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tkroeker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of my favorite books in recent memory- I found it hard to put down. Enjoy philosophically reflecting on consciousness in both carbon and silicon lifeforms and the unanticipated consequences of near-future AI. Getting too heady? Take action-packed breaks to observe the (semi-ish) automated future of techno warfare and the unanticipated violence of Earth creatures so absurd they can only be described as aliens. I found it extremely refreshing and humbling to have a cast that is not entirely anthrpocentric- and where the dominance of human mind isn’t so much as called into question as it is a foregone byproduct of the reality of inevitable “progress”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide
martinjen98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
ehwesson's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really wanted to like this book. It had a good plot premise. But all that was lost in the ramblings of the author. Long bouts of world building and descriptions that left me confused. "Did we notice this for a reason?" Is something I had to think every other line and the answer was usually no.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
ka_cam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A perspective-hopping philosophical exploration of consciousness, perception, communication, science, AI, loneliness and connection. The ending was a bit dissatisfying but I really enjoyed the low key world building, varying but interconnected ponderings and mediations of the characters, and generally gave me lots to chew on, imagine, and talk about!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It's brilliant to parallel the discussion of an organic species gaining consciousness with the argument of what constitutes as A.I. having consciousness. It opens the can of worms that we don't really know how to define that, or if we can even make that call since our own is so reliant on our limited perception of the world through our five senses. The ending wrapped up really quickly and a little too cleanly for how violent this book was, and Ha's entire life direction being based on a boy who didn't care about her when she was young was certainly a choice. If you wanted to rope in loneliness and indifference of the world, why not just lean in harder to her being an orphan? Overall a really fascinating read that tickled my brain in the same way that any discussion of new sentience does, like other robot stories or Frankenstein.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
bulwark's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book is incredibly frustrating. The prose is good, the ideas are interesting, I liked most of the characters, but at the end of the day the good parts are weighed down by the narrative(s) as a whole. I would have much rathered read a book just about Ha, Evrim and Alatsetseng doing their thing. The amount of time we spent with Rustem and Eiko (who, I did like) felt like time where we could be exploring the communication between the humans, the AI, and the octopuses. Another reviewer said it well, this feels like a collection of short stories. Also, the stylistic choice to write this as a thriller makes no sense to me, I feel like the meditative aspects were constantly at odds with the globe hopping, 'life and death are cheap' attitude, and general nihilism that the rest of the book had.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
leia_lynn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Brilliant, thought-provoking, prescient—I don’t reread things and I reread this. I wish I could make it required reading. Nayler weaves together some of the most pressing issues of our historical moment in this imaginative and grounded near-future science fiction that shifted how I think about the question of what it means to be a conscious, intelligent being.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
sionnac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
lyndle's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
really cool meditation on being human, the future of ai, and environmentalism. I felt very smart reading it. liked it a lot. gave "arrival" vibes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Trafficking
Moderate: Violence
kailanlovescats's review against another edition
The weird description of Eiko sleeping with thai (trafficked?) prostitutes and masturbating to the memory of it, overlaid with him about to puke from fish toxins was just too much for me lol. I'm sure they were setting him up to be a morally Grey character you feel bad for since he also got himself enslaved, but it was just too out of left field.
The ick was immediate lol. Too bad, the plot and other characters sounded intriguing.
The ick was immediate lol. Too bad, the plot and other characters sounded intriguing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, and Trafficking
Minor: Suicide, Violence, and Vomit