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tartbarbie's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book in return for a honest review from Netgalley from the publisher Angry Robot. The book is the story of Amy a vN short for von Neumann the creator of her clade (generation) of android. Amy lives with her father a human and her mother a vN just like her. Most vN are full grown within a year based on how they eat however Amy’s parents decided to let her grow like a human girl, so she’s starved in essence so she doesn’t grow quickly. Amy knows very little about her mother’s past, because it’s not something her mother wants to talk about. At her kindergarten graduation everything changed, her grandmother kills a little boy and attacks her mother. Amy attacks her grandmother in hopes of saving her mother she bites her, which causes the starving Amy to eat all of her grandmother, leaving her with her grandmother inside her.
After eating her grandmother she arrested, when she wakes up she learns that she’s no longer five but fully grown and very confused. She’s rescued by Javier a fellow vN together the pair escapes into the forest on a journey to find Rory in hopes that she can help Amy. Amy isn’t a typical vN her failsafe has failed, causing her to be able to harm people so all kinds of bounty hunters including police are searching for her as well as her escaped friend. The pair is directed by another vN to look for Rory who will help her. Along the way Javier has his 13th offspring who he calls Junior, which is a new experience for Amy. Amy is unlike other vN’s because she has emotions, not just a plug in she laughs, cries and loves.
I enjoyed the book, I always had a fondness to sci fi my mother had a passion for sci fi movies and books. The book reminds me a lot of Bladerunner which is a movie I have fond memories of. I loved Amy she’s so innocent even though she is plagued by her evil grandmother who can take control of her body when she needs too. It's a great fast paced book that is full of action but still has some emotional aspects as well. I found the storyline entertaining it drew me in right from the start, and I had a hard time putting it down. I had to know what would happen next in Amy and Javier adventure. I can’t wait for the next book. If you like android sci fi books I highly recommend it.
After eating her grandmother she arrested, when she wakes up she learns that she’s no longer five but fully grown and very confused. She’s rescued by Javier a fellow vN together the pair escapes into the forest on a journey to find Rory in hopes that she can help Amy. Amy isn’t a typical vN her failsafe has failed, causing her to be able to harm people so all kinds of bounty hunters including police are searching for her as well as her escaped friend. The pair is directed by another vN to look for Rory who will help her. Along the way Javier has his 13th offspring who he calls Junior, which is a new experience for Amy. Amy is unlike other vN’s because she has emotions, not just a plug in she laughs, cries and loves.
I enjoyed the book, I always had a fondness to sci fi my mother had a passion for sci fi movies and books. The book reminds me a lot of Bladerunner which is a movie I have fond memories of. I loved Amy she’s so innocent even though she is plagued by her evil grandmother who can take control of her body when she needs too. It's a great fast paced book that is full of action but still has some emotional aspects as well. I found the storyline entertaining it drew me in right from the start, and I had a hard time putting it down. I had to know what would happen next in Amy and Javier adventure. I can’t wait for the next book. If you like android sci fi books I highly recommend it.
moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
Without question, this is the best piece of singularity fiction that I’ve read. It’s extremely well written, and Ashby is able to describe complex technological and futuristic concepts without alienating readers.
For a full review, see:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/vn-by-madeline-ashby/
For a full review, see:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/vn-by-madeline-ashby/
fryguy451's review
3.0
It started off slow and seemed jumpy, skipping some formative scenes, especially towards the end where it switched POV. Also seemed to have a few to many deus ex machina moments (no pun intended). Over all I found it a interesting read.
catbooking's review against another edition
1.0
This is one mess of a book. It reads like someone’s first attempt at writing a book which they used to learn all the things you are not supposed to do when writing a book. Usually when writers finish writing their first book they throw it on the bottom of the deepest drawer and hope no one will find it. In this case it got published.
The book never knows what it wants to be. Is it a coming of age story, where the protagonist has to deal with her changing body and the changing world around her? Is it an allegory for the antislavery movement? Is it a tale of difficulties faced by mixed families? Is it about humans being sex obsessed creeps? Seriously, every single human we meet is sex obsessed and/or a pedophile. Even in flashbacks. With so many themes stuffed into this book absolutely none of them gets explored past a brief introduction. So, very much jack of all trades, master of none, but also with weird sexualization and a ‘kid’ in an adult body.
Some reviewers mentioned good world-building, or more correctly interesting world-building, as a positive aspect of the book, but I have to disagree with that. There is virtually no world-building, and what little we are given does not make sense. For example: vN food. There is so much focus on what, and how much the vNs, are allowed to eat, but we are not ever told who is it that doesn’t allow them to eat as much as they want. Is it them? Is it their ‘owners’? Is it the government? And if they are restricted from ‘official’ food, can they chomp a plastic chair? Metal support beams? Smart glasses?
So yeah, it is a complete mess.
The book never knows what it wants to be. Is it a coming of age story, where the protagonist has to deal with her changing body and the changing world around her? Is it an allegory for the antislavery movement? Is it a tale of difficulties faced by mixed families? Is it about humans being sex obsessed creeps? Seriously, every single human we meet is sex obsessed and/or a pedophile. Even in flashbacks. With so many themes stuffed into this book absolutely none of them gets explored past a brief introduction. So, very much jack of all trades, master of none, but also with weird sexualization and a ‘kid’ in an adult body.
Some reviewers mentioned good world-building, or more correctly interesting world-building, as a positive aspect of the book, but I have to disagree with that. There is virtually no world-building, and what little we are given does not make sense. For example: vN food. There is so much focus on what, and how much the vNs, are allowed to eat, but we are not ever told who is it that doesn’t allow them to eat as much as they want. Is it them? Is it their ‘owners’? Is it the government? And if they are restricted from ‘official’ food, can they chomp a plastic chair? Metal support beams? Smart glasses?
So yeah, it is a complete mess.
ginnikin's review against another edition
3.0
The stuff with the missing ships was both too obvious and too suddenly incorporated into the main storyline. I wish it hadn't been so obviously setting up a sequel, but what can ya do?
elliottback's review against another edition
2.0
This one actually made me angry--I think robot stories lived and died with Asimov. This one's plot is razor-thin.
theladygonzalez's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally posted at http://thatbookishgirl.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-vn-by-madeline-ashby.html
vN by Madeline Ashby is an incredibly entertaining read. That doesn't mean it is a light read. Because it isn't. I constantly found myself confused. There is so much too learn about Amy's world that at times it can be overwhelming. Eventually I just gave up on understanding and went with it. The lead character, Amy, was intriguing enough that I was able to get by with doing this. I wanted to know what happened to her enough that I was able to bypass completely comprehending everything.
There is a lot going on in this book. Not only is the reader immersed in a completely different world - a world with tons of scientific mumbo-jumbo, but something is constantly happening. Amy flitted around from place to place, situation to situation, incredibly quickly and I sort of got lost in the process. I would just get used to a situation or just figure out what was happening and all of the sudden everything changed. With that being said, others might find this book easier to digest. I found it rather interesting and the concept was incredible, I just struggled with keeping up.
One thing I really enjoyed about vN was how dark it was. There is absolutely no sugar coating and let me tell you, some psychotic stuff happens. Right front the beginning of the book I was shocked by the events that unfolded; which was refreshing. You never know what could possibly happen next because the entire book is out of the realm of sanity. Does that make sense? It's completely and utterly unpredictable.
The interactions between the characters was definitely a highlight of the book. Portia, Charlotte and Amy (the three generations of women in the family) have a malfunction in their OS, making them unlike any other vNs out there. Without giving too much away, let's just say that you never know what to expect from these women, because they operate by their own rules.
vN is a book with a great deal of potential. The story is, without a doubt original but it can be difficult to follow. If you chose to pick this one up, don't expect to breeze through it. That being said, the characters are entertaining and the plot line is anything but predictable. I enjoyed it, even if I found myself scratching my head a few times.
vN by Madeline Ashby is an incredibly entertaining read. That doesn't mean it is a light read. Because it isn't. I constantly found myself confused. There is so much too learn about Amy's world that at times it can be overwhelming. Eventually I just gave up on understanding and went with it. The lead character, Amy, was intriguing enough that I was able to get by with doing this. I wanted to know what happened to her enough that I was able to bypass completely comprehending everything.
There is a lot going on in this book. Not only is the reader immersed in a completely different world - a world with tons of scientific mumbo-jumbo, but something is constantly happening. Amy flitted around from place to place, situation to situation, incredibly quickly and I sort of got lost in the process. I would just get used to a situation or just figure out what was happening and all of the sudden everything changed. With that being said, others might find this book easier to digest. I found it rather interesting and the concept was incredible, I just struggled with keeping up.
One thing I really enjoyed about vN was how dark it was. There is absolutely no sugar coating and let me tell you, some psychotic stuff happens. Right front the beginning of the book I was shocked by the events that unfolded; which was refreshing. You never know what could possibly happen next because the entire book is out of the realm of sanity. Does that make sense? It's completely and utterly unpredictable.
The interactions between the characters was definitely a highlight of the book. Portia, Charlotte and Amy (the three generations of women in the family) have a malfunction in their OS, making them unlike any other vNs out there. Without giving too much away, let's just say that you never know what to expect from these women, because they operate by their own rules.
vN is a book with a great deal of potential. The story is, without a doubt original but it can be difficult to follow. If you chose to pick this one up, don't expect to breeze through it. That being said, the characters are entertaining and the plot line is anything but predictable. I enjoyed it, even if I found myself scratching my head a few times.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
Flawed. Perhaps deeply flawed. Poorly written or poorly edited or both. But also completely brilliant. The ideas were awesome, the characters interesting, the execution had challenges. Mostly it was the way the author resolved plot problems. To me it felt like she just skipped a page or two and the continued with the plot problem resolved. I kept on turning back to see if I missed a page. And the ending definitely had that feel to it. But the pages that were actually there were pretty good - except perhaps near the ending where it just spun out of control. Worth a reread.