I have read a few of the author’s books, most of which I have enjoyed. This one was sort of along the same vein as his other work, but to me the style of the book was a gamble that did not pay off.
Maybe it was the tone of the writing. It is very clever and full of witty quips. The humor runs throughout the book but it is also balanced with parables and symbolism. My issue was these were a little heavy-handed.
The idea of a robot becoming self-aware seems like it has been pretty well covered in other books. I think where this one was aiming was a humorous take on the issue, but for me it somehow didn’t land well. The Murderbot series did it much better (and more efficiently).
I enjoyed the adventure of the story, and the humor mostly was well done. The spooky post-apocalyptic world was really interesting as a setting. But as an overall piece of work I thought it could have been a little more subtle in its messages.
Seems like this book may continue as a series, but for me I think I had enough of the character and the world that they live in.
Next I am reading Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton.
