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hank's review
3.0
I enjoyed this but it was kind of generic. There wasn't enough drama to be a thriller, the social commentary was a bit one note (essentially the gig economy being bad) and although the future tech was sort of interesting it wasn't exactly mind blowing.
I did like the characters and the story but it is a book that did lots of things well, just nothing great.
I did like the characters and the story but it is a book that did lots of things well, just nothing great.
eklipse219's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
_jamie's review
4.0
Between a 3.75-4*. It took me a while to get over the first third or so of the book. Welga annoyed me many times but I understand the motivations. The book itself is quite good and gives someone a lot to think about.
tensy's review
3.0
I found that this novel, which explores a near future (2095) world where technology, artificial intelligence and robotics have become common place, to have an interesting premise. The author writes well, but exceeded her share of info dumps. While the world building was interesting, the characters were mostly flat and used as mouthpieces to describe the details of their environment. It was hard to engage with Welga, the operative in search of the Machinehood group, which is causing a lot of mayhem as it tries to eradicate the Earth's reliance on robotics and skill enhancing pills which people use to increase their strength and intellect in order to compete with robots. I found portions to be overly preachy, especially when discussing Buddhist philosophy, although it was a nice change from the typical Judeo-Christian perspective. Overall, this could have been a great novel, but it fell short in character development and if we don't care what happens to the protagonists no amount of well meaning social commentary can rescue this story.
smalone825's review
4.0
This book was so unique; I'd love if this were made into a duology. Such a fascinating take on the concept of how humanity will adjust with the furthering of technology and AI. The character development of our two FMCs was REALLY good, and I loved the world building. I've never ready anything by this author prior to this, and will definitely be reading more!
heregrim's review
5.0
Plot centers around the ethics of Capitalism, body modification, bioethics of pharmaceutical use, machine rights/AI or what it means to exist, and social media. The framework is Buddhist but with Roman Catholic put in as the negative foil (still used positively where appropriate). Welga is a strong, driven main lead and I enjoyed the philosophy that played at the fringes the whole book. Great Read.
jhamm115's review
4.0
3.75 stars rounded up. Was not exactly what I expected. The sci-fi was very cool and the I enjoyed the AI concepts. I liked the counterintuitive incorporation of Buddhism in the novel as well. The authors writing was neat and I appreciated the technicality of it all.
humvee's review against another edition
5.0
S.B. Divya is the William Gibson of our modern times, and "Machinehood" is "Neuromancer" reborn!
I say that S.B. Divya is the William Gibson of our modern times, and that "Machinehood" is "Neuromancer" reborn not to cast disparagement on either author or either novel. I say it with praise. The writings of William Gibson rocked my scifi world as a young man, and after reading this novel I feel that the foundations of my scifi world are again trembling! What a great debut novel! A gritty and believable world setting, and believable people to populate it. Olga Ramirez is a likeable protagonist. The tech, especially power storage tech, would have to improve dramatically in the next seventy years for much of the tech described in the novel to exist. But when one considers the technological advancements of the last century, it certainly doesn't seem impossible. Besides, good scifi stories don't have to be hard scifi stories. I look forward to reading more titles penned by S.B. Divya!
I say that S.B. Divya is the William Gibson of our modern times, and that "Machinehood" is "Neuromancer" reborn not to cast disparagement on either author or either novel. I say it with praise. The writings of William Gibson rocked my scifi world as a young man, and after reading this novel I feel that the foundations of my scifi world are again trembling! What a great debut novel! A gritty and believable world setting, and believable people to populate it. Olga Ramirez is a likeable protagonist. The tech, especially power storage tech, would have to improve dramatically in the next seventy years for much of the tech described in the novel to exist. But when one considers the technological advancements of the last century, it certainly doesn't seem impossible. Besides, good scifi stories don't have to be hard scifi stories. I look forward to reading more titles penned by S.B. Divya!
saraupsidedown's review
2.0
Interesting story arc but too much world explaining and way too much plot. I felt like I learned more science than about the characters.