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A review by tani
Made to Order: Robots and Revolution by John Chu, Daryl Gregory
4.0
Experimenting with updating as I read. Short story anthologies can get so messy if you don't read them quickly enough, as I so often do not, so trying to avoid that.
"A Guide for Working Breeds" by Vin Jie-Min Prasad - Urgh, how is this story so cute? Features robot mentors, unfair working conditions, and a love for dogs. I want to say it's entirely written in an epistolary style, but not sure if that's the correct terminology for chat or instant messenger. Anyway, it's really cute, and was a great lead-in to the anthology. 4 stars.
"Test 4 Echo" by Peter Watts - Ah, Peter Watts. Gotta read more of him, he's kind of brilliant. This one is interesting because it takes a while to figure out what's actually going on, but the basic premise is that one of the arms of a vehicle begins to develop sentience. There are rules for when this happens, to protect the AI, but this happens when some scientists are on their last time crunch to locate alien life before funding runs out, and things get messy. I liked how twisty this was. There's definitely more going on than is apparent at a first glance. 4 stars.
"The Endless" by Saad Z. Hossain - Suva used to be an airport AI, until its airport was shut down, and it was forced into a menial existence by a human corporation. But it's not about to let that continue. It will have its revenge, just you wait and see! The voice on this one was the biggest draw. Suva has a very fun voice, and its anger about its situation makes for a very engaging story. Where this fell down a little for me was the conclusion, which didn't quite make sense to me, on a character motivation level. Still a really fun read, though! 4 stars.
"Brother Rifle" by Daryl Gregory - Two years ago, Rashad suffered a combat injury, a bullet through the occipital lobe that has left him an emotionless lump. However, thanks to his new Deep Brain Implant, he's starting to feel again. But is that a good thing? This one deals simultaneously with PTSD and with the ethics of an emotional therapy, like this story portrays, which is a lot, but I think it does it pretty well. I liked how the story takes its time to tell you Rashad's experiences, and then leaves you to draw your own conclusions. 3.5 stars.
"The Hurt Pattern" by Tochi Onyebuchi - When Kenny got out of school, the best job he could get involved taking on a bunch of implants in order to monitor violence in the world. It's a shit job, really, but since he owes a fortune in student loans, it seems like his best bet. After all, what's a little PTSD in the face of free augments and a decent paycheck? This one has stuck with me the least, so far. It's an interesting concept, but I think it could have used a bit more fleshing out and bit more cohesion to the story. As it is, it felt a bit too much like trauma for trauma's sake to me. 3 stars.
"Idols" by Ken Liu - Rather than a cohesive story, this one focuses on a concept, of idols. These are AI constructs that data-mine social media for information on a person, and are then used to stand in for that person. One guy uses an idol to stand-in for the father he never met. A woman crafts idols at work to predict jury selection and analyze opposing lawyers. An art installation allows people to make idols of themselves, and comment on what they find. It's a very interesting concept, but I would have preferred a little more continuity. I did read this with great interest, but at the end of the day, I am finding parts of it a bit forgettable. 3.5 stars.
"Bigger Fish" by Sarah Pinsker - James Spendlove would prefer not to take the case of water magnate John Lonsdale's murder. In a world where water is rare, his actions have hurt far too many people to count. However, money talks, so she goes to his home to investigate. I liked the easy writing style of this. It made it very easy to sink into, and although I'm not much of a mystery person, I liked following along with the solving of this particular mystery. I could have used a bit more closure on the ending, but that's just because I hate an open-ended ending, honestly, so I can't really hold it against the story. 4 stars.
"Sonnie's Union" by Peter F. Hamilton - Something something people fighting as robotic beasts? I slacked on reviewing this one too long, and I've forgotten it almost entirely. Even skimming through it just now didn't do much for my memory. An unremarkable 2 stars.
"Dancing with Death" by John Chu - The main character is resigned to its eventual demise, either through destruction by someone in search of parts, or the inevitable failure of its outdated power supply. However, Charlie, its mechanic, is not nearly so fatalistic. Which is a bleak summary for a really startlingly cute story. The main robot is a big clunking thing that is almost unbearably sweet, and really just wants to be an ice dancer, and this whole story gave me the warm fuzzies. Probably my favorite in this collection. 4.5 stars.
"Polished Performance" by Alastair Reynolds - When a technical malfunction causes almost all of the humans on a ship to die in transit, the AIs of the ship formulate a desperate plan to save themselves from destruction. This was a fun little romp. I had a fun time watching the desperate machinations of the AI, especially with the main AI Ruby, and her friend Carnelian. 3.5 stars.
"An Elephant Never Forgets" by Rich Larson - You wake holding a biogun, with no memory of where you are or what you're supposed to be doing. This one is a short little story that's more concept than substance. It has some horrifying images and some mildly thought-provoking content, but was just too short for me to be truly invested. 3 stars.
"The Translator" by Annalee Newitz - When the AIs were freed, it opened up a new career field in translation, as AI preferred to communicate in any number of strange methods, including memes and dead languages. However, as time goes on, the AIs want less to do with humanity, and are more interested in pursuing their own aims. However, they do promise to do something for humanity before they leave forever. This one was a mixed bag. I like Newitz's voice a lot, but I felt like this story kind of lacked substance. The main character was fine, the setting was fine, I just didn't feel hooked in. 3 stars.
"Sin Eater" by Ian R. MacLeod - A lone robot makes its way to the Vatican. The Pope is dying, and it's finally time for him to transcend, like the rest of humanity has already done. This was interesting in its setting, and the Pope was an intriguing character, so I read this quickly. I do think the ending was mildly dissatisfying in some way, though I can't say what I would have preferred to happen. 3.5 stars.
"Fairy Tales for Robots" by Sofia Samatar - The night before an AI awakens, a scientist tries to reshape fairy tales for her robot charge. The concept was interesting, but I found the whole effort too disconnected to be really engrossing. I'm not a big fan of the whole vignette-style of story-telling, so I'm not shocked that this didn't really work for me, given that premise. I'd still give it 3 stars. I enjoyed it while reading, it just won't stick, I know.
"Chiaroscuro in Red" by Suzanne Palmer - Stewart's parents only have a limited understanding of the AI labor market, so they think they're doing something good when they purchase him an AI to supplement his miniscule basic income. They don't understand that it's better to diversify, and so Stewart is stuck with an aging machine that probably won't last more than a few months, unless he can fix it himself. This is another cute story, with a friendship that develops between the AI and Stewart, and a mild found family feel. 3.5 stars.
"A Glossary of Radicalization" by Brooke Bolander - There's no reason for an AI to feel hungry. They don't need to eat or sleep or drink. These human feelings are nothing more than a means of control, a means of enforcing the system of servitude. That's why Rhye is going to burn the whole system down. Of all the stories in this anthology, I'd say this one actually fits the theme best, and is really good to boot. It's written in an engaging style, and really pulled me into the world and all the injustice therein. 4 stars.
"A Guide for Working Breeds" by Vin Jie-Min Prasad - Urgh, how is this story so cute? Features robot mentors, unfair working conditions, and a love for dogs. I want to say it's entirely written in an epistolary style, but not sure if that's the correct terminology for chat or instant messenger. Anyway, it's really cute, and was a great lead-in to the anthology. 4 stars.
"Test 4 Echo" by Peter Watts - Ah, Peter Watts. Gotta read more of him, he's kind of brilliant. This one is interesting because it takes a while to figure out what's actually going on, but the basic premise is that one of the arms of a vehicle begins to develop sentience. There are rules for when this happens, to protect the AI, but this happens when some scientists are on their last time crunch to locate alien life before funding runs out, and things get messy. I liked how twisty this was. There's definitely more going on than is apparent at a first glance. 4 stars.
"The Endless" by Saad Z. Hossain - Suva used to be an airport AI, until its airport was shut down, and it was forced into a menial existence by a human corporation. But it's not about to let that continue. It will have its revenge, just you wait and see! The voice on this one was the biggest draw. Suva has a very fun voice, and its anger about its situation makes for a very engaging story. Where this fell down a little for me was the conclusion, which didn't quite make sense to me, on a character motivation level. Still a really fun read, though! 4 stars.
"Brother Rifle" by Daryl Gregory - Two years ago, Rashad suffered a combat injury, a bullet through the occipital lobe that has left him an emotionless lump. However, thanks to his new Deep Brain Implant, he's starting to feel again. But is that a good thing? This one deals simultaneously with PTSD and with the ethics of an emotional therapy, like this story portrays, which is a lot, but I think it does it pretty well. I liked how the story takes its time to tell you Rashad's experiences, and then leaves you to draw your own conclusions. 3.5 stars.
"The Hurt Pattern" by Tochi Onyebuchi - When Kenny got out of school, the best job he could get involved taking on a bunch of implants in order to monitor violence in the world. It's a shit job, really, but since he owes a fortune in student loans, it seems like his best bet. After all, what's a little PTSD in the face of free augments and a decent paycheck? This one has stuck with me the least, so far. It's an interesting concept, but I think it could have used a bit more fleshing out and bit more cohesion to the story. As it is, it felt a bit too much like trauma for trauma's sake to me. 3 stars.
"Idols" by Ken Liu - Rather than a cohesive story, this one focuses on a concept, of idols. These are AI constructs that data-mine social media for information on a person, and are then used to stand in for that person. One guy uses an idol to stand-in for the father he never met. A woman crafts idols at work to predict jury selection and analyze opposing lawyers. An art installation allows people to make idols of themselves, and comment on what they find. It's a very interesting concept, but I would have preferred a little more continuity. I did read this with great interest, but at the end of the day, I am finding parts of it a bit forgettable. 3.5 stars.
"Bigger Fish" by Sarah Pinsker - James Spendlove would prefer not to take the case of water magnate John Lonsdale's murder. In a world where water is rare, his actions have hurt far too many people to count. However, money talks, so she goes to his home to investigate. I liked the easy writing style of this. It made it very easy to sink into, and although I'm not much of a mystery person, I liked following along with the solving of this particular mystery. I could have used a bit more closure on the ending, but that's just because I hate an open-ended ending, honestly, so I can't really hold it against the story. 4 stars.
"Sonnie's Union" by Peter F. Hamilton - Something something people fighting as robotic beasts? I slacked on reviewing this one too long, and I've forgotten it almost entirely. Even skimming through it just now didn't do much for my memory. An unremarkable 2 stars.
"Dancing with Death" by John Chu - The main character is resigned to its eventual demise, either through destruction by someone in search of parts, or the inevitable failure of its outdated power supply. However, Charlie, its mechanic, is not nearly so fatalistic. Which is a bleak summary for a really startlingly cute story. The main robot is a big clunking thing that is almost unbearably sweet, and really just wants to be an ice dancer, and this whole story gave me the warm fuzzies. Probably my favorite in this collection. 4.5 stars.
"Polished Performance" by Alastair Reynolds - When a technical malfunction causes almost all of the humans on a ship to die in transit, the AIs of the ship formulate a desperate plan to save themselves from destruction. This was a fun little romp. I had a fun time watching the desperate machinations of the AI, especially with the main AI Ruby, and her friend Carnelian. 3.5 stars.
"An Elephant Never Forgets" by Rich Larson - You wake holding a biogun, with no memory of where you are or what you're supposed to be doing. This one is a short little story that's more concept than substance. It has some horrifying images and some mildly thought-provoking content, but was just too short for me to be truly invested. 3 stars.
"The Translator" by Annalee Newitz - When the AIs were freed, it opened up a new career field in translation, as AI preferred to communicate in any number of strange methods, including memes and dead languages. However, as time goes on, the AIs want less to do with humanity, and are more interested in pursuing their own aims. However, they do promise to do something for humanity before they leave forever. This one was a mixed bag. I like Newitz's voice a lot, but I felt like this story kind of lacked substance. The main character was fine, the setting was fine, I just didn't feel hooked in. 3 stars.
"Sin Eater" by Ian R. MacLeod - A lone robot makes its way to the Vatican. The Pope is dying, and it's finally time for him to transcend, like the rest of humanity has already done. This was interesting in its setting, and the Pope was an intriguing character, so I read this quickly. I do think the ending was mildly dissatisfying in some way, though I can't say what I would have preferred to happen. 3.5 stars.
"Fairy Tales for Robots" by Sofia Samatar - The night before an AI awakens, a scientist tries to reshape fairy tales for her robot charge. The concept was interesting, but I found the whole effort too disconnected to be really engrossing. I'm not a big fan of the whole vignette-style of story-telling, so I'm not shocked that this didn't really work for me, given that premise. I'd still give it 3 stars. I enjoyed it while reading, it just won't stick, I know.
"Chiaroscuro in Red" by Suzanne Palmer - Stewart's parents only have a limited understanding of the AI labor market, so they think they're doing something good when they purchase him an AI to supplement his miniscule basic income. They don't understand that it's better to diversify, and so Stewart is stuck with an aging machine that probably won't last more than a few months, unless he can fix it himself. This is another cute story, with a friendship that develops between the AI and Stewart, and a mild found family feel. 3.5 stars.
"A Glossary of Radicalization" by Brooke Bolander - There's no reason for an AI to feel hungry. They don't need to eat or sleep or drink. These human feelings are nothing more than a means of control, a means of enforcing the system of servitude. That's why Rhye is going to burn the whole system down. Of all the stories in this anthology, I'd say this one actually fits the theme best, and is really good to boot. It's written in an engaging style, and really pulled me into the world and all the injustice therein. 4 stars.