A review by jgwc54e5
A Strange and Brilliant Light by Eli Lee

3.0

A novel about automation and AI replacing humans in all areas of work. Centred around three women, Rose who works in a Slurpee store, her friend Lal who used to be the store manager and goes to work for Tekna, the parent company that is busy automating all its workers and Lal’s sister, Janetta working on a PhD studying conscious AI. There’s lots of interesting ideas here, but many of them have been done better elsewhere. I think I would’ve preferred the book to be set in the real world somewhere and not a made up place, more obvious social satire for example.(I did get some [b:The Circle|18302455|The Circle|Dave Eggers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1376419833l/18302455._SX50_.jpg|25791820] vibes later in the book as Lal gets promoted at Tekna). There’s nothing about the type of government or wider society that they live in, though later there is some nods to the way capitalism throws people on the scrapheap so easily in the name of profit. Overall I felt it was too long and the relationships overdone, I found Janetta an unbelievable character particularly. But it’s not bad, I just wanted more.