agmaynard's review
1.0
Interesting thinking going into world creation, ruined for me the gender phobia
gremlin_with_a_biscuit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Trafficking
Minor: Rape
hannaslibrary's review against another edition
2.0
Ummm…. this was not for me. I really liked the overall *idea* of the plot but I didn’t like how it was executed. Plus the weird romances?? Absolutely not
andystone's review against another edition
2.0
This book did not hit for me on any level. The characters were flat and made decisions that made absolutely no sense. The science was uninspiring and felt like a mashup of keywords that are being talked about now—AI, 3D printing, patent drugs—without any evolution of how they would be different from our current interpretation.
The plot follows two different sets of characters, switching off every chapter until the climax where they meet… for all of one page. There was no discussion, no one learned anything and nothing was solved. By the time I got through 80% of the story, I worried that there wouldn’t be enough time to do something compelling to give a reason for the trials and tribulations of the previous couple hundred pages. Sadly, those worries were well founded.
Finally, it was strange that one of the primary characters was both overtly homophobic about his own possible sexual orientation, but then immediately comfortable about his feelings for an indentured robot after he found out the robot identified as female. Somehow, the robot’s sex (which we were told didn’t matter in the story) was the one item that he couldn’t deal with when falling in love with a bucket of bolts.
The plot follows two different sets of characters, switching off every chapter until the climax where they meet… for all of one page. There was no discussion, no one learned anything and nothing was solved. By the time I got through 80% of the story, I worried that there wouldn’t be enough time to do something compelling to give a reason for the trials and tribulations of the previous couple hundred pages. Sadly, those worries were well founded.
Finally, it was strange that one of the primary characters was both overtly homophobic about his own possible sexual orientation, but then immediately comfortable about his feelings for an indentured robot after he found out the robot identified as female. Somehow, the robot’s sex (which we were told didn’t matter in the story) was the one item that he couldn’t deal with when falling in love with a bucket of bolts.
fjasmineaddams's review against another edition
4.0
Fun read about biotech and piracy and robots in love. Complete with dorky in-jokes about the politics of academic research and an unsubtle argument that gender is nonsense!
ember's review against another edition
2.0
I am so mad about this robot’s gender. there are cool ways to do trans robots but… not this. never this.
plot was neat though but god i wish it wasn’t this
plot was neat though but god i wish it wasn’t this
hannah_hethmon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
whatulysses's review against another edition
5.0
So good! Such queerness! Great and realistic projection of a possible future where patents and property and science are concerned.