What do you think?
Rate this book
Assimilation
She was far away, this woman he'd been. He knew her child's and husband's names. He could see their faces. But Natalie was a ghost.
Natalie Keller was a happy, attractive woman in the prime of her life: a mother and a wife. The kind of woman some people are jealous of. When a fatal car accident ends Natalie's life, a new technology allows her husband to bring her back. Except it isn't Natalie who wakes up over a year after the accident. It's Andrew.
Andrew is not the only one who has returned from death profoundly changed, and he soon finds a group of misfits who share his fate. They include the brilliant and reckless Oz, who decides to make Andrew his project. The closer they become, the more Oz pushes Andrew into a carelessness that jeopardizes both of their lives.
Having paid for the procedure, Natalie's husband Robert has control over Andrew's body and legal identity. In order to get his life back, Andrew must play a dangerous game, keeping Robert in the dark and preserving his own sanity until he can legally revoke Natalie's identity. But Robert is not the only threat. CryoLife, the company behind the new procedure, is eager to cover up any "mistakes".
In a world where a new life is possible, there are still those who would tell Andrew and Oz how to live theirs. When the truth of who they are is on the line, what are they willing to sacrifice for their freedom?
A dystopian sci-fi thriller for fans of Ann Leckie, Lila Bowen and Kameron Hurley.
Natalie Keller was a happy, attractive woman in the prime of her life: a mother and a wife. The kind of woman some people are jealous of. When a fatal car accident ends Natalie's life, a new technology allows her husband to bring her back. Except it isn't Natalie who wakes up over a year after the accident. It's Andrew.
Andrew is not the only one who has returned from death profoundly changed, and he soon finds a group of misfits who share his fate. They include the brilliant and reckless Oz, who decides to make Andrew his project. The closer they become, the more Oz pushes Andrew into a carelessness that jeopardizes both of their lives.
Having paid for the procedure, Natalie's husband Robert has control over Andrew's body and legal identity. In order to get his life back, Andrew must play a dangerous game, keeping Robert in the dark and preserving his own sanity until he can legally revoke Natalie's identity. But Robert is not the only threat. CryoLife, the company behind the new procedure, is eager to cover up any "mistakes".
In a world where a new life is possible, there are still those who would tell Andrew and Oz how to live theirs. When the truth of who they are is on the line, what are they willing to sacrifice for their freedom?
A dystopian sci-fi thriller for fans of Ann Leckie, Lila Bowen and Kameron Hurley.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2016
252 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 28, 2016
I started this book intending a leisurely read. Nope. At 0230, I finally finished it. I couldn't stop until I reached the end. It's an amazing piece of speculative fiction that skillfully blends contemporary issues faced by transgendered individuals with a Frankenstein-ish, god-playing sci fi.
Stryker's evocative gift with words made Andrew's story almost painful to read at times. Anyone who needs insight into what a transgender person goes through every day: read this. As everybody around Andrew forces him to be Natalie, his pain and resentment and anger are palpable. Oz, the jerk with a heart of gold, is heartbreaking in his loss of the person he was prior to reanimation. Their vulnerability is totally believable, and I love their dysfunctional Scooby gang of damaged people, unconditionally supportive and true friends. I was dissatisfied with the end, but only because spoilers. You have to read this.
Stryker's evocative gift with words made Andrew's story almost painful to read at times. Anyone who needs insight into what a transgender person goes through every day: read this. As everybody around Andrew forces him to be Natalie, his pain and resentment and anger are palpable. Oz, the jerk with a heart of gold, is heartbreaking in his loss of the person he was prior to reanimation. Their vulnerability is totally believable, and I love their dysfunctional Scooby gang of damaged people, unconditionally supportive and true friends. I was dissatisfied with the end, but only because spoilers. You have to read this.
August 10, 2016
I loved the concept of Assimilation. Imagine escaping physical death, but upon awakening you personality had been changed. The characters were well developed and the author did a masterful job of conveying their emotional and physical pain.
September 11, 2016
I started Assimilation not knowing what to expect. I don't usually read blurbs; I just jump right in. Assimilation was no exception, and Mr. Stryker hooked me from the very beginning. When Andrew wakes up in the body of a woman due to CryoLife, a company that brings back people from imminent death, he's confused. Confusion grows into anger and resentment when the woman's husband expects Andrew to play wife and mother. Then Andrew meets Oz. Through Oz, Andrew meets others who were affected by the same life-saving efforts and it's almost a comfort to Andrew that he's not alone. Together the group hatch a plan not only to save Andrew from a life he doesn't want to live, but to stop CryoLife from ever doing it again.
The main story is some kind of sci-fi adventure. What I didn't expect was that Assimilation would also be a love story. At the heart of the book, the relationship between Andrew and Oz, another victim of CryoLife, takes center stage and instigates an ending you would never dream of.
Mr. Stryker writes very vivid characters in a well-thought out plot that will leave you wanting to read more and more. Assimilation is a brilliant read and I look forward to reading more of his wonderful work.
The main story is some kind of sci-fi adventure. What I didn't expect was that Assimilation would also be a love story. At the heart of the book, the relationship between Andrew and Oz, another victim of CryoLife, takes center stage and instigates an ending you would never dream of.
Mr. Stryker writes very vivid characters in a well-thought out plot that will leave you wanting to read more and more. Assimilation is a brilliant read and I look forward to reading more of his wonderful work.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews