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A review by shanaqui
The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I got this because it's up for the first prize named after Ursula Le Guin, and I totally get why it would be considered part of her legacy or suitable to be named under her award: the contemplative mood, the way it tries to explore the themes of being human or humanoid, those all make sense.
But... I personally didn't like it or "get" it. The artwork it's based on can be found online, on Lea Gulditte Hestelund's site, and I really get that either, which probably doesn't help. The book consists of statements collected from employees aboard a ship, as a way of assessing whether the working environment there is working, and how some alien objects collected are affecting them. Plus, of course, how the humanoid (lab-grown, AI-based) crew are working with the human crew.
The statements don't seem to be in any kind of order, and it's difficult -- with a few exceptions -- to tell which are different statements from the same members of the crew. The whole situation takes a bit of puzzling out, an aspect which I did like: it's a cool format.
I can't say what more I wanted, really. It just... didn't quite push my buttons, I guess.
But... I personally didn't like it or "get" it. The artwork it's based on can be found online, on Lea Gulditte Hestelund's site, and I really get that either, which probably doesn't help. The book consists of statements collected from employees aboard a ship, as a way of assessing whether the working environment there is working, and how some alien objects collected are affecting them. Plus, of course, how the humanoid (lab-grown, AI-based) crew are working with the human crew.
The statements don't seem to be in any kind of order, and it's difficult -- with a few exceptions -- to tell which are different statements from the same members of the crew. The whole situation takes a bit of puzzling out, an aspect which I did like: it's a cool format.
I can't say what more I wanted, really. It just... didn't quite push my buttons, I guess.