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utopiastateofmind's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book, it was pretty fast paced and full or jargon. It reminded me of a few other books I read (Wind up Girl, Neuromancer) and I think that made it a much more enjoyable experience. It was a pretty interesting topic for the world building as well as the unveiling of the plot
rosseroo's review
4.0
When I do read sci-fi, my preference is for near-future stuff set on our existing planet, which is why I picked this up after reading about it somewhere. It's a great debut, and the first in a trilogy (followed by Dead Boys and Dead Things), which I didn't realize until the end. The story takes place a little less than a century in the future, where nanotechnology and robotics and human nature have combined to create a virus that threatens all humanity.
It seems that in London, when young girls hit puberty, they are transformed into a form of vampiric human/nanotech hybrid/robots called "gynoids" or "Lilim" or "dolls". They have a blood lust toward men, and may also have various telepathic and telekinetic powers. For the safety of humanity, London has therefore been sealed... but there are ways out. One doll who made it out is Primavera, with the help of her boyfriend Ignatz. They made it all the way to Thailand, where they've been surviving as contract killers for hire.
We learn all this via flashback chapters, which are interwoven with their current woes, as various interests come gunning for them. In a sense, the plot of the story is less interesting or important than the overall wild vibe of this vision of future Earth, as well as the themes of mortality, sexuality, love, and humanity. It's a both fascinating and chilling version of the future, full of colorful language and characters. It's also short and sweet, so it's not a huge commitment to try out. Once I catch my breath, I'll try out the next in the trilogy. I'm also curious to see the graphic novelization of the book, which recently came out.
It seems that in London, when young girls hit puberty, they are transformed into a form of vampiric human/nanotech hybrid/robots called "gynoids" or "Lilim" or "dolls". They have a blood lust toward men, and may also have various telepathic and telekinetic powers. For the safety of humanity, London has therefore been sealed... but there are ways out. One doll who made it out is Primavera, with the help of her boyfriend Ignatz. They made it all the way to Thailand, where they've been surviving as contract killers for hire.
We learn all this via flashback chapters, which are interwoven with their current woes, as various interests come gunning for them. In a sense, the plot of the story is less interesting or important than the overall wild vibe of this vision of future Earth, as well as the themes of mortality, sexuality, love, and humanity. It's a both fascinating and chilling version of the future, full of colorful language and characters. It's also short and sweet, so it's not a huge commitment to try out. Once I catch my breath, I'll try out the next in the trilogy. I'm also curious to see the graphic novelization of the book, which recently came out.
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