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The Machine Dynasty #2
iD: The Machine Dynasty, Book II
THE SECOND MACHINE DYNASTY
In this sequel to vN, Javier is a self-replicating humanoid on a journey of redemption. Javier's quest takes him from Amy's island, where his actions have devastating consequences for his friend, toward Mecha where he will find either salvation... or death.
File Science Fiction [ vN2 | Island in the Streams | Failsafe No More | The Stepford Solution ]
In this sequel to vN, Javier is a self-replicating humanoid on a journey of redemption. Javier's quest takes him from Amy's island, where his actions have devastating consequences for his friend, toward Mecha where he will find either salvation... or death.
File Science Fiction [ vN2 | Island in the Streams | Failsafe No More | The Stepford Solution ]
347 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
23 people are currently reading
946 people want to read
About the author
Madeline Ashby
60 books531 followersMadeline Ashby is a science fiction writer and strategic foresight consultant living in Toronto. She has been writing fiction since she was about thirteen years old. (Before that, she recited all her stories aloud, with funny voices and everything.) Her fiction has appeared in Nature, Tesseracts, Escape Pod, FLURB, the Shine Anthology, and elsewhere. Her non-fiction has appeared at BoingBoing.net, io9.com, Tor.com, Online Fandom, and WorldChanging. She is a member of the Cecil Street Irregulars, one of Toronto's oldest genre writers' workshops. She holds a M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (her thesis was on anime, fan culture, and cyborg theory) and a M.Des. in strategic foresight & innovation (her project was on the future of border security). Currently, she is represented by Monica Pacheco of Anne McDermid & Associates.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
May 24, 2013
After being forced to poison his wife Amy, vN Javier goes on the run to find her backup. Can he find it before his enemies find him and shut him down permanently?
Disclaimer: I got this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for reviewing it.
iD takes place in a future where men and machines live side by side. While it's the first book in a series, following vN, it didn't take me long to get up to speed. I love the concept of self-replicating androids. Hell, there are a lot of great concepts in this one, like 3D printers capable of printing organic matter, for instance.
Javier lies and fornicates his way around the world, looking for his wife's backup, all the while avoiding the legions of vNs looking to kill him. From what I gather, Javier was some kind of sexbot before he settled down with Amy and he uses his talents quite a bit in his info-gathering.
The writing was really good. Like I said, I knew this was the second book in a series by Ashby did a good job of helping me keep my head above water. She also knows how to write some reprehensible characters, like Powell and LaMarque.
iD was a really cool read, full of action, sex, and interesting sf concepts. Now I'll have to get vN and read about all the events that were hinted about in this one.
Disclaimer: I got this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for reviewing it.
iD takes place in a future where men and machines live side by side. While it's the first book in a series, following vN, it didn't take me long to get up to speed. I love the concept of self-replicating androids. Hell, there are a lot of great concepts in this one, like 3D printers capable of printing organic matter, for instance.
Javier lies and fornicates his way around the world, looking for his wife's backup, all the while avoiding the legions of vNs looking to kill him. From what I gather, Javier was some kind of sexbot before he settled down with Amy and he uses his talents quite a bit in his info-gathering.
The writing was really good. Like I said, I knew this was the second book in a series by Ashby did a good job of helping me keep my head above water. She also knows how to write some reprehensible characters, like Powell and LaMarque.
iD was a really cool read, full of action, sex, and interesting sf concepts. Now I'll have to get vN and read about all the events that were hinted about in this one.
February 24, 2018
Disturbing, fairly nuts, and good for pushing buttons.
The whole robot angle is a side issue. Most of this novel has a lot of sociopathy and exploration of emotional triggers as its main focus. It helps that there's institutionalized pedophilia that's all right because it's just robots.
Yuck.
But that's not even the main focus, either.
It's Javier's PoV. It's a rather wild journey, literally swinging every which way, eventually becoming a quest to redeem himself. That was all kinds of all right. :)
This book was definitely better than the previous, but there was still something about it that was off. And it wasn't just the ick factor. That was explainable by the general theme of the novel. It had a place. It was an ugly place, but it had a place.
The things people do to people. Especially we downgrade them into robots that are just hardware. Good point to make? Absolutely. SF does its job well. :)
The whole robot angle is a side issue. Most of this novel has a lot of sociopathy and exploration of emotional triggers as its main focus. It helps that there's institutionalized pedophilia that's all right because it's just robots.
Yuck.
But that's not even the main focus, either.
It's Javier's PoV. It's a rather wild journey, literally swinging every which way, eventually becoming a quest to redeem himself. That was all kinds of all right. :)
This book was definitely better than the previous, but there was still something about it that was off. And it wasn't just the ick factor. That was explainable by the general theme of the novel. It had a place. It was an ugly place, but it had a place.
The things people do to people. Especially we downgrade them into robots that are just hardware. Good point to make? Absolutely. SF does its job well. :)
June 29, 2017
3-3.5 stars, I think, mostly because like with book one, the ending/epilogue confused me somewhat. I liked how Javier dealt with his emotions and situations. Though, if certain things had happened in this book, Javier would not have had to run all over the country trying to fix the initial situation.
And now we have a rather dire situation coming up in book three, after all the setup in this book.
And now we have a rather dire situation coming up in book three, after all the setup in this book.
October 2, 2019
Is Amy still "alive" somewhere? If so, will tree-hugger Javier find her and marry her and live happily-ever-after? Will evil Portia destroy all humans? Most importantly: will anyone ever translate half the shite Javier says?
Ha! I'm not telling.
VERDICT: ~2 stars, about the same as I felt for Book #1. Not great, and some problematic execution (including some errors in my eBook version), but not without some merit for original-ish ideas, and some decent action scenes.
Hopefully you'll enjoy this AI/sexbot/survival/conspiracy tale more than I did. I found it comic-book level (aside from the pokey parts), and not usually in a good way. On the plus side: There was action. A lot happens.
Ha! I'm not telling.
VERDICT: ~2 stars, about the same as I felt for Book #1. Not great, and some problematic execution (including some errors in my eBook version), but not without some merit for original-ish ideas, and some decent action scenes.
Hopefully you'll enjoy this AI/sexbot/survival/conspiracy tale more than I did. I found it comic-book level (aside from the pokey parts), and not usually in a good way. On the plus side: There was action. A lot happens.
May 24, 2013
I love a book that kicks me in the head.
You know what I'm talking about: you open the first page, start reading, and some idea, some turn of phrase, something about the book rears back from the pages and smacks you in the skull, leaving you breathless and starry eyed and saying, "Oh, wow" for the next two hundred pages. It's nice to have a comforting book, one that slowly pulls you in until you're in way over your head, but, every now and then, I need the kick, and iD by Madeline Ashby is chock full of it.
(Disclosure: I have made buttons with Madeline's words on them, much to our eventual consternation. I have hung out with Madeline. I would write all of this if I hadn't, 'cause her work is so bloody good.)
iD is the sequel to vN , her debut novel about a self-replicating robot who eats her grandmother (complications ensue). If you dug Javier, Amy's companion/foil/teacher/eventual partner, then you're going to love iD, 'cause it's all about him, where he came from, what he's done, and where he's going. There's sex and violence and so many geek references that I had to stop myself from emailing her every time I came across one.
But that's just the carbon skin over the aerogel muscle and diamond-lattice bone. iD cuts deep into the questions of choice and free will and imperfection, and it hurts. Are the vN a reflection of humanity? Or are we the vN seen through a glass, darkly? How much of our own cultural and genetic programming drives our choices, makes us who we are? Would we be better off if we were nothing but a massive set of algorithms and processors? Can imperfect beings create perfect ones?
iD comes out late June, which means you'll have enough time to get vN to prepare. Get both. You'll be glad you did. But wear a helmet. You'll need it.
You know what I'm talking about: you open the first page, start reading, and some idea, some turn of phrase, something about the book rears back from the pages and smacks you in the skull, leaving you breathless and starry eyed and saying, "Oh, wow" for the next two hundred pages. It's nice to have a comforting book, one that slowly pulls you in until you're in way over your head, but, every now and then, I need the kick, and iD by Madeline Ashby is chock full of it.
(Disclosure: I have made buttons with Madeline's words on them, much to our eventual consternation. I have hung out with Madeline. I would write all of this if I hadn't, 'cause her work is so bloody good.)
iD is the sequel to vN , her debut novel about a self-replicating robot who eats her grandmother (complications ensue). If you dug Javier, Amy's companion/foil/teacher/eventual partner, then you're going to love iD, 'cause it's all about him, where he came from, what he's done, and where he's going. There's sex and violence and so many geek references that I had to stop myself from emailing her every time I came across one.
But that's just the carbon skin over the aerogel muscle and diamond-lattice bone. iD cuts deep into the questions of choice and free will and imperfection, and it hurts. Are the vN a reflection of humanity? Or are we the vN seen through a glass, darkly? How much of our own cultural and genetic programming drives our choices, makes us who we are? Would we be better off if we were nothing but a massive set of algorithms and processors? Can imperfect beings create perfect ones?
iD comes out late June, which means you'll have enough time to get vN to prepare. Get both. You'll be glad you did. But wear a helmet. You'll need it.
June 1, 2020
4.0 Stars
This is one of those cases where the second book in the series was possibly even better than the first. I certainly liked the first book vN, but I thought this one was much stronger in terms of both characterizations and plot. The story in this one was quite gripping and fast paced. I really liked the main character in this one, Javier, who was such a complex and sympathetic protagonist.
As someone who adores stories involving artificial intelligence, I love the premise of this series. My favourite sections in these books always involve the discussions of personhood and AI rights. The concept of the failsafe continues to be at the forefront of the story, playing a major role in the course of events. This series plays a wonderful homage to the classic laws of robotics introduced by Isaac Asimov in iRobot.
When I first started this series, I mistakenly thought it was a young adult science fiction because the main character was rather young and innocent in the first book. However, that is certainly not the case with this sequel. This book is very mature with a large focus on the sexual aspects of this book.
Finally, I have to mention that this book had such an amazing beginning. I adored reading from Derek's perspective who was such a memorable character. I will definitely be rereading that chapter again because I loved every minute of it.
I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys science fiction books about artificial intelligence.
This is the second book in a trilogy and I am excited to see how Ashby will pull together this series in a finale that I anticipate to be very thrilling.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, Angry Robot Books.
This is one of those cases where the second book in the series was possibly even better than the first. I certainly liked the first book vN, but I thought this one was much stronger in terms of both characterizations and plot. The story in this one was quite gripping and fast paced. I really liked the main character in this one, Javier, who was such a complex and sympathetic protagonist.
As someone who adores stories involving artificial intelligence, I love the premise of this series. My favourite sections in these books always involve the discussions of personhood and AI rights. The concept of the failsafe continues to be at the forefront of the story, playing a major role in the course of events. This series plays a wonderful homage to the classic laws of robotics introduced by Isaac Asimov in iRobot.
When I first started this series, I mistakenly thought it was a young adult science fiction because the main character was rather young and innocent in the first book. However, that is certainly not the case with this sequel. This book is very mature with a large focus on the sexual aspects of this book.
Finally, I have to mention that this book had such an amazing beginning. I adored reading from Derek's perspective who was such a memorable character. I will definitely be rereading that chapter again because I loved every minute of it.
I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys science fiction books about artificial intelligence.
This is the second book in a trilogy and I am excited to see how Ashby will pull together this series in a finale that I anticipate to be very thrilling.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, Angry Robot Books.
January 25, 2015
I really enjoyed the first book, vN, but this one didn't work for me. Doesn't help that this has a different POV (Javier, rather than Amy). The author's said iD is like her version of a James Bond story - complete with casinos, cocktails, and a supervillain. But I just couldn't connect with the story, or the characters.
Book 3, reV, is due out late in 2015. Hopefully it's an improvement upon this installment.
Book 3, reV, is due out late in 2015. Hopefully it's an improvement upon this installment.
March 31, 2014
It makes me sad that I have to give this one two stars, because I loved vN so much. Realistically, its probably a two and half, but Goodreads doesn't give me that option so I've gotta go with my gut here, and there wasn't a whole lot I liked about this book other than the initial premise. While iD has a lot of what I loved about the first book in the series, it was much more disorganized and just didn't hold my interest as well.
It's kind of funny that the thing that gives Amy her true personhood, her malfunctioned failsafe, is what makes her a much more alien character. Javier on the other hand, still lacking a true sense of free will, is far more vulnerable and should be much more relatable. But I don't know if it was because it made me anxious to be seeing things from the point of view of someone so oppressed and marginilized as Javier, but I just really craved Amy's power and strength the whole time. Amy, with the combined effect of her android body and brain and the ability to decide her own fate, is practically a god. But Javier in this world is nearly an ant. He's subject to every perversion and corruption that falls across his lap, and there are many, and as such the story of iD is far darker. It was hard to deal with after a while, to read about the wide variety of ways human beings could be disgusting. Rape and molestation is an ongoing theme (and there is at least one scene that is could be extremely triggering for some), and Javier whose computerized brain fries if he's exposed to too much violence against humans is acutely attuned to it.
But Javier sadly lacks focus, which has defined most of his life. Amy gave him purpose and meaning, but in iD he has to set out on a quest on his own. While he's clever and resourceful, he doesn't really know what he wants. He wants to be safe, he wants his family, and as the story clicks by he realizes that it's going to be very difficult to have both, especially when he can't actually hurt the people how are trying to hurt him and his own. The villains also pinball back and forth - Rory, the vN who tried to kill him and Amy at the end of the first book, makes a couple more attempts and then claims she wants to help Javier. Portia, Amy's psychotic grandmother, who has been unleashed as a malevolent AI all over the world serves as little more than an amusing side note as well as the occasional deus ex machina when she's not bringing about the apocalypse.
There were parts that were just downright confusing, especially the ending, and I'm still not entirely sure what happened . Plot points and MacGuffins are brought up and then dropped completely within a few chapters. The pacing also got seriously fudged everytime Ashby took too much time describing the setting, which was often. Ashby is really fantastic at creating these kitschy futuristic cities that appeal to tourists and fans, and it was a lot of fun reading about that stuff in the first book. But in this one I just could not bring myself to care. We got to Mecha way too late and by then I just wanted the climax of the story instead of indulging in the background of the robot paradise.
I'm glad we got Javier's perspective, but I'm way more invested in the bigger story going, that being the possible robot/human war that Amy may have jump started. And Portia, who do I need to bribe to get more Portia? Never bench the crass evil robot grandmother ever again, she is priceless.
It's kind of funny that the thing that gives Amy her true personhood, her malfunctioned failsafe, is what makes her a much more alien character. Javier on the other hand, still lacking a true sense of free will, is far more vulnerable and should be much more relatable. But I don't know if it was because it made me anxious to be seeing things from the point of view of someone so oppressed and marginilized as Javier, but I just really craved Amy's power and strength the whole time. Amy, with the combined effect of her android body and brain and the ability to decide her own fate, is practically a god. But Javier in this world is nearly an ant. He's subject to every perversion and corruption that falls across his lap, and there are many, and as such the story of iD is far darker. It was hard to deal with after a while, to read about the wide variety of ways human beings could be disgusting. Rape and molestation is an ongoing theme (and there is at least one scene that is could be extremely triggering for some), and Javier whose computerized brain fries if he's exposed to too much violence against humans is acutely attuned to it.
But Javier sadly lacks focus, which has defined most of his life. Amy gave him purpose and meaning, but in iD he has to set out on a quest on his own. While he's clever and resourceful, he doesn't really know what he wants. He wants to be safe, he wants his family, and as the story clicks by he realizes that it's going to be very difficult to have both, especially when he can't actually hurt the people how are trying to hurt him and his own. The villains also pinball back and forth - Rory, the vN who tried to kill him and Amy at the end of the first book, makes a couple more attempts and then claims she wants to help Javier. Portia, Amy's psychotic grandmother, who has been unleashed as a malevolent AI all over the world serves as little more than an amusing side note as well as the occasional deus ex machina when she's not bringing about the apocalypse.
There were parts that were just downright confusing, especially the ending, and I'm still not entirely sure what happened . Plot points and MacGuffins are brought up and then dropped completely within a few chapters. The pacing also got seriously fudged everytime Ashby took too much time describing the setting, which was often. Ashby is really fantastic at creating these kitschy futuristic cities that appeal to tourists and fans, and it was a lot of fun reading about that stuff in the first book. But in this one I just could not bring myself to care. We got to Mecha way too late and by then I just wanted the climax of the story instead of indulging in the background of the robot paradise.
I'm glad we got Javier's perspective, but I'm way more invested in the bigger story going, that being the possible robot/human war that Amy may have jump started. And Portia, who do I need to bribe to get more Portia? Never bench the crass evil robot grandmother ever again, she is priceless.
December 21, 2025
This is the second book by Madeline and the second book in the Machine Dynasty trilogy. I posted a review about the first book to the group back on the 13th of December.
This book is a continuation and standalone and a re-invention and seriously twisted in the darkest fashion.
The first book has the vN (von Neumann android) Amy as the central protagonist to whom a lot of really unpleasant things happen that she has to fight her way through literally as well as figuratively. Along the way she met Javier, another vN, but with a vastly different background. In this book Javier is the central protagonist to whom a lot of really unpleasant things happen that he has to fight his way through literally as well as figuratively. I don’t want to give away any of the plot, but the world is a nasty, cruel, and unfair place for vNs.
Now lets get the fun stuff out of the way with spot pop-culture references. As mentioned in the last book the Electric Sheep restaurant chain selling Tears in Rain cocktails gets another mention. But this book also includes on page 232: (Context: Jack is trapped in a robot internment camp by an ankle bracelet)
”I know this place is code-named Stepford, but Jesus Christ”
Jack snorted, “It’s not Stepford. It’s the Village.”
2 SF classics referenced in 6 simple words. And both references are apt in the context of the story at that point.
Amy’s psychotic granny whom she ate in the prologue of book one and then carried her consciousness in a partition of her mind chimes in on page 334 with – You know, you could probably play a really great game of Global Thermonuclear War, from here.
Another absolute classic AI movie and a totally appropriate reference within the context of what is going on.
Something I didn’t mention in my review of the first book is who created the vN’s and why as it wasn’t super relevant to the story in the first book. In this book it’s much more significant. vN’s were created by the New Eden Church so when the Rapture happened all those left behind wouldn’t be lonely. Now there’s a concept carrying so much baggage it’s not funny. They were created to love all humans and that love governs their action regardless of what the human does to them. They have no free will over the matter, they can’t choose to hate a human. They have a failsafe built-in which permanently shuts them down if they see a human hurt. Their lives depends on keeping humans happy and safe. Obviously that leaves them ripe for exploitation. Male, female, and juvenile vN suffer mental, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of humans. That’s the dark path this book explores. But it’s never crude or overly graphic in depicting the abuse. The central theme of this book is about free will and self-determination highlight by the suffering resultant from not having it.
The writing and structure of this book is an improvement over her debut. The inconsistancies I saw in her first book are not present in this one. The vN’s actions and attitudes are constantly reinforced as not being human. I felt there was a planned and considered mechanised culture and seeing the world from that perspective. I would almost rate this a 5 star book, except for the epilogue. That felt like it was a retcon. We swap back to Amy’s perspective having spent the book in Javier’s and she re-interprets all the events from her POV even though she was absent from most of the book. The events as described aren’t change but the interprtati9on the are given couldn’t be deduced when they occurred. If this had been a mystry/crime book I would have set fire to it as the conclusion isn’t an inevitable outgrowth of clues scattered through the text. But that is a minor quibble in light of what is an excellent book in every other respect. I’m looking forward to reading the 3rd book.
This book is a continuation and standalone and a re-invention and seriously twisted in the darkest fashion.
The first book has the vN (von Neumann android) Amy as the central protagonist to whom a lot of really unpleasant things happen that she has to fight her way through literally as well as figuratively. Along the way she met Javier, another vN, but with a vastly different background. In this book Javier is the central protagonist to whom a lot of really unpleasant things happen that he has to fight his way through literally as well as figuratively. I don’t want to give away any of the plot, but the world is a nasty, cruel, and unfair place for vNs.
Now lets get the fun stuff out of the way with spot pop-culture references. As mentioned in the last book the Electric Sheep restaurant chain selling Tears in Rain cocktails gets another mention. But this book also includes on page 232: (Context: Jack is trapped in a robot internment camp by an ankle bracelet)
”I know this place is code-named Stepford, but Jesus Christ”
Jack snorted, “It’s not Stepford. It’s the Village.”
2 SF classics referenced in 6 simple words. And both references are apt in the context of the story at that point.
Amy’s psychotic granny whom she ate in the prologue of book one and then carried her consciousness in a partition of her mind chimes in on page 334 with – You know, you could probably play a really great game of Global Thermonuclear War, from here.
Another absolute classic AI movie and a totally appropriate reference within the context of what is going on.
Something I didn’t mention in my review of the first book is who created the vN’s and why as it wasn’t super relevant to the story in the first book. In this book it’s much more significant. vN’s were created by the New Eden Church so when the Rapture happened all those left behind wouldn’t be lonely. Now there’s a concept carrying so much baggage it’s not funny. They were created to love all humans and that love governs their action regardless of what the human does to them. They have no free will over the matter, they can’t choose to hate a human. They have a failsafe built-in which permanently shuts them down if they see a human hurt. Their lives depends on keeping humans happy and safe. Obviously that leaves them ripe for exploitation. Male, female, and juvenile vN suffer mental, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of humans. That’s the dark path this book explores. But it’s never crude or overly graphic in depicting the abuse. The central theme of this book is about free will and self-determination highlight by the suffering resultant from not having it.
The writing and structure of this book is an improvement over her debut. The inconsistancies I saw in her first book are not present in this one. The vN’s actions and attitudes are constantly reinforced as not being human. I felt there was a planned and considered mechanised culture and seeing the world from that perspective. I would almost rate this a 5 star book, except for the epilogue. That felt like it was a retcon. We swap back to Amy’s perspective having spent the book in Javier’s and she re-interprets all the events from her POV even though she was absent from most of the book. The events as described aren’t change but the interprtati9on the are given couldn’t be deduced when they occurred. If this had been a mystry/crime book I would have set fire to it as the conclusion isn’t an inevitable outgrowth of clues scattered through the text. But that is a minor quibble in light of what is an excellent book in every other respect. I’m looking forward to reading the 3rd book.
November 6, 2014
In
vN
, Madeline Ashby provides a refreshing take on the idea of robots on the run. She tries to bottle lightning a second time in iD—and she succeeds. The second Machine Dynasty novel raises the stakes and allows Ashby a chance to explore both the backstory and future of this world where Asimovian robots have been reified. It’s not quite a full on apocalypse, but the world appears to be holding its breath.
I’m going to assert that you needn’t have read vN to read iD; and, if you read this one, you could still read vN without that story being too spoiled. I read vN almost exactly two years ago, and consequently I remembered very little when I started in on this book. Ashby, to her credit, spends very little time on a recap or exposition—but this assumed familiarity will be a help rather than a hindrance to a newcomer, because there is actually very little you need to know about this world to get up to speed. Organic robots called vN—short for von Neumann machines, because they can self-replicate—exist as second-class citizens. They are supposed to have a failsafe that prevents them from harming humans (and, in fact, is so striden they can’t even watch simulated human violence, like movies). But the failsafe seems glitchy now; one vN named Portia has gone on a rampage stopped by her own granddaughter, Amy. And now Amy has flounced off to an artificial island refuge for vN, and the United States government is freaking the hell out.
iD actually doesn’t follow Amy so much as it does Javier, her sometime-lover-not-quite-husband. That’s another reason why reading the first book isn’t as necessary: almost all of Amy’s involvement in this book happens behind the scenes, so you don’t need to be too familiar with her character. And after his involvement in the first book, it’s nice to learn more about Javier’s backstory. We come to understand his relationship with his father and how that affected his own iterations. And Ashby uses the nature of vNs, as well as Javier’s own clade’s existence as sex workers, to explore the spectrum of sexuality and sexual behaviour. iD is a very inclusive, very expressive book, and that’s really interesting.
Javier’s relationship with Amy is defined almost entirely by the same unique aspects that have led to her celebrity. Amy is paradoxically both the most and least human-like vN: her lack of a failsafe means that she can hurt, even kill humans; but unlike humans, she doesn’t feel or experience pain. She has formed the kind of wariness and hatred for certain humans that few vN manage (I’d argue Javier is another), yet she also has some very startling and alien qualities. She swallowed her own grandmother’s memories, and now she is in constant communication with some kind of semi-sentient artificial island, mulling over the long-term survival of humans and vN through increasingly elaborate probability projections.
For Javier, though, it’s simpler: he loves Amy, and he thinks she loves him, but she doesn’t seem to invest the same amount of emotional commitment into their relationship. And he wants her to hack him, to rid him of the failsafe too—but she refuses. She hedges as to why, citing consent issues. This allows Ashby to tacitly interrogate the thorny ideas of consent within an otherwise stable relationship. Science fiction has the cool ability to use new technologies to amplify the consequences of what we do already. We are, all of us, trying to “hack” each other—help each other develop better habits, make good impressions when we meet new people, etc.—and we have tricks for doing that. Imagine if you could literally reprogram someone though … and make them a killer.
For a robot apocalypse story set in the probable near future, there is very little sense of “future” in this world. There are no flying cars, jetpacks, or asymptotic Moore’s Law processors. The Internet is largely the same. So aside from vN, it’s hard to understand how else this world has changed. This world lacks the otherness that characterizes similar stories, notably Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. I’m not sure this is a bad thing, but I feel like iD loses some sense of dimension without it. The antagonists certainly feel very flimsy (I count Holberton in this camp).
One particularly interesting and also annoying aspect of iD is the near-constant plot derailment. I feel sorry for Javier: literally every plan he makes goes sideways the moment he starts implementing it. He has this big plan to go seduce Holberton so he can get access to a backup of Amy’s … and that really doesn’t work out. In any way. And every other plan he makes falls apart, forcing him to improvise madly. On one hand, this is realistic and refreshing. It’s boring when a protagonist comes up with a plan, even a really clever one, and then the plan goes off without more than minor hiccups. On the other hand, Ashby’s fondness for these twists means that Javier is almost constantly reacting rather than acting. There is little sense of momentum. And then the ending comes, and we meet up with Amy again, and it all turns out not to have mattered much….
iD is a really fascinating story about robots and humans and love and sex and life. If even one of those things interests you, you will probably like this book. (Imagine if two of those things interest you! Logically you would like it twice as much. Or four times as much if the relationship is not linear but geometric!) Ashby hints at even cooler things to come in subsequent (hopefully) books, at the possible solutions to the nascent human–vN divide. I say “hints at” because she has an almost uncanny knack for saying very little outright but drawing the blanks in such a way that you can fill them in yourself without much difficulty. Keywords like “generation ship” or “Stepford solution” dropped into the conversation are viral thought-bombs, exploding in your brain and generating a virtual panoply of narrative forks that eventually converge in the actual, but unstated, truth behind the story.
That’s enough to convince me that Ashby is a writer of the first class, although iD itself might not fall into such a category. I love the ideas she’s tapping into and the stories that she tells with these characters. Despite dissatisfaction with some of the vagueness of setting and antagonism, I still found myself, as with vN, not wanting iD to stop, and not wanting to put it down.
My reviews of the Machine Dynasty series:
← vN
I’m going to assert that you needn’t have read vN to read iD; and, if you read this one, you could still read vN without that story being too spoiled. I read vN almost exactly two years ago, and consequently I remembered very little when I started in on this book. Ashby, to her credit, spends very little time on a recap or exposition—but this assumed familiarity will be a help rather than a hindrance to a newcomer, because there is actually very little you need to know about this world to get up to speed. Organic robots called vN—short for von Neumann machines, because they can self-replicate—exist as second-class citizens. They are supposed to have a failsafe that prevents them from harming humans (and, in fact, is so striden they can’t even watch simulated human violence, like movies). But the failsafe seems glitchy now; one vN named Portia has gone on a rampage stopped by her own granddaughter, Amy. And now Amy has flounced off to an artificial island refuge for vN, and the United States government is freaking the hell out.
iD actually doesn’t follow Amy so much as it does Javier, her sometime-lover-not-quite-husband. That’s another reason why reading the first book isn’t as necessary: almost all of Amy’s involvement in this book happens behind the scenes, so you don’t need to be too familiar with her character. And after his involvement in the first book, it’s nice to learn more about Javier’s backstory. We come to understand his relationship with his father and how that affected his own iterations. And Ashby uses the nature of vNs, as well as Javier’s own clade’s existence as sex workers, to explore the spectrum of sexuality and sexual behaviour. iD is a very inclusive, very expressive book, and that’s really interesting.
Javier’s relationship with Amy is defined almost entirely by the same unique aspects that have led to her celebrity. Amy is paradoxically both the most and least human-like vN: her lack of a failsafe means that she can hurt, even kill humans; but unlike humans, she doesn’t feel or experience pain. She has formed the kind of wariness and hatred for certain humans that few vN manage (I’d argue Javier is another), yet she also has some very startling and alien qualities. She swallowed her own grandmother’s memories, and now she is in constant communication with some kind of semi-sentient artificial island, mulling over the long-term survival of humans and vN through increasingly elaborate probability projections.
For Javier, though, it’s simpler: he loves Amy, and he thinks she loves him, but she doesn’t seem to invest the same amount of emotional commitment into their relationship. And he wants her to hack him, to rid him of the failsafe too—but she refuses. She hedges as to why, citing consent issues. This allows Ashby to tacitly interrogate the thorny ideas of consent within an otherwise stable relationship. Science fiction has the cool ability to use new technologies to amplify the consequences of what we do already. We are, all of us, trying to “hack” each other—help each other develop better habits, make good impressions when we meet new people, etc.—and we have tricks for doing that. Imagine if you could literally reprogram someone though … and make them a killer.
For a robot apocalypse story set in the probable near future, there is very little sense of “future” in this world. There are no flying cars, jetpacks, or asymptotic Moore’s Law processors. The Internet is largely the same. So aside from vN, it’s hard to understand how else this world has changed. This world lacks the otherness that characterizes similar stories, notably Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. I’m not sure this is a bad thing, but I feel like iD loses some sense of dimension without it. The antagonists certainly feel very flimsy (I count Holberton in this camp).
One particularly interesting and also annoying aspect of iD is the near-constant plot derailment. I feel sorry for Javier: literally every plan he makes goes sideways the moment he starts implementing it. He has this big plan to go seduce Holberton so he can get access to a backup of Amy’s … and that really doesn’t work out. In any way. And every other plan he makes falls apart, forcing him to improvise madly. On one hand, this is realistic and refreshing. It’s boring when a protagonist comes up with a plan, even a really clever one, and then the plan goes off without more than minor hiccups. On the other hand, Ashby’s fondness for these twists means that Javier is almost constantly reacting rather than acting. There is little sense of momentum. And then the ending comes, and we meet up with Amy again, and it all turns out not to have mattered much….
iD is a really fascinating story about robots and humans and love and sex and life. If even one of those things interests you, you will probably like this book. (Imagine if two of those things interest you! Logically you would like it twice as much. Or four times as much if the relationship is not linear but geometric!) Ashby hints at even cooler things to come in subsequent (hopefully) books, at the possible solutions to the nascent human–vN divide. I say “hints at” because she has an almost uncanny knack for saying very little outright but drawing the blanks in such a way that you can fill them in yourself without much difficulty. Keywords like “generation ship” or “Stepford solution” dropped into the conversation are viral thought-bombs, exploding in your brain and generating a virtual panoply of narrative forks that eventually converge in the actual, but unstated, truth behind the story.
That’s enough to convince me that Ashby is a writer of the first class, although iD itself might not fall into such a category. I love the ideas she’s tapping into and the stories that she tells with these characters. Despite dissatisfaction with some of the vagueness of setting and antagonism, I still found myself, as with vN, not wanting iD to stop, and not wanting to put it down.
My reviews of the Machine Dynasty series:
← vN
August 8, 2020
This one wasn't half as compelling as vN. Our main character, Javier, pulls a classic Alice in Wonderland and meets a whole bunch of characters who help (or hurt) him for short segments of his journey, he has a convenient stash of money (which he never used before, even though he was poor and homeless in the first book and resorted to sex work just to have enough money for food - this reeks of lack of continuity / choosing a plot of convenience rather than believability). This Alice-esque storytelling style prevents you from getting to know any other characters and allows for fast travel between plot points because you don't have to handle more than one character at a time.
There are still, of course, the overarching questions of personhood and autonomy and choice. But they didn't seem as important - especially since Javier always seemed in control, even though he would theoretically be shackled by his own lack of free will. I wish we had seen more of that. Instead, he seems to find workarounds for everything. Again, it felt rather lazy.
I still have high hopes for the third book, but I have to admit this one was rather disappointing.
{Thank you, Angry Robot, for providing final copies of this series in exchange for my honest review!}
There are still, of course, the overarching questions of personhood and autonomy and choice. But they didn't seem as important - especially since Javier always seemed in control, even though he would theoretically be shackled by his own lack of free will. I wish we had seen more of that. Instead, he seems to find workarounds for everything. Again, it felt rather lazy.
I still have high hopes for the third book, but I have to admit this one was rather disappointing.
{Thank you, Angry Robot, for providing final copies of this series in exchange for my honest review!}
October 21, 2017
3.5 stars.
I couldn't really get into this book, even though I really like the first book (vN). The book is full of action and things blow up and people (and robots) die, but the story didn't feel as coherent. I liked the overall concept and the best thing about this book is the fluidity that Ashby moves in between human and android, male, female, and not-just-quite-in-between.
The ending ties everything up and feels a bit too miraculous - everything is ok at least for a little while.
I'll read the next book, reV, slated to come out early 2019. Any prospective readers should start on Book 1 (vN) to really get what's going on.
I couldn't really get into this book, even though I really like the first book (vN). The book is full of action and things blow up and people (and robots) die, but the story didn't feel as coherent. I liked the overall concept and the best thing about this book is the fluidity that Ashby moves in between human and android, male, female, and not-just-quite-in-between.
The ending ties everything up and feels a bit too miraculous - everything is ok at least for a little while.
I'll read the next book, reV, slated to come out early 2019. Any prospective readers should start on Book 1 (vN) to really get what's going on.
April 24, 2017
It wasn't terrible, but I had to take off a half star for every really unsubtle Blade Runner reference. So many. So painful.
June 29, 2013
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robots for the opportunity to read it.
Don't you think this book is weird? lol.
I got so many issues with this book that I do not know where I should begin. I like the idea of robots. Of vN co-habiting with humans. Working as a nurse, gardener, teacher, etc. I like how they could think of their own but they could not even think of harming a human for it would 'failsafe' them. I think that is such a good idea since in the past, I have watched movies like Terminator, who harms humans because they started to think on their own. Failsafe is like a guarantee that robots, or vN rather, will NEVER hurt humans for they function to serve, protect, love and make them happy.
I get the story of the series. Of Amy's clade having a kind of failsafe glitch. Failsafe is an exemption to Portia and Amy. Of Amy being a vN who thinks of her fellow vN to have some sort of freedom. In this certain book though, the past was revealed. Sort of. And the main protagonist in this story is Javier.
So it was all Javier's thoughts, past, actions, we are seeing. Reasons why he do what he did. I kinda like that the author change POV. From Amy for the first book, to Javier in second. It's a good knowing what were his thoughts.
So, what I didn't like about this book?
1. It's a bit boring in the first part.
2. All Javier thinks of is getting Amy's panties down. It's like, every single time they're together he's asking to fuck her. >_<
3. It's all 'FUCKING' in this book. Fucking as in sex, fucking as in curse.
4. I don't like that it was said that Amy is just a kindergartener a year ago (which is true in the first book), and then for this second book, Javier wanted to fuck her. Please! I mean, I know what kind of vN he is. But still, this does not seem right. It's like Pedophile but then again, Javier is like 4 years old only. I know the norms does not apply to robots (vN) but still. WEIRD.
5. I hate that one moment, someone from Javier's sons or himself, speaks Spanish AND IT WAS NEVER TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH. How would I know what they said?! I'm not a Spanish speaker. I do understand PUTA though. Cause I curse using that word sometimes. Yeah, got Spanish terms here in the Philippines too.
6. I can't even categorize this book to Young Adult because of the language used and the actions shown. I can't even say it's a New Adult or Adult book because of the age of the characters. That does not seem right to any option.
Guess that's it? Oh wait, did I ever told you it really is weird that even male vN iterates which in a simple word means, pregnant? lol. And the book also shows... male to male sex. WTF right? Well, I'm actually not against MM, I love MM. But I'm not reading a Male to Male book, in the first place. If I want to read books like that, I'd turn to my Yaoi mangas.
I am not trying to degrade this book, it might not just be my preference. I do admit I am weird so I got weird tastes sometimes. I'm just trying my best to say what is on my mind as honestly as I could.
Did I enjoy some part of the book? YES.
Did I enjoy the book, overall? NOT SO MUCH. It just kind of dragged.
Will I recommend it to some friends? MAYBE. But to only those who got a strong stomach, doesn't mind the word 'fucking' every now and then, can somehow understand Spanish and who is a bit techy.
It might just be me. You might like it better than I do. So please don't judge the book because you read my review. Good luck and hope you'll have a fun time reading ahead of you! :)
Don't you think this book is weird? lol.
I got so many issues with this book that I do not know where I should begin. I like the idea of robots. Of vN co-habiting with humans. Working as a nurse, gardener, teacher, etc. I like how they could think of their own but they could not even think of harming a human for it would 'failsafe' them. I think that is such a good idea since in the past, I have watched movies like Terminator, who harms humans because they started to think on their own. Failsafe is like a guarantee that robots, or vN rather, will NEVER hurt humans for they function to serve, protect, love and make them happy.
I get the story of the series. Of Amy's clade having a kind of failsafe glitch. Failsafe is an exemption to Portia and Amy. Of Amy being a vN who thinks of her fellow vN to have some sort of freedom. In this certain book though, the past was revealed. Sort of. And the main protagonist in this story is Javier.
So it was all Javier's thoughts, past, actions, we are seeing. Reasons why he do what he did. I kinda like that the author change POV. From Amy for the first book, to Javier in second. It's a good knowing what were his thoughts.
So, what I didn't like about this book?
1. It's a bit boring in the first part.
2. All Javier thinks of is getting Amy's panties down. It's like, every single time they're together he's asking to fuck her. >_<
3. It's all 'FUCKING' in this book. Fucking as in sex, fucking as in curse.
4. I don't like that it was said that Amy is just a kindergartener a year ago (which is true in the first book), and then for this second book, Javier wanted to fuck her. Please! I mean, I know what kind of vN he is. But still, this does not seem right. It's like Pedophile but then again, Javier is like 4 years old only. I know the norms does not apply to robots (vN) but still. WEIRD.
5. I hate that one moment, someone from Javier's sons or himself, speaks Spanish AND IT WAS NEVER TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH. How would I know what they said?! I'm not a Spanish speaker. I do understand PUTA though. Cause I curse using that word sometimes. Yeah, got Spanish terms here in the Philippines too.
6. I can't even categorize this book to Young Adult because of the language used and the actions shown. I can't even say it's a New Adult or Adult book because of the age of the characters. That does not seem right to any option.
Guess that's it? Oh wait, did I ever told you it really is weird that even male vN iterates which in a simple word means, pregnant? lol. And the book also shows... male to male sex. WTF right? Well, I'm actually not against MM, I love MM. But I'm not reading a Male to Male book, in the first place. If I want to read books like that, I'd turn to my Yaoi mangas.
I am not trying to degrade this book, it might not just be my preference. I do admit I am weird so I got weird tastes sometimes. I'm just trying my best to say what is on my mind as honestly as I could.
Did I enjoy some part of the book? YES.
Did I enjoy the book, overall? NOT SO MUCH. It just kind of dragged.
Will I recommend it to some friends? MAYBE. But to only those who got a strong stomach, doesn't mind the word 'fucking' every now and then, can somehow understand Spanish and who is a bit techy.
It might just be me. You might like it better than I do. So please don't judge the book because you read my review. Good luck and hope you'll have a fun time reading ahead of you! :)
June 8, 2013
Machine Dynasty Sequel
Summary:Full disclosure I received an electronic copy of this book to review from NetGalley. iD is the second book in Madeline Ashby’s The Machine Dynasty. Having read the first book in the series back in August 2012 I can honestly say I don’t recall very much of the overall series except for a few basic plot points and characters. In fact, when I read the summary for iD I assumed Javier was a new character not realizing he played an important role in vN. With that said I think if you’re coming into this book having not read vN you’ll be able to get by but might not pick up on all the backstory elements and the world in general.
iD is the continuation of the events from vN focusing on the lives of Amy and Javier. As you can pick up from the plot summaries the story quickly focuses on Javier exclusively in his efforts at redemption for himself and to save his family and species. To give away any more than that I think would be a disservice to you as it would spoil the early portions of the book.
Upfront anyone picking this book up needs to know there is a fair amount of sex. Nothing graphic or explicit by any means but it might be enough to turn some people off (no pun intended). In all honesty the sex isn’t gratuitous , but instead is meant to give insight into Javier’s character and the driving factor behind his actions. This insight was useful but also confusing and frustrating because at times I struggled with believing why he did some of the things he did. Again, difficult to go into without spoiling the book, but there is one ultimate betrayal Javier commits that was difficult to believe in some regards.
Overall, iD is a worthy sequel to VN and continues to develop this interesting world. If anything I feel there is still a significant portion of this world left to explore and hope to see that covered in the next book. For instance the threat of Portia (a carryover from vN) was not resolved and was one of the points I was a little disappointed with. Not disappointment that the issue wasn’t resolved but more so that we didn’t get to experience the world’s fear and reaction to the threat she represents. Instead she was the fifth wheel that was demoted to occasional bit player in the overall story. I personally also found a portion of the ending to be a little confusing and will need to go re-read that again. In general if self-aware androids/robots in a near future setting with a little bit of sex, action and intrigue throw into the mix are your thing then iD is worth the read.
Summary:Full disclosure I received an electronic copy of this book to review from NetGalley. iD is the second book in Madeline Ashby’s The Machine Dynasty. Having read the first book in the series back in August 2012 I can honestly say I don’t recall very much of the overall series except for a few basic plot points and characters. In fact, when I read the summary for iD I assumed Javier was a new character not realizing he played an important role in vN. With that said I think if you’re coming into this book having not read vN you’ll be able to get by but might not pick up on all the backstory elements and the world in general.
iD is the continuation of the events from vN focusing on the lives of Amy and Javier. As you can pick up from the plot summaries the story quickly focuses on Javier exclusively in his efforts at redemption for himself and to save his family and species. To give away any more than that I think would be a disservice to you as it would spoil the early portions of the book.
Upfront anyone picking this book up needs to know there is a fair amount of sex. Nothing graphic or explicit by any means but it might be enough to turn some people off (no pun intended). In all honesty the sex isn’t gratuitous , but instead is meant to give insight into Javier’s character and the driving factor behind his actions. This insight was useful but also confusing and frustrating because at times I struggled with believing why he did some of the things he did. Again, difficult to go into without spoiling the book, but there is one ultimate betrayal Javier commits that was difficult to believe in some regards.
Overall, iD is a worthy sequel to VN and continues to develop this interesting world. If anything I feel there is still a significant portion of this world left to explore and hope to see that covered in the next book. For instance the threat of Portia (a carryover from vN) was not resolved and was one of the points I was a little disappointed with. Not disappointment that the issue wasn’t resolved but more so that we didn’t get to experience the world’s fear and reaction to the threat she represents. Instead she was the fifth wheel that was demoted to occasional bit player in the overall story. I personally also found a portion of the ending to be a little confusing and will need to go re-read that again. In general if self-aware androids/robots in a near future setting with a little bit of sex, action and intrigue throw into the mix are your thing then iD is worth the read.
June 15, 2013
Formal review to come on SF Signal.
I'll admit, I was really worried about my rating for this book. From 35% to 75% I wasn't really enjoying myself, and for most of that I was pretty repulsed. There's rape, a trip to a pedophile club, and fantasies about sex robots that I won't go into. The author doesn't portray these in a positive light at all, but it still wasn't easy to read.
But then the ending went and surprised me, and even made me see why the main character of this story had to have had those guy on guy and rape scenes--well, maybe not "had", but all the characters and their motivations and weaknesses played a crucial part to the conclusion.
I wanted this book to be the mega war between robots and humans, and it ended up being the sequel to the love story that started in Book One, vN. The first third shocked me, and then the last five percent shocked me even more, so much so that it turned a probable two star into a four. Even better, I will most likely read the next book. The fight is only just beginning and hopefully the sex aspect doesn't need to be such a big part anymore.
I'll admit, I was really worried about my rating for this book. From 35% to 75% I wasn't really enjoying myself, and for most of that I was pretty repulsed. There's rape, a trip to a pedophile club, and fantasies about sex robots that I won't go into. The author doesn't portray these in a positive light at all, but it still wasn't easy to read.
But then the ending went and surprised me, and even made me see why the main character of this story had to have had those guy on guy and rape scenes--well, maybe not "had", but all the characters and their motivations and weaknesses played a crucial part to the conclusion.
I wanted this book to be the mega war between robots and humans, and it ended up being the sequel to the love story that started in Book One, vN. The first third shocked me, and then the last five percent shocked me even more, so much so that it turned a probable two star into a four. Even better, I will most likely read the next book. The fight is only just beginning and hopefully the sex aspect doesn't need to be such a big part anymore.
March 18, 2015
Just as awesome as the the first one!
I liked all the sci fi references that none of the vNs ever got, to Bladerunner and Star Trek and The Prisoner and probably others that I didn't get.
I liked all the sci fi references that none of the vNs ever got, to Bladerunner and Star Trek and The Prisoner and probably others that I didn't get.
April 16, 2020
In the previous novel in the series, vN, Ashby introduces us to Amy, and we follow her story of self-discovery in a futuristic world where humanoid robots have been created to fulfill a person’s every whim. And I do mean every whim, because yes, pedophilia is touched upon in this series, and the future is not entirely a comfortable place.
In this sequel, we instead follow Javier, Amy’s companion and love. Where much of vN had a focus on finding a sense of self and learning about who you are when developing from a child to an adult, much of Javier’s point of view centres around sex. Which isn’t done just to be edgy and erotic, but because for much of his life, Javier saw himself in how he related sexually to others. Specifically, humans. The story starts with him remembering how often he was oh-so-kindly disregarded and put down by sexual partners, because in being vN, he was a disposable pleasure toy and not a partner.
After being forced into poisoning Amy, Javier leaves their island home and goes on a search for her backup, to try to restore her. Along the way we see flashbacks of what was considered his childhood, his awkward relationship with his father (ie, the vN who iterated him), and seeing how he grew into the person we see during the main part of the story was supremely interesting. In vN we got to see some of Javier, and he definitely played a major role in the story, but with the focus being entirely on him now, we get to learn so much more about him, and we also get to see how Ashby shines as a character writer. Her characters are wonderfully flawed, gritty, idealistic, so very real that you close the book feeling like you’ve just been talking to friends in your living room, not reading about them in pages.
Javier’s approach to sex may cause some consternation in readers, because while he certainly uses it to his advantages as he travels and seeks information, his view on it is highly subjective. From a rape early in the story (which caused him to feel guilt over the act in spite of being forced into it via his failsafe) to later and more willing sexual encounters to gain what he wanted from others (which he demonstrated less guilt over), it may come across as very inconsistent. I can somewhat see where the distinction lay and why he would feel less guilt over a willing encounter than a forced one (obviously), but I would still have expected him to feel somewhat more guilt over the willing encounters due to his feelings for Amy. It’s a very complex thing, and I’m not completely convinced it was conveyed well in the story.
Also of note is the way Ashby inserted a few non-English languages into the mix, which was a combination of both good and bad. Good in that it was done realistically, in places where there would actually be languages other than English spoken or written. Bad in that, well, while I could understand the French and Japanese, my Spanish leaves something to be desired, and there were many lines that I simply were lost on. Nothing essential to the plot, thankfully, but I was still left with the feeling that I missed something. Keep a few language dictionaries handy, or be prepared to Google some things.
From Javier’s search for Amy and the search for peace and growth within himself, we get a very interesting story that expands on what was established in vN, and this is one sci-fi series not to be missed. Ashby has a wonderful imagination, an eye for detail, and characters that I don’t want to part from. From the beginning of the first book to the end of the second, I was hooked, and I’m eagerly looking forward to anything that Ashby does in the future.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
In this sequel, we instead follow Javier, Amy’s companion and love. Where much of vN had a focus on finding a sense of self and learning about who you are when developing from a child to an adult, much of Javier’s point of view centres around sex. Which isn’t done just to be edgy and erotic, but because for much of his life, Javier saw himself in how he related sexually to others. Specifically, humans. The story starts with him remembering how often he was oh-so-kindly disregarded and put down by sexual partners, because in being vN, he was a disposable pleasure toy and not a partner.
After being forced into poisoning Amy, Javier leaves their island home and goes on a search for her backup, to try to restore her. Along the way we see flashbacks of what was considered his childhood, his awkward relationship with his father (ie, the vN who iterated him), and seeing how he grew into the person we see during the main part of the story was supremely interesting. In vN we got to see some of Javier, and he definitely played a major role in the story, but with the focus being entirely on him now, we get to learn so much more about him, and we also get to see how Ashby shines as a character writer. Her characters are wonderfully flawed, gritty, idealistic, so very real that you close the book feeling like you’ve just been talking to friends in your living room, not reading about them in pages.
Javier’s approach to sex may cause some consternation in readers, because while he certainly uses it to his advantages as he travels and seeks information, his view on it is highly subjective. From a rape early in the story (which caused him to feel guilt over the act in spite of being forced into it via his failsafe) to later and more willing sexual encounters to gain what he wanted from others (which he demonstrated less guilt over), it may come across as very inconsistent. I can somewhat see where the distinction lay and why he would feel less guilt over a willing encounter than a forced one (obviously), but I would still have expected him to feel somewhat more guilt over the willing encounters due to his feelings for Amy. It’s a very complex thing, and I’m not completely convinced it was conveyed well in the story.
Also of note is the way Ashby inserted a few non-English languages into the mix, which was a combination of both good and bad. Good in that it was done realistically, in places where there would actually be languages other than English spoken or written. Bad in that, well, while I could understand the French and Japanese, my Spanish leaves something to be desired, and there were many lines that I simply were lost on. Nothing essential to the plot, thankfully, but I was still left with the feeling that I missed something. Keep a few language dictionaries handy, or be prepared to Google some things.
From Javier’s search for Amy and the search for peace and growth within himself, we get a very interesting story that expands on what was established in vN, and this is one sci-fi series not to be missed. Ashby has a wonderful imagination, an eye for detail, and characters that I don’t want to part from. From the beginning of the first book to the end of the second, I was hooked, and I’m eagerly looking forward to anything that Ashby does in the future.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
January 12, 2018
"What you have to know about humans is what they don't know about themselves," Arcadio says. "They're machines, too. Humans are just machines. They run programs just like we do, they just run different ones."
- iD, p. 116
In my review of vN, the first of Madeline Ashby's Machine Dynasty, I said that it was an action-adventure story brimming with ideas. I also said that it didn't proffer many answers to the questions it asked. iD, the second Machine Dynasty novel, is different. Its adventure is less action-packed - in this novel we follow Javier, Amy's companion who has the failsafe that prevents vN robots from harming humans. It's more of an investigation, as Javier tries to find Amy () while also uncovering other shady goings on in New Eden Ministries - the church that created the vN - and the human world as a whole. And while the book is still brimming with ideas, most of these are less questions than metaphors. Compared to its predecessor, iD's story may be less exciting; its metaphors, however, are fantastic.
The central theme, it seems to me, is the question of power, free will, and consent. The vN are intelligent beings, but the failsafe means that they are unable to resist the sexual attraction of human beings. The failsafe makes them want it, but it also makes them incapable of choosing. At the start of the novel we see Amy and Javier living together on the island where they ended vN, but Amy refuses to have a sexual relationship with Javier because her slow upbringing and lack of a failsafe make her "just human enough" that she cannot tell if he can consent. Human beings are not so generous. They use their power over Javier to manipulate him into situations over which he has no control. It's shocking to read at times, but I found the metaphor to be clear and strong: consent is impossible to determine where there is a power imbalance.
There are several other themes behind this major one. Ashby frames the question in an explicitly religious context by making the creators of the vN a religious sect, New Eden Ministries. In the prologue, the bishops and founder of this sect explicitly equate themselves with God as creator. Furthermore, Amy (who lacks the failsafe) is identified as an atheist; Javier is not, and his relationship with humans throughout the novel reflects this. There's also the continuing dehumanization of the vN - we, as readers, see the world through first Amy and then Javier's eyes and thus understand them to be intelligent beings, but in the background, in what others say, they are called dolls, inhuman, unreal. Again, I found the metaphor to be a powerful one.
While the ideas are good and Javier is a great protagonist, iD is not perfect. Much of it feels like set up for the final part of the trilogy. There are some dei ex machina that make sense, but lend a certain hollowness to aspects of the novel. It is possible that ReV will be so good as to render at least the first of these complaints moot, but for now iD is a great but flawed book.
October 17, 2017
This is the sequel to vN, and in a lot of ways is more of the same. We follow Javier this time, as he goes on his quest to restore Amy after he was forced to poison her by a religious fanatic abusing his failsafe.
The issues around the failsafe (which prevents vN from harming or failing to prevent harm to humans and can kill them if they do) and consent are probably the most interesting parts of the book, as Javier begged Amy to remove his but she refused, leaving him vulnerable to exploitation from humans. Otherwise, it's mostly a trip from one potential lead to another through a near-future of vN ghettos and a finale on Cosplay Island.
Along the way, Javier attempts to deal with his own daddy issues and reconcile his efforts to be a decent father to his own iterations while also being essentially a living sex doll who can only influence people by seducing them, knowing at the same time that he has to go along with anything they ask from him.
Despite the non-appearance of the third volume so far, this suffers from a lot of the worst middle-book syndrome symptoms, padding things out and providing a diversion before getting to the events that end this book and presumably set up the real story to come.
Unfortunately, the ending itself is a mess of enemies just deciding to stop antagonising Javier, enemies deciding to actually help him, Amy saving the day and revealing she could have stopped things at any time but chose not to, a rapid-fire reconciliation between parents and children who haven't met (and the child thinks the father murdered the mother) and the removal of the failsafe worldwide. I was happy with how everything finished up but the way they got there was at best unclear and at worst made no sense.
In the end, the worst parts of vN felt amplified here and the potential of the earlier book is all put on hold for a possible future sequel.
The issues around the failsafe (which prevents vN from harming or failing to prevent harm to humans and can kill them if they do) and consent are probably the most interesting parts of the book, as Javier begged Amy to remove his but she refused, leaving him vulnerable to exploitation from humans. Otherwise, it's mostly a trip from one potential lead to another through a near-future of vN ghettos and a finale on Cosplay Island.
Along the way, Javier attempts to deal with his own daddy issues and reconcile his efforts to be a decent father to his own iterations while also being essentially a living sex doll who can only influence people by seducing them, knowing at the same time that he has to go along with anything they ask from him.
Despite the non-appearance of the third volume so far, this suffers from a lot of the worst middle-book syndrome symptoms, padding things out and providing a diversion before getting to the events that end this book and presumably set up the real story to come.
Unfortunately, the ending itself is a mess of enemies just deciding to stop antagonising Javier, enemies deciding to actually help him, Amy saving the day and revealing she could have stopped things at any time but chose not to, a rapid-fire reconciliation between parents and children who haven't met (and the child thinks the father murdered the mother) and the removal of the failsafe worldwide. I was happy with how everything finished up but the way they got there was at best unclear and at worst made no sense.
In the end, the worst parts of vN felt amplified here and the potential of the earlier book is all put on hold for a possible future sequel.
January 12, 2024
I read vN over a year ago and I would advise anyone reading this very original take on AI life to not let too much time elapse between the books of the trilogy. I had a little trouble getting my brain in sync with the story and characters, but once that happened, the details of this complex world of human and
AI life became more easily navigable. The one character that I really loved, Amy, is referenced frequently but does not really appear in this second book. Too bad, as Amy is the most interesting character and her POV is very powerful in support of the narrative. Javier, however, grew on me. This is a relevant plot: what role should AI play in life with humans? If they become so sophisticated that they are virtually impossible to differentiate from a human (putting physical strength aside), should they have all the same rights and responsibilities as a human? Can they be exploited for work (or sex) merely due to physical endurance? What about sharing all resources (food, etc): do humans get first access to them for survival? Should AI rise up and kill humans because they can do so pretty easily?
We see a number of philosophical issues addressed when Javier leaves an island designed for just AI life to look for Amy. Humans are just not very nice, to each other or to other species or forms of life. This being the second novel in the trilogy, it sets the scene for a resolution of the various conflicts that exist between human and AI life. Like most "middle" novels, nothing momentous really happens, but the ultimate conflicts are defined for resolution in the final volume. Ashby doesn't cop out with "deus ex machina" solutions, but keeps the conflict and resolution grounded in actual human conflict resolution parameters. I am going to read the final novel soon, as I don't want to lose the nuance of the characters and conflicts!
AI life became more easily navigable. The one character that I really loved, Amy, is referenced frequently but does not really appear in this second book. Too bad, as Amy is the most interesting character and her POV is very powerful in support of the narrative. Javier, however, grew on me. This is a relevant plot: what role should AI play in life with humans? If they become so sophisticated that they are virtually impossible to differentiate from a human (putting physical strength aside), should they have all the same rights and responsibilities as a human? Can they be exploited for work (or sex) merely due to physical endurance? What about sharing all resources (food, etc): do humans get first access to them for survival? Should AI rise up and kill humans because they can do so pretty easily?
We see a number of philosophical issues addressed when Javier leaves an island designed for just AI life to look for Amy. Humans are just not very nice, to each other or to other species or forms of life. This being the second novel in the trilogy, it sets the scene for a resolution of the various conflicts that exist between human and AI life. Like most "middle" novels, nothing momentous really happens, but the ultimate conflicts are defined for resolution in the final volume. Ashby doesn't cop out with "deus ex machina" solutions, but keeps the conflict and resolution grounded in actual human conflict resolution parameters. I am going to read the final novel soon, as I don't want to lose the nuance of the characters and conflicts!
June 22, 2017
The book's pacing was quite well-set, moving from event to event quite quickly and since it was only through Javier's POV, there was less of a lull in the smoothness of the flow. I thought that this book was be a better opportunity to explore the different types of vN and maybe more different perspectives of humans toward vN or vice versa, but all we got were the same old ones like Rory and all the other Amy bots. Although this was a quick and easy read, I didn't really see the point of the entire book, as the ending really just destroys the whole quest motif Javier had going. If Amy was still alive and watching him all along, and all Rory wanted to do was kill pedophiles and not actually kill them (Rory seems to be quite fickle and useless), and all Portia did was send creepy messages to humans, then there wasn't really a point. Mecha was still around and Portia ended up helping Javier when he needed it so she wasn't a threat, Rory wasn't a threat in the end either because she just decided to forget about her entire plan, and even the whole Javier VS his failsafe/humans abusing his failsafe really failed because Amy just swooped in anyway. There wasn't a point to having this first-ever unique hybrid of Amy+Javier in their daughter either, since she only showed up at the end... and did nothing much. I felt that the ending really undid the whole book and could have been taken in a completely different direction that could have showed more of the Machine Dynasty world and maybe what Amy and Javier's daughter could do, instead of just bringing Amy back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2018
Another book that I'm pretty sure I read and reviewed, but the review has disappeared forever. So this will be short.
iD takes up a bit after vN left off. Amy, the self-aware super robot who has figured out how to utilize nanotechnology to her own benifit, has created an island where she hopes that she and many iterations of Javier, her love, will be safe. Naturally, in a book this can't happen.
Javier has solo adventures this time, and the book is all about agency. While Amy has discovered that she can hurt humans (although she doesn't want to) Javier, along with most other artificial people, has a governor that won't allow him to do this. Naturally, this leads to all sorts of nasty ways to take advantage of robots- mostly sexually. This book pulls no punches about what the worst sorts of people would do to those who cannot willfully consent and cannot say no. It was bad enough that I didn't finish, because Javier is so damaged ( if you think of him as human) that he has learned how to use sex to survive, and it's his go-to mechanism. It's a realistic portrayal of how many people who have been sexually abused learn to cope, but it wasn't one that I wanted to read.
iD takes up a bit after vN left off. Amy, the self-aware super robot who has figured out how to utilize nanotechnology to her own benifit, has created an island where she hopes that she and many iterations of Javier, her love, will be safe. Naturally, in a book this can't happen.
Javier has solo adventures this time, and the book is all about agency. While Amy has discovered that she can hurt humans (although she doesn't want to) Javier, along with most other artificial people, has a governor that won't allow him to do this. Naturally, this leads to all sorts of nasty ways to take advantage of robots- mostly sexually. This book pulls no punches about what the worst sorts of people would do to those who cannot willfully consent and cannot say no. It was bad enough that I didn't finish, because Javier is so damaged ( if you think of him as human) that he has learned how to use sex to survive, and it's his go-to mechanism. It's a realistic portrayal of how many people who have been sexually abused learn to cope, but it wasn't one that I wanted to read.
July 18, 2024
iD by Madeline Ashby - Second book in The Machine Dynasty trilogy
Adventurous, challenging, dark, mysterious, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5 Stars
I understand what and why this story was written, but it is disgusting. It is horrific and worse than the world of The Handmaid's Tale (which, itself is a dystopian nightmare).
The idea, that the people in charge have designed and put into effect...the ability for organic humans to no only have sex with vNs (replicants), but 3 year old, 6 year old and 10 year old synthetics (replicants).
Ugh.
I keep wanting to hope for the "good" vNs to find the ability to keep each other away from being violated in such ways (and many other ways).
Amy seems to be the one to do what needs to be done, but Javier and Xavier are still able to fight for the rights for the vNs.
I hope the last book...finds a way, for me to connect with the vNs, and not have to go through the mire...of this wretched life that they've been forced to "live".
Adventurous, challenging, dark, mysterious, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5 Stars
I understand what and why this story was written, but it is disgusting. It is horrific and worse than the world of The Handmaid's Tale (which, itself is a dystopian nightmare).
The idea, that the people in charge have designed and put into effect...the ability for organic humans to no only have sex with vNs (replicants), but 3 year old, 6 year old and 10 year old synthetics (replicants).
Ugh.
I keep wanting to hope for the "good" vNs to find the ability to keep each other away from being violated in such ways (and many other ways).
Amy seems to be the one to do what needs to be done, but Javier and Xavier are still able to fight for the rights for the vNs.
I hope the last book...finds a way, for me to connect with the vNs, and not have to go through the mire...of this wretched life that they've been forced to "live".
August 21, 2021
This is an enjoyable enough sequel to vN, with the focus now on Javier as he tries to restore Amy's consciousness (literally) after having been (very implausibly) fooled/coerced into killing her. Still wears the Blade Runner and other influences on its sleeve, to occasionally amusing effect. Lots of cool ideas and some good action sequences, though these tend to seem to exist more for the sake of the action than because they fit-as was the case with the first book. Ashby seems to have taken the Chandler dictum, when in doubt, have someone come in with a gun. to heart. The dialogue is not great, the ending is confusing, the flashbacks to Javier's past did not (for me) gel, but the overall drive of the action and the concept (robots, including sexbots, created by a religious bunch who want help left behind for the sinful humans after the Rapture--so, of course, sexbots are a big part of it--going awry when the Asimovian failsafe preventing robots to harm humans begins to break down) help keep it interesting.
August 5, 2020
I literally do not remember a single thing about the first novel, except apparently, pr GR, I didn't like it. Somehow I ended up picking up the second one anyway. I still don't know if it's any _good_, but they're certainly _interesting_. The entire concept of vN should play out like a dribbling deus ex machina - which it sort of does - but I think I'm here for the philsophy of it?
Anyway, this book makes you think a whole lot about robots, sex, robot sex, and consent; and the only bone I really have to pick with any of that is that Ashby's definition of rape, in the context of the vN, is actually too limited.
Anyway, this book makes you think a whole lot about robots, sex, robot sex, and consent; and the only bone I really have to pick with any of that is that Ashby's definition of rape, in the context of the vN, is actually too limited.
June 22, 2017
Following on how much I liked book one, I was really looking forward to this, and it didn't disappoint. Picking up within moments of the finale of the first book, this one launches full tilt into the conflict between humans and vN, the "androids" who are essentially the other dominant species on the planet by this point. And things escalate from there, coming to yet another finale that leaves things open for another volume - which has been added to my wishlist for when it becomes available on Kindle.
April 13, 2019
Setting presentation, design and originality (how cool is the setting?): 3
Setting verisimillitude and detail (how much sense does the setting make?): 3
Plot design, presentation and originality (How well-crafted was the plot, in the dramaturgic sense?): 2
Plot and character verisimillitude (How much sense did the plot and motivations make? Did events follow from motivations?): 3
Characterization and character development: 4
Character sympatheticness: 4
Prose: 4
Page turner factor: 5
Mind blown factor: 3
Final (weighted) score: 3.7
Setting verisimillitude and detail (how much sense does the setting make?): 3
Plot design, presentation and originality (How well-crafted was the plot, in the dramaturgic sense?): 2
Plot and character verisimillitude (How much sense did the plot and motivations make? Did events follow from motivations?): 3
Characterization and character development: 4
Character sympatheticness: 4
Prose: 4
Page turner factor: 5
Mind blown factor: 3
Final (weighted) score: 3.7
January 9, 2020
Unfortunately, I read this one first -- I probably should have started with vN.
I'm teetering between two and three stars for this one ... I might go read others by this author, but I probably wouldn't seek them out.
There were lots of fantastic ideas in this book, and I particularly appreciated the exploration of how Javier's failsafe makes him vulnerable to abuse from humans. However, I didn't enjoy spending time with him -- even in the midst of a quest to rescue a copy of his not-quite-wife Amy, he was oddly passive and directionless. Which was how he had been made.
I'm teetering between two and three stars for this one ... I might go read others by this author, but I probably wouldn't seek them out.
There were lots of fantastic ideas in this book, and I particularly appreciated the exploration of how Javier's failsafe makes him vulnerable to abuse from humans. However, I didn't enjoy spending time with him -- even in the midst of a quest to rescue a copy of his not-quite-wife Amy, he was oddly passive and directionless. Which was how he had been made.
April 27, 2018
Sequel to vN, but with mostly Javier's POV this time instead of Amy. After I slogged through the prologue, the rest of the book clipped along at a good pace. This is good idea fiction, but not for the faint of heart, with robots for are true people though often tragically constrained by their programming and compressed childhoods.
Quibble: the ending took something away from Javier's journey, the old If They'd Just Talked to Each Other the book would have ended much earlier annoyance.
Quibble: the ending took something away from Javier's journey, the old If They'd Just Talked to Each Other the book would have ended much earlier annoyance.
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