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A review by ebdawson
The Chamber (An A.I. Apocalypse Story) by J.J. Johnson
3.0
3.5
The setup for this story got me very excited because I love science fiction that explores the ethical implications of advanced technology AND I love A.I. apocalypse. It had a bit of a Ray Bradbury-esque feel to it, which is a huge compliment and reminded me a good deal of the movie iRobot (one of my faves).
Unfortunately, the story was dropped almost immediately after the climax without a proper resolution, which is one of my biggest frustrations with short fiction. In addition, there actually weren't any character arcs to speak of, because even though Leslie had an emotional moment in the middle there where she was questioning what she knew to be true and what she was willing to do, it was passed over too quickly and it actually didn't impact her character, as demonstrated by her reaction to events in the end. I would have loved to see her have some sort of emotional victory in the climax and emerge stronger OR see a new awareness at the end because of what was exposed in her/a real emotional reaction to the loss she suffered.
The author did put a semi-unique twist on the malignant A.I. trope, but the psychological aspect wasn't drawn out enough to have an impact on the characters or the reader.
I also had some questions about the worldbuilding: the level of technology didn't seem to always line up with characters' interactions to it (sociological integration of technology into society) and I didn't fully understand what the Chamber was and how it was able to create matter and not just a simulation.
Curious to read more of this author's work.
The setup for this story got me very excited because I love science fiction that explores the ethical implications of advanced technology AND I love A.I. apocalypse. It had a bit of a Ray Bradbury-esque feel to it, which is a huge compliment and reminded me a good deal of the movie iRobot (one of my faves).
Unfortunately, the story was dropped almost immediately after the climax without a proper resolution, which is one of my biggest frustrations with short fiction. In addition, there actually weren't any character arcs to speak of, because even though Leslie had an emotional moment in the middle there where she was questioning what she knew to be true and what she was willing to do, it was passed over too quickly and it actually didn't impact her character, as demonstrated by her reaction to events in the end. I would have loved to see her have some sort of emotional victory in the climax and emerge stronger OR see a new awareness at the end because of what was exposed in her/a real emotional reaction to the loss she suffered.
The author did put a semi-unique twist on the malignant A.I. trope, but the psychological aspect wasn't drawn out enough to have an impact on the characters or the reader.
I also had some questions about the worldbuilding: the level of technology didn't seem to always line up with characters' interactions to it (sociological integration of technology into society) and I didn't fully understand what the Chamber was and how it was able to create matter and not just a simulation.
Curious to read more of this author's work.