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macthekat's review against another edition
3.0
A very mixed bag
For the first 75% this is basically a short story collection with a frame story. Some of the stories are good while others are just sweet. The last part of the book binds the stories and the frame together.
For the first 75% this is basically a short story collection with a frame story. Some of the stories are good while others are just sweet. The last part of the book binds the stories and the frame together.
boyblue's review against another edition
3.0
It seems that Yamamoto had the kernel of a really good story and just couldn't quite bulk it out enough to make a novel, so he decided to encase it in several layers of short stories instead. The concept actually works quite well and he managed to weave the short stories in such a way that they augment the effect of the main story at the end. In many ways this is like a tightening spiral, where you slowly wind towards the core of the novel. Each turn around the issue you get closer to what the author (and his mouthpiece Ibis) is trying to communicate. The AI language was hilarious and I daren't think how hard it must have been to translate such ridiculous metaphors. Overall it reminded me of an Asimov style narrative set from the paradigm of the digital age we live in now. The homages to Asimov are strong so I think Yamamoto intended for it to feel somewhat similar. Japan's unique issues such as its mushroom demographics are also feature quite heavily but have done well in translation.
halcyon_nights's review against another edition
4.0
There's something about Yamamoto's stories that dampen your emotions and play with them. While reading the seven one-shot stories, it became obvious that all of the narrators had distinct voices that you couldn't help but feel fondness for. I loved all of the characters as if I knew them--it was as if they put their all into the storytelling. I still don't understand it, but whatever it is, it worked.
About the sci-fi aspect of the story, the book revolved around the interactions between a robot with TAI (Truly Artificial Intelligence) and a human storyteller. We don't know the year, but we know it's after 2080. That's almost a century away in the future, but it's not as extremely different as dystopian books go. It's only that humans' population decreased to twenty millions and they've been living in colonies for decades and robots are the bad guys.
It would be a little hard to get into this book if you're not accustomed to sci-fi though I guess this isn't exactly sci-fi hardcore. There were times when I thought the writer was trying to explain to us something, show us what humans are doing wrong in his opinion through the only thing he knows: technology. He seemed to softly be chiding the readers, making them see what they don't want to see. We're creatures of contradiction, of missing logic and reason sometimes. It became glaringly apparent when compared to AI's straightforward kind of thinking.
I loved this book, and I'll see about reading another sci-fi book in the future. Maybe not Star Wars (my cousin would be disappointed, because I don't understand half of the things he says) for now but something a little less hard-core.
--
Lines that touched me:
A man who has spent his whole life fighting and thrived on emerging victorius now found himself up against an enemy he stood no chance of ever defeating. It must have shattered his worldview.
From story 6, "The Day Shion Came".
"It may not be able to understand everything, but we're going to give it everything we have...our joys and sorrows, surprises and fears, friendship and trust, courage and love--everything we've experienced during our four-year voyage."
From story 1, "The Universe on my Hands".
I do not write poetry. It's beyond me, as it demands a certain emotional sensitivity I lack. Sometimes I pretend to be human just for fun. I activate a humanoid reception unit, go outside of myself, and gaze upon the visible spectrum with the unit's two camera eyes.
From story 4, "Black Hole Diver".
About the sci-fi aspect of the story, the book revolved around the interactions between a robot with TAI (Truly Artificial Intelligence) and a human storyteller. We don't know the year, but we know it's after 2080. That's almost a century away in the future, but it's not as extremely different as dystopian books go. It's only that humans' population decreased to twenty millions and they've been living in colonies for decades and robots are the bad guys.
It would be a little hard to get into this book if you're not accustomed to sci-fi though I guess this isn't exactly sci-fi hardcore. There were times when I thought the writer was trying to explain to us something, show us what humans are doing wrong in his opinion through the only thing he knows: technology. He seemed to softly be chiding the readers, making them see what they don't want to see. We're creatures of contradiction, of missing logic and reason sometimes. It became glaringly apparent when compared to AI's straightforward kind of thinking.
I loved this book, and I'll see about reading another sci-fi book in the future. Maybe not Star Wars (my cousin would be disappointed, because I don't understand half of the things he says) for now but something a little less hard-core.
--
Lines that touched me:
A man who has spent his whole life fighting and thrived on emerging victorius now found himself up against an enemy he stood no chance of ever defeating. It must have shattered his worldview.
From story 6, "The Day Shion Came".
"It may not be able to understand everything, but we're going to give it everything we have...our joys and sorrows, surprises and fears, friendship and trust, courage and love--everything we've experienced during our four-year voyage."
From story 1, "The Universe on my Hands".
I do not write poetry. It's beyond me, as it demands a certain emotional sensitivity I lack. Sometimes I pretend to be human just for fun. I activate a humanoid reception unit, go outside of myself, and gaze upon the visible spectrum with the unit's two camera eyes.
From story 4, "Black Hole Diver".
fcannon's review against another edition
4.0
A parable for our times. Well executed. Satisfaction (7+4i).
amandaquotidianbooks's review against another edition
1.0
DNF on page 128. This is a collection of hard sci-fi stories relating to AI with a superificial overarching narrative linking them. I had really high hopes for this collection, but did not get on with the writing style at all. It's written really colloquially and isn't polished. There is an unvaried use of vocabulary, so the same word will be repeated in back to back sentences. The stories themselves seem more concerned with the technology described in them than in plot or characters. I also found our pov character to be very immature and uninteresting. There was just very little in this collection to keep my attention and enjoy, unfortunately. If you love easier reads and hard sci-fi, however, this might be perfect for you!
sailsgoboom's review against another edition
4.0
the importance of fiction, as a lens to reshape reality; the power of stories, as a reflection of ourselves, as our dreams and ideals; humanity's technological achievements as our dreams made manifest; our constant striving to reshape the world to better align with those dreams, to be better than our species specs allow; our fundamental loneliness and desire to connect...
good stuff.
good stuff.
lordnikon's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the finest anthology of sci-fi AI stories I've ever had the absolute pleasure of reading. Gorgeously realized, and cleverly assembled, this book actively CHANGED what I thought about humans and AI interacting. Amazing. You OWE it to yourself to read this book.
mcmoots's review against another edition
3.0
Generations after the robot uprising, what stories would a robot choose to tell to a human? Naturally, a series of pleasant tales of AI/human friendship!
The conceit framing the stories was charming at first, but ended with Aesop-style moralizing slathered on like frosting. HAY GUISE STORIES AND DREAMS ARE IMPORTANT EVEN OUR MORAL AND INTELLECTUAL SUPERIORS THINK SO. ALSO KILLING IS WRONG. Okay great thanks for letting me know!
The conceit framing the stories was charming at first, but ended with Aesop-style moralizing slathered on like frosting. HAY GUISE STORIES AND DREAMS ARE IMPORTANT EVEN OUR MORAL AND INTELLECTUAL SUPERIORS THINK SO. ALSO KILLING IS WRONG. Okay great thanks for letting me know!
artofmulata's review against another edition
4.0
Nutshell review: Mr. Yamamoto has written an excellent collection of stories that looks forward and back at the poverty of discrimination. Using androids as a foil, the author asks us to reconsider the many ways in which we oppress based on exigencies such as skin color, gender, age, or anything else that most consider unchangeable.
Like many before him, Grant Morrison, Bill Willingham, Warren Ellis, Mr. Yamamoto believes in the power of fiction to change the world. The book is structured in the form of the traditional collection we know as the 1001 Nights with an android, the titular Ibis, playing the role of Scheherazade and a young, human male in the strangely deformed role of the king. She tells the tales and we/the young man listen, hopefully taking what we've learned and influencing ourselves and those we encounter to better ourselves and thus the world.
Like many before him, Grant Morrison, Bill Willingham, Warren Ellis, Mr. Yamamoto believes in the power of fiction to change the world. The book is structured in the form of the traditional collection we know as the 1001 Nights with an android, the titular Ibis, playing the role of Scheherazade and a young, human male in the strangely deformed role of the king. She tells the tales and we/the young man listen, hopefully taking what we've learned and influencing ourselves and those we encounter to better ourselves and thus the world.
mizmoffatt's review against another edition
5.0
The Stories of Ibis offers a sparkling, fresh stance on man vs. machine science fiction, proving that the lines between both camps are not so simple to discern. Quite enjoyed the more heady philosophical debates on the role of machines in human lives and vice versa, how both parties rely on one another for companionship, purpose, and evolution. In particular, the idea of death as discussed between the nameless Storyteller and the android Ibis is a compelling one that will linger long after the book is closed. Also, loved how vital the act of storytelling is to this novel. Hiroshi Yamamoto places the writer in a central role as the preserver of human culture and as the bonding link between disparate civilizations. Meta-narrative at its most sci fi - delicious.
Some readers might be turned off by the dense technical writing that accompanies a couple of the short stories. Remember: this is science fiction. Science is a large part of said fiction. Understanding the physics behind the fiction is vital at times andYamamoto explores it with great depth.
Ideal for: sci fi lovers who need a sharp jolt from the genre; current or former philoso-philes who like a good android debate; amateur or professional writers who love to speculate on their influence over these narratives; physics nerds who like reading technical jargon in their spare time.
Some readers might be turned off by the dense technical writing that accompanies a couple of the short stories. Remember: this is science fiction. Science is a large part of said fiction. Understanding the physics behind the fiction is vital at times andYamamoto explores it with great depth.
Ideal for: sci fi lovers who need a sharp jolt from the genre; current or former philoso-philes who like a good android debate; amateur or professional writers who love to speculate on their influence over these narratives; physics nerds who like reading technical jargon in their spare time.
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