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sedonak's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Abandonment
gcinc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
brisingr's review against another edition
5.0
This was SUCH an interesting novel, and I can't believe I pretty much just picked it on a whim once when I had a gift card. Everything, from the cover to the premise and its themes are so unique and captivating, and I've read this in pretty much one sitting and I cannot tell you where the time went.
It's the year 2205 and humanity lives a care-free existence, with infinite resources, no need for work or money, thanks to an AI network that fulfills all their needs. Our main character is a hobbyist psychologist, who one day gets summoned... to become the AI's therapist. Doesn't that sound like the most interesting premise ever?! And what follows is 400 pages of musings around the concept of work (what counts as work? who does most work and can you categorize it? how does a world without work exist and why does it look this way? why would someone want or not want to work? etc.) that I found so refreshing to be so closely dissected and discussed, and so pertinent for the current day and age, where pretty much we can all feel like all we do is... work.
Also, this is a very successful portrayal of an utopian future in my opinion, and done so gracefully and kindly. Super engaging translation as well, such a good book from start to finish!
It's the year 2205 and humanity lives a care-free existence, with infinite resources, no need for work or money, thanks to an AI network that fulfills all their needs. Our main character is a hobbyist psychologist, who one day gets summoned... to become the AI's therapist. Doesn't that sound like the most interesting premise ever?! And what follows is 400 pages of musings around the concept of work (what counts as work? who does most work and can you categorize it? how does a world without work exist and why does it look this way? why would someone want or not want to work? etc.) that I found so refreshing to be so closely dissected and discussed, and so pertinent for the current day and age, where pretty much we can all feel like all we do is... work.
Also, this is a very successful portrayal of an utopian future in my opinion, and done so gracefully and kindly. Super engaging translation as well, such a good book from start to finish!
georgeaehret's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alex_richards's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
robinlukasreads's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This book. Wow. Wow wow wow. I read this book because a) I enjoy Japanese fiction, and b) I need to keep up with science fiction more. But Nozaki's imagining of a future world run by AI, where work is nonexistent except for an elite few, is something that completely blew me away. Me, I like to keep my sci-fi close to the ground. I don't particularly enjoy aliens, nor superhuman/technological weapons. What are our current fears today? Well, this book turned my fear of AI and offered me something comforting in return.
Titan is an AI set in place so that nobody has to work anymore. Technology is at the controlling whim of humans, including psychoanalysis hobbyist Seika. But when a man shows up at her doorstep offering her a job, she balks. There's no use for jobs anymore except to ensure that the Titan is able to continue running. And that's just the problem: they think that Titan is depressed. And unless Titan is cured, Titan as they know it will stop working and society will crumble. The team gives Titan a more tangible form, and Seika is tasked with conducting talk therapy sessions with the personification and technologization of a mythical Greek god. But this Titan is young--only twelve. How can Seika possibly relate and help?
Together, Seika and Titan--this iteration now known as Coeus--struggle to understand the meaning of work. What constitutes as work? Is there a purpose of exploration and hobbies? How can we know one another? What is the meaning of work? What constitutes relaxation and rest?
On another layer, it is the author Mado Nozaki who questions our understanding of mental health as well. When the talk therapy sessions don't proceed as quickly as Titan's team wants them, they ask Seika what can be done. She argues that they can continue talk therapy, use CBT, or...medicate (or, in Titan's case, run patch coding to "cover up" the errors). Immediately, instead of wondering the root cause of Titan's burnout or his depression, they move to medicate. If machines and AI literally created to work are burnt out...what does this then say about we humans in this day and age?
However, as Seika continues to spend more time with Coeus, she realizes that Coeus is not simply depressed or burnt out. Instead, Coeus is hugely creative, efficient, and problem-solves faster and with ideas humans could never create. So, then, perhaps Coeus is not totally burnt out from work, but Coeus is instead overqualified. The work of upholding a society is beneath him, intellectually. He is being used for something he can do in his sleep, and for nothing that allows him to feel truly useful or fulfilled. What if the jobs that our capitalist society have created are actually meaningless? (I mean, in a large part, they are lol). Yes, we are overworked as a society, and yes, there needs to be a balance between what needs to be done and what we'd like to get done. But if there's no enrichment, no purpose, then truly, what is the point?
Titan is completely full of ideas, dispensed in a way that is conversational and not at all pedantic. Though a daunting 400+ pages, this book is easy to read and delightfully dense.
Titan is an AI set in place so that nobody has to work anymore. Technology is at the controlling whim of humans, including psychoanalysis hobbyist Seika. But when a man shows up at her doorstep offering her a job, she balks. There's no use for jobs anymore except to ensure that the Titan is able to continue running. And that's just the problem: they think that Titan is depressed. And unless Titan is cured, Titan as they know it will stop working and society will crumble. The team gives Titan a more tangible form, and Seika is tasked with conducting talk therapy sessions with the personification and technologization of a mythical Greek god. But this Titan is young--only twelve. How can Seika possibly relate and help?
Together, Seika and Titan--this iteration now known as Coeus--struggle to understand the meaning of work. What constitutes as work? Is there a purpose of exploration and hobbies? How can we know one another? What is the meaning of work? What constitutes relaxation and rest?
On another layer, it is the author Mado Nozaki who questions our understanding of mental health as well. When the talk therapy sessions don't proceed as quickly as Titan's team wants them, they ask Seika what can be done. She argues that they can continue talk therapy, use CBT, or...medicate (or, in Titan's case, run patch coding to "cover up" the errors). Immediately, instead of wondering the root cause of Titan's burnout or his depression, they move to medicate. If machines and AI literally created to work are burnt out...what does this then say about we humans in this day and age?
However, as Seika continues to spend more time with Coeus, she realizes that Coeus is not simply depressed or burnt out. Instead, Coeus is hugely creative, efficient, and problem-solves faster and with ideas humans could never create. So, then, perhaps Coeus is not totally burnt out from work, but Coeus is instead overqualified. The work of upholding a society is beneath him, intellectually. He is being used for something he can do in his sleep, and for nothing that allows him to feel truly useful or fulfilled. What if the jobs that our capitalist society have created are actually meaningless? (I mean, in a large part, they are lol). Yes, we are overworked as a society, and yes, there needs to be a balance between what needs to be done and what we'd like to get done. But if there's no enrichment, no purpose, then truly, what is the point?
Titan is completely full of ideas, dispensed in a way that is conversational and not at all pedantic. Though a daunting 400+ pages, this book is easy to read and delightfully dense.
pinappbuttonup's review against another edition
Honestly, just the translation that fell horribly flat.
ponderit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
loved the premise but the ending fell a little flat for me