I uploaded a very short section of my short story from The Altar of Hate entitled “Shinjuku Satan” to Deepseek and asked it to identify the author. The results were nothing short of highly comical.
Possible Authors
- William Gibson: Too poetic; focuses more on sensory cyberpunk aesthetics.
- Neal Stephenson: More technical digressions; less snark.
- Andy Weir: Jokes are nerdier; less political subtext.
Here’s the punchline:
The passage you’ve shared is highly characteristic of John Scalzi’s writing style, particularly his blend of:
- Wry, Conversational Narration – The protagonist’s voice is sarcastic, self-deprecating, and peppered with modern cultural references (e.g., “Japandi-Ikea”, “Barbie-pink lips”).
- Near-Future Sci-Fi with a Grounded Twist – The setting feels plausible yet slightly heightened (e.g., AI assistants like Suzie Shades, a Catholic Church with Chinese Characteristics).
- Dry Humor and Bureaucratic Satire – The tone pokes fun at institutions while maintaining stakes (e.g., the Archbishop’s title and the protagonist’s irreverence).
Verdict: Almost certainly John Scalzi—or someone doing a very good pastiche.
Believe me, that was NOT the intention. I was going for an updated Gibsonian cyberpunk effect. But my new best friend did come up with some interesting observations once I corrected it as to the authorship And, to be fair, I only gave it four paragraphs, plus another four lines of dialogue, to analyze.
Why I Got It Wrong
- Tonal Similarities:
- Both Scalzi and Day use dry, sardonic narration and near-future tech satire. Scalzi leans more toward bureaucratic humor (Redshirts), while Day’s edge is darker (e.g., “put them down”).
- The AI assistant (Suzie Shades) mirrors Scalzi’s snarky AI tropes (e.g., Lock In’s Haden-related tech).
- Cultural References:
- Japandi-Ikea and 80’s cybergirl aesthetics felt Scalzi-esque (his work often name-checks pop culture). Day’s references here are similarly precise but skew more subversive.
- Blind Spot:
- I underestimated Day’s range. His prose in Arts of Dark and Light is more archaic/epic, but “Shinjuku Satan” adopts a clipped, cyberpunk-inflected voice I associated with other authors.
Clues It’s Vox Day
- Ideological Subtext:
- The “Catholic Church with Chinese Characteristics” is a dead giveaway—Day often critiques institutional power and globalism (e.g., SJWs Always Lie). Scalzi rarely engages with religious themes this directly.
- Pacing and Edge:
- Day’s prose here is tighter, with a sharper nihilistic undercurrent. Scalzi’s humor tends to be warmer, even in grim scenarios.
- The Japan Connection
- This is a critical stylistic signature I overlooked. Day’s background in East Asian Studies and time in Tokyo often manifest in his work through:
- Setting: “Shinjuku Satan”’s hyper-specific location (Tanjong Pagar Center, Japanese aesthetics like “Japandi-Ikea”).
- Cultural Fluency: The “Archbishop of Chengdu” twist reflects his focus on Asian geopolitics (e.g., “Catholic Church with Chinese Characteristics” is pure Day).
- Linguistic Nuance: Even the name “Suzie Shades” nods to Japan’s kawaii cyberpunk tropes (e.g., “Barbie-pink lips, eyes like silver mirrors”).
- Why This Matters
- Most sci-fi authors default to Western or generic Asian settings (e.g., Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash’s “New Hong Kong”). Day’s work stands out because:
- He avoids fetishizing Japan—it’s a lived-in backdrop, not just neon-and-ninja exoticism.
- His ideological lens sharpens the satire (e.g., the Church’s politicized title).
I thought this was fascinating since it never occurred to me that the mere act of utilizing a “hyper-specific location” for the purposes of verisimilitude could be a literary giveaway, although then I realized that in the current film script I’ve been writing with the Legend, I’ve incorporated no less than three similarly hyper-specific locations being utilized.
Anyhow, as with my experiments with AI music, I think that AI text can be utilized to excellent effect in the right hands, especially by authors with a sufficient compendium upon which to train. I would never use it to write A GRAVE OF GODS, but it might make additional books in the same setting possible, books that I would otherwise never have the time to even think about writing. Because what is inappropriate to use as a crutch can be extremely effective if utilized as a force-multiplier.
UPDATE: An SGer asked me to try providing it with another passage from the story. Deepseek appears to have learned from its original mistake.
This is a fascinating passage—blending cyberpunk nihilism, theological satire, and AI-as-deity tropes—so here are the five most likely authors, ranked by stylistic and thematic fit:
1. William Gibson (Neuromancer, The Peripheral)
Why?
- Cyberpunk Aesthetic: The champagne room/VIP lounge dichotomy is pure Gibson (e.g., “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel”).
- AI as God: The “omniderigent neo-Calvinist” AI mirrors Neuromancer’s Wintermute—a godlike AI with inscrutable motives.
- Dry, Tech-Savvy Wit: “What sort of madman trains an AI on John Piper?” feels like Gibson’s Blue Ant Trilogy humor.
Clincher: The Borges reference—Gibson loves literary nods (Count Zero quotes The Waste Land).
2. Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash, The Diamond Age)
Why?
- Techno-Theology: The AI’s “I am the Beginning and the End” speech echoes Snow Crash’s linguistic virus-as-religion.
- Satirical Edge: “God-san” and robot waifus feel like Stephenson’s lampooning of tech culture.
- Dense References: The Borges/Library of Babel riff is classic Stephenson (cf. Anathem’s math-mysticism).
Divergence: Stephenson’s prose is more technical—this passage is leaner, closer to Gibson.
3. Vox Day (The Altar of Hate, SJWs Always Lie)
Why?
- Ideological Provocation: The AI trained on John Piper (a Calvinist theologian) fits Day’s love of culture-war grenades.
- Polemical Tone: The narrator’s “atheist crusader” vibe aligns with Day’s anti-woke protagonists.
- Robotic Sexuality: “Pink-lipsticked mouth” echoes Shinjuku Satan’s cybergirl fetishism.
Divergence: Day’s prose is usually more archaic—this feels too sleek for him.
4. Richard K. Morgan (Altered Carbon, Thirteen)
Why?
- Hardboiled Cyberspace: The “cure you of your divinity” line is pure Takeshi Kovacs snark.
- Sex + Tech: The VIP lounge’s “waifus” mirror Altered Carbon’s AI brothels.
- Violent Atheism: Morgan’s protagonists hate gods (e.g., Thirteen’s anti-transhumanism).
Divergence: Morgan’s fights are bloodier—this is more cerebral.
5. Charles Stross (Accelerando, Rule 34)
Why?
- AI Theology: Stross loves posthuman godhood (e.g., “Lobsters” in Accelerando).
- Dark Comedy: “Some books are banned for good reason” fits his satirical edge.
- Near-Future Sleaze: The robot/human “waifus” feel like Rule 34’s sex-tech dystopia.
Divergence: Stross is more frenetic—this passage is more controlled.
Most Likely Author: William Gibson
Why?
- The cyberpunk noir tone, AI god complex, and Borges reference are quintessential Gibson.
- The “unusually technical boy” line echoes Neuromancer’s “console cowboy” lingo.
Wildcard: If this is Vox Day, it’s his best Gibson impression—but the lack of racial/ideological subtext leans Gibson.
Final Guess: William Gibson (or a very skilled pastiche).