emulating culture classics like a24’s ‘ex machina’, ‘annie bot’ is a gripping liteat this point, even robots are choosing the bear
— 3.5 stars _________
emulating culture classics like a24’s ‘ex machina’, ‘annie bot’ is a gripping literary sci-fi following a sex robot who begins developing her consciousness. greer sets up the perfect backdrop to explore female agency, domestic abuse, toxic masculinity, as well as predicting the role that emerging ai technologies will play in both detracting and contributing to women’s experiences. it paints a frightening picture of a future that is much too conceivable.
greer touches on a sobering concept that ai could conserve oppressive gender norms that we should be working to eradicate. women become literal objects (in the form of robots) and conduits for men’s desires, creating a future where men are able to enact any violent or sexual desire upon a female body without repercussions. in fact, men are *literally* creating their idealised, perfect female body to own and mistreat in any way they can.
despite this sounding like an artless anti-men tirade, ‘annie bot’ does an excellent job at adding depth and dimension to a perverse relationship, showing how vitriol corrodes the abuser and the victim, wrestling with ideas of identity and freedom, and framing an abusive relationship in painful detail.
although this novel was a little longer than it needed to be, and probably isn’t a story i’ll think about too often, it was exactly the type of narrative i was looking for at the time: a suspenseful and reflective robot thriller. there are issues with credulity (how did doug manage to make tens of thousands of pounds to buy a sex robot in the first place? why is annie the only bot to be developing in this way?), and i did find it to be slightly blunt with its messaging. the ending underwhelmed me (i really wish greer was more daring and had gone down the ‘ex machina’ route). nonetheless, this was a very solid literary sci-fi/thriller debut that i do actually recommend (despite how negative parts of this review might sound lmao)...more
the way that every single one of these stories either made me feel sad, sick, horrified, or all of the above simultaneously ________________
‘bloodchildthe way that every single one of these stories either made me feel sad, sick, horrified, or all of the above simultaneously ________________
‘bloodchild’ is a curated collection of short stories and essays that help give shape to the mind behind some of the most significant sci-fi novels to have been written by a female author.
with stories ranging from humans being incubators for alien parasites, to post-apocalyptic worlds where a virus has rendered humanity incapable of communicating, you can expect this collection to be dark, grotesque, and surprisingly quite sad.
i highly recommend this edition if you’re planning on reading butler’s shorter fiction. after each short story there’s a note by butler detailing her inspiration, motivation and intention for the piece, giving another form of life to the stories in this collection. it definitely helped me to develop an alternative perspective and deeper appreciation for each piece without taking away my own personal experience of reading each story.
the two essays in here are valuable and must-reads if you want insight into the mind of the first black woman to be able to make a living off of writing science fiction novels. sharing valuable advice into the process of writing, i think her essays would be great for aspiring creatives and writers!!...more
if you feel like you've had a bad day, i just read a 500 page book written in the perspective of a fucking worm......no-one is suffering more than me if you feel like you've had a bad day, i just read a 500 page book written in the perspective of a fucking worm......no-one is suffering more than me right now...more
This was a reread for me, I first read this volume 3 years ago, and I gave it 3 stars. Honestly, i have no idea why I initially gave this 3 stars, becThis was a reread for me, I first read this volume 3 years ago, and I gave it 3 stars. Honestly, i have no idea why I initially gave this 3 stars, because this was incredible.
This volume BLEW me away. A steampunk horror series, with Asian influences, a badass and slightly unhinged mc (my fav type of mc), lottts of sarcastic and witty talking cats, it's dark and bleak. This series is a culmination of all of my favourite things.
The artwork was absolutely incredible. Every page was stunning, when I tell you I literally wanted to print pages off and frame them....
Also, Maika Halfwolf. I am utterly obsessed with her. With just this one volume, Maika Halfwolf made it to my top favourite characters list. She's quite cold/grumpy and fierce, yet she still has a soft spot. I just loved her, and I cannot wait to continue with this series!!
I will say, with this being a sci/fantasy graphic novel series, it can be slightly difficult to follow along with at times. It wasn't too much of a struggle imo, but I can definitely see it being difficult to keep up with if you're not someone who usually reads fantasy/sci-fi.
This was a reread for me, I first read this volume 3 years ago, and I gave it 3 stars. Honestly, i have no idea why I initially gave this 3 stars, because this was incredible.
This volume BLEW me away. A steampunk horror series, with Asian influences, a badass and slightly unhinged mc (my fav type of mc), lottts of sarcastic and witty talking cats, it's dark and bleak. This series is a culmination of all of my favourite things.
The artwork was absolutely incredible. Every page was stunning, when I tell you I literally wanted to print pages off and frame them....
Also, Maika Halfwolf. I am utterly obsessed with her. With just this one volume, Maika Halfwolf made it to my top favourite characters list. She's quite cold/grumpy and fierce, yet she still has a soft spot. I just loved her, and I cannot wait to continue with this series!!
I will say, with this being a sci/fantasy graphic novel series, it can be slightly difficult to follow along with at times. It wasn't too much of a struggle imo, but I can definitely see it being difficult to keep up with if you're not someone who usually reads fantasy/sci-fi.
3.5☆ | ‘children of dune’ is the third book in the dune series, and it builds upon the themes introduced in the previous two instalments in a way that3.5☆ | ‘children of dune’ is the third book in the dune series, and it builds upon the themes introduced in the previous two instalments in a way that i found to be absolutely incredible. where ‘dune’ and ‘dune messiah’ focus on the rise and fall of colonial imperialist paul atreides, in book 3, we refocus on the effects of colonisation on the ecology and landscape of dune.
arrakis begins transforming. the desert planet’s metamorphosis into a green world with water poses a risk to essential life like sandworms. we see dune developed: buildings, roads, and plants. what seems to be a symbol of evolution and progression quickly descends into an allegory of colonial rule and the erasure of indigenous lands and ways of life. it’s haunting to see this world become something it should've never been, and ‘children of dune’ primarily focuses on the consequences of this change.
this series feels so current and urgent. it's messaging on the horrors of colonisation, religious fervour and politics, flawed and corrupt power systems, and the erasure of indigenous lifestyles, is something that we're witnessing right now in parts of our world. this series and it's ideas feel more relevant than ever.
i’ve seen a lot of people critique the character development in this book, and i completely disagree. i found the complexity of certain characters—alia, specifically—to be mind-blowing. the layers of these characters and the way they fit into the wider universe and into the environment have been so carefully considered. alia has to be one of the most compelling characters i’ve read in a LONG time. i could write an entire essay on her alone.
however, i did have some issues actually reading this book. i struggled with the first chunk; it took me roughly 200 pages to fall into the story. i think herbert is an incredible author, but this instalment did feel like a book of riddles at times. herbert writes in a way where everything feels excessively ambiguous. his vagueness has a tendency to get in the way of the plot. for those reasons, this was a 3.5/75☆ for the majority of the story. however, that last third was absolutely insane, and i couldn’t not give it a higher rating.
overall, ‘children of dune’ is the end of an era. the new slowly, reluctantly, erases the old. the direction this series is going in is completely unprecedented (but i'm very much a fan). each book gets weirder and weirder and i am beyond excited to see what happens next!!...more
wish ellison chose therapy instead of writing a short story collection where women are being brutalised, called skanks, objectiwell this ruined my day
wish ellison chose therapy instead of writing a short story collection where women are being brutalised, called skanks, objectified/constantly reduced to sex objects. the level of misogyny in here was both astounding and concerning
usually with classics (this definitely does not have enough merit to be labelled a classic, imo, but whatever), i'm willing to be more lenient with outdated aspects, but only if the other components of the work (plot, characters, themes, etc.) are substantial, and they weren't. every short story was boring; they offered nothing of value. i'm never reading anything by this author again, and if you're looking for a quick sci-fi horror, pick up literally anything but this...more
the concept of queer nuns in space sounded so good to me, but this left something to be desired in terms of themes or plot — there wasn't anything in the concept of queer nuns in space sounded so good to me, but this left something to be desired in terms of themes or plot — there wasn't anything in here that kept me engaged/pulled me in
some of the characters had major potential for me to fall in love with them, i almost wish it was longer so i could've reached that point. a few concepts in here were fascinating, including the weird slug ships (cool as fuck), but all in all it was just a little boring for me
i'd still suggest giving it a go if you want something short, chill & female-oriented <3...more
2.5 ☆ - majority of the stories in here were 2☆ stories for me. although the concepts were unique, i found that they were underdeveloped, ended really2.5 ☆ - majority of the stories in here were 2☆ stories for me. although the concepts were unique, i found that they were underdeveloped, ended really abruptly, or were rather forgettable
there were three stories that i loved. one of them being 'story of your life', aka the story that the film arrival is based on. definitely a standout story in this collection. i reallly liked 'hell is the absence of god'. i think that ted chiang excels at writing longer, emotive pieces as opposed to ambitious scientific thought projects. the latter comes across as dull in this format, the former works realllyy well for me. this was so good, i loved the unique take on religion and theology. my other favourite was 'liking what you see: a documentary'. this final story was the most thought-provoking. it's discussions on beauty/pretty privilege were outstanding. i love that chiang approached this extremely complex topic from a variety of perspectives, allowing the reader to arrive at their own conclusions. so so well-written.
however, only 3 out of 8 stories worked for me :/ even though those 3 stories were incredible, the collection as a whole was disappointing...more
dnf at 25% — i'm definitely open to giving it another go bc i loved(!!) the main character, but it's just not gripping me rndnf at 25% — i'm definitely open to giving it another go bc i loved(!!) the main character, but it's just not gripping me rn...more
my first becky chambers ☁️ i'm about to read everything she's ever written, wow
this book is a perfect entry point into sci-fi, and it's definitely my my first becky chambers ☁️ i'm about to read everything she's ever written, wow
this book is a perfect entry point into sci-fi, and it's definitely my new go-to sci-fi recommendation for people!! a quick, heart-warming, impactful novella that really packs a punch <3...more
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