4.75 – Highly Recommend
Key Features: Reflective, Strong Character Development, Frustrating in a Good Way, Discomforting in a Necessary Way, Funny
I rarely read sci-fi, so this was a surprise read for me. My husband likes sci-fi, so I got the audiobook to listen to on long drives. It was an awesome read. It starts slow. Each major portion of the book is about 10 chapters long. Don't let the slow pace put you off. The story may take its time, but it also has very few, if any, plot holes. It has an open ending, but you don't worry about character #2 who was given a five page spread at the beginning of the book and never mentioned again later. Everyone who matters is accounted for.
For a sci-fi adventure, the book is a very heavy critique on unrestricted AI development and implementation as well as the danger of greed, especially in the face of systems you don't fully understand. The story is a clear lesson on not assuming you're the smartest person in the room. It's also a clear lesson on remembering that differences make the world better, not worse.
The story also does not sugar coat the dangers of choosing to be ignorant about things in the world simply because you think they won't impact you. It doesn't say to obsess over the news or to dedicate your life to staying knowledgeable about the world, but it makes it abundantly clear that choosing to ignore the fire at your neighbor's house because you live a couple houses down the street and "what can I do about it anyway" is a quick way to end up with your house burned down (fire travels fast and smoldering debris can light up things they land on when they fly away due to wind; and you can break out the hose and start getting everything around you covered in water to slow the spread). This is the book's most obvious and heavy handed call-out. I like that. Too many people are "shocked and horrified" when dangerous policies and practices start affecting them because they "thought it would only impact this small group." No one is safe from policies and practices that center themselves on greed and hate.
by OpalJade98