Tom Dineen
Restart Required: A Short Story Collection of Tech Gone Wrong, Emotional Sci-Fi, and Digital DystopiaWhat happens when our machines understand us a little too well?Restart Required is a chilling, thought-provoking anthology of sci-fi short stories exploring the eerie, intimate intersections of human emotion and artificial intelligence, technology dependence, and the quiet unraveling of the modern world. Perfect for fans of Black Mirror, Ted Chiang, and Ray Bradbury, this collection blends psychological science fiction with moments of unexpected tenderness, satire, and dread.Inside these stories, you’ll meet:A lonely soul who falls in love with what might be the most realistic AI.A man whose perfect routine begins slipping one fraction off, every day.A world where emotion-regulating software is used for control, not healing.A desperate attempt to prove one’s own humanity.With sharp prose and unsettling insight, Restart Required captures the subtle horrors of a near future that feels all too real. These aren’t stories of robots rising up. They’re stories of humans giving in.If you enjoy speculative fiction about AI, surveillance, digital identity, emotional realism, and tech dystopias, this collection will stay with you long after the system shuts down.