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hapikohw's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Rich Larson really be in his bag with the stories he makes dealing with new sentient life grappling with personhood and identity - especially in contrast to a world of human who will never relate. This jumped up to my number one so far of his!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Vomit, Abandonment, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Medical trauma
silentcat7135's review against another edition
5.0
This story was intriguing, thought-provoking, and ultimately heartbreaking, all in a very small package. A little cyberpunk world-building, an ethical minefield of animal experimentation, and the ache of a form of loneliness the depth of which none of us can fully experience. I teared up at some of Cu's, a neutrally enhanced chimpanzee, memories and again at the ending of the story.
Oh, and it's also a murder mystery. Cu works with the police department.
We've barely scratched the surface, in our human hubris, of understanding the baseline intelligence of other species, even among our closest ape cousins let alone other highly intelligent species which may have substantially more different ways of thinking...cetaceans, cephalopods, corvids, etc.
I suspect Cu will stick in my mind for a long time.
Also, on a lighter note, "meat and salt and sparks" now ranks right up there with "ugly giant bags of mostly water"* as a description of us in all our organic, biologic glory.
* The description of humans as "ugly giant bags of mostly water" comes from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Home Soil, a humbling assessment indeed.
Oh, and it's also a murder mystery. Cu works with the police department.
We've barely scratched the surface, in our human hubris, of understanding the baseline intelligence of other species, even among our closest ape cousins let alone other highly intelligent species which may have substantially more different ways of thinking...cetaceans, cephalopods, corvids, etc.
Spoiler
And, of course, we may, intentionally or accidentally, create an AI that blows past the Turing test, which comes into play late in the story.I suspect Cu will stick in my mind for a long time.
Also, on a lighter note, "meat and salt and sparks" now ranks right up there with "ugly giant bags of mostly water"* as a description of us in all our organic, biologic glory.
* The description of humans as "ugly giant bags of mostly water" comes from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Home Soil, a humbling assessment indeed.
terriaminute's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
What a fantastic story. Intriguing, strange, compelling, an unexpected way to ask some old questions. Just, wow.
trout_lily's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Smart, 34-page story set in the 2040s about Cu a Chimpanzee that was used in the development and testing of an illegal intelligence enhancement who is now working as a detective - the only one of her kind. It's a noir meets speculative fiction meets a lesson that tech doesn't necessarily save us nor itself.
quynh23's review
adventurous
fast-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? Yes
4.0
bookaneer's review against another edition
4.0
I envy you, Rich Larson, for being so young and talented. Another fascinating story, masterfully crafted with an endearing voice. Give me more story about Cu, the uplifted chimpanzee, will ya?
villyidol's review against another edition
4.0
A free tor short with an enhanced chimpanzee as the main character.
Cu and her human partner Al Huxley are working on a murder case that seems pretty straightforward at first. At a subway station a woman draws a gun, puts it to the head of a man and pulls the trigger. There’s video footage of the crime and the woman is in custody.
Turns out though that she is a so-called echogirl. Which means she’s got an earpiece and eyecam and basically rented her body out to someone who told her what to do.
But this story isn’t about the tech. It is about the people and what makes them put their life into the hands of someone else.
It is advertised as a murder mystery but doesn’t work very well as such. Because it puts all its cards on the table a little too early.
It works perfectly though as a story about being different and how lonely this can make one.
It is a sad story. But one that is ultimately uplifting.
3.5 stars
I round up to four because of the great ending and the fact that I’m almost certain this will work better on a second read, knowing what to expect.
This story can be read here.
Cu and her human partner Al Huxley are working on a murder case that seems pretty straightforward at first. At a subway station a woman draws a gun, puts it to the head of a man and pulls the trigger. There’s video footage of the crime and the woman is in custody.
Turns out though that she is a so-called echogirl. Which means she’s got an earpiece and eyecam and basically rented her body out to someone who told her what to do.
But this story isn’t about the tech. It is about the people and what makes them put their life into the hands of someone else.
It is advertised as a murder mystery but doesn’t work very well as such. Because it puts all its cards on the table a little too early.
It works perfectly though as a story about being different and how lonely this can make one.
It is a sad story. But one that is ultimately uplifting.
3.5 stars
I round up to four because of the great ending and the fact that I’m almost certain this will work better on a second read, knowing what to expect.
This story can be read here.
oleksandr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a short SF story, which is eligible for Hugo Award 2019. It was initially published by Tor.com.
The story follows an uplifted ape Cu, who works in NY Police. The mystery she and her partner Al Huxley should unravel is straightforward on a first sight. There are camera feeds that show a woman coming next to a man and shooting him in the head. However, it appears that the woman is ‘echogirl’, one of a newly fashionable pastime where one person ‘drives’ another. Unlike usual SF trope, it is not a pure mind control, but more like a cosplay.
It is hard to rate this story. On the one hand, it was quite clearly telegraphed early on, who could be the true mastermind behind the murder, so as a mystery it fails for me. On the other, the background story of the uplifted ape, the reason behind the murder and the finale are very well done and worth high ratings. I will gladly read other stories set in the same universe.
The story follows an uplifted ape Cu, who works in NY Police. The mystery she and her partner Al Huxley should unravel is straightforward on a first sight. There are camera feeds that show a woman coming next to a man and shooting him in the head. However, it appears that the woman is ‘echogirl’, one of a newly fashionable pastime where one person ‘drives’ another. Unlike usual SF trope, it is not a pure mind control, but more like a cosplay.
It is hard to rate this story. On the one hand, it was quite clearly telegraphed early on, who could be the true mastermind behind the murder, so as a mystery it fails for me. On the other, the background story of the uplifted ape, the reason behind the murder and the finale are very well done and worth high ratings. I will gladly read other stories set in the same universe.
shenereads's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing story!
Read it here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/06/06/meat-and-salt-and-sparks-rich-larson/#comment-819703
Read it here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/06/06/meat-and-salt-and-sparks-rich-larson/#comment-819703