A review by cellowraith
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz

4.0

Jack, a pharmaceutical drug pirate, may have accidentally unleashed a poorly tested replica of a pharma giant drug on the world and people are dying. As she schemes to right wrongs and save lives before she's hunted down, international patent cop Eliasz and his bot Paladin, who is learning a lot about themselves very quickly, sniff out her trail.

Character was what shone for me in this not-too-fast-paced but thoughtful look at a demi-dystopian future (very into these lately, provides a grim optimism). Jack is an interesting and well-developed protagonist who you root for despite her fumbles in both the current plot and flash-backs.

I didn't enjoy the romance that developed between Eliasz and Paladin as much - while I thought Paladin's contemplations about gender and identity were fascinating, their lopsided power dynamic made me uncomfortable and I wanted someone to tell Paladin that she deserved better

. I wish the end was just a little more fleshed out - I needed a bit more closure for everyone, all around.