Reviews

A highly witty and funny story, which was an absolute pleasure to read. A cosy little gem and one of my favourite books this year. Stephenson's writing merges some fun Isaac Asimov robot style themes, coupled with some off beat Lemony Snicket type observations of people and society.

napthenknit's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I wanted very much to like this book. In fact, I liked it a lot for about 80% of the book. Then the next 15% the feeling waned a bit, but I figured the author knows so much about screenwriting that he would never leave us with a terrible cliche ending... but the longer I went on, the more tropes appeared, and then the last 3% of the book absolutely tanked for me. I was angry, and frustrated, and deeply upset. Not upset in a cathartic way, like a noble sacrifice was made for the greater good or there was a traumatic event that the main character could learn a lesson from. I found the ending genuinely upsetting and actually somewhat irresponsible for the author to portray as the joyful emotional climax of the story.

Other than the appalling ending, the book had funny little bits sprinkled throughout, and I could see this as sort of the "chipper younger brother" of Murderbot. However, do not come in with expectations for sci-fi worldbuilding (minor examples of irksome nonsense:

How does bitcoin exist if there is no internet? How are bots able to be tracked via "their barcode" if there's no internet? Why did every airplane fall out of the sky on the day of "the great crash"? Planes can still land without internet! If there are no planes how are characters still easily traveling between continents?

). You will get no worldbuilding. Instead, you will get references to people and brands that exist today which make this "near-future" story seem incredibly dated.

If you're looking for an easy read that you don't need to pay too much attention to (I listened to the audiobook sped up, which I never do), with lots of references to cinema and screenwriting (and the tropes therein), this could be a good choice. If you want a near-future exploration of human-bot interactions, maybe try the Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers. If you want a snarky, sassy bot who doesn't understand people but can't get away from them, try the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.

Below is a brief summary of the ending for those who are concerned:

The main character kills himself in hopes that his death will make people realize that bots have feelings. He uses the same logic that many suicidal people use to explain why they want to commit suicide. He believes his suicide is a good thing that will benefit the world at large. There is no resolution afterwards; his suicide note is the end of the book.

Content Warnings

jensabot's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

joshuacaps's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I started this book with low expectations but genuinely enjoyed it all the way through until the end, which was... something.

danielle_ssc's review against another edition

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Too slow paced for me. Will retry in future.

janiswong's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Beautiful, original, and witty. The sweetest sci-fi I've read. I personally loved the narrative voice and form, but can see how it might not be for everyone in it's structure and form. Stephenson captures the generation and change with great clarity, presenting it with humour and enveloped within a pacy story. I did get lost a bit in the middle, but found myself getting back into it. We are all indeed toasters with hearts set to five and what a privilege that must be.

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