Choose your own adventure

Liko sat on her couch, bathed in the warm light of sunrise. Then she removed her earbuds. The AI narrator had just reached the end of the latest novel from J.T. Cook, *Echoes of Dark Matter*. It had been a roller coaster of emotions and the climax had left her breathless. She'd been so absorbed in the story she woke up early just to finish it.

She couldn't wait to dissect the ending with her book club. She was convinced the protagonists' final choice was a clear rejection of the dystopian society they'd fought so hard to dismantle. But she wanted her friends to offer their own interpretations.

Even as she sat quietly on the city's solar-powered tram, the words still played over and over in her head. The voice was an uncanny replica of the author's own. Despite being artificial, the voice resonated with strong emotional depth, like it understood the way the characters felt in each moment.

Finally, she pulled the rope to indicate her stop. She thanked the conductor and stepped off onto the sidewalk. She walked up to Anielle's housing complex and took the elevator all the way to the top.

The rooftop garden was buzzing with conversation by the time she arrived. Her fellow book club members nestled amongst fragrant herbs and vibrant flowers.

Liko, still excited, was the first one to speak.

"I couldn't believe how powerful the ending was. How Joseph decided to walk away from it all... I found it to be a moving statement about the futility of revolution."

Anielle furrowed his brow. "Walk away? When did he walk away? I recall him leading the charge, storming the capitol building in a final act of defiance."

Liko blinked a few times, taken aback.

"That's not what I read, or at least listened to," she stammered. "Are you sure you read the same book?"