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A review by carojust
The Employees by Olga Ravn
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I'd been craving this -- something short, creative, futuristic, and haunting. I could see how this would be interpreted as dark humor, too.
"The Employees" is a collection of recorded statements from a group of workers on a ship traveling space, who are a mix of human and humanoid. They have mundane tasks like doing laundry, or incinerating the dead, and are judged by their productivity. There are ambiguous "objects" that are treated with reverence and even love, and in my mind they're like living rocks. Things get tense, and go awry, and you feel this from the very first page.
I love that Olga Ravn uses this format to allow for the unsaid -- you fill in the blanks easily and curiously. Everyone is anonymous, so you start to think of them as a collective, as a concept of humanity, but also as a company viewing its nameless workforce.
It evokes harsh questions about capitalism, AI, biotechnology, ethics and human frailty. I recommend this if you like Emily St. John Mandel (the writing feels so similar to me), and sci-fi that's more focused on psychological and moral consequences.
"The Employees" is a collection of recorded statements from a group of workers on a ship traveling space, who are a mix of human and humanoid. They have mundane tasks like doing laundry, or incinerating the dead, and are judged by their productivity. There are ambiguous "objects" that are treated with reverence and even love, and in my mind they're like living rocks. Things get tense, and go awry, and you feel this from the very first page.
I love that Olga Ravn uses this format to allow for the unsaid -- you fill in the blanks easily and curiously. Everyone is anonymous, so you start to think of them as a collective, as a concept of humanity, but also as a company viewing its nameless workforce.
It evokes harsh questions about capitalism, AI, biotechnology, ethics and human frailty. I recommend this if you like Emily St. John Mandel (the writing feels so similar to me), and sci-fi that's more focused on psychological and moral consequences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Mental illness