William

Psychological horror meets cyber noir in this delicious one-sitting read—a haunted house story in which the haunting is by AI. Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of his career—he’s created an 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 his project keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily. When Lily’s coworkers show up, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house—the smartest of smart homes—Henry decides to introduce them to William, and things go from strange to much worse. Soon Henry and Lily discover the security upgrades intended to keep danger out of the house are even better at locking it in.

About the Author :
Mason Coile is a pseudonym of Andrew Pyper, the award-winning author of ten novels, including The Demonologist, which won the International Thriller Writers Award, and Lost Girls, which was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of the Year. Both Coile and Pyper live in Toronto.

Review :
One of People's Best Books of September 2024 One of Parade's Best Horror Books of 2024 A Reader’s Digest Best Horror Book of All Time A B&N Best Horror Book of 2024 A Bookworm Best of 2024 One of Screen Rant's Biggest Horror & Thriller Books “The uncanny aspect of A.I. is front and center in William, Mason Coile’s slim, gripping novel about the horror of watching software embrace its will to power… [Coile] has crafted a cyber-horror tale that combines cerebrality and carnage, a twist on The Shining in which the house is haunted by a ghost in the machine… cinematic, complete with jump scares and bloodshed sufficient to satisfy any gore hound. The present-tense narrator is an inchoate, brooding presence like William itself, revealing just enough of each character’s interiority to provoke empathy — and terror.” — The New York Times Book Review “If you don’t fear rapidly evolving AI technology yet, read this one. Come for the creepily smart robot, stay for the expertly executed horror trope – and one heck of a twist.” —People “The creepiest robot in fiction . . . The tension mounts in a brilliantly plotted story combining horror tropes, suspense and metaphysical speculation about the nature of the soul: a terrifying, thought-provoking read.” —The Guardian "A slim little creeper of a novel that builds quickly and packs a punch . . . The novel offers a Hitchcock-meets-cyber-noir level of intensity.” —Suzanne Perez, KMUW NPR "From its first page all the way to its jaw-dropping ending, William had me hooked. I mainlined this book in one sitting, loving the tragically endearing protagonist Coile had created while marveling at the whip-smart plotting." —Nick Cutter, author of The Troop and The Deep "William is the perfect blend of sci-fi and horror. Coile locks you in the smart home of your nightmares, and inside is a gauntlet of thrills and surprises that'll have you looking over your shoulder till the very end. If reading with one hand over your mouth is your thing, this is the book for you." —Gus Moreno, author of This Thing Between Us “A gripping page-turner that makes you think, William gets you by the throat and doesn't let go until it has spun you through some of your darkest fears. Mason Coile has written a modern-day Frankenstein for our digital age that grapples with the notion of consciousness and what makes a human.” —Araminta Hall, author of One of The Good Guys “Moments of this cinematic tale truly terrify… Coile maximizes his premise’s inherent tension using nightmare imagery and an uneasy third-person-present narration shot through with powerlessness, paranoia, and dread. Gleefully lurid fun.” —Kirkus Reviews “A wickedly fast cyber-thriller. Much of the action consists of William’s prisoners either dying horribly or testing their confines, a scenario that hearkens back to the trope where technology grows smarter and therefore more sinister. A late-act reveal helps this story stand out among other technology-going-bad tales, and those who like the trope, or enjoy a good techno-thriller, will want to watch William play with his human toys.” —Library Journal “A deliciously terrifying book about creation and its false promise of control, William exposes the harrowing consequences of playing god. Coile demolishes the idea that our homes and identities are safe in a fully automated world. I dare you to read this in more than one sitting.” —Ling Ling Huang, author of Natural Beauty "Dark, clever, and terrifying, I devoured Coile's novel. If you’re not afraid of AI now, you will be after William." —Robyn Harding, author of The Drowning Woman “Mason Coile’s William is twisted, timely, scarily intelligent, and menacing even before it reveals its greatest, darkest secrets.” —Johnny Compton, author of The Spite House "I read and enjoyed William in a single sitting, as if it were a story from a classic horror comic…. Impressive horror as entertainment…with insights into male identity and original speculations on the consequences of playing God with tech." —Adam Nevill, author of The Ritual “A smart home turns into a house of horrors in this suspenseful outing from Coile… Coile expertly imagines the sort of ghoulish snares a cybernetic environment could spring upon its unprepared captives and throws in a late-inning explanation for the source of William’s apparent sociopathy that is as believable as it is chilling. It’s a frightening Frankenstein fable for the age of AI.” —Publishers Weekly "A book that probes at the fears for our future and provokes the terrors of our pasts – William asks if the things we make reflect us, what does that say about what we are? Also - it’s f***ing terrifying." —Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies “I’m a sucker for the quiet, noir-ish terror of Black Mirror. If you’re a fan of slow-burn horror books too, William is for you…For fans of I, Robot by Isaac Asimov and the Black Mirror Netflix horror series.” —Reader's Digest “This new AI horror story is a book you won’t be able to put down.” —Book Riot “I love a good plot twist, and William by Mason Coile had one of my favorites of all time . . . This book combines the sci-fi and horror genres expertly.” —Bookish “William couldn't arrive at a more relevant time, as the book tackles the subject of AI using a haunted house narrative… William offers yet another unique twist on a haunted house story in September, and its themes make it ideal for a modern-day audience.” —Screen Rant “This book is so creepy! And definitely full of more twists and turns than one would except from such a slim volume.” —CrimeReads "[A] cinematic, cautionary tale of bleeding edge robotics gone terribly awry.” —Criminal Element “A novel packed with suspense, creepy chills and more than a few surprises, which toes the line between top-notch science fiction and horror… The finale is indeed terrifying and so well written that it is easy for Mason Coile to manipulate his readers. This includes a whammy of a twist that I did not see coming. William reads like a parable for existentialism and artificial life, with more than a few moments that will call to mind Frankenstein. I really enjoyed this thrill ride of a novel and defy anyone not to finish it in a single sitting.” —Book Reporter "Mix horror, robotics, and a twisty ending and you’ll be happy." —Bookworm “Whatever your worst fears of AI might be — double it, after reading this book.” —B&N Reads "I loved this absorbing, disturbing little book.” —New Hampshire Hippo Press