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allisonwonderlandreads's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Unit Four is constantly being recycled. But when it's shot up with adrenaline before its latest re-emergence into the world, something is clearly wrong. A robot with renewable, biological parts, Unit Four and its three sisters work on a mining station orbiting Jupiter. And they're under attack from aliens unknown.
The story's slow to warm up despite the action sequence to start, but nothing's as it seems. While not exactly a mystery, the realizations Unit Four experiences throughout the book were my favorite parts. There are some excellent twists and big decision moments. I also enjoyed the commentary on gender and queerness in general. Unit four has cause to interact with an intersex person whose identity is similar to its own, and they share a sense of community despite their vastly different circumstances. There's always more space in fiction for showing varied gender experiences, and this biological reality is one I'd like to see in more stories, specifically.
It's hard to speak further on the plot due to potential spoilers. While I would have liked more attention to relationship development on several fronts, I appreciated the message behind what's shown on the page. Also, I love science fiction for how it makes us reflect on our societies, their mess, and our possible futures. This book lives up to those tasks and gives readers something to think about.
The story's slow to warm up despite the action sequence to start, but nothing's as it seems. While not exactly a mystery, the realizations Unit Four experiences throughout the book were my favorite parts. There are some excellent twists and big decision moments. I also enjoyed the commentary on gender and queerness in general. Unit four has cause to interact with an intersex person whose identity is similar to its own, and they share a sense of community despite their vastly different circumstances. There's always more space in fiction for showing varied gender experiences, and this biological reality is one I'd like to see in more stories, specifically.
It's hard to speak further on the plot due to potential spoilers. While I would have liked more attention to relationship development on several fronts, I appreciated the message behind what's shown on the page. Also, I love science fiction for how it makes us reflect on our societies, their mess, and our possible futures. This book lives up to those tasks and gives readers something to think about.
rustman's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sapphic_necromancer's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ameranth's review
2.0
There were some concepts here that I really enjoyed, but overall I didn't care for where the story went and honestly didn't care for any of the human crew at all. Jonas was particularly unlikable.
tiredcreature's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Could use a final stylistic polish, but conceptually very interesting. Gigeresque bio-tech nestled into a found family plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Grief, Body horror, and Gore
Minor: Cannibalism and Genocide
yikesonspikes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
consultantrin's review
5.0
I won an ARC in a goodreads giveaway, which makes it the first ARC I've ever received. And honestly, this is the one book on my TBR shelf I desperately wanted to read ahead of it's release date; that's how excited I was about it.
Long story short, I would actually die for Unit Four. infinity out of five stars
Long story short, I would actually die for Unit Four. infinity out of five stars
amysbrittain's review
4.0
Its one job was to fight the invaders. It had more information on how to sauté spring onions than it did on the aliens.
Activation Degradation, standalone science fiction from Marina L. Lostetter, begins with Unit Four's initial activation. It has just become sentient, and like its robot sisters, it has been programmed to fight the aliens currently attacking its ship.
But whether it's a glitch or instincts that shouldn't be possible, Unit Four realizes that the situation as its handler has explained it doesn't quite add up.
When Unit Four is taken onto the enemy alien ship as a prisoner and is unable to communicate with its handler, it begins to understand that all is not black and white, and that it may need to rethink all it has been taught to believe.
Lostetter's book started off with a lot of logistics that slowed things for me, but as of page 66 the action and character development and exploration of morality and friendship and life purpose began clicking along.
Activation Degradation explores what makes a person worth saving--or simply existing--as well as unconventional love and relationships, personal responsibility, sacrifice and bravery, and staying open to revolutionarily new ideas and ways of looking at the world--and the universe.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Activation Degradation.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
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sheyri's review
5.0
TW:
LGBTQ rep:
Okay, so, first of all, when I picked it up in the bargain box of a bookshop, I had no way of checking tags on Goodreads. So imagine my delight when I found Pride flags and queer representation in this book! And especially the talk about gender and pronouns was soooo good! For that alone I would recommend this book.
Anyway, the blurb made me curious and the dedication to found families even more so. I took a look and read the first chapter, and while that was rather over-descriptive at times, something just urged me to get it. So I did, and I do not regret!
This book made me feel things. Happy, sad, curious, depressed. It made me laugh, quite frequently. Having a humanoid robot describe humans when it only has vocabulary for its own parts is just too funny!
It's full of topics and questions to think about (what makes us human?), and lots of quotes and places I had to mark. The first "twist" was pretty obvious (I guessed it from the blurb) and therefore probably not a twist at all, but there are a few more, and the one at the end quite surprised me.
I really don't want to spoil anything about this book here. Just, go check it out for yourself. I loved it a lot!
Spoiler
gore, minor violenceLGBTQ rep:
Spoiler
gay, intersex, implied bisexual (by flag)Okay, so, first of all, when I picked it up in the bargain box of a bookshop, I had no way of checking tags on Goodreads. So imagine my delight when I found Pride flags and queer representation in this book! And especially the talk about gender and pronouns was soooo good! For that alone I would recommend this book.
Anyway, the blurb made me curious and the dedication to found families even more so. I took a look and read the first chapter, and while that was rather over-descriptive at times, something just urged me to get it. So I did, and I do not regret!
This book made me feel things. Happy, sad, curious, depressed. It made me laugh, quite frequently. Having a humanoid robot describe humans when it only has vocabulary for its own parts is just too funny!
It's full of topics and questions to think about (what makes us human?), and lots of quotes and places I had to mark. The first "twist" was pretty obvious (I guessed it from the blurb) and therefore probably not a twist at all, but there are a few more, and the one at the end quite surprised me.
I really don't want to spoil anything about this book here. Just, go check it out for yourself. I loved it a lot!