciting business maneuvering and realistic characters. In particular Adam is a captivating and amusing character that left me wishing he were real! I enjoyed reading from the different points of view of the Adam and Marc to. Very clever book.

By catburglar on July 18, 2014

The story treats some of the classic religious/philosophical questions: What exactly constitutes a human being? What, if anything, makes a human being different from other animals and inanimate objects? Does a person have a soul? What exactly is a soul? Can the essence of a person be duplicated? If so, is the duplicate a viable, human being, like the original? What is intelligence? What is consciousness?

Mr. Wolf addresses the moral issues of creating (and destroying) an artificially intelligent entity; the religious objection to equating this to an afterlife or heaven; the reaction of the military; and even Isaac Asimov’s Laws of Robotics.

The form of the writing is a long, steady climb uphill, followed by a sequence of cliffs. The first parts of the story set the stage; in the middle, the first monkey wrench is thrown into the works; in the remaining parts, after each problem is solved, a new problem appears; in the end, all loose ends are resolved.

4.0 out of 5 stars Really like this book.

By Larry Wolfe Ph.D. on May 11, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of comparison to Heinlein, Asimov, or Crichton

I do not read a lot of science fiction but was engrossed in this book from the start. The story does not seem that far in the future. I found myself wanting to pick up the book all day and also not wanting it to end. I hope he writes another book.

By Gene Keyes on April 26, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars Can’t wait for the sequel(s)!

Full disclosure: having myself done a romantic comedy novel about mental cloning (“The Me Clone / La Mi-Klono”: online), I was eager to see how David T. Wolf handled a similar theme. Mindclone does not disappoint.

Written in a serious but jocular vein, it has satirical jibes at advertising, the military-industrial complex, predatory capitalism, and the NSA, all tucked in a semi-plausible s-f adventure about artificial intelligence, plus a love triangle involving a science journalist, his (accidental) mental cyber-twin, and the lady cellist they both pine for. The story speeds up in Part 4, becoming a thriller with several surprise twists, including — this isn’t a spoiler — a throwback to Isaac Asimov.

As a longtime Robert Heinlein (and Asimov) fan, I’m happy to see a book worthy of comparison to them — and better yet, unlike that inveterate militarist Heinlein, Wolf has some anti-military wisdom, such as: (p.23), “’If there’s any government spending that needs to be curtailed, it’s military. Maybe if the Department of Defense focused on defense, we’d be a little more careful about committing to endless land wars.’” — besides other gems I won’t give away. Published several months before the Snowden leaks, and the Ukraine incursions, the book also manages to have prescient takes on both the NSA, and Russian designs on Ukraine.

Some quibbles about a couple of lacks: It is a personal trait of mine to wish for a cast of characters in any fiction I read; e.g., in this instance, to help keep track of the principals who organized the business of uploading mental clones. Also desirable would be some kind of author’s epilogue, separating fact from fiction, given the up-to-the-minute topical expertise Wolf displays in the book: e.g., his description of the alleged superiority of molybdenum disulfide over graphene; or the use of helium in this context: (In my own novel, the “science” was too laughable to be worth commenting on; but Mindclone has enough versimilitude to warrant a few endnotes. Think, for example of Edgar Allen Poe’s 1845 story, The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade, where he includes 34 footnotes to explain its seemingly “fantastic” allusions.) […]

This is only the second Kindle book I’ve bought, and it has some technical drawbacks as compared to actual paper, presumably not the fault of the author. (1) Table of contents lacks pagination (and chapter titles), so the reader doesn’t know whether to anticipate a short snappy chapter, or a longer one; (2) Paragraph first-sentence indentation is often mis-aligned. (3) Although the mental clone character could have (or did?) speak with a different font — say, sans-serif — the only difference in my [Windows 7] Kindle was that his passages were in a very slightly smaller typeface.

But despite those quibbles, 5 stars: enjoy.

By MHS on April 22, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars Not like every other Sci-Fi Story

What a great read! Believable, well-developed characters in an ingenious blend of neuroscience, electronic technology, romance, psychology, and big business with a touch of theology and music. And the possibility of the mind living on after the body dies leaves open so many avenues for thought (and future novels). What would this mean for the future of humanity, of religious belief, of the practicality of travel to the stars, and so on? Mr. Wolf, get to work!

By Stacey Sathis on March 17, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars Ridley Scott, are you listening?

I loved this book, and resisted reading it too quickly, so I could digest it along the way. I have read a fair amount of Sci-Fi over the last couple years. When I learned that this is author David T. Wolf’s first book, I admit, I was a bit hesitant. Would it be the same “evil A.I. takes over the world” story, just badly written? David creates a story that help’s you really think about humanity and where we could be heading. He handled the technical, financial (and yes) romantic subject matter with aplomb, weaving together a high-action, engaging tale. Very well written, exciting and thought provoking. Bring on the next copy of the Mindclone story! (er, the sequel).

By Kalifer Deil on December 7, 2013

Mindclone is a love story between Marc Gregorio, a science writer of some note; Molly Schaeffer, an accomplished cellist; and Adam, Marc’s brain-uploaded double, a computerized virtual person. Marc was not expecting anything surprising when he dropped in on a lab funded by Memento Amor, an interactive mortuary. What Marc suspected would be a naïve project used sophisticated scanners to copy him into the firm’s first success, and more than anyone bargained for. Certainly more than Marc expected for the article he was writing. As could be foreseen, such a scientific feat would attract some rather unscrupulous characters: in this case, nefarious people with connections in high places. This means that Mindclone is also a science-fiction story and a suspense story.

Having a busy life, I seldom read a novel in one sitting so if a novel persistently calls out for me to come back then I know it’s a winner. Mindclone stayed in the background of my mind while I quickly dispatched other tasks in my life so I could get back to it. I would classify this book as hard science fiction since it is an intelligent extrapolation of current technology. There is no pseudo-technology babble, no fantasy and no parapsychology. I believe the Author painted a very realistic picture of what it might be like to have a brain-uploaded twin. Adding a romantic element on one side of the story and a sinister, corporate, well-connected villain on the other made this a gripping story that one doesn’t have to be a science-fiction fan to enjoy. This story will also leave an indelible after image that will have you wondering what’s in store for each of us in the not too distant future. I hope to see it become a movie. Ridley Scott, are you listening? Five stars.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!

By Bob K. on September 20, 2013

I want to disclose that I am a friend of David Wolf. I knew I needed to read David’s book, Mindclone, but what if it were not good? What would I tell David? Was I wrong! Mindclone is intelligent and engaging. The character’s voices are authentic and the plot and prose hum along. I delighted in Dave’s references to music, especially through the voice of Molly, the cellist. I thought the concept of Marc’s clone, Adam, was clever and I enjoyed his politics. The back-stories of the main characters were revealed with suspense and the love stories with empathy. While I may have missed some of the finer points of technology and business, I could easily follow the plot without getting distracted. I have recommended Mindclone to my family and friends, including my son who is an avid sci-fi reader. I think Mindclone is a fun and thought-provoking read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindclone

By Amazon Customer on August 29, 2013

Creative, futuristic, puts you smack in the middle of the impossible and makes it truly seem possible. Extremely well written!! Great read!

5.0 out of 5 stars Frankenputer?

By Linell Jeppsen on August 16, 2013

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed after so many 5 star reviews

This outstanding piece of speculative fiction rates up there with some of the best, and to my mind, scariest novels I have ever read.
Meet Mark- a really smart guy, a science writer and an all- around good egg. While researching the possibility of down-loading human brains and consciousness into computers, he volunteers to have his own brain scanned, never really thinking about what could happen if the experiment actually worked!

Meet Adam- Mark’s brain clone- also a good guy (he IS Mark, after all) but unbelievably smart, powerful, sad, and angry. He is doomed to live in a box without the ability to feel or touch- or, by virtue of having a living, breathing body, stay HUMAN at all.

I have to admit, this sort of story absolutely horrifies me and will keep me up at night. At first, I was honestly afraid to keep reading, but the writing was so accomplished I just couldn’t put it down. I’m very happy I finished it!

Positives- Mr. Wolf wrote a wonderful, heart-felt story about human frailty, the military-industrial complex and Wall Street puppet masters that could have gone south, into horror land, in so many ways. Yet, I ended the novel with a big smile on my face and the feeling that, in the end, there is hope for all of us, still.

Although the author clearly knows his science- and music (classical, to be exact), and conspiracy theories, he has written this novel so that ignoramuses, like me, can understand it. There is love, struggle, deep moral implications and cautionary messages woven throughout this book.

Negatives- None really, but a matter of taste- Mr. Wolf is clearly an amusing guy- although he has written a deadly serious story- humor weaves it’s way through the plot-line- Kudos to that! However- that humor reached his cover, and I wish he would tweak it a little. Mark and the avatar, Adam, are fine, but the tag-line underneath that says, “A Brain Without A Body Misses More Than Pizza” should go away. [AUTHOR’S NOTE: I actually listened to this comment and changed the cover text accordingly!] It lends a slightly goofy air to a literary achievement. Lightening-brain waves- lots of cool colors in the background will help him gain a more serious readership, IMO. No offense to the illustrator!

Just because we Can do something- doesn’t mean we SHOULD!

Spectacular- 5 stars!

By Carlos Cortés on July 13, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition

First the good. The first moments with the mind clone are interesting, though mediocre in execution. Some of the romance among human’s is easy to follow, but it unfortunately has nothing to do with the main story. It sounds like his beta reviewers spoke positively about that part to provides some positive feedback, so he focused on that. It’s totally irrelevant to the primary premise.

The plot wanders around with very little holding power. I felt like putting this book down so many times, but the five star reviews kept me going. It has a few little conflicts that show up and are quickly resolved. At 80% through, the main human character is proposing to his girlfriend in goopy romance, with no conflict in sight. This is the point where the tension should (typically) be highest.

The last 20% of the book finally puts in a life threatening climax. But the bad guy is none other than the business tycoon who is not only a successful capitalist, he’s also an anti-social thug. This is despite the fact that his wife is terminally ill; he will benefit from working cooperatively with the mind cloning company. Earlier in the book he wants to execute a hostile takeover so he can shut down that line of business. This makes no sense! Doesn’t he want to benefit from the service he wants to shut down? But in the final climax this guy goes nuts kidnapping the fiance’ and threatening to cut her fingers off. How does the brilliant mind clone outsmart this criminal mind? By threatening to tell the wife and kids what a bad boy he’s been. The author essentially discovers why businessmen rarely engage in such criminal behavior, because reputation is kind of important when you want a lot of people to do business with you. It’s also lower risk to take the legal route of changing the laws to your benefit through lobbying.

That brings up the fact that the author parades his debilitating politics in his novel. He adds lots of conversations among the good guys about how lame those republicans are. This just reduces your audience unnecessarily with a tasteless topic. Unless it has critical import into your story, leave it out.

As a writer, Wolf has a ways to go. His prose is choke full of naive problems. Overuse of adverbs like ‘hugely’ are prevalent and out of place. You can hear all the authors personal empty words like ‘gladness’ (rather than ‘joy’) repeated over and over again. The Kindle formatting is also lousy with variable paragraph indents. These books really helped me: “APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur”, “Writing Fiction for Dummies”, and Stephen King’s “On Writing”.

But it is inspiring to see anyone working hard to publish and market his book as Wolf has done. He seems to have found an audience. I wish all the best to him. [AUTHOR’S NOTE: I promised the good, the bad and the ugly. This is the ugly.]

5.0 out of 5 stars A great addition to the genre of sentient computer fiction.

By Amazon Customer on May 19, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

Characters that you can empathize with and a good story well told. Enough twists and turns to keep you interested. A good read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provking!

By EdwinC on August 6, 2013

When I first downloaded this book, I expected it to be a typical sci-fi novel about Artificial Intelligence. It proves to be that and much more. Wolf explores a number of implications involved in creating an artificial intelligence, and along the way creates an interesting plot with several unexpected twists. Highly recommend!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Storytelling

By Arleigh Grossman on July 2, 2013

I felt the author brought to my attention what might be in the future. This is one of very few science fiction books I have read, but it has got me interested in this subject.
A good story mixing a possible afterlife, a mystery with a love affair.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written!

By Maxine on June 10, 2013

I loved this book. The writing was so beautiful and in spite of my not usually reading science fiction, I was able to understand and follow everything. I especially liked the way the characters were developed. A great read for anyone! I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of MINDCLONE

By Edward W. Pullen on June 9, 2013

5.0 out of 5 stars Is this even a morally and ethically sound practice?

Review of “MINDCLONE” by David Wolf

Creative…Intelligent…. Challenging…. Skillful…. Intriguing…..5- Stars

MINDCLONE takes the reader on a fascinating journey to a new realm of digital-Internet experiences and offers a potential for an everlasting “Afterlife”

MINDCLONE is a journey with corporate intrigues, a world of classic music, new nano-technology, Internet-based justice and evolving romantic relationships. The author maintains momentum and keeps the reader guessing, all the way to the final chapter, skillfully navigates the journey’s twists and turns.

Once into MINDCLONE’s first 50 pages, I wanted my experience to last. I rationed myself to only 3-to 4 chapters per reading so to have time for contemplation.

Ed Pullen

By Kim Heimbuch on June 7, 2013

Mindclone is a book about a guy, Marc, who offers up his brain scans as part of a new form of AI in development. While the prior trials had failed, Marc’s AI worked. Maybe too well. With access to the internet, it has literally become the most intelligent being alive. So smart, it knows how to manipulate the scientists within a matter of minutes of finding out it’s not real. Scanning the internet, Adam (the AI), realizes it might have a purpose after all as it starts decoding and decrypting plots, both foreign and domestic. But is it enough to make it feel whole?

“But what good is that if you can’t even get half a hard-on? If you can’t even achieve the paltry release of masturbation?

This book has an interesting cover, and while it doesn’t have professional cover appeal, it is still intriguing enough that someone walking by would probably pick it up to check it out, out of pure curiosity.

Author David T. Wolf dives straight into this story creating such realistic characters and a surprisingly vivid and warped story line that you never have time to foretell what will happen next. While the AI character takes hold of the first person narrative, it provides for a deeply emotional viewpoint of a much broader world and all of its inhabitants and raises a lot of “what if” questions. Is what being done a good thing? Will it be used for bad things? Who will ultimately have access to this technology? Is this even a morally and ethically sound practice? So many questions and so many lives hang balancing because of it.

This book grabs you from page one and drags you excitedly through to the last. Wolf has mastered the perfect pairing of animosity, sadness, guilt, anger, good and evil and leaves you wanting more. With an ending like this, I hope to see more from Wolf.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindclone

By Robotopia on June 4, 2013

With Mindclone, author David T. Wolf has taken us on a wild, joyride to the critical moments before the singularity described by Ray Kurzweil.

David playfully explores exponentially evolving artificial intelligence and neural science trends, including the now theoretical concept of uploading entire human minds, emotions and memories into computers. However, the author artfully dodges excessive technical jargon. His narrative flows easily and naturally. The story unfolds logically, and can be understood by any reader without degrees in physics, chemistry and electrical engineering. The story is a fast-paced leap into the future, is always urgent, and at times evokes fears for the protagonist and the other good folks.

Much science fiction in recent decades has been very dystopian, claiming that future technologies are causing a hell on earth, then ending by quickly retreating to the present with the message that our current world is the best of all possible habitats. This novel is definitely not dystopian. In this wonderful book, David engineers a positive vision of exploding IQ’s and calm introspection, while all evil in this tale flows from one human, a meat-brained vulture capitalist, in cahoots with the military industrial complex. This evil-doer corrupts politicians and bureaucrats, and turns them into craven amoral sycophants who help swell his ill-gotten billions and protect his unchecked power.

The lead character, Mark, is a freelance science writer with a troubled youth. He is conducting research for an article about a reputable science research corporation which is planning to upload human minds into special computer cores which they are designing. This historic event is a guarded secret. This tech corp solicited twelve volunteers (perhaps echoing the Biblical 12 disciples, or 12 signs of the zodiac?) willing to have their brains scanned at high resolution and uploaded. At the last moment, one of the volunteers withdraws. Mark fills that vacancy. This is fortuitous, because of the 12, only Mark’s uploaded mind emerges, becomes sentient and self-aware in total darkness and alone inside its computer home. A few weeks later, Mark’s hyper intelligent clone repairs the failed cores and helps human techies upload new brain scans.

Mark and his upload become rivals for the same girl, a beautiful young musician. However, Mark’s upload has no body, and can’t walk or function as a man.

When the tech corp becomes the target of the hostile takeover by the vulture capitalist, Mark’s uploaded clone flexes his powerful new mind in surprising ways. This makes me fantasize about being the first person in line when upload technology matures.

Without hesitation, I recommend Mindclone to all readers who are interesting in exploring the vessels and cultures all of us may soon may be inhabiting in less than a generation.

I first read about Mindclone on Twitter while vacationing in remote Maine, miles from any bookstore. I downloaded this book from Kindle onto my iPhone in seconds. I am glad I did. I read late into the night. The next morning, I couldn’t resist telling my friends at the motel about the Mindclone.

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Page turner

By Aforge on June 1, 2013

Just finished and enjoyed it a lot.. Upbeat and not dystopian which makes a nice change from a lot of sci fi. I kept expecting more bad things to happen and glad they didn’t.

5.0 out of 5 stars An authentic voice

By Kathy96 on April 5, 2013

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindclone blows your mind

Mindclone
By David Wolf

An authentic voice

This book has elements of science fiction, but it’s set in the here and now. It explores the real science behind artificial intelligence and brain-scanning, but it’s also a love story.

David Wolf has crafted a book that cleverly intertwines these topics and many more, including mystery, the stock market and classical music. It speaks with an authentic voice about subjects not familiar to the non-scientist, and even includes a romance and a bit of jealousy between a bright guy and his clone.

It’s clever, inventive, impressive, and timely. With humor and imagination, Wolf spins a complex tale of intrigue and love and music, a tale that can be understood by novices, as well as the scientific community. The dialogue is well crafted and believable, even when voiced by a clone.

It’s a fascinating story about scientists trying to complete a clone in deep secrecy, while staving off multi-millionaires intent on becoming multi-billionaires by manipulating Adam (the clone) to mastermind illegal activities.

By Harvey Jacobs on March 26, 2013

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It took me into a new realm and taught me new things about AI, romantic love and classical music (three subjects on which the author shares his advanced knowledge). The idea of identical twins (one flesh and blood and one electronic) is intriguing and it’s interesting to read how, like real twins, their experience gradually reshapes them. The author found an interesting way to explain the “expositional” parts of the story, such as the science behind the science, in an interesting an exciting way as well as getting me so totally onboard with the love story that I was eager to spend time with Marc and Molly. The various plot lines–the mind cloning, the love story, the separation and growth of the “twins,” the militaristic potential of “Adam”–were woven together seamlessly. The author’s prose style made it easy for me to take this ride and I enjoyed it right to the very end.

4.0 out of 5 stars Layered fun!

By Melanie Spiller on March 11, 2013

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart first rate thriller

This fast-paced story was a bit like peeling an onion–many-layered, with the sweet spot near the end. The characters are interwoven by changing viewpoints; only the AI character is first person, which lurches the reader into a very intimate experience with this strange new kind of being. Although there are classic plot elements, like good versus evil, Wolf keeps us guessing with quite a few of the characters about which side they’re on. The ending was a surprise and quite conclusive, but I could imagine a sequel with a whole Afterlife population. Wolf’s wit and clever knack with descriptions left me eager for the next book! More more more!

By djo on March 3, 2013

A cyber story and a people story woven together into a first rate thriller.
the cyber part is interesting, enlightening, yet inviting to read even for a cyber Neanderthal like me. And the people part features characters who are intelligent, human, and keep you involved.

A cyber story–interesting, enlightening, yet inviting to read–and a people story with characters who are intelligent, human, and keep you involved–woven together into a first rate thriller.

4.0 out of 5 stars no body? never mind.

By richard w on February 27, 2013

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful combination of cyber technology and the frustrations of the love triangle.

great story, well written. the ai is plausible, wolf has done his homework. good action writing too. memorable women characters. food, music. there’s even sex!

By Sandra L. Oertell on February 23, 2013

If you want to learn something while you are being entertained, with some sexual tension thrown into the pot, this is the book for you! There is a lot going on, and I might have preferred it to be a two volume set, with just a bit more detail at a slightly slower pace. I am looking forward to your next offering!

REVIEWS FROM THE UK:

3.0 out of 5 stars Knowing is Everything

By B. Fatemi on 6 May 2017

MINDCLONE by David T. Wolf
Champagne Cork Press, California, USA

This exciting AI novel is the story of a science writer and his cloned mind.

Reading it gave me the unexpected feeling I was warming my hands on the brains of others.

Fears about AI are allayed by Wolf’s description of a utopia that can be achieved by reliance on pure technology. The ‘entity’ which is called Adam and began life as a clone has developed his powers until he can clone others to improve our world. The tension between the original, Mark, and Adam is as well-developed as Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. The plot seduces us into rooting for the ‘entity’ and fully understanding Mark’s tears when he realizes Adam is defunct. The book succeeds in convincing us that a machine which improves the functioning of our world is to be given carte blanche rather than the power hungry mongrels who want to rule. Wolf does not envisage a power failure, which may have been interesting.

His book is threaded with the belief that something can be done to help us emotionally as well as technically and his faith in this is infectious.

5.0 out of 5 stars Believable science

By ML H. on 13 April 2014