Reading Skywards – Your Friendly Bookshelf

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOOK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gatzlaff Bokhage Publishing, LLC
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 15, 2026
Format:  Hardcover and ebook
Print length ‏ : ‎ 470 pages
Genre: Science Fiction

MY PERSONAL OPINION OF “The Things We Would Bear” by Rachyl Moore

I got the book from NetGalley as an ARC. I requested the book based on the short synopsis, which included AI. I read earlier this year “Culpability” by Bruce Holsinger and was nicely surprised by how much I enjoyed reading a book with the AI being part of the plot.

The story follows four main characters: Odessa, a military professional trained in AI, Rowan, a historian, Mina, who works as a nurse, and Leo, a former soldier suffering from trauma, and of course BEAR the soul unit (IA) assigned to Leo. The story is in the future, and after a lot of tragedies, including three plagues and natural disasters, which is in part a reason for the current government plan to program AI to complete the needed actions without prioritizing the human casualties.

Honestly, this book was fantastic and exceeded all my expectations. The book tells the current time from the four characters’ perspectives, and little by little, we get to know more about each of the characters’ personal lives and experiences.

The book was fast-paced and kept me going chapter after chapter. Towards the end, I realized this is a trilogy, and I am so looking forward to book two. Each character brought something important to the plot, something valuable to the story, and the way the four characters connected was smart. I recommend this book if you like science fiction and AI-connected stories.

PREMISE OF THE BOOK AS FOUND IN AMAZON / GOODREADS:

This was the quiet warning Leo received when he was discharged from the Human Military Unit and given his support companion. After human soldiers became obsolete—replaced by intelligent systems and mechanical operators—veterans like Leo were sent to live in the shadows of the HMU Block at the edge of Ft. Stratton. A place for those faded from memory to forget.

Leo wants to stay forgotten. But he wasn’t given a standard-issue companion. He got Bear.

Small, silent, and more advanced than any typical unit, Bear is Leo’s only tether to stability in a fast-changing world. In the isolation of the city’s edge, Leo has remained content for fifteen years. But without Bear, he wouldn’t last a day.

Now, Bear is refusing to charge. His battery is draining. Fast.

As the blue fiberoptic fur fades, the isolation Leo built around himself shatters. A nurse, an archivist, and a military engineer start appearing at his door—strangers carrying pieces of a fractured puzzle. They’re asking about vanishing files and systems behaving strangely.

They think Leo is involved. They know he has something he shouldn’t. They want answers he doesn’t have.
Leo only wants one thing.

To fix Bear.
Before he loses him.
Before he loses everything.

MY RATING: 5.0

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachyl Moore is an author specializing in speculative fiction. With a professional background as an Occupational Therapist, Moore brings a unique perspective, focusing on the psychological tethers of identity in an increasingly digital world. Her writing emphasizes the concept that empathy is both a form of radical resistance and essential to survival. As a runner and mother of three, she writes stories that bridge the gap between care, humanity, and high-stakes technology.