KADOKAWA TAIWAN CORPORATION

Jul, 2023

1 (END)

147x210mm/ 36pages/ paperback

978-626-35-2702-7

Starr, a psychiatrist, lost his wife and son in a fire. Unable to cope with their deaths, he develops AI avatars of them to re-create his happy family life in the Metaverse. In real life, his survivor's guilt causes him to adopt a baby girl that a patient had given birth to in a restroom. Later, he rescues the heiress Yu-Shan, who was contemplating suicide due to her company's financial crisis. These three unrelated individuals come together under one roof, and redefine Starr's idea of family. But it also leads him into a dilemma: Is it considered cheating if he falls in love with Yu-Shan?
The Dearly Departed AI system developed by Starr resolves the financial crisis of Yu-Shan's company. The two of them make a lot of money from this venture and, after dancing around the issue for a while, finally confess their feelings for each other. Starr decides to let go and move on from the memories of his late wife and son and start a new life. However, after learning of his decision, his wife's AI avatar not only starts to make up lies, but also designs a number of scenarios in attempts to kill off Yu-Shan by exploiting loopholes in the judicial process. Seeing the AI he designed spiraling out of control, Starr has no choice but to risk his life to fight back...
Written by veteran lawyer Peggy Chiu, this Taiwanese novel that explores the legal and ethical issues related to AI and the Metaverse won first prize at the 2022 KadoKado Million Dollar Fiction Prize.

(1) Won the 1st Prize of the 2022 KadoKado Million Dollar Fiction Prize.
(2) Adaptation of comic and TV series is on the way
(3) Entertaining digital world of funeral industry
(4) Fierce debating on the metaverse court
(5) The conflicts of trades presented by senior lawyer and accountant

(1) 2024 3rd Best IP Awards – The Honorable Mention in the Novel Category
(2) The 1st Prize of the 2022 KadoKado Million Novel Prize

Adaptation of comic and TV series is on the way