Glitches of Gods by Jurgen “Jojo”Appelo – Man versus technology versus extraterrestrial forces

In a world where convenience is synonymous with the use of AI run systems, a simple glitch threatens to thwart the success rate of the simplest of tasks, to the most crucial. From a morning shower or an office commute to vehicular safety and the proper function of augmented body parts.

Julien lives and breathes technology. His involvement in cutting edge developmental projects in the AI field has sharpened his eyes when it comes to recognising a pattern of disturbance in AI functions. All around him, these glitches compound to alarming effects. And it seems that only he can see all the faulty pieces of the very broken puzzle. Will his work break through the barrier of malfunctions, rescuing humanity from the dangerous deterioration of aging technology in time before the whole world collapses, rejecting, in totality, the creation that might save them?

Spoiler-free Plot

Julien is the quintessential larrikin. Regular run-throughs of his “dating” options yield a platitude of results. He exudes a boyish charm while maintaining a quick wit always ready at the draw. Before the accident tore apart his family life, before his work life had bled into his personal life, permanently staining both, he was once the most dedicated member of his team. Nowadays, he carries a less than stellar reputation around the office. Deadlines approaching their team at breakneck speed spark no motivation in reviving Julien’s desire for success in winning the Class 4 AI development race. That is, until he spies an unfamiliar segment in their android, Tweeki’s code. As malfunctions hold everyone’s daily lives hostage, Julien disappears into the fabric of an alternate existence. One where familiar characters are written into different roles, new people change the course of his life forever, and old patterns reemerge, threatening the same ruin he had just left behind. A host of peculiar characters insert themselves into the fold. You cannot tell which ones exist to help, and which exist to alter reality as Julien knows it.

My Take on Glitches of Gods

Like every debut novel, Glitches of Gods has its thorns and roses. From the beginning, Jojo Appelo issues a cautionary word: expect absurdity, non-conformity, crudeness and a liberal approach to the usage of various literary techniques. And that is exactly what you get. The word of warning set the tone from the get go. While it might repel the snobbish few, it prepares the neutral majority for the novelty that lies ahead.

I will admit, the first chapter of this story was somewhat overwhelming. A revolving door of characters are introduced from scene to scene, and the frequency at which said scenes change adds to the disorientation. I would’ve loved to sit with the characters just a little bit longer. To gain a little bit more insight into their thoughts and motivations before jumping into the next sequence. The story is somewhat protagonist heavy and the secondary characters may have more to offer. However, understanding that this is only the first installment in this series left me harboring hope for my background favorites.

With that being said, Julien’s personality truly is the highlight of the story. He’s a character that most would secretly hate to love on principle. He’s charismatic yet cocky. We can see why he causes his colleagues so much frustration, yet we can’t help but feel warmth towards this aloof, sarcastic man who seems to be tapping into a deep well of complicated emotions for the first time as we meet him. Tackling loss derived from multiple sources. Above all, he is unabashedly himself; we get some of that and then some when it comes to his bedroom proclivities. We love to see characters grow as the story progresses and in this book, we observe our protagonist adapt incredibly well to whichever unorthodox circumstance he is thrust into, of which there are plenty.

Not only is this a sci-fi tale that pits humans, artificial intelligence and a mysterious collective of extraterrestrial beings against each other, an element of fantasy sneaks its way into the story, too. This might be a tad challenging for readers to juggle, especially those of us who may be dipping our toes into the pool of such an amalgamation of genres for the first time—honestly, I’m not convinced that this mixture exists in many literary texts, with this being one of the few. Five hundred pages plus does well to accommodate all the represented genres, and in this way, the length of the book is rendered both necessary and justifiable. 

You can certainly feel the quality of the writing improve as the pages fly by; Jurgen Appelo is man of his word, as we have previously established. This diamond in the rough finds a clearer polish, as was promised by the author. The answer to the question posed in the author’s note is a ‘yes’. My curiosity would drive me to read the second installment in this series just to see what craziness unfolds.

Age Rating

16 years and above

Content Warning

Body Modification, Death, Foul Language, Nudity, Sex, Violence

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