Reviews tagging 'Death'

Autonomous by Annalee Newitz

7 reviews

indeedithappens's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, and Slavery

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Xenophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

bebidocrimes's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

This opens an interesting discussion into where strict pharmacy patents can lead, and the idea of what is private property and who has the rights to it. It shows many ways a revolution can be conceptualized and enacted, as well as the downfalls and dangers. The indenture culture in this world is fascinating and horrifying, where if AI can be indentured for the cost of their creation, well then people can be too. This makes Threezed and Med an incredible foil to one another. I don't think Paladin has completely thought through her choices in the end, and I believe the loyalty programming did affect her decision making after autonomy. She's being fetishized and she subconsciously recognizes this through Eliasz not understanding or wanting to understand bots outside of anthropomorphizing her.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Police brutality, Death, Gore, Trafficking, Cursing, Blood, Slavery, Addiction, Medical content, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape

Minor: Pedophilia and Vomit

imjustadow's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

This is such a complicated review to write.

On the one hand, I loved Jack. Bisexual, anti-corporate, emancipator pirate lady? I'm all in, say less. Her life and experiences were very enjoyable to read and I really enjoyed her interactions with the other characters in her insane life.

But GOD, the stuff with Eliasz just kind of ruined everything for me. I don't like the way his "relationship" with Paladin played out starting from THAT chapter (if you've read it, you know which one I'm talking about). The fact that it was never resolved really made having any sympathy at all for Eliasz' quest to stop Jack next to impossible

Eliasz, at the end of the day, is a deeply homophobic cop who has no issue whatsoever with killing people to get what he wants. And more disgusting than that, he feels all of his actions are justified by him "following the law." He mentions that his time hunting down child traffickers was hell and that now that he was in patent law everything was simple and black and white, but that's such a one-dimensional state for a character to begin in, and never grow from as a person.

I loved the worldbuilding, the concept is fascinating, but I really ultimately did not enjoy this book, and I really really wanted to

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Transphobia, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Addiction, Homophobia, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Cursing, Blood, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, Drug use, Murder, and Sexual content

At the end of the day, I would say that the stuff with Eliasz represents a more realistic depiction of someone with deeply internalized homophobia who never actually improves from that point. And if we're considering how some people in real life are, that's not abnormal. However, to write Eliasz's actions out to be anything other than a villain in the story and then to give him a "happy" ending, it just wasn't for me. The author made choices I wouldn't have, and that is their prerogative. I just really didn't enjoy the choices made for Eliasz

caseythereader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Homophobia, and Slavery

Minor: Rape

miniingrid's review against another edition

dark informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Violence

emmagiverny's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

An exploration of autonomy and what it means for different people in a classic cyberpunk society. The characters themselves could have been developed more strongly, as it is they’re quite 2D

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, and Death

hazelmh's review against another edition

• 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Slavery

Minor: Death and Rape