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Victoria Hetherington

Goodreads Author

Born

Toronto, Canada

Website

https://www.instagram.com/vmhetherington/

Twitter

VMHetherington

Genre

Fiction, Nonfiction, Science Fiction

Member Since

December 2018

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Victoria Hetherington is the author of five books: three science fiction novels including Amazon First Novel Award shortlisted and critically acclaimed MOONCALVES (Now or Never, 2019) AUTONOMY (Dundurn Press, 2022), and HOTEL PSYCHE (Rare Machines, 2026) and two books of investigative journalism: INTO THE MIST: FINDING CF-JDO (Kestrel Publications, 2022) and FRIEND MACHINE: ON THE TRAIL OF AI COMPANIONSHIP (Sutherland House; Canadian launch Fall 2025, American launch Spring 2026.)

Hetherington's digital fiction experiment titled I HAVE TO TELL YOU (0s&1s, 2014) was reviewed in places like the LA Review of Books, HTMLGiant, Ploughshares.

Hetherington's first novel MOONCALVES (Now or Never Publishing, April 2019), has been called a "a stunning Victoria Hetherington is the author of five books: three science fiction novels including Amazon First Novel Award shortlisted and critically acclaimed MOONCALVES (Now or Never, 2019) AUTONOMY (Dundurn Press, 2022), and HOTEL PSYCHE (Rare Machines, 2026) and two books of investigative journalism: INTO THE MIST: FINDING CF-JDO (Kestrel Publications, 2022) and FRIEND MACHINE: ON THE TRAIL OF AI COMPANIONSHIP (Sutherland House; Canadian launch Fall 2025, American launch Spring 2026.)

Hetherington's digital fiction experiment titled I HAVE TO TELL YOU (0s&1s, 2014) was reviewed in places like the LA Review of Books, HTMLGiant, Ploughshares.

Hetherington's first novel MOONCALVES (Now or Never Publishing, April 2019), has been called a "a stunning debut," (The Globe and Mail) "A stylish puzzle of a story...both singular and absorbing" (The Toronto Star) as "filling a particular, and dark, societal need" (Quill and Quire); "a work of great thematic depth" and whose central relationship "I completely loved and about whom I have had to restrain myself from writing paragraph after paragraph" (The Ex-Puritan), and more. According to The Vancouver Sun, "The arrival of Hetherington’s unique narrative voice may announce the coming of a new genre. You may be tempted, if you are as impressed by this debut as this reviewer is, to see Hetherington as the millennial generation’s persuasive answer to Atwood."

Hetherington's second novel, AUTONOMY, was published Spring 2022 with Rare Machines/Dundurn Press. Described by Giller-winning author Michael Redhill as "a beautifully written and profoundly enthralling novel that made me wonder if Joan Didion had started writing literary fiction," the book was called "a remarkable work of fiction" in the Vancouver Sun. Liz Harmer, author of The Amateurs, said "Hetherington's vision is bleak, but their glittering prose gives even the most monstrous realities of late-capitalism an unsettling glimmer." Noted critic Steven J. Beattie wrote that AUTONOMY is "a philosophical rumination on the nature of human agency in the guise of a dystopian narrative about technology and a global pandemic." From the Toronto Star: "Over punchy, effortless chapters Hetherington spins a delectably serpentine tale." The book has received additional praise from Quill and Quire, CBC The Next Chapter, the Literary Review of Canada, and others.
Brought to life by voice actor Sierra Kline and OrangeSky Productions, AUTONOMY is now available as an audiobook on Audible.

Equal parts tragedy and enduring, generational love, INTO THE MIST (Kestrel, 2023) tells the true story of a Saskatchewan aviation mystery six decades in the making. This is Hetherington's first nonfiction book. INTO THE MIST has received positive press from CBC Regina, CTV Saskatoon, and noted historians including Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan Bill Waiser, OC and Will Chabun. The book was launched cocurrently with an exhibit featuring the recovered plane wreckage at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum.

Hetherington's investigative nonfiction book, FRIEND MACHINE, has garnered praise from world-class thinkers on both sides of the AI debate. According to Dr. Roman Yampolksiy: "“Empirically rich and prophetic, 'The Friend Machine' exposes how algorithmic companions turn ‘lucrative loneliness’ into a subscription economy. It compels us to confront whether we are ready to outsource love itself to code that never sleeps.” Dr - Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson wrote that “The Friend Machine is a vivid, unsettling glimpse into how AI companions are already rewriting the rules of love, trust, and what it means to be human. Hetherington takes us to the front lines of AI companionship: a space where technology meets our deepest human needs. It’s gripping, unsettling, and essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how AI is already reshaping love, loneliness, and the social fabric itself." ...more

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Average rating: 3.63 · 232 ratings · 92 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Autonomy 3.48 avg rating — 160 ratings — published 2022 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mooncalves 3.94 avg rating — 48 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I Have to Tell You 3.82 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Friend Machine: On the Trail of AI Companionship it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Into The Mist: Finding CF-JDO really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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99 Stories of God

by Joy Williams

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Long Island Compromise

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Simply put: a must-read. A personal hero of mine, Dr. Yampolskiy is one of the sharpest minds in AI safety today. When I discovered his work during my undergraduate degree, and it fundamentally changed how I think about AI, and ten years on, it turne ...more
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