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moistforchoice 's review for:
Machines Like Me
by Ian McEwan
This isn't a negative review. This book intrigued me. Machines Like Me is good food for thought. We follow the experiences and interactions of a conscious (debatable amongst the characters) AI companion and his two owners, or housemates, depending on who you are talking to. Mortality, intelligence, and the essence of being human is woven into the story. McEwan amplifies the fragility of the human ego and how eager we are to exert power over someone different from us if we are presented the opportunity.
With the philosophical discourse around consciousness in the era of AI, I found this rather timely. It also repackages and polishes the classic scifi take on the primitive human fear of the robot uprising. However, I found the plot lacklustre and the characters irksome. I immediately took a dislike to the two main human characters - I find them unpleasant and selfish in a unremarkable but unrelatable way. Does anyone actually enjoy his long rambling tangents? All bits about UK political history just flew past me. I found the rambling philosophical discussions more interesting but a book shouldn't have to bank on someone putting up with it because of an existing interest.
My first McEwan novel so I'm not too impressed.
With the philosophical discourse around consciousness in the era of AI, I found this rather timely. It also repackages and polishes the classic scifi take on the primitive human fear of the robot uprising. However, I found the plot lacklustre and the characters irksome. I immediately took a dislike to the two main human characters - I find them unpleasant and selfish in a unremarkable but unrelatable way. Does anyone actually enjoy his long rambling tangents? All bits about UK political history just flew past me. I found the rambling philosophical discussions more interesting but a book shouldn't have to bank on someone putting up with it because of an existing interest.
My first McEwan novel so I'm not too impressed.