Helpful Score: 1
This is the story of a sex-robot turned espionage agent in a solar system where essentially all life has become extinct. It's an interesting idea --- such a robot has certainly become an obsolete item in such a place...
Stross' conceit for granting self-awareness and intelligence to such robots is the more-or-less direct copying of human neural networks onto non-organic brains, making these robots extremely human in their emotions and reactions. It's a fascinating look at how such artificial intelligences might one day interact.
But at the same time, I never really got into this book. The characterizations fell flat for me, and I struggled to stay interested. Stross has called this book his homage to Heinlein's "Friday", and sadly, it falls short of Heinlein's work. (Though Stross' technology is far more interesting.)
3 of 5 stars.
Stross' conceit for granting self-awareness and intelligence to such robots is the more-or-less direct copying of human neural networks onto non-organic brains, making these robots extremely human in their emotions and reactions. It's a fascinating look at how such artificial intelligences might one day interact.
But at the same time, I never really got into this book. The characterizations fell flat for me, and I struggled to stay interested. Stross has called this book his homage to Heinlein's "Friday", and sadly, it falls short of Heinlein's work. (Though Stross' technology is far more interesting.)
3 of 5 stars.
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