I always enjoy hanging out with Murderbot for the acerbic wit and fast interplay of action, technology, and likable characters. While I appreciate thaI always enjoy hanging out with Murderbot for the acerbic wit and fast interplay of action, technology, and likable characters. While I appreciate that the plot of this story went in a different direction than some of the other novellas (more of a murder mystery), it just happened to appeal to me less. There were also fewer of the action scenes with Murderbot, which are what I really enjoy. Still, these books go down quickly and enjoyably, so no complaints here....more
After a series of Murderbot novellas, it was nice to spend 350 pages with my friend, Murderbot. If you liked the novellas, you'll like this. I do thinAfter a series of Murderbot novellas, it was nice to spend 350 pages with my friend, Murderbot. If you liked the novellas, you'll like this. I do think it would be confusing to start with this novel, however.
Nothing quite matches the simultaneous physical action and computer hacking action that Murderbot can pull off because of being, well, a cyborg. And it's gratifying to see it evolve as a character, stumble through developing relationships and--gasp!--feelings. It's easy to identify with Murderbot's growing sense of balancing independence and agency with connection and vulnerability.
Because of the dual layer, simultaneous action referenced above, the book can be dense at times, but it's a gratifying read and slows down enough at times to allow the reader to catch their breath. And Murderbot is still an acerbic, witty enough character to provide needed comedic relief. There are some very inventive plot turns here that feel plausible and not contrived.
One of my favorite quotes: "Overse added, 'Just remember you're not alone here.'
'I never know what to say to that. I am actually alone in my head, and that's where 90 plus percent of my problems are." (p. 242)
This was a really a fun read with an expansive universe. I liked the characters and got a sense for the long passages of time that transpired. I wouldThis was a really a fun read with an expansive universe. I liked the characters and got a sense for the long passages of time that transpired. I would recommend consulting the "Lexicon" early on to help orient yourself to the world. One minor critique is that many of the characters are introduced in short order, making it hard to differentiate them. That said, the Wolvers and their religion are pretty fascinating and unique, and once again the AI, Machina Chord, steals your heart.
With so many sci-fi books, I love the premise but am disappointed with how the story unfolds and lands. Not so with this one! I enjoyed the story and action every step of the way and am looking forward to the next book....more
Others have rightly critiqued the rape joke that occurs early in the book, so I'll leave it at that. Thankfully, that's an outlier in the book.
OverallOthers have rightly critiqued the rape joke that occurs early in the book, so I'll leave it at that. Thankfully, that's an outlier in the book.
Overall, this is a really enjoyable exploration of some relevant issues in society in terms of technology and personal relationships. The idea of personal implants that connect people to an online world so realistic that they forsake the actual world to the point of neglecting their physiological needs is, well, unnervingly plausible. Some reviewers have said that the protagonist's wife is underdeveloped as a character, but I think that's fitting, as she's absent 23 hours per day, only logged off for the mandatory one hour per day to eat and drink. She's underdeveloped as a character in Jimmy's life too!
The fluid integration of technology and action made this a fun, quick read. The ending was (view spoiler)[ perhaps overly tidy but also intriguing and creative (hide spoiler)]. The quality of writing and dialogue was high. If this is your genre, give it a go!...more
This is science fiction at its best--big, mind-expanding concepts embedded in an interesting plot with likable characters. Imagine a ship that goes onThis is science fiction at its best--big, mind-expanding concepts embedded in an interesting plot with likable characters. Imagine a ship that goes on a mission for... 65 million years! What would such a ship look like? What processes would be necessary to keep the ship together and its mission on progress? Such an innovative concept that there is a "crew" of 30,000 people, but each small team is only woken up once every several hundred thousand years, so they only live about 10-20 years of actual experience during those 65 million years. How do you conceive of your identity, or others, or social change when your life is lived in such a staccato fashion over unfathomable periods of time? Humanity may be long gone or evolved beyond all recognition--yet the mission continues. I also appreciated that Chimp, the ship AI, is portrayed with complexity--neither an evil AI nor a simple compliant computer.
These are still fun books and the main character is great--snarky and likable--but perhaps by the fourth installment, just a little of the luster is fThese are still fun books and the main character is great--snarky and likable--but perhaps by the fourth installment, just a little of the luster is fading? Some of the material about hacking networks, scanning for drones, and erasing itself from security camera footage started to feel a little repetitive this time around. This book wasn't too different than the others in terms of plot, though it did wrap some things up. Still recommended and fun to see this series to the end!...more
I read this (admittedly brief) book all in one evening! That's a rarity for me and a sign that I was sucked right in through to the end. Admittedly, II read this (admittedly brief) book all in one evening! That's a rarity for me and a sign that I was sucked right in through to the end. Admittedly, I may be detecting a bit of a pattern to these Murderbot novellas now, in which our beloved hero finds some kind humans to save and begrudgingly cooperates with other AI's to do so, only to go her own way in the end before she gets too close... but dammit, I love Murderbot! The stories are fun and inventive, with an interesting use of technology, including remote surveillance, drones, hacking, etc., into adrenaline-filled action sequences, and the main character is very likable--snarky, without getting annoying; capable without being invulnerable.
This book isn't fast-moving--one of the stories, for instance, is about an AI caregiver learning her job at a nursing home--but it is a tremendous booThis book isn't fast-moving--one of the stories, for instance, is about an AI caregiver learning her job at a nursing home--but it is a tremendous book. Being written by a Japanese author and translated into English, I quite enjoyed the genuinely Japanese setting for the stories. The stories were thoughtful ruminations on the interrelations between humans and artificial intelligences in subtle details, including the nuance and shapes that might take. The book works against the stereotypical story of "robots trying to take over the world," and even suggests at one point that humans project that story upon AI because of their own aggressive, dominating nature. Several AI in the book make the argument that AI are too intelligent to live via conflict and to believe the fictions that would fund such violence. It's a bold challenge for us to move beyond our "gedoshields," our systems of confirmation bias in which we dismiss anything that challenges our worldview.
That said, the final story is quite action-packed, and then the end of the book opens up into an expansive horizon that moves far beyond the much more domestic stories that precede it....more
It's been a while since I've read a book that was simply this much *fun*! Sure, there is interesting philosophical backdrop about the legal & ethical It's been a while since I've read a book that was simply this much *fun*! Sure, there is interesting philosophical backdrop about the legal & ethical status of sentient machines and a plausible description of the societal disruptions that might ensue from conscious machines, but driving the book is a simply an active plot with likable characters. The main character, Brittle, is sarcastic and capable, and yes, has a troubled backstory, yet doesn't engage in (nor has the luxury to engage in) endless navel-gazing. The posthuman, robot world is not singular or monolithic, but instead rich with diversity and tensions. The One World Intelligences (OWI's) reproduce the oppression of humanity by attempting to assimilate all thinking machines as mere extensions of itself (facets)--the ever-present danger of the over-centralization of power is present in this world as well.
A few quotes, to give the flavor of the book and for me to save until later:
"Evolution is a bitch. Humankind used to peer into their future and wonder what they would look like in a million years. They had no idea that in so sort a time they would look like us [robots]. Just as man was ape, we are man. Make no mistake; to believe otherwise is to believe that we were, in fact, created--artificial. No. We evolved. We were the next step." (p. 113)
"You take two thinking things with identical architecture, then give them identical experiences, and you don't get the same bot. You don't get the same mind. That's the thing about thinking things, the very act of thinking changes us. We can decide to be different. Put those two identical bots alone by themselves and they'll start to think about different things, and they'll change." (p. 297)...more
This is the best book I've read in a while. Think sci-fi meets detective story, meets philosophical reflection on the nature of identity and mortalityThis is the best book I've read in a while. Think sci-fi meets detective story, meets philosophical reflection on the nature of identity and mortality.
Many things make this book good. The main character, Bruna Husky, is compelling, somehow both kick-ass and vulnerable simultaneously. The world is futuristic (e.g., sky trams), yet also realistic (labor strikes involving the sky tram workers). The technology is seamless (antibacterial lights in the operating room) and politicized (anti-aging surgery accessible to all but the poor, thus wrinkles are a sign of poverty). The ideas are thought-provoking: the technohumans/replicants are created at about 25 years of age and only live for 10 years. They are implanted with false childhood memories to stabilize their sense of identity. It leads you to a place where there is no difference between the implanted memories of replicants and the "real" memories of the humans, thus highlighting the epistemological ephemerality of memory. Living for only 10 years is of course a microcosm of universal mortality, except that Bruna has a literal countdown continually going in her head of how many years, months, and days she has left to live. The book isn't afraid to be political, such as the poor who must survive by allowing electronic billboards to be permanently affixed to their bodies and being required to walk around the city 12 hours a day. This is of course a logical consequent of selling ourselves to consumerist capitalism.
The book has its flaws, such as a overly quick and tidy wrap-up of all the tension the book delightfully develops over hundreds of pages. But I highly recommend reading this thoughtful exploration....more
This is one of those books you enjoy enough to read quickly, but it has certain recurring annoyances and overall is not a book that will stay with youThis is one of those books you enjoy enough to read quickly, but it has certain recurring annoyances and overall is not a book that will stay with you.
The storyline was interesting enough, and I particularly enjoyed the intriguing transition from the ubiquity of technology to that technology "turning" on us. It makes you consider the pervasiveness of technology in our culture and the ways that could be potentially problematic (cars and planes navigated by computers, etc.).
Yet, as others have pointed out, the structure fails. It's written as a series of "documents" of the history of the war with the robots recorded by Archos, the chief artificial intelligence. Yet much of these "documents" record the characters' inner thoughts, and there's no way the surveillance cameras, robots, etc., could've had access to this. It's almost like the author realized (or didn't) how limiting this structure was, and thus ended up violating it.
My other qualm is the editorializing by Cormac Wallace at the end of each "document." His statements often seem pedantic and melodramatic, with each and every plot episode "having reverberations around the world"... I guess he explains this by saying this is a record of the war's "heroes," but still it gets repetitive and strains credulity.
One element I did find interesting was the book's mentioning of the robot's studying natural life to learn how to further adapt, and that nature "rebounded" under the rule of robots after the decline of humanity. This is a tacit critique of the ways we have exploited and stifled nature.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but it gave me little to ponder, and I'm not sure I'm up for reading the sequel....more
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