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brenreads's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I thought the world-building was fantastic. The ending felt a bit rushed for my taste I would have loved to see more happen on Eko Yi but all in all this book is fantastic, thought provoking, and filled with twists I didn’t expect. Would definitely recommend if you’re into A.I. and technology ethics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Abortion, Violence, Addiction, and Murder
Minor: Xenophobia, War, and Sexual content
tigger89's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I like my sci-fi with a heavy helping of philosophy, so this book was my jam. What does it mean, to be an intelligent life form? How do we assign value to entities in society? Who should be given priority, when resources or jobs are scarce? The world felt real to me. I don't have enough science to know if it was entirely realistic, but the author had spent enough time worldbuilding that it felt consistent with itself, like a place that could potentially be real, which is what matters to me.
One thing I didn't like was that the ending felt a little rushed. I would've liked to see more of how Welga was coping with things. Contrary to some of the other reviewers, I'm okay with how the plot was resolved. I took the "thesis" of the book to bechange may be painful, but it's both inevitable and a good thing. Stagnation is death, and we need to always keep moving forward rather than seeking to return to some kind of golden days of the past. And the ending fit with that. Between the ending as written and the fact that it felt a little rushed, I wonder if there's not going to be a sequel at some point?
As an aside, to anyone looking for a LGBTQ-focused read, contrary to the tags you should look elsewhere. I was surprised to see the tag when I added the book to my list because I hadn't been made aware of any LGBTQ content in any of the blurbs I'd read. Well, I read and found out, and I can tell you that it amounts to: one non-binary secondary character(loved them, zero complaints there), a couple blink-and-miss-it gay/trans background characters, and the use of a non-binary category when listing gender percentage statistics. The viewpoint characters and their immediate plot concerns are cis-hetero. Is it anti-queer? No, it's not. It's got some solid rep in it, and I liked that the author remembered to think beyond the binary with her population statistics. But is it queer? Not really, at least not in the sense of how we usually discuss books being LGBTQ. There's more to it than "a queer person exists in this book," you know?
One thing I didn't like was that the ending felt a little rushed. I would've liked to see more of how Welga was coping with things. Contrary to some of the other reviewers, I'm okay with how the plot was resolved. I took the "thesis" of the book to be
As an aside, to anyone looking for a LGBTQ-focused read, contrary to the tags you should look elsewhere. I was surprised to see the tag when I added the book to my list because I hadn't been made aware of any LGBTQ content in any of the blurbs I'd read. Well, I read and found out, and I can tell you that it amounts to: one non-binary secondary character(loved them, zero complaints there), a couple blink-and-miss-it gay/trans background characters, and the use of a non-binary category when listing gender percentage statistics. The viewpoint characters and their immediate plot concerns are cis-hetero. Is it anti-queer? No, it's not. It's got some solid rep in it, and I liked that the author remembered to think beyond the binary with her population statistics. But is it queer? Not really, at least not in the sense of how we usually discuss books being LGBTQ. There's more to it than "a queer person exists in this book," you know?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Addiction, and Abortion
Moderate: Death of parent and War
For the abortion CW, one of the viewpoint characters seeks an abortion due to economic reasons, but under the law she needs her partner's permission and he opposes the action on religious grounds. The resolution:count_zero's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Violence
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and War
Minor: Death of parent
thepermageek's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A great Sci-fi read for anyone interested in bioethics, artificial intelligence, philosophy of mind/counsciousness, and/or Buddhist principles.
I also loved the diversity of its characters…in terms of locales (primarily the US & India), trans/non-binary folks, people of colour, & people with disabilities!
I also loved the diversity of its characters…in terms of locales (primarily the US & India), trans/non-binary folks, people of colour, & people with disabilities!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence and War
anxiousnachos's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Machinehood is a dark picture of our future, a future where gig work dominates, where AIs and robots do most jobs and where people can design drugs in their own kitchens. The worldbuilding in this is phenomenal and absolutely the best part of this book. I am absolutely loved that though this is set 100 years in our future, little tidbits are dropped (e.g. the line about Arizona abortion law) to see how we got from where we are now to where the world in Machinehood is, making it all the more terrifying and realistic. The world itself is also just fascinating, this world where funders hire people to design drugs in their own kitchens, the reliance on pharmaceuticals to do anything. There are hints dropped about a pandemic era that occurred that led to this which was particularly eerie and unsettling now.
What I was less sure of was Welga, one of the POV characters. She was a bit too “pro US/our military is the most ethical even though they abandoned me and my team and left us for dead” for me (not a spoiler). I will say, it’s definitely a novel that makes you uncomfortable and will make you think regarding the worldbuilding around military and protest and pharmaceutical companies though I’m not sure it always felt *intentional*.
But altogether, a very interesting read with an absolute fascinating world!
Content warnings: abortion, forced pregnancy, miscarriage, gore, drug use, addiction, withdrawal, violence, gun violence, war, racism, death, assault, body modification
What I was less sure of was Welga, one of the POV characters. She was a bit too “pro US/our military is the most ethical even though they abandoned me and my team and left us for dead” for me (not a spoiler). I will say, it’s definitely a novel that makes you uncomfortable and will make you think regarding the worldbuilding around military and protest and pharmaceutical companies though I’m not sure it always felt *intentional*.
But altogether, a very interesting read with an absolute fascinating world!
Content warnings: abortion, forced pregnancy, miscarriage, gore, drug use, addiction, withdrawal, violence, gun violence, war, racism, death, assault, body modification
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Gun violence, Violence, Drug abuse, Addiction, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and War
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