I’d been in the mood for some science fiction and I wanted a story I could really invest some time into.
When I received the email to review To Dream, I was captured immediately. I read the extract and I was so excited to read it. I started to resent the books I was reading at the time for not being finished quick enough.
Anatomy of a Humachine is a science fiction tour de force spanning two centuries and crossing two planets. Book I: To Dream centres on J-1, an artificial intelligence struggling to find his humanity; the grieving scientist who created him; the ruthless head of the corporation who owns him; and the iron-willed leader of a rebel force seeking revenge for the death of her family and the destruction of her planet.
The story was really captivating. It quenched my thirst for a complex science fiction story. The story revolves around this substance called genimetrothiasine, GTS for short which rejuvenates the body. So there’s characters in their 100s who look like they’re in their 20s.
J-1 is a humachine working in the warehouse holding the GTS and he accidentally ingests some of the GTS and then starts so exhibit human emotions and independent thought. I really liked the parts from his perspective. It was interesting to read about emotions like sadness and anger being processed by a robotic and logical mind and to see him steadily give himself over to his emotions and become slightly more human.
There was a lot of action and across a few storylines. I like stories with lots of different characters. It really keeps you on your toes rather than just following one character. It felt sometimes there was a lot going on and it was hard to explain when people would ask me what I was reading.
It jumped between timelines with each chapter. So at one point it’s 2250 and the next chapter it’s 2030 and then goes back to 2250. As I had big gaps between reading it was hard to remember where I was in each chapter and keep track of the timeline. The more I read, the clearer it got and I was able to follow the action as it developed.
I really liked the ending. It ended right in the climax of the story, which I actually liked. It’s strange for me to put a book down without that sense of closure. So it’s obviously setting up for book 2 which I will definitely be looking out for and so should you!
To Dream was released in January 2017. Click here to read an extract. You can find Louis K Lowy here and you can buy To Dream here
Featured Photo credit: br1dotcom via Visual Hunt / CC BY
A Thousand Lives 