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A review by mar
World Running Down by Al Hess
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
At times dramatic but ultimately feel-good story about a trans scavenger on the Mad Max-y salt planes of near-future Utah, taking on a big job from the utopian Salt Lake City in the hopes of finally earning his admission into it - with the help of a temporarily-trapped-in-an-android-body AI. (Who is very hot... and smart... and cute... and- well. you get the picture 👀). I particularly enjoyed the worldbuilding around AIs and androids - the two usually get lumped together, and it was interesting seeing a world in which they were very distinct groups treated and perceived completely differently. If anything, some of the concepts/subplots in this book were so compelling I was disappointed not to see them expanded on even further (such as the test for determining sentience - for such an important part of the story it felt a little surface-level - or the animal-robot hybrids roaming the planes). I think just how easily everything got wrapped up into a neat happy ending was a bit unrealistic, but it's definitely a book to read for comfort rather than realism. Equal parts fun character-driven adventure and a sweet gay romance, it's a great read for a rainy day <3
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Graphic: Sexual content and Dysphoria
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Sexual assault