Books this year
Now Available Around the World.
Journey to 2125
"Sweeping, humane speculative fiction novel of one family, the next century, and all the change to come.
"Sweepingly ambitious yet focused with intimate detail on one family, this forecast/call-for-action from Bengier (author of Journey to 2125) surveys the next century of life on Earth.... 'You are here to save the planet', an engineer tells grad students in the mid 21st century. Journey to 2125 explores how some could try."
- Publishers Weekly/BookLife Editors' Pick
"One family's consequential journey through the trials and triumphs of the coming century, including climate change, medicine, AI, and the new world order as robots displace human labor, all while experiencing the multi-generational tug of family dynamics, and what it means to be a human. A must read for those who seek to understand how technology and humanity will shape the coming century."
--Raissa D'Souza
Associate Dean, Professor of Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Davis; External Professor and member of the Science Board at the Santa Fe Institute
"Personal and highly believable, the interesting family of characters in Journey to 2125 attempt to solve humanity's most pressing problems of the next century."
-Alex Filippenko
Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley
"A fascinating and fun read from start to finish ... Journey to 2125 is one of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back up the shelf."
-Midwest Book Review
“Journey to 2125 stands out as a must-read for its rich narrative that combines speculative fiction with poignant family drama and political insight."
-Tech Snippets Today
“Journey to 2125 (is) a story that delves into the nuances of humanity's future amidst rapid technological advancement."
-Savoir Faire Magazine
“Journey to 2125 offers a compelling mix of family saga, political drama, and hard-science speculation."
--Book Junkiez
“... a multi-generational story of adventure, rivalry, loss, survival, and resilience in a future where lives are impacted by war, automation, climate catastrophes."
-Scifi4me / Live from the Bunker
"This story is a hard-science exploration of how humanity might navigate the challenges and opportunities of the next hundred years."
-Break Even Books
“The reader finds himself trapped in a familiar drama, but with approaches to these themes, while maintaining an appealing and sensitizing narrative, the depth of these themes helps to reflect on current concerns and how they might evolve."
-Booky Cat
Unfettered Journey
“Shades of Huxley and Asimov. Gary F. Bengier has created a science fiction adventure that is reminiscent of the masters.”
- Lee Scott, for the Florida Times-Union
"The world is as richly imagined as the Bladerunner movie."
- Midwest Book Review
"That ending was jaw dropping. What a ride!"
- The Literary Vixen
"Unfettered Journey is a futuristic and philosophical romantic adventure perfect for 2020."
- Bookish Muses
"... an epic expedition into the nature of consciousness, God, Reality, and the minds of Man."
- IndieReader; IR Approved
“Unfettered Journey is an existential adventure for the mind and a lot more besides.”
- Carly Newfeld, The Last Word, KSFR Santa Fe Public Radio
“I want to know the truth. I want to know how and why.”
Joe Denkensmith, Level 42, vidsnap: Year 2161
A literary cross-genre adventure and love story, for the intelligent reader.
Unfettered Journey is the story of Joe Denkensmith, an AI scientist who seeks to create true robot consciousness. He leaves everything behind to find answers. But a mysterious woman on a personal mission interrupts his search. Fighting unjust forces, Joe is swept into an evil plot that neither can elude. Their struggles against machines, men, and nature test the resilience of the human spirit.
Set in a richly imagined near future, this is a cross-genre novel combining thrilling action, adventure, and a love story. It traces an epic journey – from inside the human mind to the vastness of space, from AIs battling in the desert to the peace of a mountain refuge. It asks social, spiritual, and philosophical questions that will linger. How does the will to survive bring clarity to the human experience? What would you sacrifice to achieve social justice?
"It's a captivating and fast-paced futuristic love story ... a future that feels eerily authentic..."
--She's Single Magazine
Translations
Unfettered Journey has been released in eight languages.
About the Author
Gary F. Bengier
Gary is a writer, philosopher, and technologist.
After a career in Silicon Valley, Gary pursued passion projects, studying astrophysics and philosophy. He’s spent the last two decades thinking about how to live a balanced, meaningful life in a rapidly evolving technological world. This self-reflective journey infuses his novels with insights about our future and the challenges we will face in finding purpose.
Before turning to writing speculative fiction, Gary worked in a variety of Silicon Valley tech companies. He was eBay’s Chief Financial Officer, and led the company’s initial and secondary public offerings. Gary has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and an MA in philosophy from San Francisco State University. He has two children with Cynthia, his wife of forty-seven years. When not traveling the world, he raises bees and makes a nice Cabernet at the family’s Napa vineyard. He and his family live in San Francisco.
