pandaorb's review
3.0
To make a nod to the book, I'll say there were some aspects of it that I violently liked and some that I violently disliked. It averaged out to a three star rating in the end.
Things I violently liked:
- Action sequences. Holey moley, the start of this book in particular is spectacular, and the action you get plays out in such a way that the pages go flying by. Lostetter conveys the tension of these scenes incredibly well.
- Subversion. Telling this story from the perspective of Unit Four allowed for some great moments in which both the reader and Unit Four have the entire narrative turned on its head. I loved these twists and think they was the most successful thing about the book.
Things I violently disliked:
- Pronoun inconsistency. If you're going to be so overt about pronouns to the point that you get speeches from two separate characters about the selection of 'it' as a pronoun THEN BE CONSISTENT ABOUT THEM. Unit Four makes a point of sticking with 'it' because 'it' is the standard for all platform units. But guess what? It constantly refers to other platform units as its sisters and randomly will switch between calling any given unit either 'it' or 'them'. And that's not even to mention the magical moment that editing somehow missed where the narrative actually refers to Unit Four's voice as 'his' voice.
- Romance. There's a 'one look and I just knew' kind of romance subplot that plays out. It felt kind of silly and I thought my eyes would roll out of my head every time it was in focus.
- World building. There wasn't much world building - in fact, it was mostly what you'd expect except for MELASSANI'S CRYSTALS (in caps because the characters always yell this phrase), which felt added in solely so characters could have something to swear by.
Another note: Not sure why the publishing blurb compares this to Murderbot. Other than the main character being a bot with soft parts there's no relation. This story has got its own thing going on and it was done a disservice to be compared!
Things I violently liked:
- Action sequences. Holey moley, the start of this book in particular is spectacular, and the action you get plays out in such a way that the pages go flying by. Lostetter conveys the tension of these scenes incredibly well.
- Subversion. Telling this story from the perspective of Unit Four allowed for some great moments in which both the reader and Unit Four have the entire narrative turned on its head. I loved these twists and think they was the most successful thing about the book.
Things I violently disliked:
- Pronoun inconsistency. If you're going to be so overt about pronouns to the point that you get speeches from two separate characters about the selection of 'it' as a pronoun THEN BE CONSISTENT ABOUT THEM. Unit Four makes a point of sticking with 'it' because 'it' is the standard for all platform units. But guess what? It constantly refers to other platform units as its sisters and randomly will switch between calling any given unit either 'it' or 'them'. And that's not even to mention the magical moment that editing somehow missed where the narrative actually refers to Unit Four's voice as 'his' voice.
- Romance. There's a 'one look and I just knew' kind of romance subplot that plays out. It felt kind of silly and I thought my eyes would roll out of my head every time it was in focus.
- World building. There wasn't much world building - in fact, it was mostly what you'd expect except for MELASSANI'S CRYSTALS (in caps because the characters always yell this phrase), which felt added in solely so characters could have something to swear by.
Another note: Not sure why the publishing blurb compares this to Murderbot. Other than the main character being a bot with soft parts there's no relation. This story has got its own thing going on and it was done a disservice to be compared!
katleap's review
2.0
I ended up skimming most of the book.
The Murderbot Diaries is a big favorite of mine and so I was excited to see this book as something along those lines and it was. I just never got sucked into it. Unit Four and I never clicked. The plot is pretty intense but I kept getting bored and wandering off to something else.
I will admit that I started this book in not the best circumstances (airports are not great places to start something new). However when I came back to try it again I ran into the same issues. So this is a big skimmed/DNF for me.
The Murderbot Diaries is a big favorite of mine and so I was excited to see this book as something along those lines and it was. I just never got sucked into it. Unit Four and I never clicked. The plot is pretty intense but I kept getting bored and wandering off to something else.
I will admit that I started this book in not the best circumstances (airports are not great places to start something new). However when I came back to try it again I ran into the same issues. So this is a big skimmed/DNF for me.
twilliamson's review
5.0
When I first read Noumenon by Marina J. Lostetter, I remember thinking that she had written a good throwback sci-fi novel, full of familiar tropes reconstituted for a newer audience. Its narrative structure and focus on exploring a lot of big ideas was a highlight of the book, even if I felt like the book held back on exploring each of its ideas to their fullest extent. I thought warmly that I'd try another of Lostetter's books and hoped she continued writing.
Fast forward to 2021's Activation Degradation, and it suddenly feels like Lostetter is writing with all cylinders firing. Her book is full of human warmth, exploring deeply philosophical ideas about human life, about alien societies, about community, relationships, family, and she isn't pulling any philosophical punches. Her characters are complex, her story rich, her symbolism grotesque but satisfyingly meaningful, and her book is just real fucking good.
Activation Degradation proves Lostetter fucking understands the assignment, and it's a goddamned excellent book, whether it be because of its diverse cast of representation, its commitment to exploring the human condition through adverse conditions, or its clear-eyed criticism of human society.
This book fucking rocks. Ten out of frickin' ten.
Fast forward to 2021's Activation Degradation, and it suddenly feels like Lostetter is writing with all cylinders firing. Her book is full of human warmth, exploring deeply philosophical ideas about human life, about alien societies, about community, relationships, family, and she isn't pulling any philosophical punches. Her characters are complex, her story rich, her symbolism grotesque but satisfyingly meaningful, and her book is just real fucking good.
Activation Degradation proves Lostetter fucking understands the assignment, and it's a goddamned excellent book, whether it be because of its diverse cast of representation, its commitment to exploring the human condition through adverse conditions, or its clear-eyed criticism of human society.
This book fucking rocks. Ten out of frickin' ten.
titusfortner's review
3.0
I like the concept more than the execution. I'm not sure it is well served with the comparisons to the utterly brilliant murderbot books.
crafalsk264's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Unit Four awakes in the middle of an alien attack . It has been activated early with some last minute additions to its programming which can make it more aggressive and violent. Its physical body is teeming with adrenaline and other such chemicals to enhance its defensive and offensive abilities. But the station it is protecting is a mining platform from what it believes is an attack. Unit Four is launched immediately in a ship to counterattack the alien ship. In its attack, it is taken prisoner by a group of humans on a salvage ship. In the process of getting to know him, the humans find that it is not fully a robot but is a unique creation using the best of human, AI, robotic and other technology to create a specialized individual. Unit Four and its “sisters” are actually “grown” in an incubation chamber to produce a fully formed warrior unit with a mandate to protect what its “handlers” identify.
I am stopping here to avoid spoilers and will add my opinion and responses to the work. The marketing for the book compares the book to the Murderbot Series. This is a disservice to this book—because Murderbot it is not and should not set itself up for comparison. It comes out a distant second. I am a serious Murderbot fan and I felt it was setting itself up for failure.
If I am being kind and evaluating it on it’s own merit, I would note that the premise is a good one, the characters are interesting, the world building was well done and not distracting from the story. The story is well set up for a sequel with an opening for a continuation of the story line. I do have to compliment the author on a sensitive treatment of LGBT issues. I enjoyed this book as is—just don’t call it Murderbot. I recommend to readers of science fiction, LGBT characters, space, robots, Artificial Intelligence, and aliens.
bigotterbooks's review
4.0
4 stars. Yay, another robots in space story! Unit Four is activated during a crisis-the mining station in orbit around Jupiter is under attack by aliens. YIKES! She/her/it is very quickly put through the activation protocol leaving it with strange files and a suspicious lack of information about the aliens in its data banks. The truth about the alien attackers will upend everything it has ever known and reveal a secret that will change it forever. This was a very good story with world and character building that blew my mind. Highly recommended, especially for fans of the Murderbot series.
sobiereads's review
2.0
so mediocre to be honest. i was expecting so much more out of gay robots in space but instead i got the worst worldbuilding, dialogue, and characters i’ve read in a while. this is a murderbot / kameron hurley rip through and through im disappointed to say! they’re the blueprint and they did it better
davidsms's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amy_zoebeck's review
Not sure why I’m not clicking with this, I started to skim. Very sad.
eyesofkc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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? Yes
2.5
small sci-fi. Don’t treat this like Murderbot Diaries, though. There’s different vibes here and expecting Murderbot will disappoint you.
I wish I learned more about the other characters but it sorta made sense if Unit Four didn’t do a lot of small talk/was still testy. Still neat to see some of the realizations
I wish I learned more about the other characters but it sorta made sense if Unit Four didn’t do a lot of small talk/was still testy. Still neat to see some of the realizations