Scan barcode
el_36's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
natalieann89's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
charlottethebookharlot's review
4.0
This novel focuses on Rose, Lal and Janetta who are living during the time of a technological advancement when AI or auts are slowly replacing the human workforce and the story focuses on the women's very different reactions to this.
I really enjoyed this novel; I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy but this was told from the human perspective and felt much like something g that could actually happen during our lifetime. I particularly liked Rose's character as she felt very real and honest in her views and I was gripped until the very satisfying end!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoyed this novel; I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy but this was told from the human perspective and felt much like something g that could actually happen during our lifetime. I particularly liked Rose's character as she felt very real and honest in her views and I was gripped until the very satisfying end!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review
adamskiboy528491's review against another edition
3.0
”Reasons for anti-robot rioting certainly existed. Men who found themselves faced with the prospect of the desperate minimum involved in declassification, after half a lifetime of effort, could not decide cold-bloodedly that individual robots were not to blame. Individual robots could at least be struck at. One could not strike at something called “governmental policy” or at a slogan like “Higher production with robot labor.” - The Caves Of Steel.
A Strange and Brilliant Light by Eli Lee is a truly fascinating read. It's an intriguing and absorbing novel set in an alternate version of our world and dealing with important philosophical and political questions through a beautiful, character-led storyline.
The novel begins at a time in history when automation is increasingly taking over jobs. Artificial intelligence - known as 'auts' - appears in every industry, and workers are being laid off. The story focuses on three women whose lives are affected by this revolution. Rose loses her job in a coffee shop and becomes an anti-automation activist. Lal, her best friend, ends up working for the corporation that makes the 'auts'. Lal's sister, Janetta, is an academic trying to train artificial intelligence to understand emotions.
This book is a character-driven novel as compared to the likes of Margaret Atwood. The future of A.I. is an exciting/terrifying one, from any perspective. This book captures those most affected by the possibilities and shows a nuanced look at its creators and developers. Even though the plot is about the development of artificial intelligence, my favourite thing about this novel is the way that we get to experience that development through three very different but interconnected perspectives: a true believer in the commercial application of A.I., a scientist trying to make A.I. more empathetic, and a labour rights activist trying to destroy the system.
hotgirlfiction's review against another edition
2.0
A Strange and Brilliant Light follows the story of three wildly different women and the way their lives are affected by the rise of artificial intelligence within society. It presents lots of moral questions about governments, class inequality and the state of society.
I got Black Mirror-y vibes from this one, although it was a little heavier on the theoretical side so can be a bit difficult to sink your teeth into at first. It's worth sticking around for though, and brings up some interesting moral questions throughout which really get you thinking about the way our real society is heading!
The characterisation is something I wasn't a massive fan of - Lal is immediately unlikeable and seems to be completely void of human nature. Whilst I was really happy to see some LGBT+ rep with Janetta, she seems quite spineless, and Rose doesn't feel that interesting either. I would've much preferred this book if I had felt more invested in the characters, but unfortunately they are the let down in this case.
Overall, this is an interesting work of fiction focusing on the social narrative of AI and would be great for strongly political/theoretical sci-fi fans.
{gifted by netgalley and the publisher}
I got Black Mirror-y vibes from this one, although it was a little heavier on the theoretical side so can be a bit difficult to sink your teeth into at first. It's worth sticking around for though, and brings up some interesting moral questions throughout which really get you thinking about the way our real society is heading!
The characterisation is something I wasn't a massive fan of - Lal is immediately unlikeable and seems to be completely void of human nature. Whilst I was really happy to see some LGBT+ rep with Janetta, she seems quite spineless, and Rose doesn't feel that interesting either. I would've much preferred this book if I had felt more invested in the characters, but unfortunately they are the let down in this case.
Overall, this is an interesting work of fiction focusing on the social narrative of AI and would be great for strongly political/theoretical sci-fi fans.
{gifted by netgalley and the publisher}
char123321's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Although it had a slow start, I ended up not being able to put it down
lilyreads01's review against another edition
3.0
A Strange and Brilliant Light by Eli Lee is a thoughtful and imaginative story. It follows three young connected women; Lal who is ambitious and eager for success, Janetta her intelligent sister who is in the brink of a great discovery and her best friend Rose who looks for revolution to change her circumstances. The narrative follows their lives, their relationships and the winding pathways of their dreams. They exist in a world where artificial intelligence is replacing the work force, driving unemployment and discontent. As technology is progressing and the corporation’s grow rich and powerful, the working citizen grows increasingly fearful and isolated. It is a fast paced novel and I liked the multiple perspectives as it broadened my understanding of the world. The concept of the book was intriguing but I wish the narrative delved deeper and the finale was more expansive as the story didn’t resonate as powerfully as I feel it could have if the lives of our protagonists were drawn together with greater precision. Overall it is an exciting, thought provoking story for fans of speculative science fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
maria_hossain's review against another edition
First thing I wanna say before talking about this book is that although I finished it long ago, I did not sit down to write this review for almost a month. I have a valid reason. I was asked to be part of the social media blast for this book ahead of its release and I agreed. Soon, I was sent a visual containing my blog name and social media handle. I was enthused by the GoodReads synopsis. But soon I found out I was not the intended reader for this book and hence, I delayed to post this review. I didn't want to post a review with a rating lower than 4 stars and hence, I decided to post this review on a much later date.
So that's my reason. Now let's move on to the book.
I started reading this book hopeful to discover a literary sci-fi after reading a few in recent past. However, this book was more academic than cerebral. It's a slow paced, character driven sci-fi that can be either a cyberpunk or a simple dystopian sci-fi. Or maybe a dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi? Anyway, the point is that the book is more heavy on the literary section than the sci-fi one. Several things made me realize I'm not the intended reader for this book.
First, the book was way too slow for me. Almost nothing noteworthy happened in the book and a lot of the incidents could be cut off and the book will not suffer from it. The climax was anticlimactic and a deux ex machina. The solution almost came out of nowhere and solved too easily and quickly, as if you blink and you miss it. The whole story is basically the author discussing with us the pros and cons of having AI take over our world. The nuances made me appreciate the book and the deep insights the author provides us, the nuances, the farsightedness, and the way intersectionality are all considered. However, a lot of the book feels like academic rambling and a lot of big, intellectual words were used. Yes, the author raised some great points as well as some gray, unacknowledged parts of what our grim reality could be in an AI revolutionized society. However, the way she executed it into the characters' lives wasn't seamless. Most of the time, nothing noteworthy happened. The characters felt to me very passive and reactionary, especially Janetta and Lal. Rose felt very active and interesting at first until she couldn't shake off toxic Alek. Same goes for Lal who just wouldn't stop thinking for herself for one second, or Janetta who wouldn't stop toxic women from ruling her heart and career and life. The ending felt rushed and again, anticlimactic and deux ex machina. The villain is too robotic and apathetic to actually strike fear, rather I felt like the efforts to make her disturbing and chilling failed. She rather felt one-dimensional and flat. The supporting cast just fades away and leaves no remarkable effects on you or the main characters' lives. The toxic exes, the overenthusiastic creepy or overfriendly colleagues, even the family members of the main characters appear for one or two scenes, serve their purposes, and then leave for the rest of the book.
I also couldn't grasp the world building. It felt too all-over-the-place. The randomly sprouted names of places and mountains and religions and food items felt too foreign. The food items especially made me confused. The author mostly provided their names and that's it. Not much descriptions to expand her fantasy world. It felt also like a one-dimensional, flat character who melts into the distance after her purpose to the story has been served.
Overall, this felt more like a fictional example of a nonfiction thesis/dissertation. I'm sorry if my review feels harsh but that's how it made me feel in the end.
Also, Tekna feels like a fictional Tesla and Uhli Ranh may be a fictional Elon Musk. I'm imagining Angelina Jolie as Taly Kett.
Thank you, NetGalley and Jo Fletcher/Quercus Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
So that's my reason. Now let's move on to the book.
I started reading this book hopeful to discover a literary sci-fi after reading a few in recent past. However, this book was more academic than cerebral. It's a slow paced, character driven sci-fi that can be either a cyberpunk or a simple dystopian sci-fi. Or maybe a dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi? Anyway, the point is that the book is more heavy on the literary section than the sci-fi one. Several things made me realize I'm not the intended reader for this book.
First, the book was way too slow for me. Almost nothing noteworthy happened in the book and a lot of the incidents could be cut off and the book will not suffer from it. The climax was anticlimactic and a deux ex machina. The solution almost came out of nowhere and solved too easily and quickly, as if you blink and you miss it. The whole story is basically the author discussing with us the pros and cons of having AI take over our world. The nuances made me appreciate the book and the deep insights the author provides us, the nuances, the farsightedness, and the way intersectionality are all considered. However, a lot of the book feels like academic rambling and a lot of big, intellectual words were used. Yes, the author raised some great points as well as some gray, unacknowledged parts of what our grim reality could be in an AI revolutionized society. However, the way she executed it into the characters' lives wasn't seamless. Most of the time, nothing noteworthy happened. The characters felt to me very passive and reactionary, especially Janetta and Lal. Rose felt very active and interesting at first until she couldn't shake off toxic Alek. Same goes for Lal who just wouldn't stop thinking for herself for one second, or Janetta who wouldn't stop toxic women from ruling her heart and career and life. The ending felt rushed and again, anticlimactic and deux ex machina. The villain is too robotic and apathetic to actually strike fear, rather I felt like the efforts to make her disturbing and chilling failed. She rather felt one-dimensional and flat. The supporting cast just fades away and leaves no remarkable effects on you or the main characters' lives. The toxic exes, the overenthusiastic creepy or overfriendly colleagues, even the family members of the main characters appear for one or two scenes, serve their purposes, and then leave for the rest of the book.
I also couldn't grasp the world building. It felt too all-over-the-place. The randomly sprouted names of places and mountains and religions and food items felt too foreign. The food items especially made me confused. The author mostly provided their names and that's it. Not much descriptions to expand her fantasy world. It felt also like a one-dimensional, flat character who melts into the distance after her purpose to the story has been served.
Overall, this felt more like a fictional example of a nonfiction thesis/dissertation. I'm sorry if my review feels harsh but that's how it made me feel in the end.
Also, Tekna feels like a fictional Tesla and Uhli Ranh may be a fictional Elon Musk. I'm imagining Angelina Jolie as Taly Kett.
Thank you, NetGalley and Jo Fletcher/Quercus Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
katiep84's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75