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Creation Debt
Radical views sometimes require committing a crime or two. In his biggest move yet to fight for android rights, Derek liberates a group of androids working off their creation debt at a hospital. One of those androids is 141, who is surprisingly reluctant to leave the facility, leaving Derek baffled.
A delay in their escape forces them to take an alternate route to Derek's base, trapping them on a decrepit spaceship for a week, where they have only each other for company and a divide created by assumptions and wariness—but also an undeniable curiosity.
A delay in their escape forces them to take an alternate route to Derek's base, trapping them on a decrepit spaceship for a week, where they have only each other for company and a divide created by assumptions and wariness—but also an undeniable curiosity.
37 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 13, 2016
73 people want to read
About the author
Lore Graham
13 books23 followersLore Graham is a queer author who lives in Massachusetts. Ze writes sci fi and fantasy romance, poetry, and rpg settings.
Lore is passionate about spectacular worlds and queer characters.
Outside of writing, Lore enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with zir cat.
Lore's poetry has been published in Strange Horizons and Liminality.
Lore is passionate about spectacular worlds and queer characters.
Outside of writing, Lore enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with zir cat.
Lore's poetry has been published in Strange Horizons and Liminality.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 5, 2016
4.5 Cool story stars on Prism Book Alliance®
Androids as slaves, with two hundred years to work off before they’re granted ‘freedom’ - conditional, of course - and our protagonist is having none of it. This is prooooobably why he’s inside the hospital, looking to truly free the thirty-plus androids working there, risking his life, and others, to do so.
This story starts off with a flash bang, terse and urgent conversation, murder, and such a close call of an escape, my pulse was threatening to hammer away almost as fast as Derek’s. He’s set on revenge, Derek is, and he’s planned for it, for this raid and the subsequent freeing of the android slaves - an oxymoron in this futuristic universe that spreads far beyond Earth - and nothing is going to stop him. Nothing. Nothing’s going to stop his overall mission to take down the company and those who make the androids and laws that govern their existence in every sense.
Well. Nothing except maybe 141. They’re a bit of a pistol as far as androids go.
I’m a sucker for sci-fi that uses itself to comment on today’s social and civil issues, when it’s done well, and without a heavy hand. I also like my sci-fi to not be bogged down by endless world building detail. We get all of this here, especially in terms of gender self-identity. Graham gives us enough sense of place detail to provide both place and time without getting lost in the celestial woods, which helps make way for creating connections to these characters.
Even in this short story, Derek’s character follows an emotional arc as details about his life are revealed, both past and present, like right now. I initially viewed him with a ‘wtf dude?’ kinda smirk which then started to morph into a knowing smile and a direct line to my sometimes overly protected heart.
This story moves along at a good clip, the writing efficient, only dipping its toe into wordy-landia here and there. A few words and phrases are repeated in single sentences or passages, too. Minor blips on the nav-screen of this adventure.
Also? 141 is a smartass after that same heart o’ mine. They’re a great foil to Derek’s rather gruff self. They’re intelligence and healthy sense of self-determination, and logic, irritate Derek. At least at first. I wanted to give them a hi-5. Just ‘cause.
Also? This is hot. drops mic
Oh wait, a few more things: I recommend this gem, I want to read more by this author and about these characters, and I’m off to see if they’ve published anything else.
ETA: May 2016 Recommended Read on PBA
Androids as slaves, with two hundred years to work off before they’re granted ‘freedom’ - conditional, of course - and our protagonist is having none of it. This is prooooobably why he’s inside the hospital, looking to truly free the thirty-plus androids working there, risking his life, and others, to do so.
This story starts off with a flash bang, terse and urgent conversation, murder, and such a close call of an escape, my pulse was threatening to hammer away almost as fast as Derek’s. He’s set on revenge, Derek is, and he’s planned for it, for this raid and the subsequent freeing of the android slaves - an oxymoron in this futuristic universe that spreads far beyond Earth - and nothing is going to stop him. Nothing. Nothing’s going to stop his overall mission to take down the company and those who make the androids and laws that govern their existence in every sense.
Well. Nothing except maybe 141. They’re a bit of a pistol as far as androids go.
I’m a sucker for sci-fi that uses itself to comment on today’s social and civil issues, when it’s done well, and without a heavy hand. I also like my sci-fi to not be bogged down by endless world building detail. We get all of this here, especially in terms of gender self-identity. Graham gives us enough sense of place detail to provide both place and time without getting lost in the celestial woods, which helps make way for creating connections to these characters.
Even in this short story, Derek’s character follows an emotional arc as details about his life are revealed, both past and present, like right now. I initially viewed him with a ‘wtf dude?’ kinda smirk which then started to morph into a knowing smile and a direct line to my sometimes overly protected heart.
This story moves along at a good clip, the writing efficient, only dipping its toe into wordy-landia here and there. A few words and phrases are repeated in single sentences or passages, too. Minor blips on the nav-screen of this adventure.
Also? 141 is a smartass after that same heart o’ mine. They’re a great foil to Derek’s rather gruff self. They’re intelligence and healthy sense of self-determination, and logic, irritate Derek. At least at first. I wanted to give them a hi-5. Just ‘cause.
Also? This is hot. drops mic
Oh wait, a few more things: I recommend this gem, I want to read more by this author and about these characters, and I’m off to see if they’ve published anything else.
ETA: May 2016 Recommended Read on PBA
April 25, 2016
One of the oldest and most venerated goals of science fiction is using a speculative setting to metaphorically discuss a real-world phenomenon. Creation Debt succeeds at this brilliantly, using the literal enslavement/indentured servitude of sentient androids to condemn abusive parents who see controlling their children as their reward for bringing them into the world. Written by a trans author and starring a trans main character, author Lore Graham zeroes in on the way some parents can harm their trans kids/adult offspring by refusing them to be anyone besides the version of themselves that exists in the parent's mind. This is incredibly destructive behavior the damage from which can take a lifetime to unpeel.
So: I liked the metaphor/comparison, and found it very effective. I liked the character of 141 and the way xe completely threw the MC for a loop, defying his expectations about what a rescued individual should act and feel like. For one thing, like many allies, the MC needed to be reminded that if he was truly there to help liberate 141, he needed to respect 141's wishes on the matter, for example, including how xe wished to be addressed--still with xyr number for now, rather than a new chosen human name. This is only one of philosophical challenges 141 poses to the MC, expanding his mind while they're stuck there in space escaping together. 141 has a very independent and intelligent mind, and xe doesn't always say or feel the things that the human MC OR human reader would expect.
Something I was less comfortable with: the violence necessary to free the androids--I suppose this is realistic for the situation but it's hard for me not to feel at least something for the patients in the hospital, even though the hospital's being staffed with forced labor. I've been in and out of hospitals watching family members die a little too recently to just laugh that off as "these characters deserved it by going to this particular hospital!" It wasn't enough to ruin the story for me, obviously. Also, I found the sexual arc of the two main character's relationship a little abrupt; I felt that their emotional interaction/conversation was better developed than that part.
Other than that, though, it's a good read and worth checking out. By the way, this story has all trans leads (not only the MC & 141, but also one of the MC's human accomplices) so anyone looking for that in SFF should check it out.
So: I liked the metaphor/comparison, and found it very effective. I liked the character of 141 and the way xe completely threw the MC for a loop, defying his expectations about what a rescued individual should act and feel like. For one thing, like many allies, the MC needed to be reminded that if he was truly there to help liberate 141, he needed to respect 141's wishes on the matter, for example, including how xe wished to be addressed--still with xyr number for now, rather than a new chosen human name. This is only one of philosophical challenges 141 poses to the MC, expanding his mind while they're stuck there in space escaping together. 141 has a very independent and intelligent mind, and xe doesn't always say or feel the things that the human MC OR human reader would expect.
Something I was less comfortable with: the violence necessary to free the androids--I suppose this is realistic for the situation but it's hard for me not to feel at least something for the patients in the hospital, even though the hospital's being staffed with forced labor. I've been in and out of hospitals watching family members die a little too recently to just laugh that off as "these characters deserved it by going to this particular hospital!" It wasn't enough to ruin the story for me, obviously. Also, I found the sexual arc of the two main character's relationship a little abrupt; I felt that their emotional interaction/conversation was better developed than that part.
Other than that, though, it's a good read and worth checking out. By the way, this story has all trans leads (not only the MC & 141, but also one of the MC's human accomplices) so anyone looking for that in SFF should check it out.
July 19, 2018
This is an interesting and thought-provoking queer sci-fi short. 141 is awesome. Derek was a little annoying--he's a crusader battling injustice and he's fighting for a group he's not a part of and he doesn't consider the wants of that group when he makes his plans. He learns and grows over the course of the story, fortunately, because 141 doesn't go along with his plans. This could have been longer and more fleshed out and it felt a little rushed in the end. This is full of queer characters--Derek is trans, 141 is non-binary, and, if I remember correctly, all the secondary characters are queer--which is kind of cool. This was interesting and the concept was neat. I'd consider reading more by this author.
July 17, 2018
Derek, once a part of the problem, has now pledged his life (and maybe even a large part of his morality) towards freeing the android population from the slavery laid on them by their creators. As he sees it, creation does not mean ownership, but responsibility–-and most definitely not permission to lay down 200 years of slavery on the androids created. His latest attempt at bringing down this injustice involves breaking into a hospital where over 100 androids–who have never likely spent even a moment outside the walls of the building-–have been working off their “creation debt.” He intends to break them free, at any cost and against any odds. He never suspected he might find the most stubborn android in the galaxy while trying do it, though.
I found I quite liked the concept of this story. The enslavement of these androids, while not a unique idea, set us up to question not only the ethics involved in AI/Human interactions, but also how we are to balance the “good” of freeing these androids against the “bad” of killing humans to do it. You have to wonder at what point the two are indistinguishable.
For example, Derek, in acting for the androids is also acting against humanity, and so at times comes across as a less than sympathetic character. He reminds me a bit too much of fanatics that only see the end game, not the trail of bodies left behind them. Almost like the idea is more important than the people. If any single android had acted against the plan, you can’t help but feel that Derek would have killed them just as easily as he did every human he came across.
It is indeed 141 that comes across as more “human” in this story. If the value of humanity was valued in aspiration and not base instincts to kill or dominate the “other.” I liked this, this subversion and reversal of roles. It made the story interesting where it could have fallen flat.
Mostly this story falls victim to its length. There was a lot of set up going on here and it left me feeling a bit shortchanged that it simply ends after Derek and 141 have sex. Had it been longer, had it given the characters and plot time to fully developed, I think it could be a pretty good sci-fi story. As it is, well it is mostly an interesting concept with a rather unique talked on sex. Not bad, just not all it could have been.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I found I quite liked the concept of this story. The enslavement of these androids, while not a unique idea, set us up to question not only the ethics involved in AI/Human interactions, but also how we are to balance the “good” of freeing these androids against the “bad” of killing humans to do it. You have to wonder at what point the two are indistinguishable.
For example, Derek, in acting for the androids is also acting against humanity, and so at times comes across as a less than sympathetic character. He reminds me a bit too much of fanatics that only see the end game, not the trail of bodies left behind them. Almost like the idea is more important than the people. If any single android had acted against the plan, you can’t help but feel that Derek would have killed them just as easily as he did every human he came across.
It is indeed 141 that comes across as more “human” in this story. If the value of humanity was valued in aspiration and not base instincts to kill or dominate the “other.” I liked this, this subversion and reversal of roles. It made the story interesting where it could have fallen flat.
Mostly this story falls victim to its length. There was a lot of set up going on here and it left me feeling a bit shortchanged that it simply ends after Derek and 141 have sex. Had it been longer, had it given the characters and plot time to fully developed, I think it could be a pretty good sci-fi story. As it is, well it is mostly an interesting concept with a rather unique talked on sex. Not bad, just not all it could have been.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
July 13, 2016
I had a feeling Lore Graham's book and I would be good friends, and I was right. It's fast-paced, well-written, and insightful. This is one of those rare treats where a story is clearly meant to be both for and about trans folk.
There's so much in here to love: A futuristic world with fully sentient androids; a daring freedom operation as part of a takedown of a Big Corporation; a trans hero; an awesome non-binary gender character; and a completely cliched (but done in a great way) forced togetherness leading to love. How could this not be at the top of my list?
It can be a tricky thing to bring humor to a story which is ultimately about freedom--both literal and figurative. But Graham does this so well. 141, the rescued android, is delightful, a good balance for the brash (and very human) Derek.
I don't really care all that much about sex in a story, but I did like the way these two explored the realities of their bodies and what it meant for them. I also liked that it fell somewhere between instant lust and instant love, but we weren't treated to a fairy tale "let's run off together" narrative.
Speaking of which, I sure hope there's more to this story. It's perfectly fine with me not to answer all the questions at the end; I can use my own imagination, and that's just as fun. But I'd really like to know if they ever take out Isaac Ltd.!
This is the right story for someone who enjoys a blend of action, romance, cool science fiction/futuristic society, and a bit of philosophy. Don't let the gender-neutral pronouns scare you off this one--it's always good to learn new things.
I received a free copy via Inked Rainbow in exchange for an honest review.
There's so much in here to love: A futuristic world with fully sentient androids; a daring freedom operation as part of a takedown of a Big Corporation; a trans hero; an awesome non-binary gender character; and a completely cliched (but done in a great way) forced togetherness leading to love. How could this not be at the top of my list?
It can be a tricky thing to bring humor to a story which is ultimately about freedom--both literal and figurative. But Graham does this so well. 141, the rescued android, is delightful, a good balance for the brash (and very human) Derek.
I don't really care all that much about sex in a story, but I did like the way these two explored the realities of their bodies and what it meant for them. I also liked that it fell somewhere between instant lust and instant love, but we weren't treated to a fairy tale "let's run off together" narrative.
Speaking of which, I sure hope there's more to this story. It's perfectly fine with me not to answer all the questions at the end; I can use my own imagination, and that's just as fun. But I'd really like to know if they ever take out Isaac Ltd.!
This is the right story for someone who enjoys a blend of action, romance, cool science fiction/futuristic society, and a bit of philosophy. Don't let the gender-neutral pronouns scare you off this one--it's always good to learn new things.
I received a free copy via Inked Rainbow in exchange for an honest review.
January 23, 2018
I love dystopian books. It's one of my favorite genres. Add in an LGBTQ+ main character, and it makes me even more excited to read the book. After reading the synopsis for Creation Debt, I knew I had to read the book. A transgender character fighting to bring down a corporation sounded like something I would love. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed after finishing the book.
Creation Debt had the possibility to be one of my favorite books of 2018, or at least that's what I thought after reading the synopsis. Unfortunately, it fell short of what I wanted, and what I expected. for one thing, I think the book would have been better if it was expanded upon a bit. I was really interested in some of the other things that Derek, the main character, had done to free androids. Those things were briefly touched upon, but not described with the amount of detail I wanted. I would have loved to see it happen. I also wanted more detail about what happened towards the end, after everyone met up on Mars. It would have been nice to see the relationship that happens in the book with 141 and Derek evolve more.
There was one thing that I really loved about this book. The author used the proper pronouns for both characters. Not only that, but the publisher also used the proper pronouns for the author, Lore Graham. That's hard to find in a publisher. They didn't make the author hide who ze is. The book was also very informative about proper pronouns, the correct way of asking, and not assuming someone's gender or pronouns. I've read a lot of LGBTQ+ books, and I think this is easily the most informative book about pronouns and sexuality that I've read. It handles the subject in a great way, making it easy to learn about, while keeping the reader's interest at the same time. I learned quite a few things that I had never known before.
I think that if Creation Debt were to be expanded, and to give more detail about the characters, and the world, it would easily be a four or five star read. As it was, I found it to be disappointing because it just lightly mentioned the things that I wanted to know more about. I did love the relationship between Derek and 141 though. The two had a lot of chemistry. I also greatly enjoyed the respect that the author and the publisher both have for using proper pronouns. If Lore Graham ever writes a sequel, I will read it though. I really did enjoy zir writing style, and would love more of these characters.
Creation Debt had the possibility to be one of my favorite books of 2018, or at least that's what I thought after reading the synopsis. Unfortunately, it fell short of what I wanted, and what I expected. for one thing, I think the book would have been better if it was expanded upon a bit. I was really interested in some of the other things that Derek, the main character, had done to free androids. Those things were briefly touched upon, but not described with the amount of detail I wanted. I would have loved to see it happen. I also wanted more detail about what happened towards the end, after everyone met up on Mars. It would have been nice to see the relationship that happens in the book with 141 and Derek evolve more.
There was one thing that I really loved about this book. The author used the proper pronouns for both characters. Not only that, but the publisher also used the proper pronouns for the author, Lore Graham. That's hard to find in a publisher. They didn't make the author hide who ze is. The book was also very informative about proper pronouns, the correct way of asking, and not assuming someone's gender or pronouns. I've read a lot of LGBTQ+ books, and I think this is easily the most informative book about pronouns and sexuality that I've read. It handles the subject in a great way, making it easy to learn about, while keeping the reader's interest at the same time. I learned quite a few things that I had never known before.
I think that if Creation Debt were to be expanded, and to give more detail about the characters, and the world, it would easily be a four or five star read. As it was, I found it to be disappointing because it just lightly mentioned the things that I wanted to know more about. I did love the relationship between Derek and 141 though. The two had a lot of chemistry. I also greatly enjoyed the respect that the author and the publisher both have for using proper pronouns. If Lore Graham ever writes a sequel, I will read it though. I really did enjoy zir writing style, and would love more of these characters.
June 12, 2016
Huh. This short story has a lot of potential for more – meaning, I think it would have been a lot better had it been longer, maybe novel-length. There are some great ideas here, but to be able to truly enjoy it, the world and characters would have needed to be more flashed out.
In this world – that I unfortunately don’t have that good a picture and sense of – Isaac Ltd. is the creator of fully cognisant androids with free will, but they are ‘born’ into this world with a 200 year working debt to pay off before they can choose their own name and more or less live like they please.
Derek worked for the company some years ago, but once he recognised this was wrong he began working to free the androids with unrelenting force. No consequences, no casualties will hold him back – which I found at first a bit odd, as he seems to be working for a good cause and therefore killing other people shouldn’t come so easily. After he reveals his true motivation, his anger does make more sense, though. Still.
When his latest rescue mission goes awry, he’s stranded for a whole week on a spaceship with one of the androids. Xyr name is 141 and xe is an androgynous android who doesn’t identify with the human’s concept of gender. Xe is independent-minded, subtly snarky, and kind. I liked xem a lot and found xem very interesting.
On the ship, Derek and 141 become closer, and despite the short story format, I could get behind it.
I really like the idea of the story and the androids are really cool. I’d love to see more of them. But seriously, they, as well as the whole world, need more depth and just time to develop. Same goes for the characters. More of Derek’s background with his family and his research, more time with him in general, would go a long way to actually be able to bond with him. Surprisingly, although this book is written in first person narration present tense, this didn’t quite happen for me.
__________________________
Genre: short story, science fiction, romance
Tags: trans, genderqueer, androids
Rating: 3 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love Romance
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
In this world – that I unfortunately don’t have that good a picture and sense of – Isaac Ltd. is the creator of fully cognisant androids with free will, but they are ‘born’ into this world with a 200 year working debt to pay off before they can choose their own name and more or less live like they please.
Derek worked for the company some years ago, but once he recognised this was wrong he began working to free the androids with unrelenting force. No consequences, no casualties will hold him back – which I found at first a bit odd, as he seems to be working for a good cause and therefore killing other people shouldn’t come so easily. After he reveals his true motivation, his anger does make more sense, though. Still.
When his latest rescue mission goes awry, he’s stranded for a whole week on a spaceship with one of the androids. Xyr name is 141 and xe is an androgynous android who doesn’t identify with the human’s concept of gender. Xe is independent-minded, subtly snarky, and kind. I liked xem a lot and found xem very interesting.
On the ship, Derek and 141 become closer, and despite the short story format, I could get behind it.
I really like the idea of the story and the androids are really cool. I’d love to see more of them. But seriously, they, as well as the whole world, need more depth and just time to develop. Same goes for the characters. More of Derek’s background with his family and his research, more time with him in general, would go a long way to actually be able to bond with him. Surprisingly, although this book is written in first person narration present tense, this didn’t quite happen for me.
__________________________
Genre: short story, science fiction, romance
Tags: trans, genderqueer, androids
Rating: 3 stars
Blog: Review for Just Love Romance
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
May 11, 2016
Just a comment, not a real review:
I enjoyed the sci-fi and gender aspects of this tale, but didn't like the personality of the narrator for the first half, especially with the intensity of the first person present tense; and the story itself got lost well before the end.
I enjoyed the sci-fi and gender aspects of this tale, but didn't like the personality of the narrator for the first half, especially with the intensity of the first person present tense; and the story itself got lost well before the end.
April 23, 2016
Two very (or maybe no-so-very) different people brought and trapped together by circumstance slowly come to understandings that cause a blossoming of love. A very sweet short.
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