Scan barcode
dylan_tomorrow's review
5.0
This is, at its core a story about identity, memory loss and principles. Of a protagonist, of a people, of a rebellion. Of losing your way. Of betraying everything you ever stood for because you see no other way. Of keeping true to yourself, standing against that abyss of cowardice. Of wanting to pick up the torch of civilization, no, to rip it away from those butchering it to "save" it. Of trusting, against all reason, the "enemy" and of looking for the actual enemy to find them in the last place you wanted to look.
I love the Asterion and their society. They are a symbiosis of Anaden (humanish) and SAI (AI) in one flesh-mashine body, descendants of rebels who fled the Anaden Empire in generation ships some millennia ago. Memorys can be backed up, bodies can be replaced. They live for millennia.
Something is fishy in this world, has been for the last years. People keep disappearing, and the government, composed of the five guides and their advisors is suspiciously bad at investigating those missing people. Recently, people have been arrested en masse for uncharismatic bouts of criminal activity. Some advisors like Dashiel or Adlai are starting to wonder why the guides are not helping their investigations into this more...
Last but not least, there is NOIR, a small but effective underground movement of those in grief for the disappeared people and angry at the government for not investigating. Led by Nika, a woman who they found without memory five years ago and who turned out to be amazing at solving conflicts and mentoring people.
The more I read this, the less I wanted to do all the other day to day things I'm supposed to do. I can't wait for the next book! This has all the strengths of a G.S. Jennsen story: Complex, snarky characters. Well thought out, fascinatingly futuristic society. A big sinister antagonist/secret in the shadows, unknown to the protagonists and readers, slowly being revealed piece by piece. All of this fuelling wild speculation, as I am reading this, what the motives for inexplicable actions of people might be, what really happened to Nika, who the real enemy of the people Asterion is. Everyone, read it!
I love the Asterion and their society. They are a symbiosis of Anaden (humanish) and SAI (AI) in one flesh-mashine body, descendants of rebels who fled the Anaden Empire in generation ships some millennia ago. Memorys can be backed up, bodies can be replaced. They live for millennia.
Something is fishy in this world, has been for the last years. People keep disappearing, and the government, composed of the five guides and their advisors is suspiciously bad at investigating those missing people. Recently, people have been arrested en masse for uncharismatic bouts of criminal activity. Some advisors like Dashiel or Adlai are starting to wonder why the guides are not helping their investigations into this more...
Last but not least, there is NOIR, a small but effective underground movement of those in grief for the disappeared people and angry at the government for not investigating. Led by Nika, a woman who they found without memory five years ago and who turned out to be amazing at solving conflicts and mentoring people.
The more I read this, the less I wanted to do all the other day to day things I'm supposed to do. I can't wait for the next book! This has all the strengths of a G.S. Jennsen story: Complex, snarky characters. Well thought out, fascinatingly futuristic society. A big sinister antagonist/secret in the shadows, unknown to the protagonists and readers, slowly being revealed piece by piece. All of this fuelling wild speculation, as I am reading this, what the motives for inexplicable actions of people might be, what really happened to Nika, who the real enemy of the people Asterion is. Everyone, read it!
ivyjune's review
5.0
While I am a fan of the Aurora Rising series, those books were not easy reads with so many characters, locations, and technologies to keep track of. This story is no less developed and nuanced, but, thankfully, is much more compact. The mysterious air is maintained throughout, with each new discovery leading to more questions and keeping up Jennsen’s consistently fast pace. She masterfully assembles the story, giving just enough answers to make a satisfying read, while leaving enough open questions to compel your interest in the next installment. I am thrilled to have been an early fan, and continue to marvel at the amazing talent continually displayed by this fabulous author!
magpiemuze's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Using tech to subvert the system! Exin Ex Machina by G.S. Jennsen is an intriguing cyberpunk story meeting my inner rebel needs.
On a distant planet, everyone is biosynthetic and can live forever…unless the government sends them to R&R (retirement and reinitialization) and wipes their memory clean. A woman who no longer remembers her past (centuries of data, if not millennia!) becomes a leader of an underground rebellion trying to get to the bottom of disappearances and government lies.
The tech and its social implications – both expansive and problematic – are explored in thoughtful and creative ways. Pet spiderbots, automated anxiety dampeners, translator augments, and more. The same attention and depth was given to most of the characters, including the antagonists. No one was painted with a broad stroke, and especially by the end, initial impressions of certain individuals turned more dynamic as things unfolded.
In terms of the central romance, it was hard to get emotionally invested since a lot of their relationship development occurred before the book started and we're playing catch-up as the MCgets into bed with her former lover faster than her memories of him return . I usually prefer more of a build-up, but your mileage may vary.
One element that rubbed me the wrong way was the rendering of a minor character who was asked to dial down his "autistic processes," promoting an ableist/neurotypical sentiment that was left unchallenged. Seems like a good opportunity for a sensitivity reader to help align this with what is otherwise thoughtful character work.
The story includes multiple povs, which add to the world-building and nuance while simultaneously closing the loop on several tension-building questions that could have lingered a bit longer. Regardless, I remained intrigued until the last page. It ended in a way that satisfied the arc of the book, while also setting up the next leg of the series. Exin Ex Machina is the first in a newer series within this world and I definitely plan to continue with book two.
Exin Ex Machina is one of the books in my first-round allotment as a judge for the second annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC2). Its ultimate status will be determined in conjunction with other team members. Meanwhile, my thoughts here are my personal opinion.
On a distant planet, everyone is biosynthetic and can live forever…unless the government sends them to R&R (retirement and reinitialization) and wipes their memory clean. A woman who no longer remembers her past (centuries of data, if not millennia!) becomes a leader of an underground rebellion trying to get to the bottom of disappearances and government lies.
The tech and its social implications – both expansive and problematic – are explored in thoughtful and creative ways. Pet spiderbots, automated anxiety dampeners, translator augments, and more. The same attention and depth was given to most of the characters, including the antagonists. No one was painted with a broad stroke, and especially by the end, initial impressions of certain individuals turned more dynamic as things unfolded.
In terms of the central romance, it was hard to get emotionally invested since a lot of their relationship development occurred before the book started and we're playing catch-up as the MC
One element that rubbed me the wrong way was the rendering of a minor character who was asked to dial down his "autistic processes," promoting an ableist/neurotypical sentiment that was left unchallenged. Seems like a good opportunity for a sensitivity reader to help align this with what is otherwise thoughtful character work.
The story includes multiple povs, which add to the world-building and nuance while simultaneously closing the loop on several tension-building questions that could have lingered a bit longer. Regardless, I remained intrigued until the last page. It ended in a way that satisfied the arc of the book, while also setting up the next leg of the series. Exin Ex Machina is the first in a newer series within this world and I definitely plan to continue with book two.
Exin Ex Machina is one of the books in my first-round allotment as a judge for the second annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (#SPSFC2). Its ultimate status will be determined in conjunction with other team members. Meanwhile, my thoughts here are my personal opinion.
danielles_reads's review
4.0
It took me a bit longer than usual to get into this book, as I just felt so confused, and honestly, a bit bored, in the beginning. It really did seem to be a re-telling of Aurora Resonant at first, with NOIR standing in for the anarchs, and the Guides standing in for the Directorate. However, it ended up being a lot more than that, and very different from Jennsen's previous series. I don't know where exactly my feelings changed, but before I knew it, I had finished the book before my flight had even landed in Boston.
First off, I love Nika. I love her current personality, and I love how she grapples with her past (and especially how her present is a reflection of her past). I love her relationship with Dashiel. I love how Nika has such an extensive support system who will do anything for her, and she will do anything for them. I liked the use of dramatic irony, where the readers knew slightly more than the main characters did about the disappearances, but not enough that it would spoil the suspense.
And of course, like all of Jennsen's books, the ending was insane! I can't wait to see where it goes next.
First off, I love Nika. I love her current personality, and I love how she grapples with her past (and especially how her present is a reflection of her past). I love her relationship with Dashiel. I love how Nika has such an extensive support system who will do anything for her, and she will do anything for them. I liked the use of dramatic irony, where the readers knew slightly more than the main characters did about the disappearances, but not enough that it would spoil the suspense.
And of course, like all of Jennsen's books, the ending was insane! I can't wait to see where it goes next.
tahernandez's review
5.0
After reading G. S. Jennsen's epic 9-book space opera saga Aurora Rising, I was both very excited and a little nervous about what would come next. Jennsen is obviously a talented story-teller and has a gift for stringing words together in a way that puts you right in the story, but it's always a little strange when an author you've come to know and love for writing a particular set of characters in a particular universe moves on to doing something else. Exciting, but strange. I found myself wondering whether I would like the new characters, whether the story would fly over my head (I admit to not being the most scientifically-minded sci-fi reader), whether the plot would hold my interest, and so on. I shouldn't have worried. If anything, Exin Ex Machina proves that Asterion Noir promises to be a series just as captivating as its predecessor, if not more so.
I loved the cyberpunk setting of the story, and Jennsen does a great job of exploring all the important societal impacts the advanced technology of her setting has on its inhabitants. This ties directly into the conflict in exciting ways, and it gives the story a dark, gritty feel that makes the more light-hearted moments shine even brighter. That balance is important, I think. This is a story with some pretty bleak, overarching conflicts and some even bleaker personal ones for the story's characters. But there's a good sense of humor in some places that balances it out and reminds us what these characters are fighting for. There's also a strong mystery element to the story as little pieces and hints are laid out. We don't get all the answers by the end, but it was that distinct sense of just wanting to figure out what was going on that drove much of the story's conflict and really sucked me into the story.
As far as characters go, I seriously could not have asked for better characters. Sometimes in a series, I feel like it takes me a while to start to really get attached to the characters, but that wasn't the case here at all. I loved Nika, Dashiel, and many of the secondary characters almost from the moment they were introduced, and upon reaching the end of the story, all I wanted was to continue this journey with them. Jennsen does an excellent job of putting the reader right inside the character's head and really feeling what they're feeling and experiencing, whether that character is protagonist Nika or one of the minor characters. I have a giant soft spot in my heart for characters who are damaged, as I'm sure many readers do, and these are some seriously damaged characters. Despite all of that, they keep fighting, keep going, even when all the odds are stacked against them, and you can't help rooting for characters like that. I can't wait to see where their separate paths will lead them all next. I'm sure it's going to be quite the adventure.
I loved the cyberpunk setting of the story, and Jennsen does a great job of exploring all the important societal impacts the advanced technology of her setting has on its inhabitants. This ties directly into the conflict in exciting ways, and it gives the story a dark, gritty feel that makes the more light-hearted moments shine even brighter. That balance is important, I think. This is a story with some pretty bleak, overarching conflicts and some even bleaker personal ones for the story's characters. But there's a good sense of humor in some places that balances it out and reminds us what these characters are fighting for. There's also a strong mystery element to the story as little pieces and hints are laid out. We don't get all the answers by the end, but it was that distinct sense of just wanting to figure out what was going on that drove much of the story's conflict and really sucked me into the story.
As far as characters go, I seriously could not have asked for better characters. Sometimes in a series, I feel like it takes me a while to start to really get attached to the characters, but that wasn't the case here at all. I loved Nika, Dashiel, and many of the secondary characters almost from the moment they were introduced, and upon reaching the end of the story, all I wanted was to continue this journey with them. Jennsen does an excellent job of putting the reader right inside the character's head and really feeling what they're feeling and experiencing, whether that character is protagonist Nika or one of the minor characters. I have a giant soft spot in my heart for characters who are damaged, as I'm sure many readers do, and these are some seriously damaged characters. Despite all of that, they keep fighting, keep going, even when all the odds are stacked against them, and you can't help rooting for characters like that. I can't wait to see where their separate paths will lead them all next. I'm sure it's going to be quite the adventure.
More...