Scan barcode
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
More...