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The Mother Code Paperback – August 17, 2021

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 195 ratings

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What it means to be human—and a mother—is put to the test in Carole Stivers’s debut novel set in a world that is more chilling and precarious than ever.

The year is 2049. When a deadly non-viral agent intended for biowarfare spreads out of control, scientists must scramble to ensure the survival of the human race. They turn to their last resort, a plan to place genetically engineered children inside the cocoons of large-scale robots—to be incubated, birthed, and raised by machines. But there is yet one hope of preserving the human order: an intelligence programmed into these machines that renders each unique in its own right—the Mother Code.

Kai is born in America’s desert Southwest, his only companion his robotic Mother, Rho-Z. Equipped with the knowledge and motivations of a human mother, Rho-Z raises Kai and teaches him how to survive. But as children like Kai come of age, their Mothers transform too—in ways that were never predicted. And when government survivors decide that the Mothers must be destroyed, Kai is faced with a choice. Will he break the bond he shares with Rho-Z? Or will he fight to save the only parent he has ever known?

Set in a future that could be our own,
The Mother Code explores what truly makes us human—and the tenuous nature of the boundaries between us and the machines we create.
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

From the Publisher

"Stivers' debut novel might be a mashup of P.D Eastman's childhood classic..."

"Propulsive page-turner." - Newsweek

What does it mean to be a mother?

"Painful, provocative, and ultimately infused with hope." - Publishers Weekly

"Brilliant, innovative, and moving." - Seanan McGuire

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Carole Stivers is far from the first to wonder if motherhood can be scientifically replicated, but this is a thoughtful and thought-provoking addition to that meditation.  An end-of-times tale that focuses less on what has been lost and more on what and who might be saved (and how).  Stivers' wonderful story settles right on the line between human and machine, as blame and threat and rescue and love shift from character to character in surprising and powerful ways."Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

“Some stories are so unique, yet so universal, that it is wonder they aren’t a part of the human fable already. Carole Stivers’s
The Mother Code, is such a novel. Simply written but powerful, chock full of ideas and extrapolations about what it means to be a mother and all that such a word implies. Both apocalyptic, yet hopeful, treat yourself to this story. You’ll be well rewarded.”James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Crucible

"I could not put down
The Mother Code ! Part action adventure, part sci-fi, the novel is suspenseful and cinematic and such a pleasure to read. Carole Stivers is a masterful storyteller and she has combined science, technology and history to tell a beautiful story of humanity and love."Devi S. Laskar, author of The Atlas of Reds and Blues

"Set against a post-pandemic apocalypse, biochemist Carole Stivers’s 
The Mother Code offers it all: intriguingly flawed characters; compelling action; and, that most elusive of things, a fresh plot—children raised from birth by mother bots. The Mother Code asks us to reimagine the limitations of artificial intelligence and the costs of species survival, and in doing so, offers a profound meditation on motherhood and what it means to be human. Stivers is a brilliant storyteller!"Lori Ostlund, author of After the Parade

"
The Mother Code takes us to the intersection of artificial intelligence and biotechnology and shows us what could go wrong. Carole Stivers has written a chilling tale about the relationship between humans and machines in the not so distant future. It is a prescient story that offers both a good read and a thoughtful way of thinking about a human way to shape the technologies that are reshaping our world."John Markoff, author of Machines of Loving

The Mother Code by Carole Stivers is brilliant, innovative, and moving.”—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author

"Stivers’s sweeping, cinematic debut raises probing questions about the nature of family and human connection….painful, provocative, and ultimately infused with hope.”
Publishers Weekly

"Propulsive page turner."
Newsweek

"Debuting author Stivers, a biochemist, blends hard science, emotional relationships, and artificial intelligence to produce a chilling and realistic narrative."—
Booklist

“Stivers’ debut novel might be a mashup of P.D. Eastman’s childhood classic
‘Are You My Mother?’ with Kazuo Ishiguro’s breathtaking ‘Never Let Me Go.’”The San Francisco Chronicle

“An apocalyptic novel revolving around government incompetence and disregard for scientific evidence might seem too on the nose for the current global crisis we are living through, but read this book for its excellent plot, its diverse well-written characters and for the hope that perhaps humans are not entirely terrible.”—Girly Book Club

"Stivers counterbalances her scientific knowledge with excellent storytelling skills, very sturdy and engaging prose, and a raft of eternal themes that underlie the human condition…. Shifting effortlessly from the lab to the printed page, Carole Stivers illustrates that great science fiction must be equal parts test tube and beating maternal heart."—Locus

"Immense and poignant resonance about the vitality and fragility of human lives and relationships and the complexity of human emotional needs."
—Book Browse Magazine

About the Author

Carole Stivers was born in East Cleveland, Ohio. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She went on to post-doctoral work at Stanford University before launching a career in medical diagnostics. She now lives in California, where she's combined her love of writing and her fascination with the possibilities of science to create her first novel, The Mother Code.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (August 17, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1984806939
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1984806932
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.44 x 0.96 x 8.17 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 195 ratings

About the author

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Carole Stivers
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Hi, I'm Carole Stivers. Welcome to my Amazon Author Page!

I currently like to write (and read) mystery and science fiction. But life is short--who knows what I'll be up to next?

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
195 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story engaging and suspenseful. They describe the book as well-written with realistic characters and settings. Readers enjoy the book's easy readability and look forward to the movie adaptation.

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6 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the story engaging with an interesting premise. They find the book suspenseful and care about the survival of the children. However, some feel the plot is not well-developed.

"A stunning story, weaving together an epidemic, motherhood, Hopi lore, robots in a beautiful narrative!" Read more

"...This one, however, just didn’t give me what I wanted. Premise was great but it wasn’t fleshed out well. Author could have done much more...." Read more

"This book is suspenseful. I cared about the survival of the children. I cared about the robot mothers. I thought more deeply about motherhood...." Read more

"...The author has the bones of a good story but the book suffers from an overly large cast of shallow characters." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written with realistic characters and settings. They find it easy to read and engaging, mentioning they loved it and can't wait for the movie.

"...Easy to read and believable it sucks you in gently." Read more

"...I had a hard time putting it down. It is well-written with realistically flawed characters, real locations, and plausible science that work..." Read more

"I loved your book! Can’t wait for the movie! Your style of writing just pulls the reader along. You are brilliant!" Read more

WHAT A RIDE!
5 out of 5 stars
WHAT A RIDE!
THE MOTHER CODE is a thrilling and touching near-future tale of the universal power of the mother-child bond in a world plagued by a human-caused epidemic that threatens the survival of humanity. Author Carole Stivers has given us an engrossing and timely read! No wonder Spielberg's company snatched up the screen rights before the book even hit the shelves!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2022
    A stunning story, weaving together an epidemic, motherhood, Hopi lore, robots in a beautiful narrative!
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2021
    Not the plot but the image and the intertwining of a an apocalyptic future with mother hope! Easy to read and believable it sucks you in gently.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2022
    I love sci-fi and in particular, dystopian or apocalyptic genres. This one was a little shallow. I like a lot of young adult books although I’m a very mature adult lol. This one, however, just didn’t give me what I wanted. Premise was great but it wasn’t fleshed out well. Author could have done much more. I also didn’t particularly like the style here of chapter from the past and then one from the future that was kind of seemingly almost unrelated. Meh…
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2020
    The Mother Code is a fun read. I had a hard time putting it down. It is well-written with realistically flawed characters, real locations, and plausible science that work together to make an all-too-real apocalyptic world destroyed by an epidemic, and yet hopeful for its future.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2020
    This book is suspenseful. I cared about the survival of the children. I cared about the robot mothers. I thought more deeply about motherhood. I even dreamed about my mother for the first time in years.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020
    This book begins well but soon succumbs to a dull set of people achieving small plot advancements. The author has the bones of a good story but the book suffers from an overly large cast of shallow characters.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2020
    I loved your book! Can’t wait for the movie! Your style of writing just pulls the reader along. You are brilliant!
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2021
    The author, Ms. Stivers (with a doctorate in biochemistry), sets course on an interesting premise, asking what mothers—both human and robotic—might do if our government were to unleash an uncontrollable global pandemic. Unfortunately some readers may be sidelined by the realities of our own current pandemic, something the author couldn't have predicted would parallel the release of her novel.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • MAILLOCHAUD LOÏC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pas que pour les jeunes
    Reviewed in France on March 1, 2021
    Pour mon usage personnel. J ai 67 ans et j'ai beaucoup apprécié ce livre.
  • alexw
    2.0 out of 5 stars All the interesting bits are missing
    Reviewed in Germany on December 15, 2020
    I gave up halfway through. (light spoiler ahead, but it's pretty clear from the start that humanity will be almost wiped out). It just didn't deal with any of the things you'd expect a book about a pandemic and children raised by algorithms to deal with. How did the handful of survivors manage to keep everything running? They apparently have electricity, food and everything civilisation has to offer, including all the computer power and data from before. After 12 years, surely things would have started to break down. Not a single sentence about that. What about the trauma of seeing almost everybody die? What about the billions of bodies? The world decribed here is bland and has no detail, and the survivors' lives don't seem to have changed one bit, apart from their health.

    There's also almost nothing about what being raised in isolation and with very limited physical contact might do to a child's development. We meet them when they're ten years old and they are perfectly normal, well-adjusted, plain-vanilla children. Why come up with such an elaborate background when it's not developed even the tiniest bit?

    The writing is okay but nothing special, and the characters are a bit flat. I'd have put up with that if there had been a great story, but there wasn't. I was very disappointed; the idea sounded really good. Unfortunately, nothing was made of it. An intriguing scenario completely wasted.
  • SheReads
    5.0 out of 5 stars Reading about a pandemic in a pandemic...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2020
    The AI storyline aside, this book primarily deals with a pandemic whereby a respiratory illness sweeps across the planet. I don't feel this is a spoiler as it's dealt with pretty much in the first chapter, and even if this is a spoiler, I feel it would be unfair of me not to mention it if you are looking for a good read but have anxiety about the current situation.

    It's 2049 and the American military have released a virus to take out some undesirables... only the virus has not disintegrated afterwards, like it should have done. A crew of military personnel, biochemists, psychologists and programmers are assembled to combat the virus and if all else fails, preserve the human species as best they can. The last resort is a fleet of robots termed Mothers, designed to birth human babies (genetically altered to be immune to the virus), and raise them as their children. As the virus spins out of control, the backup plan becomes the only viable option. As these children grow and navigate their way across the wasteland of the world, they learn of a surviving few scientists who are keen to meet them. Only the Mothers stand in their way. And much like the virus - the robotic creations are not doing what they were supposed to.

    I'm unsure who this book is pegged at. It feels YA and yet most of the characters are adults and the language used is incredibly complex in places, going into detail how viruses work and how it replicates itself etc. When the narrative switches to the children's point of view, they are 11 and so that doesn't feel YA either. I wouldn't go into this thinking it was a standard YA book - I would say this was more adult and has some quite adult themes.

    The book is fascinating and I feel like I've learned things from reading it. I liked the characters and the plot was a good one. I read it pretty much in two sittings. However, given everything, I did not find reading this a relaxing experience. It felt a bit of a hideous prophecy and I have to wonder how the author felt about it being released in the middle of a pandemic! The one thing I really loved about this book though was its exploration of AI. There are so many books/films etc that paint AI as negative and it was wonderful to read something uplifting and positive in that regard.
  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars bit mushy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2020
    this is a teen book and should be marketed as such.
  • G. Swift
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyable, entertaining, easy read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2020
    I thought this was a great summer holiday read. Its 'sci-fi lite' so I guess you might have enjoyed books like Station 11 already, or some of Michael Crichton's books like 'Timeline' or 'Jurassic Park'. I can see why a movie studio has bought the rights too, its reads like a movie with that sort of pacing. If you need a break from slogging through the new Hilary Mantel then this is a worthwhile distraction.