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lyrafay12's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.5
lilyofthevalley's review against another edition
3.0
**2.75**
[This ARC was provided by NetGalley.]
this novel is a piece of speculative fiction that explores three women, in a similar world to ours, and their reactions to the rapidly growing influence of AI technology upon its society.
this book is a lot less science-fiction focused than i was initially expecting - instead, it explores the economic and political philosophy side of the impact of technology upon humanity, and discusses themes of autonomy, class, and freedom in an interesting way.
the three different perspectives provided three unique insights into how people might feel about "auts" - the main AI technology within the novel - and the impact they have upon the women's relationships and wellbeing.
however, the three different perspectives of lal, rose, and janetta ultimately felt like flat, two-dimensional characters to me, which meant i unfortunately wasn't as invested in this novel as i wanted to be; their different perspectives felt distinguishable, sure, but they just didn't feel interesting, sadly. the pacing was also all over the place, making the novel hard to follow in some areas.
[This ARC was provided by NetGalley.]
this novel is a piece of speculative fiction that explores three women, in a similar world to ours, and their reactions to the rapidly growing influence of AI technology upon its society.
this book is a lot less science-fiction focused than i was initially expecting - instead, it explores the economic and political philosophy side of the impact of technology upon humanity, and discusses themes of autonomy, class, and freedom in an interesting way.
the three different perspectives provided three unique insights into how people might feel about "auts" - the main AI technology within the novel - and the impact they have upon the women's relationships and wellbeing.
however, the three different perspectives of lal, rose, and janetta ultimately felt like flat, two-dimensional characters to me, which meant i unfortunately wasn't as invested in this novel as i wanted to be; their different perspectives felt distinguishable, sure, but they just didn't feel interesting, sadly. the pacing was also all over the place, making the novel hard to follow in some areas.
samsearle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
hannargh's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst certainly imaginative and speculative, A Strange and Brilliant Light never quite managed to wholly grab my attention, although I still enjoyed the context and the interlaced characters.
The story follows three distinct opinions and experiences relating to artificial intelligence (or 'auts' as they're known in this book).
Lal is an ardent, focused admirer of the Tekna corporation and is desperate to pursue a career in 'business'. Janetta is her older sister - a dreamer in a different, apparently solely focused on her research and PhD studies in emotional intelligence in auts, but desperate for the romantic love that she has finally been able to explore. Rose, Lal's best friend, worshipped her trade union leader father before his unexpected death, and is now beginning to explore her own fears around the auts replacing the 'expendable' workforce and what their rollout will mean for her own family.
The focus in this book is around AI - the admiration that Lal has for Tekna, only to find more of the truth about how they are rolling out auts across their organisation. But her sister, with whom she can't identify, despite their similarities, admires the auts academically. She believes that one day there will be an AI majority but, in order to protect humanity from their inevitable revolt and uprising, she needs to be able to understand human emotion and to programme then to adapt emotionally and to relate to humanity, in order to protect them.
Rose is probably the most fleshed-out and relatable character. She has her own strong, informed opinions, but founds herself swept up and caught up in the opinions of the vocal men around her - first her father, then her older brother, and then her new boyfriend and meeting group leader Alek. Her anger and frustration at being unheard is clear, even if she doesn't quite realise it herself.
What's clear throughout, however, is that in a world where there is still very much a 'working class', it is this group of people who will lose their jobs and their livelihoods with the introduction of a well-programmed, willing artificial intelligence. It is this group of people who have the most to lose. And, despite Lal, Janetta and Rose's differing opinions, this is one background that they all share.
However, this is not necessarily a tale of thrilling corporate espionage or working class activism. It's very realist in some ways, as it's as though AI has come to our own world. But if you're expecting a fast-paced, story, this probably isn't the one for you. Janetta experiences perhaps the greatest development as a character, as she begins to realise her own interests, but I wouldn't describe this as a necessarily character-driven novel either. In some ways, with a reduction in the amount of backstory or number of characters, this would make a great spec fic novella, but as a full-length novel I personally found it dragging at times and, by the halfway point, still being unclear where it was heading.
That being said, it presents issues of political, social and moral philosophy in an interesting and engaging way and - if that is what you are looking for - the you won't be disappointed.
I've given this an average rating of 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from Jo Fletcher Books in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows three distinct opinions and experiences relating to artificial intelligence (or 'auts' as they're known in this book).
Lal is an ardent, focused admirer of the Tekna corporation and is desperate to pursue a career in 'business'. Janetta is her older sister - a dreamer in a different, apparently solely focused on her research and PhD studies in emotional intelligence in auts, but desperate for the romantic love that she has finally been able to explore. Rose, Lal's best friend, worshipped her trade union leader father before his unexpected death, and is now beginning to explore her own fears around the auts replacing the 'expendable' workforce and what their rollout will mean for her own family.
The focus in this book is around AI - the admiration that Lal has for Tekna, only to find more of the truth about how they are rolling out auts across their organisation. But her sister, with whom she can't identify, despite their similarities, admires the auts academically. She believes that one day there will be an AI majority but, in order to protect humanity from their inevitable revolt and uprising, she needs to be able to understand human emotion and to programme then to adapt emotionally and to relate to humanity, in order to protect them.
Rose is probably the most fleshed-out and relatable character. She has her own strong, informed opinions, but founds herself swept up and caught up in the opinions of the vocal men around her - first her father, then her older brother, and then her new boyfriend and meeting group leader Alek. Her anger and frustration at being unheard is clear, even if she doesn't quite realise it herself.
What's clear throughout, however, is that in a world where there is still very much a 'working class', it is this group of people who will lose their jobs and their livelihoods with the introduction of a well-programmed, willing artificial intelligence. It is this group of people who have the most to lose. And, despite Lal, Janetta and Rose's differing opinions, this is one background that they all share.
However, this is not necessarily a tale of thrilling corporate espionage or working class activism. It's very realist in some ways, as it's as though AI has come to our own world. But if you're expecting a fast-paced, story, this probably isn't the one for you. Janetta experiences perhaps the greatest development as a character, as she begins to realise her own interests, but I wouldn't describe this as a necessarily character-driven novel either. In some ways, with a reduction in the amount of backstory or number of characters, this would make a great spec fic novella, but as a full-length novel I personally found it dragging at times and, by the halfway point, still being unclear where it was heading.
That being said, it presents issues of political, social and moral philosophy in an interesting and engaging way and - if that is what you are looking for - the you won't be disappointed.
I've given this an average rating of 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from Jo Fletcher Books in exchange for an honest review.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
4,5* rounded to 5.
An interesting book that talks about topics that will be at the centre of the political discussions in the next year.
AI is already here, we met AI when we use chat bot or when our preferences are analysed by algorithm.
It's terrifying and fascinating at the same considering that some AI programs were already to auto correct their code.
This story is about algorithms, data, technical aspects but it also about political solution and the impact on people life.
Lal, Janetta and Rose are three women who share a common past. Lal and Rose were friends, Janetta is Lal's sister.
They shared a lot but their ideas and life view are totally different.
I didn't like Lal as she reminded a number of people I met and who were totally sold to an enterprise philosophy.
I loved Rose and Janetta. Rose is full of life, Janetta is the mind that must come to term with the impacts.
It's thought provoking book, disturbing at times as it talks about a dystopia that could be our future.
This is a debut and I think that author will surely grow into an excel author.
I think that the plot drags a bit or the tone is a bit too preachy.
The last part was exciting, fast paced and I loved it.
It's a thought provoking and gripping speculative fiction, highly recommended.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
An interesting book that talks about topics that will be at the centre of the political discussions in the next year.
AI is already here, we met AI when we use chat bot or when our preferences are analysed by algorithm.
It's terrifying and fascinating at the same considering that some AI programs were already to auto correct their code.
This story is about algorithms, data, technical aspects but it also about political solution and the impact on people life.
Lal, Janetta and Rose are three women who share a common past. Lal and Rose were friends, Janetta is Lal's sister.
They shared a lot but their ideas and life view are totally different.
I didn't like Lal as she reminded a number of people I met and who were totally sold to an enterprise philosophy.
I loved Rose and Janetta. Rose is full of life, Janetta is the mind that must come to term with the impacts.
It's thought provoking book, disturbing at times as it talks about a dystopia that could be our future.
This is a debut and I think that author will surely grow into an excel author.
I think that the plot drags a bit or the tone is a bit too preachy.
The last part was exciting, fast paced and I loved it.
It's a thought provoking and gripping speculative fiction, highly recommended.
Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
mar's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I... have very mixed feelings about this book, because the premise was really promising, and I think it covers some really fascinating concepts and themes, but the execution of it is... hm. well! Not Great, imo. Like, I don't think I would've finished it if it weren't an ARC from Netgalley - and I AM glad I did, bc I think the ending of the novel is actually really solid and narratively satisfying, concluding the character arcs quite well (though it could've been build up to more in Lal's case, honestly). Still, that doesn't make up for how I spent the majority of the book alternating between bored and frustrated.
The idea of a transition point between current society and a world where most jobs are done by auts and the societal&economic tensions that would arise in such a transition? SUPER fascinating in theory. As is the potential introduction of conscious AIs. But the book never really delved into those as much as I wished except maybe at the very end, and I was rly disappointed how little auts actually featured in the story. Seriously, for the majority of the novel all the interesting stuff just got sidelined for the sake of things like irrelevant romantic drama I could NOT bring myself to care about. Especially since none of the characters are particularly likeable, which, considering this is a primarily character-driven book, is Not Ideal. And they weren't even unlikeable in an interesting way, they just felt... kinda flat and boring and passive.
(Also, I kept waiting for the fact that Lalessentially got all her ex-coworkers and friends fired (and then had the audacity to have sex with one of them? and proceed to ghost him???) to come up, but it somehow... never... did? like. i am genuinely baffled there was never any sort of repercussions for that, no narrative follow-up?? NOTHING? bruh. okay.)
So. Yeah. Unfortunately this book did not live up to my expectations ๐
(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC)
The idea of a transition point between current society and a world where most jobs are done by auts and the societal&economic tensions that would arise in such a transition? SUPER fascinating in theory. As is the potential introduction of conscious AIs. But the book never really delved into those as much as I wished except maybe at the very end, and I was rly disappointed how little auts actually featured in the story. Seriously, for the majority of the novel all the interesting stuff just got sidelined for the sake of things like irrelevant romantic drama I could NOT bring myself to care about. Especially since none of the characters are particularly likeable, which, considering this is a primarily character-driven book, is Not Ideal. And they weren't even unlikeable in an interesting way, they just felt... kinda flat and boring and passive.
(Also, I kept waiting for the fact that Lal
So. Yeah. Unfortunately this book did not live up to my expectations ๐
(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit
rebecca_aruralreader's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The premise of this book really intrigued me - in a future world where AI is becoming prevalent, how will people react and respond and what lengths will we go to to work with / against them? The story focuses on three women - Lal, Janetta and Rose - whose lives are connected and become both more and less intertwined as the story goes on. Sisters Lal and Janetta are not close but both work within the realms of AI technology, Lal as an employee of a huge AI Tech company and Janetta who is completing her PhD studies in advancing empathetic conscious Artificial intelligence. Rose and Lal have been friends for a long time but their relationship is hurt when Lal leaves to go work for the tech company while Rose's career is put at risk by the very AI 'Auts' that Lal's new employers produce, and who Rose has a huge issue with. So far, so good. Each woman has her own story, as well as the elements where she is connected to the other protagonists, but none of them felt developed enough for me; huge emotional and relationship decisions seemed to happen in the space of a few sentences, or else were referred to pages later and had me checking back to see what I had missed. As the story went on I so badly wanted to really care about what the women were going through but I struggled. The story also became more convoluted while also being a bit repetitive, and by the end (which was a good, discussion-enabling ending to be fair) I was not really worried about what happened. I wanted to love this, and there is promise there, but it just was not for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
whatellisreadnext's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
๐๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ'๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ข๐ด๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ท๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ด๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ; ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ'๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ.
Lal, Janetta and Rose are living in a time of technological advancement. The rich get richer, whilst the working class lose their jobs to artificial intelligence. How will they survive when they are all replaced?
This book had a lot to say, and didn't feel all that far from a genuine future for humanity. We've already seen a rise in self service machines and robots in warehouses and factories. But when I was reading this book I just couldn't stop thinking, would this actually happen?
I feel like maybe I have too much faith in humanity or I'm just a bit of a realist, but I couldn't suspend my belief enough to see this as a genuine future. People without jobs, means no money to shop in these places that have 'Auts' as staff, the whole economy would collapse. It brought up some really interesting arguments, and I did love the speculative nature of it, and how all three of the main characters represented different stances.
I enjoyed the book overall, the journeys the characters went on were interesting and that definitely compelled me to keep reading. What I will say is, they all felt like the same person, and other than the experiences they faced in the book, they had no defining features.
This one came out today and if you like robot centred books like Klara and the Sun and Machines Like Me you will absolutely love this one. But I think I've just got to come to terms with the fact that artificial intelligence just doesn't work for me, however much I want it to.
(AD-PR Product) Thanks so much to Jo Fletcher Books and Quercus Books for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review๐งก
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
adancewithbooks's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to Jo Fletcher Books for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
If you are looking for an active AI revolution scifi story, best turn around now. A Strange and Beautiful Light is a character driven story that takes a look at the consequences of AI use on people. The moral implications,and what is good and bad.
It makes the book an interesting read with questions about the politics that would be needed around AI use and the effect this will have on the day to day lives of people. What about freedom when the government gives you money? And can we really use AI when we give them a concience? Not only that but we explore the lives of our three female mc's. How does it personally affect them and what role do they play?
I sometimes struggled with this book. It was boring in places, the AI revolution being a backdrop for the lives of these women. Who I unfortunately didn't much care about. And if you don't much like the characters in a character driven book than it falls down a lot with that. I thought I would have liked Lal at the start but she took such a sharp turn as a person and the way she treated those around her. Somewhere she said she was close to her sister when they neither have any idea what is actually happening in each others lives. Rose on the other hand seemed judgemental but grew out to be the character I did like best. She questioned and tried out things. Learned and was active with so many things. Janetta was a wet potato, a smart one at that.
I do wonder if this kind of a plot would have perhaps been more powerful as a shorter story. The point that the author wants to make through these characters and the open ending are great and thought-provoking. But the length took away from some the punch by dwindling in the lives of the women. I also wondered why they were so adement that concious AI would kill them if they couldn't control them when the AI had never given them any reason to think that.
Even so, if these kind of thought provoking books interest you I do think that it is a great one to read.
If you are looking for an active AI revolution scifi story, best turn around now. A Strange and Beautiful Light is a character driven story that takes a look at the consequences of AI use on people. The moral implications,and what is good and bad.
It makes the book an interesting read with questions about the politics that would be needed around AI use and the effect this will have on the day to day lives of people. What about freedom when the government gives you money? And can we really use AI when we give them a concience? Not only that but we explore the lives of our three female mc's. How does it personally affect them and what role do they play?
I sometimes struggled with this book. It was boring in places, the AI revolution being a backdrop for the lives of these women. Who I unfortunately didn't much care about. And if you don't much like the characters in a character driven book than it falls down a lot with that. I thought I would have liked Lal at the start but she took such a sharp turn as a person and the way she treated those around her. Somewhere she said she was close to her sister when they neither have any idea what is actually happening in each others lives. Rose on the other hand seemed judgemental but grew out to be the character I did like best. She questioned and tried out things. Learned and was active with so many things. Janetta was a wet potato, a smart one at that.
I do wonder if this kind of a plot would have perhaps been more powerful as a shorter story. The point that the author wants to make through these characters and the open ending are great and thought-provoking. But the length took away from some the punch by dwindling in the lives of the women. I also wondered why they were so adement that concious AI would kill them if they couldn't control them when the AI had never given them any reason to think that.
Even so, if these kind of thought provoking books interest you I do think that it is a great one to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
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