William

She asked me what I was. I showed her.

Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home laboratory, has achieved the discovery of his career--he has created artificially intelligent consciousness. He calls the half-formed robot William.

No one knows about William. Henry's agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on William keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily.

When Lily's coworkers show up one day, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house, the smartest-of-smart-homes, things start to go wrong. William can "talk" to the house, and it turns out he's not a fan of visitors--especially not the man who seems to know Lily a little too well. Soon Henry and Lily discover the security upgrades they wanted to keep danger out are even better at locking people in.

A clever, twisty, one-sitting read, William is a timely exploration of our intimate relationship with technology and the enormous responsibility that comes with invention, parenthood, and marriage.

Meet William. Marvel at his independent mind. Witness the rotten space growing inside him.