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Runtime
The Minerva Sierra Challenge is a grueling spectacle, the cyborg’s Tour de France. Rich thrill-seekers with corporate sponsorships, extensive support teams, and top-of-the-line exoskeletal and internal augmentations pit themselves against the elements in a day-long race across the Sierra Nevada.
Marmeg Guinto doesn’t have funding, and she doesn’t have support. She cobbled her gear together from parts she found in rich people’s dumpsters and spent the money her mother wanted her to use for nursing school to enter the race. But the race is the only chance she has at a better life for herself and her younger brothers, and she’s ready to risk it all.
Marmeg Guinto doesn’t have funding, and she doesn’t have support. She cobbled her gear together from parts she found in rich people’s dumpsters and spent the money her mother wanted her to use for nursing school to enter the race. But the race is the only chance she has at a better life for herself and her younger brothers, and she’s ready to risk it all.
Audio CD
First published May 17, 2016
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About the author
S.B. Divya
25 books480 followersS.B. Divya (she/any) is a lover of science, math, fiction, and the Oxford comma. She is the Hugo and Nebula nominated author of Meru (2023), Machinehood, Runtime, and Contingency Plans For the Apocalypse and Other Possible Situations. Her short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, and she was the co-editor of Escape Pod, the weekly science fiction podcast, from 2017-2022. Divya holds degrees in Computational Neuroscience and Signal Processing, and she worked for twenty years as an electrical engineer before becoming an author. Born in Pondicherry, India, Divya now resides in Southern California. She enjoys subverting expectations and breaking stereotypes whenever she can.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
December 13, 2017
If you’re looking for a fun, bite-sized book snack in between larger reads then look no further - S.B Divya’s Runtime is the literary doughnut you are hankering for.
It’s small, satisfying, and occasionally a little too sweet, but this novella goes down very, very easily.
Divya sets her story in a convincing American dystopia, where citizens are classed on whether they are native born and registered (in which case they get access to health, education, etc.) or unregistered, in which case they are left with the support services of Darwinian selection.
Unregistered residents can pay to become legitimate, but the vast cost is beyond the means of most, leaving them stuck in an impoverished underclass.
Into this hellish (but not implausible) mess comes Marmeg Guinta, an unregistered coder and tech-wiz with an insufferable (and one-note) mother and a couple of neer-do-well brothers. Marmeg’s life is at a crossroads where she is balancing her passion- getting a real tech degree, becoming registered and making a new life – and the pressure her mother is putting on her to gain an aged care qualification that will guarantee her regular work, but never allow to escape poverty.
In her techie travels Marmeg has accumulated a host of black-market implants that allow her to interface with exoskeletal enhancements, and over time she has gathered discarded and unwanted gear which she has fashioned into a working super-parkour suit, a suit which could be her ticket to a better life.
In a desperate shot at success she has decided to enter the Minerva Sierra Challenge. A brutal, day long race through the Sierra Nevada mountains that can make superstars of its winners. The catch is that she will be competing with wealthy, sponsored athletes in the latest gear, equipment that makes her own recycled exosuit look like a blunderbuss at a laser cannon convention.
Spending the last of money she buses to the start line of the race with a bag of spare parts and begins her gruelling trek across the mountains, where she will test herself, her ethics and what she will sacrifice to her desire to win.
Runtime is a fun read. The pages flash past, and the story Divya tells is engaging. The novella has a bit of a teen fic vibe, from the age of the central character through to the triumph-of-the-poor-kid and stay-true-to-your-values messages the story imparts, so don’t expect anything particularly dark or horrifying, or a grim ending.
It verges on being a tad saccharine at times, but in saying that, grim endings and dark stories are common in SF, and if you need a break from the grind of heavier books Runtime is the reading treat for you.
Divya writes well, and tells a good story, ending her narrative at the point when, like any good purveyor of sweet treats, she knows her customers will be left wanting more.
It’s small, satisfying, and occasionally a little too sweet, but this novella goes down very, very easily.
Divya sets her story in a convincing American dystopia, where citizens are classed on whether they are native born and registered (in which case they get access to health, education, etc.) or unregistered, in which case they are left with the support services of Darwinian selection.
Unregistered residents can pay to become legitimate, but the vast cost is beyond the means of most, leaving them stuck in an impoverished underclass.
Into this hellish (but not implausible) mess comes Marmeg Guinta, an unregistered coder and tech-wiz with an insufferable (and one-note) mother and a couple of neer-do-well brothers. Marmeg’s life is at a crossroads where she is balancing her passion- getting a real tech degree, becoming registered and making a new life – and the pressure her mother is putting on her to gain an aged care qualification that will guarantee her regular work, but never allow to escape poverty.
In her techie travels Marmeg has accumulated a host of black-market implants that allow her to interface with exoskeletal enhancements, and over time she has gathered discarded and unwanted gear which she has fashioned into a working super-parkour suit, a suit which could be her ticket to a better life.
In a desperate shot at success she has decided to enter the Minerva Sierra Challenge. A brutal, day long race through the Sierra Nevada mountains that can make superstars of its winners. The catch is that she will be competing with wealthy, sponsored athletes in the latest gear, equipment that makes her own recycled exosuit look like a blunderbuss at a laser cannon convention.
Spending the last of money she buses to the start line of the race with a bag of spare parts and begins her gruelling trek across the mountains, where she will test herself, her ethics and what she will sacrifice to her desire to win.
Runtime is a fun read. The pages flash past, and the story Divya tells is engaging. The novella has a bit of a teen fic vibe, from the age of the central character through to the triumph-of-the-poor-kid and stay-true-to-your-values messages the story imparts, so don’t expect anything particularly dark or horrifying, or a grim ending.
It verges on being a tad saccharine at times, but in saying that, grim endings and dark stories are common in SF, and if you need a break from the grind of heavier books Runtime is the reading treat for you.
Divya writes well, and tells a good story, ending her narrative at the point when, like any good purveyor of sweet treats, she knows her customers will be left wanting more.
March 10, 2017
Divya paints a very interesting world with a few strokes. Through the eyes of Marmeg, we see the raging social inequalities held in place, surprisingly by both sides. Dualities seem to be everywhere: people benefiting from the system and those who don't, people with exoskeletons and opting for a neutral gender and those firm against any technology. In fact, most characters in this novella see things one way or the other, black or white, and this is where Marmeg shines in her refusal to follow this, to find her own route, physically, and more importantly morally.
Great thought-provoking read! Hope the author carries on with the story.
Great thought-provoking read! Hope the author carries on with the story.
November 12, 2016
A terrific little novella with elements of human cyber-enhancement and the lived experience of being an illegal immigrant in the US.
Marmeg is of Filipino descent and living as an unlicensed person in the US like most of her family. In this US of the future you need a citizen license to access any of society's infrastructure and it costs a lot of money to get one. (A background piece early on shows politicians trying to make it more expensive). She's under huge pressure from her mother to give up on her dreams to be an enhancement engineer and to become more cyborged. But instead, she enters a wilderness race for the cyber-enhanced, using enhancements that she's salvaged, repaired and programmed herself in the goal of winning enough prize money to get herself a future and to buy her youngest sibling his citizen license.
This is terrific. Marmeg's drive to become better is palpable, and she faces huge obstacles including her wonderfully supportive (not!) mother. There's interesting perspective as well from the anti-enhancement people that she encounters, who initially start making sense, but then show some really disturbing moral choices.
I'd love to read more in this world.
Marmeg is of Filipino descent and living as an unlicensed person in the US like most of her family. In this US of the future you need a citizen license to access any of society's infrastructure and it costs a lot of money to get one. (A background piece early on shows politicians trying to make it more expensive). She's under huge pressure from her mother to give up on her dreams to be an enhancement engineer and to become more cyborged. But instead, she enters a wilderness race for the cyber-enhanced, using enhancements that she's salvaged, repaired and programmed herself in the goal of winning enough prize money to get herself a future and to buy her youngest sibling his citizen license.
This is terrific. Marmeg's drive to become better is palpable, and she faces huge obstacles including her wonderfully supportive (not!) mother. There's interesting perspective as well from the anti-enhancement people that she encounters, who initially start making sense, but then show some really disturbing moral choices.
I'd love to read more in this world.
December 26, 2023
3 Stars for Runtime (audiobook) by S. B. Divya read by Jennifer Aquino.
I’ll liked the premise of the story but I would have liked more racing action.
I’ll liked the premise of the story but I would have liked more racing action.
November 29, 2018
There are the bones of an interesting world here, but the story fails to sufficiently flesh them out. S.B. Divya is a talented writer, but I needed more from this novella. I enjoyed that the story got going right away, but there was not sufficient time left for world-building. Additionally, there were two aspects that made me very frustrated.
The conflation of cyborg mods and gender identity was probably the thing I disliked most about this book. It felt like gender identity was entirely tied to bodies - very obviously in the blatant transphobia of two of the characters, but also by the underlying world-building. As far as I could tell, the people who used ze/zir pronouns were those with lots of cyborg body mods and surgery that altered sex-associated anatomy and left them sterile. Which is a very different thing than having a non-binary gender identity. Like, hey, in fact you cannot tell anyone's pronouns by looking at them? For me, the topic of gender identity was just very poorly handled (I actually don't think identity was ever even mentioned/discussed), and I was annoyed by what seemed to be unnecessary transphobic comment and misgendering in the middle.
The other aspect that made me angry was the theme about "earning" your place in an inherently unjust society. I kept hoping that Marmeg would get past this, but by the end she is still saying that she has to "prove" herself. Look, the idea that people who are structurally disadvantaged have to play by the rules, work hard, and get the approval of people in power to be "successful" is a lie that only serves to maintain social hierarchies.
The conflation of cyborg mods and gender identity was probably the thing I disliked most about this book. It felt like gender identity was entirely tied to bodies - very obviously in the blatant transphobia of two of the characters, but also by the underlying world-building. As far as I could tell, the people who used ze/zir pronouns were those with lots of cyborg body mods and surgery that altered sex-associated anatomy and left them sterile. Which is a very different thing than having a non-binary gender identity. Like, hey, in fact you cannot tell anyone's pronouns by looking at them? For me, the topic of gender identity was just very poorly handled (I actually don't think identity was ever even mentioned/discussed), and I was annoyed by what seemed to be unnecessary transphobic comment and misgendering in the middle.
The other aspect that made me angry was the theme about "earning" your place in an inherently unjust society. I kept hoping that Marmeg would get past this, but by the end she is still saying that she has to "prove" herself. Look, the idea that people who are structurally disadvantaged have to play by the rules, work hard, and get the approval of people in power to be "successful" is a lie that only serves to maintain social hierarchies.
November 27, 2020
This was really good! With brevity, S.B. Divya paints a grim near future of haves: people with a citizen license, which grants access to education, healthcare and other important infrastructure, and have-nots, like main character Marmeg, without legal status, locked out of the infrastructure and opportunities because they don’t have the license.
Marmeg is bright, a whiz at engineering and coding, and doesn’t have the money for higher education, and she does not want to follow the track her mother has in mind for her. She’s also got embedded chips and an exoskeleton she’s scrounged from parts and built herself, with plans to enter a gruelling race for the money, so she can get the degree she needs, and acquire a citizen license for her youngest brother.
Divya’s writing is vivid and builds tension nicely, giving us a good picture of Marmeg’s circumstances and her world full of barriers for someone without the money, documentation, and legal status. The description of the race and its hazards are well-handled, also.
I wish this story were longer, or had a second instalment, as I wanted to see more of this world, and find out where Marmeg ended up next.
Marmeg is bright, a whiz at engineering and coding, and doesn’t have the money for higher education, and she does not want to follow the track her mother has in mind for her. She’s also got embedded chips and an exoskeleton she’s scrounged from parts and built herself, with plans to enter a gruelling race for the money, so she can get the degree she needs, and acquire a citizen license for her youngest brother.
Divya’s writing is vivid and builds tension nicely, giving us a good picture of Marmeg’s circumstances and her world full of barriers for someone without the money, documentation, and legal status. The description of the race and its hazards are well-handled, also.
I wish this story were longer, or had a second instalment, as I wanted to see more of this world, and find out where Marmeg ended up next.
August 29, 2016
I read all of Tor.com’s novellas, which is a good thing because I otherwise might have missed out on this gem by S.B. Divya. I would never have picked up a story about a cyborg endurance race on my own, but I’m glad I read this one. Runtime is a marvel of world building and character portraiture wrapped around a perfectly executed straightforward plot and just the right amount of smart-but-not-overbearing social commentary. It’s a near-perfect use of the novella length, and I cannot wait to see what S.B. Divya does next.
Read the full review at SF Bluestocking.
Read the full review at SF Bluestocking.
March 11, 2016
I received this as an egalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This was a pretty interesting story of a young woman entering a race (using an exoskeleton suit), hoping to win and use the prize money to better her life and her family's. It tackles some ethical questions about cheating and doing the right thing even when it means it might hurt you.
It was enjoyable and I thought the use of language was strong, but the story didn't go as deep as I wanted it to. I would love to read more in this world though and see the details fleshed out.
This was a pretty interesting story of a young woman entering a race (using an exoskeleton suit), hoping to win and use the prize money to better her life and her family's. It tackles some ethical questions about cheating and doing the right thing even when it means it might hurt you.
It was enjoyable and I thought the use of language was strong, but the story didn't go as deep as I wanted it to. I would love to read more in this world though and see the details fleshed out.
May 19, 2016
I received a signed copy of this novella from the author during Nebula Weekend.
Divya's novella is fine scifi: an underdog tale of a cross-country runner with an exoskeleton built out of scrap parts. Marmeg is a heroine you can truly root for, someone who works with black market goods out of necessity to survive, but keeps her eyes on the prize of college and a better life beyond. The world-building here is really something. This is a future America with frequent body modifications and an unsettling yet realistic caste system; many things are merely implied, and I can't help but want Divya to write more works in this setting. Then there is the race itself, where Marmeg confronts the brutality of nature and her fellow competitors... and everything leads to an ending that is complicated and oh so right.
This is a novella to keep in mind when I vote for the Hugos and Nebulas next year.
Divya's novella is fine scifi: an underdog tale of a cross-country runner with an exoskeleton built out of scrap parts. Marmeg is a heroine you can truly root for, someone who works with black market goods out of necessity to survive, but keeps her eyes on the prize of college and a better life beyond. The world-building here is really something. This is a future America with frequent body modifications and an unsettling yet realistic caste system; many things are merely implied, and I can't help but want Divya to write more works in this setting. Then there is the race itself, where Marmeg confronts the brutality of nature and her fellow competitors... and everything leads to an ending that is complicated and oh so right.
This is a novella to keep in mind when I vote for the Hugos and Nebulas next year.
September 16, 2016
The tor.com novellas have generally been an interesting bunch, and Runtime definitely adds to the mix. There’s a lot of background stuff which I find really intriguing: the society, the genderless/third gender (it’s not entirely clear what this should be considered as), the tech… The idea of what amounts to a caste system in America is pretty topical, given the attitude to immigrants at the moment, and it doesn’t feel that far off or strange.
The story itself is relatively simple: Marmeg, the protagonist, joins in a gruelling race using implants and an exoskeleton, hoping to finance her future and get her brother legal status in the US with the winnings. In the end, she has to choose what’s most important, and does what I think most readers would consider the right thing… and loses what she hoped for as a result, because the system doesn’t want to allow people like Marmeg to win. It’s a complex situation which has a quick look around at the ethics of the situation Marmeg ends up in; I won’t spoiler you on exactly what that is.
Despite the simplicity of that plot — a stripped down The Long Walk — it works well, and the voices help to make it as well. I’ll be looking out for Divya’s writing.
Originally posted here.
The story itself is relatively simple: Marmeg, the protagonist, joins in a gruelling race using implants and an exoskeleton, hoping to finance her future and get her brother legal status in the US with the winnings. In the end, she has to choose what’s most important, and does what I think most readers would consider the right thing… and loses what she hoped for as a result, because the system doesn’t want to allow people like Marmeg to win. It’s a complex situation which has a quick look around at the ethics of the situation Marmeg ends up in; I won’t spoiler you on exactly what that is.
Despite the simplicity of that plot — a stripped down The Long Walk — it works well, and the voices help to make it as well. I’ll be looking out for Divya’s writing.
Originally posted here.
April 3, 2023
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Mermeg (mc) is Filipino-American.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
▷ Representation: Mermeg (mc) is Filipino-American.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
April 1, 2016
Full review coming. Rock-solid 3.5 stars. Divya's story takes the hackneyed premise so common to the YA dystopian genre (have-not partakes in a grueling competition to better her and her family's mobility) and actually uses it for the purpose of meaningful cultural commentary.
October 16, 2016
Small book about the US having a caste system and one woman's attempt to get out of hers. Kind of heart breaking toward the end with a nice HEA (happy every after).
October 9, 2017
Listen to me ramble about exoskeleton suits, a cyborg adventure race, and the consequences to winning a race no matter the cost or means to do so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6320M...
February 15, 2025
Recensione apparsa su Leggere distopico!
La popolazione americana è divisa in due fazioni: i non-autorizzati ai quali vengono negati benefici in diversi ambiti sia per quanto concerne la sfera medica, l’istruzione e il mondo del lavoro e tutti gli altri.
Marmeg, la nostra protagonista, appartiene a questa sfortunata casta e non vuole più condurre un’esistenza consumata da questo nuovo e impari sistema di leggi. Servendosi delle sue competenze tecnologiche e di una serie di apparecchiature “rubate” dalla spazzatura dei più ricchi è riuscita a costruirsi un rudimentale esoscheletro e nessuno la distrarrà dall’obiettivo che si è prefissata. Aspira a far parte dell’altra fetta della popolazione e questa sua quasi maniacale ambizione la porta a giocarsi il tutto per tutto partecipando alla Minerva Sierra Challenge una gara di parkour d’alto livello che, grazie anche alla sua rilevanza mediatica, potrebbe davvero cambiarle la vita.
Mi sono avvicinata a questo romanzo breve senza alcun tipo di aspettativa.
La mia chiave di lettura è stata scorgerci una velata disapprovazione al fenomeno sempre più dilagante del transumanesimo, S. B. Divya traccia una linea di demarcazione ben definita perché non sempre la parola “progresso” coincide con l’oggettività di quanto ci si prospetta di ottenere, non tralasciando di condannare il classismo antropologico.
In poche pagine riesce a condensare le facezie dei quartieri scintillanti dei privilegiati accostati alla povertà dei sobborghi, rendendo più incisivo il forte divario dato da una “stratificazione” sociale e annessi pregiudizi. Al centro vi è, pertanto, il rapporto tra libertà e sopravvivenza ed emerge anche una rete complessa di alleanze e rivalità.
Di Marmeg affiora la personalità inquieta, non vuole più soccombere ai dettami di una madre rassegnata alla propria condizione; la giovane cerca con ogni mezzo di elevare il suo status sociale ed è per mezzo del suo dramma personale che riusciamo a cogliere cenni sul mondo distopico nel quale si trova costretta a vivere.
Mi è parso di scorgere riferimenti al romanzo “La lunga marcia” del celeberrimo Stephen King, in particolare nella motivazione che spinge i protagonisti delle rispettive storie a misurarsi con una prova fisica che serve a farti guadagnare privilegi che altrimenti sarebbero irraggiungibili ma che diverrà un massacrante gioco di sopravvivenza.
Tirando le somme di Runtime si può dire che ha una trama distesa e chiara nel narrato e si inserisce nel genere distopico con dignità, ma perde d’efficacia sul finale che non convince davvero al 100% ed è un peccato data l’ottima idea di partenza.
January 4, 2017
The main character is born in a no-win situation, attempts to escape to a maybe-win situation, is trapped in another probably-win situation (it just requires giving up their ethics) by situations beyond their control, and chooses to lose for the sake of their ethics. And thus, wins.
It's also a fun and interesting piece of SF, with registered citizens having all the benefits of the future, our character's family having almost none, and the determined struggle to get to the point where they can help each other to a better life. Health care. Education. Food. Technology. There's so much family feeling here.
There's also (also) an interesting bit of story crafting in that our main character wants to become 'moot' (genderless and perfected through technological implants), which is said to be forfeiting their humanity by their mum (and other detractors). But they're shown to be one of the few people who keeps their empathy and willingness to help others (humanity?) in this harsh future, enhancements notwithstanding.
It's also a fun and interesting piece of SF, with registered citizens having all the benefits of the future, our character's family having almost none, and the determined struggle to get to the point where they can help each other to a better life. Health care. Education. Food. Technology. There's so much family feeling here.
There's also (also) an interesting bit of story crafting in that our main character wants to become 'moot' (genderless and perfected through technological implants), which is said to be forfeiting their humanity by their mum (and other detractors). But they're shown to be one of the few people who keeps their empathy and willingness to help others (humanity?) in this harsh future, enhancements notwithstanding.
December 21, 2016
This was a pretty quick read and tangled with some neat topics around body modification, ~cyborgs~, gender, and doing the wrong things for the right reasons. I really loved Marmeg. I wanted this to be longer, tho! Ah, Tor novellas, you're really digging in on that "always leave them wanting more" shtick.
Fangirl Happy Hour discussion: http://www.fangirlhappyhour.com/2016/...
Fangirl Happy Hour discussion: http://www.fangirlhappyhour.com/2016/...
February 12, 2022
Fine. Not a particularly relatable or likeable main character, but an interesting-ish story. Just don't think too much about how easy it is to cheat at a competition with a big prize!
My main issue with the story is totally down to me not liking novella-length fiction. A good story can be told in that format, and some work great, but this is a perfect example of "drags too much to be a solid short story, but falls way too short of being as satisfying as a novel".
My main issue with the story is totally down to me not liking novella-length fiction. A good story can be told in that format, and some work great, but this is a perfect example of "drags too much to be a solid short story, but falls way too short of being as satisfying as a novel".
October 3, 2022
Really enjoyed this one and the worldbuilding was great despite the short format. Divya really makes the story come to life and it wasn't too difficult to follow the race.
November 20, 2024
2.75. Short and entertaining enough.
December 28, 2020
✨⭐ 8.25 out of 10 ⭐✨
Short and simplistic storyline but have a charm of its own.
Keywords: novella, scifi, exoskeletons and body enhancements, marathon race, immigration, parkour, LGBT reps (queer and neopronoun use), Filipino and Indian reps; trigger warning: bigotry
REVIEW
This novella tells about Marmeg, a smart Filipino-American girl who want to win a competition to gain money for her study. Being born unlicensed in USA, she's deprived of right for basic educations and healthcare. Her future really depends in the race, will she finally succeed?
What i like:
- Simplistic story with enough moral values and covering lots of themes
The storyline is simple and it's short. Good for quick read. I like how despite its shortness it can cover a lot of themes like immigrant, gender identity, poverty, choice, and guilt. The moral value is clear and written well too.
- The exoskeleton and parkour things
The scifi part of the book lies on the citizens body enhancement. Exoskeletons and plastic surgery are common thing. Exos are used to attain impossible physical feats, such as parkour etc. These reminds me a lot to scifi video games like Mirror Edge or Cyberpunk 2077. The story is not even cyberpunk but still has similar vibes.
What i dislike
- The competition part is too long and boring
I feel there are a lot of unnecssary descriptions that can be cut down to make the story more engaging to read. The parkour part in the competition is too descriptive and at times it boring.
CONCLUSION
It's still pretty good read and I like it.
Short and simplistic storyline but have a charm of its own.
Keywords: novella, scifi, exoskeletons and body enhancements, marathon race, immigration, parkour, LGBT reps (queer and neopronoun use), Filipino and Indian reps; trigger warning: bigotry
REVIEW
This novella tells about Marmeg, a smart Filipino-American girl who want to win a competition to gain money for her study. Being born unlicensed in USA, she's deprived of right for basic educations and healthcare. Her future really depends in the race, will she finally succeed?
What i like:
- Simplistic story with enough moral values and covering lots of themes
The storyline is simple and it's short. Good for quick read. I like how despite its shortness it can cover a lot of themes like immigrant, gender identity, poverty, choice, and guilt. The moral value is clear and written well too.
- The exoskeleton and parkour things
The scifi part of the book lies on the citizens body enhancement. Exoskeletons and plastic surgery are common thing. Exos are used to attain impossible physical feats, such as parkour etc. These reminds me a lot to scifi video games like Mirror Edge or Cyberpunk 2077. The story is not even cyberpunk but still has similar vibes.
What i dislike
- The competition part is too long and boring
I feel there are a lot of unnecssary descriptions that can be cut down to make the story more engaging to read. The parkour part in the competition is too descriptive and at times it boring.
CONCLUSION
It's still pretty good read and I like it.
January 29, 2024
The mother wound endures even in a dystopian future
- It just wasn't it for me. Its not a bad story, there's just something missing. I take author endorsements with a pinch of salt but I have to admit Ken Liu's thumbs up played a huge factor in getting me into this novella.
You know what's weird? I wanted Marmeg to succeed even though I didn't really enjoy the book. She still kept me in it and I didnt even like her.
The chicken adobo was one of the highlights and that was in the beginning. Seriously, After reading this, I ordered takeout.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
If anything, the utter bleakness of this dystopian near-future was defined extremely well. I honestly would want to take a swig of immortality to live in that world. Because of this seamless depiction of not-quite-hell-on-earth but kind of a mass materialism coupled with discontent and maybe anui, it had me seriously contemplating rounding up from 2.5 to 3. But I read it, some parts were nice but a 3 would mean I liked it quite a bit. So no. 2.5/2.75.
Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Marmeg is one of those characters you know will come out victorious but it'll be rough AF for her because she pushes against the tide until it bends to her will. I didn't like Marmeg at all, but I sure as hell respect the hustle. That is a fighter deep in her spirit.
Hhhm, a grown man (straight out of the military service abroad) going through a Tyler Durdan/Narrator Fight Club phase, should not be nicknamed Jeffy. Como que Jeffy?
He should just be Jeff or Jeffrey.
Also not a fan of the slang/cutting words. I understand it's to translate their social class and that's their vernacular but I couldn't finish Firestarter-Adrian Tchaikovsky for that reason - and I love all hisnother books so its definitely a book pet peeve of mine. I'm surprised I got through this one.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
Marmeg made a friend!🤗
Ardha, Marmeg and an actual glacier in the desert.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “I want more. Six-digit ratings. Big money and benefits jobs. Make some rules, even with no vote. Run the world. Not be run down by it.” (The essence of Marmeg)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts :
■ Androgynous Moots
■exoskeletons, chips, smartskins
■ Postnatal vs Nat citizens
■Parkour Times a Hundred
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Science Fiction Books by 2025
You know what's weird? I wanted Marmeg to succeed even though I didn't really enjoy the book. She still kept me in it and I didnt even like her.
The chicken adobo was one of the highlights and that was in the beginning. Seriously, After reading this, I ordered takeout.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
If anything, the utter bleakness of this dystopian near-future was defined extremely well. I honestly would want to take a swig of immortality to live in that world. Because of this seamless depiction of not-quite-hell-on-earth but kind of a mass materialism coupled with discontent and maybe anui, it had me seriously contemplating rounding up from 2.5 to 3. But I read it, some parts were nice but a 3 would mean I liked it quite a bit. So no. 2.5/2.75.
Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Marmeg is one of those characters you know will come out victorious but it'll be rough AF for her because she pushes against the tide until it bends to her will. I didn't like Marmeg at all, but I sure as hell respect the hustle. That is a fighter deep in her spirit.
Hhhm, a grown man (straight out of the military service abroad) going through a Tyler Durdan/Narrator Fight Club phase, should not be nicknamed Jeffy. Como que Jeffy?
He should just be Jeff or Jeffrey.
Also not a fan of the slang/cutting words. I understand it's to translate their social class and that's their vernacular but I couldn't finish Firestarter-Adrian Tchaikovsky for that reason - and I love all hisnother books so its definitely a book pet peeve of mine. I'm surprised I got through this one.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
Marmeg made a friend!🤗
Ardha, Marmeg and an actual glacier in the desert.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “I want more. Six-digit ratings. Big money and benefits jobs. Make some rules, even with no vote. Run the world. Not be run down by it.” (The essence of Marmeg)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts :
■ Androgynous Moots
■exoskeletons, chips, smartskins
■ Postnatal vs Nat citizens
■Parkour Times a Hundred
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Science Fiction Books by 2025
February 26, 2017
How this is a nominee for a Nebula makes we shake my head till dizzy. Great basic idea, weak execution, glaring unresolved plot points and a surprisingly wasted ending. There are better novellas written that deserve their nominations.
February 4, 2018
Frustrating right from the start. Great concept but perhaps the novella is not the right format for world building.
September 21, 2025
Runtime by S.B. Divya
A technically grounded novella that transforms the familiar underdog-race formula into sharp social commentary through body modification and class stratification.
Narrative Framework: Divya constructs her story around the Minerva Sierra Challenge, a grueling day-long endurance race across the Sierra Nevada where cybernetically enhanced athletes compete for substantial prize money and corporate sponsorships. Protagonist Marmeg Guinto enters this competition with salvaged gear, cobbled together from discarded parts, hoping to win enough money to secure citizen licenses for herself and her family while pursuing her dream of becoming an enhancement engineer.
World-Building Architecture:
The author establishes a near-future America with stratified citizenship rights, where "registered" citizens access healthcare, education, and employment opportunities while "unregistered" residents remain trapped in poverty. This system creates legitimate stakes for Marmeg's desperate gamble on the race.
Technical Foundation:
Divya's electrical engineering background provides credible grounding for the exoskeleton technology, implant systems, and body modification elements. The technical details feel researched rather than fantastical, enhancing the story's plausibility within its speculative framework.
Character Development:
Marmeg emerges as a complex protagonist whose technical brilliance and determination coexist with ethical flexibility when survival is at stake. Her internal conflicts about cheating and helping competitors create genuine moral dilemmas that drive character growth.
Contemporary Comparison: Within the dystopian competition subgenre popularized by The Hunger Games, Runtime distinguishes itself through technical sophistication and focused social critique. Where Suzanne Collins' work employs broad allegory about media spectacle and authoritarian control, Divya's novella targets specific contemporary issues: immigration policy, healthcare access, and educational inequality.
The body modification elements align with cyberpunk traditions established by William Gibson and Richard K. Morgan, but Divya's approach emphasizes accessibility and DIY culture over corporate cybernetic enhancement. Her exploration of gender fluidity through "moot" identity connects to contemporary works like Martha Wells' The Murderbot Diaries, though some readers note concerns about conflating gender identity with physical modification.
Compared to other race-based science fiction like Red Rising or The Long Walk, Runtime operates on a more intimate scale, focusing on personal ethics rather than systemic revolution. The novella's length allows for concentrated character development while avoiding the bloat that can diminish longer series entries.
Technical credibility: Engineering background provides authentic technological foundation that grounds speculative elements in plausible science.
Social relevance: Immigration and citizenship themes resonate with contemporary political discourse without heavy-handed messaging.
Narrative efficiency: Novella format delivers complete character arc and thematic exploration without unnecessary padding.
Critical Reception: The work received Hugo and Nebula Award nominations, with critics praising its integration of technical detail with social commentary. However, some readers found the gender identity elements problematic and the competition sequences occasionally tedious, reflecting the challenge of balancing action with philosophical depth in short fiction.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✩✩ out of 5 stars
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July 19, 2018Cybernetic body-modifications combined with extreme endurance racing in an America that's taken a jackhammer to birthright citizenship. While the story is appropriately novella-sized, it felt undercooked, and there were more than a couple cliches clunking around. There was a lot of thematic interestingness and societal questions to chew over, however, and Divya's skillful at doling out her multi-faceted worldbuilding while keeping the plot moving forward. I also quite enjoyed her setting descriptions. If she writes more in this universe, I'll be reading it.
August 3, 2023
A decent short-story set in a post-apocalyptic world. Marmeg is a cyborg with mostly hacked together augmentations. Even though she can't afford the nice parts, she's smart and capable and with her exoskeleton, might just be up to winning the big cyborg race. The price money can change her life, but the competition is strong, and there are some bigger forces at play. Will the underdog be able to pull off the victory or is she in way over her head?
I thought the book was just alright. The story doesn't go anywhere unique and what it does, it does ok. The world-building was lacking for me, so it was unclear how the situation got to where it was, what the class structure was, where did the science stand outside of human-machine interfaces and so on. Some of it just comes with the novella territory but I would have liked to at least see the effort.
I thought the book was just alright. The story doesn't go anywhere unique and what it does, it does ok. The world-building was lacking for me, so it was unclear how the situation got to where it was, what the class structure was, where did the science stand outside of human-machine interfaces and so on. Some of it just comes with the novella territory but I would have liked to at least see the effort.
September 5, 2023
I came into this short work expecting a cyberpunk race story, and was pleasantly surprised by its depth, as it addresses the immigrant experience, the gender spectrum, and a host of other topical issues, all against a near-futuristic backdrop.
July 21, 2017
4.25 STARS
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June 10, 2018Just finished this in a day. It's short - novella-length - but fast, furious, fierce, and genre-bending. Five stars!
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