Scan barcode
A review by beehives
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
The book is an interesting meditation on the nature of humanity in an age of technology. Ultimately I feel it didn't push this boundary enough - there's a multitude of existing critical fiction and non-fiction that explores questions about post-humanism from far more radical (and, IMO, interesting) perspectives; this book felt more like a cis-het white woman's look at the ways tech might change or reflect human relationships and identity. That criticism aside, the characters are vibrant and endearing (Delta!!!), the narration from Annie's POV is very engaging, and the book is both easy to read and relatively thought-provoking. I liked the ending in particular - it's clearly foreshadowed but still feels satisfying and appropriate if a bit rushed.
One other slightly annoying aspect of the book was the constant name-dropping of various authors. Why? What was the point? To show this author is well-read? It might have been more poignant to focus on contrasting just two authors or genres as Annie explores a world outside Doug's control (e.g., Western novels exemplifying white male colonization vs. Ursula K. LeGuin's decolonial sci-fi or Margaret Atwood's feminist rage/grief dystopia). I'm glad Annie - and the author - has read Casey McQuiston, but why does that matter? In what way does YA romance affect her world view? The book never goes deep enough to ask these questions or force the reader to consider them, which is a shame since the answers would make the central story that much more impactful.
More (better) book recs in the same vein: Does it Count If Your First Time Is With an Android? (comic); All Systems Red / Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells; A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers; A Closed and Common Orbit also by Becky Chambers; Ancillary Justice / Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie; Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae (music album/short stories); Autonomous by Annalee Newitz; A Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway (nonfiction, take it from here in your desired direction of analysis).
One other slightly annoying aspect of the book was the constant name-dropping of various authors. Why? What was the point? To show this author is well-read? It might have been more poignant to focus on contrasting just two authors or genres as Annie explores a world outside Doug's control (e.g., Western novels exemplifying white male colonization vs. Ursula K. LeGuin's decolonial sci-fi or Margaret Atwood's feminist rage/grief dystopia). I'm glad Annie - and the author - has read Casey McQuiston, but why does that matter? In what way does YA romance affect her world view? The book never goes deep enough to ask these questions or force the reader to consider them, which is a shame since the answers would make the central story that much more impactful.
More (better) book recs in the same vein: Does it Count If Your First Time Is With an Android? (comic); All Systems Red / Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells; A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers; A Closed and Common Orbit also by Becky Chambers; Ancillary Justice / Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie; Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae (music album/short stories); Autonomous by Annalee Newitz; A Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway (nonfiction, take it from here in your desired direction of analysis).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, and Abandonment
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Cancer and Physical abuse