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Mr. Sapien träumt vom Menschsein
Ariel S. Winters Roman "Mr. Sapien träumt vom Menschsein" ist eine nachdenklich machende Zukunftsvision in der Erzähltradition von Isaac Asimov und Philip K. Dick
Mr. Sapien, der Held von Ariel S. Winters Roman, ist ein Roboter – lebensmüde und völlig aus der Mode gekommen, weil noch von Menschen gemacht –, der sich gezwungen sieht, aus der Stadt zu fliehen, weil ihm die Abschaltung droht. Als ausgewiesener Menschenliebhaber war er dort zudem immer mehr der sozialen Ausgrenzung ausgesetzt gewesen. Nun zieht er sich an die einsame englische Küste zurück, um in einem angemieteten Strandhaus auf dringend benötigte Ersatzteile zu warten. Sein halbherziger Suizidversuch hat ihn etwas beschädigt zurückgelassen. Dabei hängt er doch eigentlich so sehr am Leben. Da wird er auf seine einzigen Nachbarn in der Umgebung aufmerksam, eine rätselhafte Patchwork-Androidenfamilie, die ›Asimovs‹, die ein Geheimnis zu verbergen scheint: Unter ihnen soll einer der letzten Menschen leben … Hat er die Antworten, nach denen Mr. Sapien sucht? Oder ist es die Familientragödie der Asimovs, die ihm mehr über das Menschsein verrät, als es ein Mensch je könnte?
Mr. Sapien, der Held von Ariel S. Winters Roman, ist ein Roboter – lebensmüde und völlig aus der Mode gekommen, weil noch von Menschen gemacht –, der sich gezwungen sieht, aus der Stadt zu fliehen, weil ihm die Abschaltung droht. Als ausgewiesener Menschenliebhaber war er dort zudem immer mehr der sozialen Ausgrenzung ausgesetzt gewesen. Nun zieht er sich an die einsame englische Küste zurück, um in einem angemieteten Strandhaus auf dringend benötigte Ersatzteile zu warten. Sein halbherziger Suizidversuch hat ihn etwas beschädigt zurückgelassen. Dabei hängt er doch eigentlich so sehr am Leben. Da wird er auf seine einzigen Nachbarn in der Umgebung aufmerksam, eine rätselhafte Patchwork-Androidenfamilie, die ›Asimovs‹, die ein Geheimnis zu verbergen scheint: Unter ihnen soll einer der letzten Menschen leben … Hat er die Antworten, nach denen Mr. Sapien sucht? Oder ist es die Familientragödie der Asimovs, die ihm mehr über das Menschsein verrät, als es ein Mensch je könnte?
234 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2016
15 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Ariel S. Winter
12 books67 followersAriel S. Winter was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Shamus Award, and the Macavity Award for his novel The Twenty-Year Death. He is also the author of the children’s picture book One of a Kind, illustrated by David Hitch, and the blog We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie. He lives in Baltimore.
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May 9, 2017Another surprise gift from the publicity peeps. "Wuthering Heights" with robots? We shall see.
December 25, 2021
An interesting future fiction? dystopia? in which a plague has wiped out most of humanity and the dominant intelligent life form on Earth is now robots. This interpretation of robots is unlike any other interpretation I have ever encountered and about two thirds into the book I was pretty certain that ' robots' was merely a plot tactic to examine humanity, empathy, ethics and ego.
In Barren Cove we come to an old Victorian mansion perched on a cliff, we are brought there by an older model robot who has hired the beach Cabana to get away from the city and contemplate his existence. Sapien was recently in an accident in which his arms suffered damage and the societal view is that he is too old and should deactivate himself. This never really held together for me, as it is so easy for him to order new parts and self install them, but self examination never really needs an excuse, I guess.
While Sapien was expecting time alone with the ocean, instead he gets drawn into the crazy world of the robots who belong to Barren Cove and who inhabit the house. There is also a real human, who is a significant plot element. He becomes fascinated by them all and through the house intelligence, Dean, he finds out their history and so do we. Much of the book is back story on the Barren Cove individuals and backstory.
While a very interesting take on what a post-humanity world based on robots might be like, it was a strange, surreal kind of world building. Older robots were build by humans but modern robots are build by two robots ordering parts, then uploading their.... something through USB into the new robot which makes them sentient and self aware. No question of souls or suchlike are entered into, thank goodness, it was a purely practical world. No questions about artificial intelligence or self awareness are entered into either; these robots are clearly self aware and intelligent the question of artificial vs natural in integrated into the text in a quiet refreshing way. There are strange cross currents and different factions, some robots fascinated by humans and/or their works, others loathing them.
The thing that for me was an elephant in the room was emotions. These robots are physically built and electronically wired, they are intelligent, self governing and autonomous, fine. We are giving a glimpse at a world so tech advanced that we don't really need to examine the background of the robot, but, at the same time, these robots are manifesting emotions and psychosis and I feel like the narrative loses a lot by not examining those things. After all, the emotional attachments of Mary, Kent and Beachstone are very much the backbone of the novel. The psychosis of Clarke and Kent are the entire last part of the plot. And what is with robots having sex... are they? Getting intoxicated at bars on ' numbers' and 'chips' was a nice touch, but sex, emotions and kissing.... I feel that theme needed work. Emotions, sex and insanity are about hormones and other chemicals, I was not given any way to comprehend those things in these robots.
At the end, while it was an interesting novel, leaving the reader with a certain amount to think about, I was not blown away.
Interesting for itself but not dazzling. Was it meant to be a portrait of humanity - as the back cover claims? I can't see it myself. Far from "...just happens to be about robots." [New York Times] There is nothing about it that could possibly make sense if were not robots. This disconected feeling alos applied to some reviews I read which claim it is a 'retelling' of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë I see no hint of that either, I would actually say it is a bit demeaning to THIS novel to compare it to that one.
The back cover also invokes Mary Shelley, Asimov and Philip K. Dick. For me, it was more of a The Wasp Factory feel - apparently interested in confronting you with psychopathy out of context and pain and suffering for no purpose.
So, interesting concept of a future world, mostly robots with a few scattered remaining humans, the humans being solely a plot contrivance. I would actually be quite interested to revisit this world from the point of view of the humans in it, under threat from the random violence and malevolence of the expanding robot population.
In Barren Cove we come to an old Victorian mansion perched on a cliff, we are brought there by an older model robot who has hired the beach Cabana to get away from the city and contemplate his existence. Sapien was recently in an accident in which his arms suffered damage and the societal view is that he is too old and should deactivate himself. This never really held together for me, as it is so easy for him to order new parts and self install them, but self examination never really needs an excuse, I guess.
While Sapien was expecting time alone with the ocean, instead he gets drawn into the crazy world of the robots who belong to Barren Cove and who inhabit the house. There is also a real human, who is a significant plot element. He becomes fascinated by them all and through the house intelligence, Dean, he finds out their history and so do we. Much of the book is back story on the Barren Cove individuals and backstory.
While a very interesting take on what a post-humanity world based on robots might be like, it was a strange, surreal kind of world building. Older robots were build by humans but modern robots are build by two robots ordering parts, then uploading their.... something through USB into the new robot which makes them sentient and self aware. No question of souls or suchlike are entered into, thank goodness, it was a purely practical world. No questions about artificial intelligence or self awareness are entered into either; these robots are clearly self aware and intelligent the question of artificial vs natural in integrated into the text in a quiet refreshing way. There are strange cross currents and different factions, some robots fascinated by humans and/or their works, others loathing them.
The thing that for me was an elephant in the room was emotions. These robots are physically built and electronically wired, they are intelligent, self governing and autonomous, fine. We are giving a glimpse at a world so tech advanced that we don't really need to examine the background of the robot, but, at the same time, these robots are manifesting emotions and psychosis and I feel like the narrative loses a lot by not examining those things. After all, the emotional attachments of Mary, Kent and Beachstone are very much the backbone of the novel. The psychosis of Clarke and Kent are the entire last part of the plot. And what is with robots having sex... are they? Getting intoxicated at bars on ' numbers' and 'chips' was a nice touch, but sex, emotions and kissing.... I feel that theme needed work. Emotions, sex and insanity are about hormones and other chemicals, I was not given any way to comprehend those things in these robots.
At the end, while it was an interesting novel, leaving the reader with a certain amount to think about, I was not blown away.
Interesting for itself but not dazzling. Was it meant to be a portrait of humanity - as the back cover claims? I can't see it myself. Far from "...just happens to be about robots." [New York Times] There is nothing about it that could possibly make sense if were not robots. This disconected feeling alos applied to some reviews I read which claim it is a 'retelling' of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë I see no hint of that either, I would actually say it is a bit demeaning to THIS novel to compare it to that one.
The back cover also invokes Mary Shelley, Asimov and Philip K. Dick. For me, it was more of a The Wasp Factory feel - apparently interested in confronting you with psychopathy out of context and pain and suffering for no purpose.
So, interesting concept of a future world, mostly robots with a few scattered remaining humans, the humans being solely a plot contrivance. I would actually be quite interested to revisit this world from the point of view of the humans in it, under threat from the random violence and malevolence of the expanding robot population.
April 4, 2016
This book is about a family of (mostly) robots living at a beach house called Barren Cove. It takes place at some future period in which robots have largely supplanted humans. The book is supposed to be a retelling of Wuthering Heights, which I remember loving many years ago, but of which I remember few details. However, I don't believe that I would have loved a book about a group of child abusing, suicidal, sociopathic rapists and murderers. Unfortunately, that describes the characters in this book. Even on their good days, they are decidedly unpleasant. I don't know whether the fact that most of the characters are robots makes their behavior better or worse.
I must have completely missed the point of the book. To me, the robots were just a gimmick. If robots were used to illuminate the original story or to say something about the human condition or to make any point at all, I missed it. The only reason that I kept reading this very unsavory book was to see if there would ever be a revelation that explained why it was written. I asked "why" many times while reading this book. Why was jumping off of a cliff a recurrent theme? Why was an elderly man beaten to death? Why did the author employ confusing time shifts? Why, of the two female characters, did one show up only to be nasty to everyone and why was the other a passive victim of everyone else in the book?
I can imagine that some readers will find all of this clever and imaginative, but it wasn't for me.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I must have completely missed the point of the book. To me, the robots were just a gimmick. If robots were used to illuminate the original story or to say something about the human condition or to make any point at all, I missed it. The only reason that I kept reading this very unsavory book was to see if there would ever be a revelation that explained why it was written. I asked "why" many times while reading this book. Why was jumping off of a cliff a recurrent theme? Why was an elderly man beaten to death? Why did the author employ confusing time shifts? Why, of the two female characters, did one show up only to be nasty to everyone and why was the other a passive victim of everyone else in the book?
I can imagine that some readers will find all of this clever and imaginative, but it wasn't for me.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
January 2, 2021
Ein Buch, in welchem -bis auf eine Ausnahme - alle Charaktere Roboter sind? Wie soll man sich das vorstellen? Nun, ganz einfach. Es ist Sturmhöhe mit Robotern!
Da ist alles drin - Liebe, Sex, Gewalt, Verrat, Mord, Science-Fiction.
Am Anfang war ich etwas abgeschreckt und erwartete einen philosophischen Diskurs über das Maschinesein. Aber die Story dreht sich nicht um Mr. Sapien und nicht mal wirklich um seine Sorgen. Es ist das Haus in dem er sich einmietet, um nachzudenken. Es geht um seine Bewohner und ihre Geschichte.
Durchweg originell und doch vertraut. Ja schon regelrecht satirisch. Der Roboterfamilienname ist Asimov 3000 - während die Kinder Kent, Mary und Clarke heißen. (Martha Kent hieß früher Mary Kent - kein Kommentar dazu warum ich das weiß). Ja, so habe ich auch geguckt.
Durchweg eine Leseempfehlung von mir!
Da ist alles drin - Liebe, Sex, Gewalt, Verrat, Mord, Science-Fiction.
Am Anfang war ich etwas abgeschreckt und erwartete einen philosophischen Diskurs über das Maschinesein. Aber die Story dreht sich nicht um Mr. Sapien und nicht mal wirklich um seine Sorgen. Es ist das Haus in dem er sich einmietet, um nachzudenken. Es geht um seine Bewohner und ihre Geschichte.
Durchweg originell und doch vertraut. Ja schon regelrecht satirisch. Der Roboterfamilienname ist Asimov 3000 - während die Kinder Kent, Mary und Clarke heißen. (Martha Kent hieß früher Mary Kent - kein Kommentar dazu warum ich das weiß). Ja, so habe ich auch geguckt.
Durchweg eine Leseempfehlung von mir!
July 16, 2016
I recieved this book from a good reads giveaway, im really lucky that i did. The charachters in this book are all robots, ALL. i found this bit very original and distinct from other books. Ive heard that its a retelling of wuthering heights but I've never really read it so... But now that I've read barren cove I'll read wutheing heights soon. Sapien (a robot) is a relic of a bygone age, searching for meaning in a world where his outdated allegiances to a time long past have left him isolated and hopeless. Seeking peace and quiet, he retires to a beach house at Barren Cove, a stately Victorian manor even more antiquated than he.
He becomes increasingly fascinated with the family whose lives are entwined with the home—angry and rebellious Clark; flamboyant Kent; fragile, beautiful Mary; and most of all, Beachstone, the mysterious man whose history may hold all the answers Sapien has been searching for. As Sapien unlocks their secret loves and betrayals, the dangerous past of Barren Cove will indelibly change him...and who he is fated to become.
He becomes increasingly fascinated with the family whose lives are entwined with the home—angry and rebellious Clark; flamboyant Kent; fragile, beautiful Mary; and most of all, Beachstone, the mysterious man whose history may hold all the answers Sapien has been searching for. As Sapien unlocks their secret loves and betrayals, the dangerous past of Barren Cove will indelibly change him...and who he is fated to become.
November 16, 2016
Das Cover und der Titel haben mich sofort an den Film "Der 200 Jahre Mann" mit Robin Williams erinnert - und meine Erwartung war ein ähnliches Thema, dass sich mir aber nicht so recht erschließen konnte.
Das war ein Buch, dass mich etwas irritiert zurückgelassen hat und bei dem ich mir nicht sicher bin, ob ich alles verstanden bzw. den Sinn begriffen habe. Philosophische Gedanken von Mr Sapien habe ich erwartet und erzählt wurde mir eher die Geschichte über Barren Cove und seine Bewohner: eine Roboterfamilie, die einen jungen Menschen bei sich aufgenommen hat, dessen Gegenwart alle in ihrer Entwicklung beeinflusste. Mr Sapien fungiert hier eher als Beobachter und zieht seine Schlüsse daraus - ich bin mir sicher, dass andere Leser vielleicht besser dahintersteigen, mir blieb das ganze ein wenig suspekt.
Soweit, so gut. Die wenigen Passagen mit Mr Sapien wurden in der Ich Perspektive erzählt, alles andere um Mary, Kent, Clare und Beachstone aus der auktorialen. Den Stil empfand ich sehr monoton und trocken - was natürlich zu den Figuren der Roboter passt, mich dadurch aber nicht wirklich erreicht hat.
Es spielt in einer Zukunft, in der es nur noch wenige Menschen gibt und die Roboter das Sagen haben. Dass sie "damals" von Menschen sozusagen erschaffen wurden, will keiner mehr wissen oder wahrhaben, denn Menschen sind für sie schwach und unzweckmäßig: überflüssig. Und viel zu schwach und verletzlich, als dass sie tatsächlich mal die herrschende Rasse auf der Erde gewesen sein könnten.
Doch was ist nützlich, worin besteht der Sinn der Existenz? Das fragen sich auch die Mitglieder der Roboterfamilie oder eher Gemeinschaft auf Barren Cove und jeder von ihnen bildet sich darüber eine andere Meinung. Gefühle werden hier sehr seltsam widergegeben. Einerseits können die Roboter nicht so empfinden wie die Menschen, spüren aber doch so etwas wie Zorn und Eifersucht oder eine gewisse Befriedigung, wenn sie jemanden zum Lächeln bringen oder zum Weinen. Je nach Gesinnung. Ich muss gestehen, dass mir keine der Figuren recht sympathisch war, ich mir aber etwas mehr gewünscht hätte - das hat mir einfach nicht alles auf die 240 Seiten gepasst.
Vor allem der Neid spielt auf beiden Seiten immer wieder eine Rolle: entweder auf Zuneigung, auf die Zeit, die ja bei den Menschen beschränkt ist, dem Können und Wissen, das sich die Roboter ohne Mühe anreichern können ... und stellt so gegenüber, welche Vorteile eine "Maschine" gegenüber dem Menschen hat und umgekehrt. Auf was der Autor jetzt aber genau rauswollte hat sich mir aber auch am Ene nicht recht erschlossen. Alle wollten auf ihre Art Aufmerksamkeit und eine Daseinsberechtigung, ein Leben, das es Wert ist, gelebt zu werden.
Eine Maschine mit Gefühlen ist für mich eine sehr, sehr abstrakte Vorstellung, vielleicht konnte ich mich deshalb nicht so recht damit auseinander setzen.
Fazit
Eine für mich leider etwas verworrene Geschichte, die interessante Ansätze hat. Anscheinend hab ich den Sinn dahinter nicht so ganz verstanden und durch die etwas spröde Schreibweise, die zwar zu den Robotern als Protagonisten passt, aber alles recht gleichgültig erscheinen ließ, bin ich weder den Figuren noch der Handlung recht nah gekommen. Trotzdem hat es einige interessante Aussagen, die uns in der Zukunft (hoffentlich nicht) beschäftigen werden. Ich bin sicher, dass andere Leser mehr damit anfangen können ;)
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Das war ein Buch, dass mich etwas irritiert zurückgelassen hat und bei dem ich mir nicht sicher bin, ob ich alles verstanden bzw. den Sinn begriffen habe. Philosophische Gedanken von Mr Sapien habe ich erwartet und erzählt wurde mir eher die Geschichte über Barren Cove und seine Bewohner: eine Roboterfamilie, die einen jungen Menschen bei sich aufgenommen hat, dessen Gegenwart alle in ihrer Entwicklung beeinflusste. Mr Sapien fungiert hier eher als Beobachter und zieht seine Schlüsse daraus - ich bin mir sicher, dass andere Leser vielleicht besser dahintersteigen, mir blieb das ganze ein wenig suspekt.
Soweit, so gut. Die wenigen Passagen mit Mr Sapien wurden in der Ich Perspektive erzählt, alles andere um Mary, Kent, Clare und Beachstone aus der auktorialen. Den Stil empfand ich sehr monoton und trocken - was natürlich zu den Figuren der Roboter passt, mich dadurch aber nicht wirklich erreicht hat.
Es spielt in einer Zukunft, in der es nur noch wenige Menschen gibt und die Roboter das Sagen haben. Dass sie "damals" von Menschen sozusagen erschaffen wurden, will keiner mehr wissen oder wahrhaben, denn Menschen sind für sie schwach und unzweckmäßig: überflüssig. Und viel zu schwach und verletzlich, als dass sie tatsächlich mal die herrschende Rasse auf der Erde gewesen sein könnten.
Doch was ist nützlich, worin besteht der Sinn der Existenz? Das fragen sich auch die Mitglieder der Roboterfamilie oder eher Gemeinschaft auf Barren Cove und jeder von ihnen bildet sich darüber eine andere Meinung. Gefühle werden hier sehr seltsam widergegeben. Einerseits können die Roboter nicht so empfinden wie die Menschen, spüren aber doch so etwas wie Zorn und Eifersucht oder eine gewisse Befriedigung, wenn sie jemanden zum Lächeln bringen oder zum Weinen. Je nach Gesinnung. Ich muss gestehen, dass mir keine der Figuren recht sympathisch war, ich mir aber etwas mehr gewünscht hätte - das hat mir einfach nicht alles auf die 240 Seiten gepasst.
Vor allem der Neid spielt auf beiden Seiten immer wieder eine Rolle: entweder auf Zuneigung, auf die Zeit, die ja bei den Menschen beschränkt ist, dem Können und Wissen, das sich die Roboter ohne Mühe anreichern können ... und stellt so gegenüber, welche Vorteile eine "Maschine" gegenüber dem Menschen hat und umgekehrt. Auf was der Autor jetzt aber genau rauswollte hat sich mir aber auch am Ene nicht recht erschlossen. Alle wollten auf ihre Art Aufmerksamkeit und eine Daseinsberechtigung, ein Leben, das es Wert ist, gelebt zu werden.
Eine Maschine mit Gefühlen ist für mich eine sehr, sehr abstrakte Vorstellung, vielleicht konnte ich mich deshalb nicht so recht damit auseinander setzen.
Fazit
Eine für mich leider etwas verworrene Geschichte, die interessante Ansätze hat. Anscheinend hab ich den Sinn dahinter nicht so ganz verstanden und durch die etwas spröde Schreibweise, die zwar zu den Robotern als Protagonisten passt, aber alles recht gleichgültig erscheinen ließ, bin ich weder den Figuren noch der Handlung recht nah gekommen. Trotzdem hat es einige interessante Aussagen, die uns in der Zukunft (hoffentlich nicht) beschäftigen werden. Ich bin sicher, dass andere Leser mehr damit anfangen können ;)
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
February 4, 2021
Ziemlich schräg ... also ich habe nicht kapiert, was mir der Autor damit sagen will.
July 12, 2016
A suicidal early generation robot, rents the beach house below an estate and spends his vacation intruding into the tragic life of the owners, a family of sorts that consists of several late generation robots and an aged bedridden human. The protagonist is torn between admiration and contempt for the new generations of robots which outperform him and mock him, and the frail humans who made him yet have fallen into a stoic decline. The protagonist's exploration of his hosts' past boils down to a rumination on why live? While interesting, it seemed burdened by too many adolescent points of view which forecast a tragic ending.
The behaviour of the destructive and cruel robots, and of anti-social humans begged the question: why live, while offering few considerations to contrast their self-destructive lifestyle. To truly appreciate the book, one needs to understand what the robots symbolise, and I'm not sure that's clear. My sense is that they are beings incapable of growing up, incapable of truly creating, who are forced to act in accordance with whatever small mind their programming gives them, and in this seem to suggest a certain kind of human that sits on the cusp of maturity, not quite able to grasp their place as one of many, but trapped in that isolating cocoon of adolescence, unwilling to emerge unless their sense of their own special uniqueness and value is recognised and lauded by others. But this would be butterfly is surrounded by cruelty and the end picture is of a lost soul mired in a narrow, shallow slice of life, nonetheless thinking he's mined the full possibilities of life and found it wanting.
In this regard, his choice of beach house was very unfortunate.
The behaviour of the destructive and cruel robots, and of anti-social humans begged the question: why live, while offering few considerations to contrast their self-destructive lifestyle. To truly appreciate the book, one needs to understand what the robots symbolise, and I'm not sure that's clear. My sense is that they are beings incapable of growing up, incapable of truly creating, who are forced to act in accordance with whatever small mind their programming gives them, and in this seem to suggest a certain kind of human that sits on the cusp of maturity, not quite able to grasp their place as one of many, but trapped in that isolating cocoon of adolescence, unwilling to emerge unless their sense of their own special uniqueness and value is recognised and lauded by others. But this would be butterfly is surrounded by cruelty and the end picture is of a lost soul mired in a narrow, shallow slice of life, nonetheless thinking he's mined the full possibilities of life and found it wanting.
In this regard, his choice of beach house was very unfortunate.
July 29, 2018
When I heard that there was a retelling of Wuthering Heights with robots out there, I knew I had to have it. Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books of all time. I was eager to get my hands on Barren Cove. I wondered how Ariel S Winter would do things differently. Would the landscape be as important as the characters? Would those characters be as ghastly? Would there be a romance that is both revolting and engaging? I couldn't wait to find out. Not long after starting this book I realised that I was going to be disapointed. Barren Cove is not what I thought it was going to be. I found it boring and mediocre.
The writing itself isn't terrible. Ariel S Winter is not a bad writer at all, but the story itself and the way it was presented bored me. The idea at the centre of this novel was intriguing. Winter's has a solid imagination, I'll give him that, but the delivery was flat.
The storyline was dull and at times confusing. The chapters jumped time periods with no explanation. A few pages into a chapter you would realise you were back in time. There were scenes of violence that I assume were meant to shock but left me feeling cold. I got the overwhelming sense that this book was supposed to be 'cool' but I found it nothing but dull.
The character suffered from the same problems. They were bland and unrelatable. I saw no growth in them, and the female characters were woefully underwritten. All the characters were fairly unlikable but in the wrong way. In Wuthering Heights the characters are monsters, they are deplorable in every way yet somehow they remain interesting and engaging. Barren Cove comes nowhere near this. I felt like the characters were supposed to be 'edgy,' but again they were just monotonous.
There was no substant to Barren Cove, no real depth. Sadly, it left me feeling cold.
The writing itself isn't terrible. Ariel S Winter is not a bad writer at all, but the story itself and the way it was presented bored me. The idea at the centre of this novel was intriguing. Winter's has a solid imagination, I'll give him that, but the delivery was flat.
The storyline was dull and at times confusing. The chapters jumped time periods with no explanation. A few pages into a chapter you would realise you were back in time. There were scenes of violence that I assume were meant to shock but left me feeling cold. I got the overwhelming sense that this book was supposed to be 'cool' but I found it nothing but dull.
The character suffered from the same problems. They were bland and unrelatable. I saw no growth in them, and the female characters were woefully underwritten. All the characters were fairly unlikable but in the wrong way. In Wuthering Heights the characters are monsters, they are deplorable in every way yet somehow they remain interesting and engaging. Barren Cove comes nowhere near this. I felt like the characters were supposed to be 'edgy,' but again they were just monotonous.
There was no substant to Barren Cove, no real depth. Sadly, it left me feeling cold.
February 6, 2016
I read Barren Cove in a day, mostly in one evening sitting. From the first line to the last, I loved every page, the synopses of my brain lighting up in strange and wonderful ways. The story is fresh and original. It is a sci-fi literary novel perfectly written and plotted. The characters distinct, for all their being robots. Yes, robots. And I quickly noted that the story line was a retelling of a 19th c. classic novel. Brilliant!
Sapien rents a beach house to get away from the city and for an opportunity to contemplate. Younger robots had chosen to deactivate. What was he hanging on for? One of the last human-built robots, Sapien lives in a world where robots reproduce 'children' and human life no longer holds any value.
When Sapien decides to visit the beach house owner, a human named Beachstone, he encounters a beautiful female robot name Mary and her distorted brother, Kent. There is a 21st c. gardener robot named Kapec and the house computer Dean. A young robot Clarke has a wild and cruel streak. Sapien is drawn into the family mystery when Dean tells him their history, how Asimov 3000 raised a human child with his children Mary and Kent, alienating his son, and the violent family war that ensued. Sapien does not find the answers he was seeking, but he finds clarity.
I would love to deconstruct the novel but I won't take the fun away from you. But I will say this is an amazing retelling of Wuthering Heights.
Sapien rents a beach house to get away from the city and for an opportunity to contemplate. Younger robots had chosen to deactivate. What was he hanging on for? One of the last human-built robots, Sapien lives in a world where robots reproduce 'children' and human life no longer holds any value.
When Sapien decides to visit the beach house owner, a human named Beachstone, he encounters a beautiful female robot name Mary and her distorted brother, Kent. There is a 21st c. gardener robot named Kapec and the house computer Dean. A young robot Clarke has a wild and cruel streak. Sapien is drawn into the family mystery when Dean tells him their history, how Asimov 3000 raised a human child with his children Mary and Kent, alienating his son, and the violent family war that ensued. Sapien does not find the answers he was seeking, but he finds clarity.
I would love to deconstruct the novel but I won't take the fun away from you. But I will say this is an amazing retelling of Wuthering Heights.
April 21, 2016
Ariel S. Winter has been a finalist for several prestigious book awards, and IMHO it’s just a matter of time until he takes one of those awards home. When I saw Barren Cove, I was immediately drawn to the quirky graphic book cover. It made me curious to learn what Barren Cove was about. I have to admit that I took a leap of faith on this novel, pretty much based on that odd cover, and I’m glad I did…and once I began to read it, the cover suddenly made sense.
Barren Cove is science fiction set in an almost gothic post-apocalyptic world in which robots are the dominant “species” and humans are almost extinct. It reminds me of Ray Bradbury’s work, which is wonderful in and of itself. This is a world turned upside down and one that sucked me in immediately, thanks to Ariel S. Winter’s excellent writing. And, just as a tease, this genre-bending novel is making all of the must-read speculative and sci-fi lists for Spring…can we pick ‘em or what? Let’s see what you think at http://popcornreads.com/?p=9035
Barren Cove is science fiction set in an almost gothic post-apocalyptic world in which robots are the dominant “species” and humans are almost extinct. It reminds me of Ray Bradbury’s work, which is wonderful in and of itself. This is a world turned upside down and one that sucked me in immediately, thanks to Ariel S. Winter’s excellent writing. And, just as a tease, this genre-bending novel is making all of the must-read speculative and sci-fi lists for Spring…can we pick ‘em or what? Let’s see what you think at http://popcornreads.com/?p=9035
March 6, 2024
I remember picking this up during one of our many thrift store adventures several years ago because it sounded very interesting. I mean, it's about robots and I LOVE robot stories. Always have.
Mr. Sapien is an old robot who wants to get away from the city for a while. He wants to figure things out, repair himself. So, he rents a cabana at Barren Cove, and instead of finding peace, he gets wrapped up in the bizarre lives of the Asimov 3000 family...
Wow. I REALLY enjoyed this story! A lot.
It's hard to believe but, at its core, this is a gothic tale. Everything about this family, location, weather, and circumstances is the epitome of this genre. But instead of people, it's robots who are living their isolated, messed-up lives inside a Victorian mansion full of secrets that sits on a cliff and overlooks the ocean.
And what a twisted bunch they are.
There's even a story within a story, in true Wuthering Heights fashion. As well as unethical Frankenstein-esque creations. Even a little of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And it all comes together beautifully.
One of my favourite things about this book is how all the characters are introduced as if we're supposed to already know them, and their individual stories all start to take shape as Dean, the house computer fills in the blanks for Sapien. Only for him to find out that things aren't as they seem and he might not discover what he wants to know from Mr. Beachstone.
Ah, Beachstone. The only human who grows from child to man in a home of robots. Asimov 3000 was obsessed with humans. His daughter Mary is kind but is suffering damsel syndrome. His son Kent is cruel and angry, curious. Then there's Clarke, a bit of a psycho with a small amount of empathy. And Philip. Poor sweet and innocent Phil. I can't forget about Sapien. The mysterious narrator who is damaged and lost, searching for something even though he's not sure what it is.
Yeah, this is a fantastic piece of SF fiction that puts robots in the shoes usually worn by humans. This family is full of drama, tragedy, and the familiar existential crisis of creation.
Loved it!
Mr. Sapien is an old robot who wants to get away from the city for a while. He wants to figure things out, repair himself. So, he rents a cabana at Barren Cove, and instead of finding peace, he gets wrapped up in the bizarre lives of the Asimov 3000 family...
Wow. I REALLY enjoyed this story! A lot.
It's hard to believe but, at its core, this is a gothic tale. Everything about this family, location, weather, and circumstances is the epitome of this genre. But instead of people, it's robots who are living their isolated, messed-up lives inside a Victorian mansion full of secrets that sits on a cliff and overlooks the ocean.
And what a twisted bunch they are.
There's even a story within a story, in true Wuthering Heights fashion. As well as unethical Frankenstein-esque creations. Even a little of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And it all comes together beautifully.
One of my favourite things about this book is how all the characters are introduced as if we're supposed to already know them, and their individual stories all start to take shape as Dean, the house computer fills in the blanks for Sapien. Only for him to find out that things aren't as they seem and he might not discover what he wants to know from Mr. Beachstone.
Ah, Beachstone. The only human who grows from child to man in a home of robots. Asimov 3000 was obsessed with humans. His daughter Mary is kind but is suffering damsel syndrome. His son Kent is cruel and angry, curious. Then there's Clarke, a bit of a psycho with a small amount of empathy. And Philip. Poor sweet and innocent Phil. I can't forget about Sapien. The mysterious narrator who is damaged and lost, searching for something even though he's not sure what it is.
Yeah, this is a fantastic piece of SF fiction that puts robots in the shoes usually worn by humans. This family is full of drama, tragedy, and the familiar existential crisis of creation.
Loved it!
September 26, 2017
Spare of prose, delving immediately into the existential crisis of several robots in a near future dystopia. A quick read, and quite addictive despite no single reason for being so. A robot discovers that proficiency is no substitute for inspiration and questions the meaning of life without humanity to give him purpose. I would enjoy a more expounded version of this story told from several perspectives. Was the old gardening robot a fully converted cyborg human?
March 30, 2017
Mr. Sapien rents a cabana by the sea but the family living in the main house perched on the cliff above becomes a distraction from his attempt at being solitary.
This is basically a domestic drama with gothic overtones that features a whole lot of robots. Philosophical robots, at times.
What happens when the robots are smart enough to make more robots? Why should a robot be made to look like a human? What do the robots think about that?
Do you like moody seaside landscapes and robot/human ethics? THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.
This is basically a domestic drama with gothic overtones that features a whole lot of robots. Philosophical robots, at times.
What happens when the robots are smart enough to make more robots? Why should a robot be made to look like a human? What do the robots think about that?
Do you like moody seaside landscapes and robot/human ethics? THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.
May 13, 2023
I think this book is a parable.
To put oneself in the right frame of mind, imagine you are lounging at a beach, and if Canadian this will likely be in either a Floridian or Cuban resort. You are almost naked, and there’s a Pina Colada lovingly enveloped in one hand, perhaps a cigar in the other, and perhaps an eye discretely surveying the beach as equally unclad passersby stroll by: you are blissfully happy. It is possible that the world, as you know full well, is about to end: perhaps we await the arrival of a (nongender-specific) archangel carrying its flaming sword, temperature will rise 10 or 20 degrees with everything melting or burning to a crisp, the angel’s flaming weapon being of no help at all, or helping, depending on one’s perspective; lava pours from once-dormant mountains and hillsides; never seen before sea monsters emerge; poisonous frogs and locusts are everywhere, and, in Newfoundland, Canada or Northern Ontario or Quebec, there are more black flies than usual, if that is even possible. But there you are in a state of bliss.
Or, it is Autumn, and perhaps Indian Summer, or whatever they call it now. Colour is everywhere, an ocular phantasmagoria, a sheer delight, one’s heart uplifted by the extravagant beauty of it all. You’re in sandals, and near-naked in two or three pieces of clothing depending on whether you are wearing underwear. Yes, perhaps tomorrow this will be blown away by some climate-induced extremely violent wind storm, and you know this from the weather reports, but does it matter? No, it does not. Of course, perhaps the bliss you feel is slightly bitter-sweet because you have a conscience after all and are able to feel some regret but it is bliss nonetheless, and you almost feel like dancing in the beauty of it all.
Or, perhaps it’s Winter, a morning after that first snowfall. You are bundled up unaccustomed to the arrival of the cold, or if Canadian, perhaps still in a t-shirt and shorts but definitely wearing underwear, and it is all magic. You are, again, in a state of bliss, feeling like a kid again, and because it is such a darn beautiful morning, perhaps you are the first one out and first one to be crunching through the new fallen snow: it is one of those memories that imprint on your mind and you never want to forget it, even if the world is ending tomorrow, but today, now, at this moment, even without that first Latte, you are simply exuding unadulterated joy and bliss. The beauty is all so indescribably wonderful.
The world and society that Ariel S. Winter sketches out in Barren Cove, and suggests exists elsewhere, appear to be devoid of joy and beauty. In fact, Sapiens’ first greeting (on page 3) is from a girl-robot cycling by who yells out ‘Sucker!’.
There are no moments in which either the protagonists and antagonists - with one brief exception, perhaps another just as tentative, as I will explain - experience any kind of happiness. It is a society brimming with technology and the tale centers about the presence of sentient Robots, some of whom actually experience intense emotions. These emotions though tend to be negative. Envy plays a big role. Anger and cruelty are almost consistently present. The one exception I mention in which there is found a simple joy is with a couple of kids frolicking in the ocean. One of the robots, Kent, kills one of the children while climbing a cliff. Initially it appears to have been an accident on his part, but later he reconsiders, more than once and with considerable pride, concludes that he really had murdered the child. What the author had Kent murder – and this society as a whole seems supportive – was, I think, that simple yet pure and technology-free fun the kids were having. It is never said but one has the sense that simple joy, happiness, fun – that is, without some technological assist, or without booze, if human, and ‘numbers’, if machine – is taboo. Simple joy is taboo.
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis mentions a priest-philosopher and prolific author, Romano Guardini (1885 – 1968), who warns us that technology is not our friend. Technology’s ultimate goal he says is power. Robots in Barren Cove see themselves as smarter, faster and more powerful than humans, and consider themselves, in spite of their behaviour to a high standard of being useful and modern, to be far superior than humans. Perhaps it is simply that utilitarianism rules – they waste no time enjoying sunsets. Ariel Winter even makes a version of MAID available for any robot who is past its prime and, comparatively, has lost much of its usefulness, and becomes, as Sapiens is, pressured to voluntarily ‘deactivate’.
I see Barren Cove as a parable in that it does not seem a story per se: There is no deep characterization, or a compelling plot, and no real drama, say between the robots and humans (of which there are few: Beachstone; the two children; a shopkeeper in town; and, the hapless old man destined to be beaten to death). The unhappiness of all residents, whether human or robotic, though, is palpable. The kids are happy and it seems this happiness has to be destroyed. In reading this one feels the emptiness and futility of its all – the barrenness.
One has the sense though that Sapiens, the old robot, damaged in some accident, who rents a cabana on the outskirts of the property that houses Beachstone and the robots, and who tells the story, wants to take time to think things over. We are never told why he is here taking a break from living in some unnamed city – and perhaps it is a decision on whether to deactivate or not. But he seems to be searching. And then there is a handicapped robot, Philip, created by Beachstone, who lacks mobility – and has to be carried everywhere, who also lacks a decent battery-life and to his shame has to be recharged regularly to everyone’s embarrassment and who lacks even the ability to speak and possibly to think cogently. But the few words he does manage to utter are along the lines of, ‘what’s it all about anyways’ or ‘why are we here’? It is a tough question but I think speaks to the purpose of the book. Barren Cove asks us to ask ourselves: do we need all this? Mary commits suicide after Beachstone dies, perhaps by deactivating while she jumps from a cliff immediately after his death, who had spent her life lovingly dedicated to a human, who appeared to have loved her as much she did him, but who despised the robot species. But his existence seemed to have been what Mary really needed – Barren Cove hints at that in some way her devotion and love for Beachstone seemed to have ennobled Mary. We sense then that like Sapiens and Philip, Mary wants more of what humans have innately.
Going back to Laudato Si, released in 2015, a year before Barren Cove was published, this encyclical reminds us readers to really think about what it means to be human. No matter how fast or smart or powerful or sentient a machine may become, it will always, as Ariel Winter perhaps warns us, remain inherently utilitarian and as joyless as robot-Charlie’s canned ha-ha-ha-ha but in its shininess and hypnotic-wow-ness tempt us nonetheless to join it in its barren existence and misery. It can no more enjoy a sunset than my dog can. It might be good for us to remember that we are made a little less than the angels themselves, and that is something! That we should nurture our humanness and from time to time, bliss out on some beach with the sun warming our bones and uplifting our spirits, or during an autumnal-walk submerged in all that mesmerizing colour or on an early morning walk with virginal snow underfoot or resting delicately on denuded branches now clothed in a blanket of white.
Edwin
To put oneself in the right frame of mind, imagine you are lounging at a beach, and if Canadian this will likely be in either a Floridian or Cuban resort. You are almost naked, and there’s a Pina Colada lovingly enveloped in one hand, perhaps a cigar in the other, and perhaps an eye discretely surveying the beach as equally unclad passersby stroll by: you are blissfully happy. It is possible that the world, as you know full well, is about to end: perhaps we await the arrival of a (nongender-specific) archangel carrying its flaming sword, temperature will rise 10 or 20 degrees with everything melting or burning to a crisp, the angel’s flaming weapon being of no help at all, or helping, depending on one’s perspective; lava pours from once-dormant mountains and hillsides; never seen before sea monsters emerge; poisonous frogs and locusts are everywhere, and, in Newfoundland, Canada or Northern Ontario or Quebec, there are more black flies than usual, if that is even possible. But there you are in a state of bliss.
Or, it is Autumn, and perhaps Indian Summer, or whatever they call it now. Colour is everywhere, an ocular phantasmagoria, a sheer delight, one’s heart uplifted by the extravagant beauty of it all. You’re in sandals, and near-naked in two or three pieces of clothing depending on whether you are wearing underwear. Yes, perhaps tomorrow this will be blown away by some climate-induced extremely violent wind storm, and you know this from the weather reports, but does it matter? No, it does not. Of course, perhaps the bliss you feel is slightly bitter-sweet because you have a conscience after all and are able to feel some regret but it is bliss nonetheless, and you almost feel like dancing in the beauty of it all.
Or, perhaps it’s Winter, a morning after that first snowfall. You are bundled up unaccustomed to the arrival of the cold, or if Canadian, perhaps still in a t-shirt and shorts but definitely wearing underwear, and it is all magic. You are, again, in a state of bliss, feeling like a kid again, and because it is such a darn beautiful morning, perhaps you are the first one out and first one to be crunching through the new fallen snow: it is one of those memories that imprint on your mind and you never want to forget it, even if the world is ending tomorrow, but today, now, at this moment, even without that first Latte, you are simply exuding unadulterated joy and bliss. The beauty is all so indescribably wonderful.
The world and society that Ariel S. Winter sketches out in Barren Cove, and suggests exists elsewhere, appear to be devoid of joy and beauty. In fact, Sapiens’ first greeting (on page 3) is from a girl-robot cycling by who yells out ‘Sucker!’.
There are no moments in which either the protagonists and antagonists - with one brief exception, perhaps another just as tentative, as I will explain - experience any kind of happiness. It is a society brimming with technology and the tale centers about the presence of sentient Robots, some of whom actually experience intense emotions. These emotions though tend to be negative. Envy plays a big role. Anger and cruelty are almost consistently present. The one exception I mention in which there is found a simple joy is with a couple of kids frolicking in the ocean. One of the robots, Kent, kills one of the children while climbing a cliff. Initially it appears to have been an accident on his part, but later he reconsiders, more than once and with considerable pride, concludes that he really had murdered the child. What the author had Kent murder – and this society as a whole seems supportive – was, I think, that simple yet pure and technology-free fun the kids were having. It is never said but one has the sense that simple joy, happiness, fun – that is, without some technological assist, or without booze, if human, and ‘numbers’, if machine – is taboo. Simple joy is taboo.
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis mentions a priest-philosopher and prolific author, Romano Guardini (1885 – 1968), who warns us that technology is not our friend. Technology’s ultimate goal he says is power. Robots in Barren Cove see themselves as smarter, faster and more powerful than humans, and consider themselves, in spite of their behaviour to a high standard of being useful and modern, to be far superior than humans. Perhaps it is simply that utilitarianism rules – they waste no time enjoying sunsets. Ariel Winter even makes a version of MAID available for any robot who is past its prime and, comparatively, has lost much of its usefulness, and becomes, as Sapiens is, pressured to voluntarily ‘deactivate’.
I see Barren Cove as a parable in that it does not seem a story per se: There is no deep characterization, or a compelling plot, and no real drama, say between the robots and humans (of which there are few: Beachstone; the two children; a shopkeeper in town; and, the hapless old man destined to be beaten to death). The unhappiness of all residents, whether human or robotic, though, is palpable. The kids are happy and it seems this happiness has to be destroyed. In reading this one feels the emptiness and futility of its all – the barrenness.
One has the sense though that Sapiens, the old robot, damaged in some accident, who rents a cabana on the outskirts of the property that houses Beachstone and the robots, and who tells the story, wants to take time to think things over. We are never told why he is here taking a break from living in some unnamed city – and perhaps it is a decision on whether to deactivate or not. But he seems to be searching. And then there is a handicapped robot, Philip, created by Beachstone, who lacks mobility – and has to be carried everywhere, who also lacks a decent battery-life and to his shame has to be recharged regularly to everyone’s embarrassment and who lacks even the ability to speak and possibly to think cogently. But the few words he does manage to utter are along the lines of, ‘what’s it all about anyways’ or ‘why are we here’? It is a tough question but I think speaks to the purpose of the book. Barren Cove asks us to ask ourselves: do we need all this? Mary commits suicide after Beachstone dies, perhaps by deactivating while she jumps from a cliff immediately after his death, who had spent her life lovingly dedicated to a human, who appeared to have loved her as much she did him, but who despised the robot species. But his existence seemed to have been what Mary really needed – Barren Cove hints at that in some way her devotion and love for Beachstone seemed to have ennobled Mary. We sense then that like Sapiens and Philip, Mary wants more of what humans have innately.
Going back to Laudato Si, released in 2015, a year before Barren Cove was published, this encyclical reminds us readers to really think about what it means to be human. No matter how fast or smart or powerful or sentient a machine may become, it will always, as Ariel Winter perhaps warns us, remain inherently utilitarian and as joyless as robot-Charlie’s canned ha-ha-ha-ha but in its shininess and hypnotic-wow-ness tempt us nonetheless to join it in its barren existence and misery. It can no more enjoy a sunset than my dog can. It might be good for us to remember that we are made a little less than the angels themselves, and that is something! That we should nurture our humanness and from time to time, bliss out on some beach with the sun warming our bones and uplifting our spirits, or during an autumnal-walk submerged in all that mesmerizing colour or on an early morning walk with virginal snow underfoot or resting delicately on denuded branches now clothed in a blanket of white.
Edwin
June 26, 2016
An intriguing book that takes place in a world of the future where humans are dying out and robots are the dominant "life form." That's just the thing . . . are they "life"? The robots think so--at least, most of them. The story is told through the inhabitants of an ancient estate called Barren Cove where Sapien goes to find a quiet place to think. He becomes interested in the history of the place and the beings that live there, but human and robot. He considers the past as well as the current state of the world.
I found this book to have an interesting premise but ultimately bleak and unsatisfying. I'm glad I read it but it won't stick in my memory because it seemed more like a sketch to me instead of a fully realized novel. I would recommend it to others who like speculative fiction that is thought-provoking and have a higher tolerance for unresolved stories than I do. I tend to think that some novels that have unresolved endings are cop-outs, as if the author couldn't really think about how it should end so just sort of stops writing; this book felt like this to me. I don't need everything tied up in a bow, but I do like an ending that presents choices not "I didn't find what I was looking for." Well, yeah. That's obvious--so now what?
[Edit: I now read that this book was a retelling of "Wuthering Heights" which makes sense because I really dislike "Wuthering Heights" and think it's incredibly overrated. Give me my Trollope, Thackeray, Austen, and Dickens!]
I found this book to have an interesting premise but ultimately bleak and unsatisfying. I'm glad I read it but it won't stick in my memory because it seemed more like a sketch to me instead of a fully realized novel. I would recommend it to others who like speculative fiction that is thought-provoking and have a higher tolerance for unresolved stories than I do. I tend to think that some novels that have unresolved endings are cop-outs, as if the author couldn't really think about how it should end so just sort of stops writing; this book felt like this to me. I don't need everything tied up in a bow, but I do like an ending that presents choices not "I didn't find what I was looking for." Well, yeah. That's obvious--so now what?
[Edit: I now read that this book was a retelling of "Wuthering Heights" which makes sense because I really dislike "Wuthering Heights" and think it's incredibly overrated. Give me my Trollope, Thackeray, Austen, and Dickens!]
November 5, 2016
Mr. Sapien ist einer der letzten von Menschenhand gebauten Roboter. In einer Welt, in der die Menschen so gut wie ausgestorben sind und Roboter sich selbst reproduzieren können, wird er seines Daseins langsam überdrüssig. Er zieht von der Großstadt aufs Land um den Sinn seiner Existenz zu finden, aber ob ihm die Bevölkerung vor Ort dabei helfen kann?
Für mich ist "Mr. Sapien träumt vom Menschsein" ein mittelmäßiges Buch. Es ist schnell und einfach zu lesen, hat mich aber nicht wirklich berührt oder besonders fasziniert. Vielleicht liegt das an den bösartigen Robotern, die einfach aus Spaß Menschen töten und mir daher zutiefst zuwider sind, oder auch daran, dass ich mir eine solche Zukunft nur schwer vorstellen kann. Ich weiß es nicht. Was ich allerdings sehr interessant finde, ist die Familiengeschichte von Mr. Sapiens Vermietern, die alles andere als gewöhnlich ist, da es sich hier ebenfalls vorwiegend um Roboter handelt.
Ich empfehle diesen Roman Leserinnen, die Freude an unkonventionellen Familiengeschichten haben.
Für mich ist "Mr. Sapien träumt vom Menschsein" ein mittelmäßiges Buch. Es ist schnell und einfach zu lesen, hat mich aber nicht wirklich berührt oder besonders fasziniert. Vielleicht liegt das an den bösartigen Robotern, die einfach aus Spaß Menschen töten und mir daher zutiefst zuwider sind, oder auch daran, dass ich mir eine solche Zukunft nur schwer vorstellen kann. Ich weiß es nicht. Was ich allerdings sehr interessant finde, ist die Familiengeschichte von Mr. Sapiens Vermietern, die alles andere als gewöhnlich ist, da es sich hier ebenfalls vorwiegend um Roboter handelt.
Ich empfehle diesen Roman Leserinnen, die Freude an unkonventionellen Familiengeschichten haben.
October 2, 2016
The story is so well written, it has a unique idea, I've never read anything like it before, yes there are robots and stuff but nothing like that. The feelings in this story are so intense, and I cried a couple of times. It evokes many feelings; I felt depressed, angry, and sad. But I am disappointed by it's ending; the ending resolved nothing!
And now after two months and reading about 13 fantastic novels after reading this book, but I still think about it. It left its mark on me.
And now after two months and reading about 13 fantastic novels after reading this book, but I still think about it. It left its mark on me.
October 12, 2016
A retelling (in a way) of Wuthering Heights, but that shouldn't weigh too heavily in your decision to read this tale. A quick read, and a well written story, which is better the less you know beforehand. Many others have had their say as to its content and meaning so I will just say that I think this says more about the universality of personalities, emotions, and social interactions, beyond merely human.
November 5, 2017
There is something about exploring humanity through something so explicitly inhuman that is really powerful here. Even with recognisable elements from its source material (Wuthering Heights), it still feels new and alien and tremendously moving, and I find I love it very much.
June 28, 2020
Mr. Sapien ist ein alter Android, der eigentlich abgeschalten werden sollte. Er entflieht der hecktischen Stadt und mietet eine Hütte am Strand. Eigentlich will Mr. Sapien über seine Funktion und das Leben nach denken. Doch dann erfährt er, dass sein Vermieter ein Mensch ist. Da es nur noch sehr wenige Menschen auf der Welt gibt und er selbst noch von Menschenhand erschaffen wurde, möchte er seinen Vermieter unbedingt kennen lernen.
Der Klappentext klang sehr interessant.
Leider hat der Titel und der Klappentext nicht viel mit der Geschichte zu tun.
Mr. Sapien, ein alter Roboter der einen Sinn in seinem Leben sucht, tritt hier vollkommen in den Hintergrund.
Es dreht sich in diesem Buch nur um eine Patchwork Familie, bestehend aus Asimov3000 ein Robot, der das Anwesen Barren Crove geerbt hat. Seine Robo Tochter Mary und sein Robo Sohn Kent.
Eines Tages nehmen sie einen Menschenjungen bei sich auf, Beachstone.
Mary kümmert sich um den Jungen, Kent ist ständig eifersüchtig und schikaniert beide. Als Asimov stirbt, vergiftet der Hass die ganze Familie.
Einerseits interessant, wie menschlich die Roboter dagestellt werden aber kein menschliches Verständis besitzen. Andererseits völlig absurde und unnötige Szenen, die nichts zu der Geschichte beitragen.
Es wirkt als hätte der Autor einfach wild was zusammen geschrieben. Mir erschloss sich jedenfalls kein roter Faden. Die Geschichte springt immer wieder in der Zeit. Erst nach zwei, drei Sätzen ist einem klar, in welcher Zeit man gerade weiter liest.
Der Schreibstil ist einfach und die Kapitel sind kurz gehalten, so dass man mit dem Lesen schnell voran kommt.
Ich habe immer wieder gehofft, dass da noch was spannendes oder tiefgründiges kommt. Warum Mr. Sapien nun ein Mensch sein möchte bzw davon träumt wird nie aufgeklärt. Allgemein wird hier sehr wenig beschrieben.
Kein Buch das ich empfehlen kann. Es hat mich eher mit ganz vielen Fragen zurück gelassen.
Wie sehen die Roboter eigentlich alle aus? Was ist passiert, dass es nur noch so wenige Menschen gibt und was hatte Mr. Sapien vorher für eine Funktion? Wo kam Beachstone eigentlich her?
Der Klappentext klang sehr interessant.
Leider hat der Titel und der Klappentext nicht viel mit der Geschichte zu tun.
Mr. Sapien, ein alter Roboter der einen Sinn in seinem Leben sucht, tritt hier vollkommen in den Hintergrund.
Es dreht sich in diesem Buch nur um eine Patchwork Familie, bestehend aus Asimov3000 ein Robot, der das Anwesen Barren Crove geerbt hat. Seine Robo Tochter Mary und sein Robo Sohn Kent.
Eines Tages nehmen sie einen Menschenjungen bei sich auf, Beachstone.
Mary kümmert sich um den Jungen, Kent ist ständig eifersüchtig und schikaniert beide. Als Asimov stirbt, vergiftet der Hass die ganze Familie.
Einerseits interessant, wie menschlich die Roboter dagestellt werden aber kein menschliches Verständis besitzen. Andererseits völlig absurde und unnötige Szenen, die nichts zu der Geschichte beitragen.
Es wirkt als hätte der Autor einfach wild was zusammen geschrieben. Mir erschloss sich jedenfalls kein roter Faden. Die Geschichte springt immer wieder in der Zeit. Erst nach zwei, drei Sätzen ist einem klar, in welcher Zeit man gerade weiter liest.
Der Schreibstil ist einfach und die Kapitel sind kurz gehalten, so dass man mit dem Lesen schnell voran kommt.
Ich habe immer wieder gehofft, dass da noch was spannendes oder tiefgründiges kommt. Warum Mr. Sapien nun ein Mensch sein möchte bzw davon träumt wird nie aufgeklärt. Allgemein wird hier sehr wenig beschrieben.
Kein Buch das ich empfehlen kann. Es hat mich eher mit ganz vielen Fragen zurück gelassen.
Wie sehen die Roboter eigentlich alle aus? Was ist passiert, dass es nur noch so wenige Menschen gibt und was hatte Mr. Sapien vorher für eine Funktion? Wo kam Beachstone eigentlich her?
September 21, 2020
I read this book in the space of just a couple of hours, and while I was expecting a story about Sapien, it was more a sordid tale of the residents of Barren Cove, told by the house computer to Sapien, and only experienced briefly by him. Imagine your standard tell-all about the quirks of odd, bored, inbred, rich families whose only problems seem to stem from the ones they inflict on themselves and each other, only the characters are (mostly) post-human robots who for all of their disdain for humans, act just like them. It was fun, but it was modeled as trash candy for the futurist set, and I would assume that was done with the intent of making a reader think about the implications of sentient life repeating the same patterns with which humans have struggled for roughly ever. The story features an abused, timid lives-for-everyone-but-herself doormat sister bot, the domineering, jealous, hateful asshole brother bot, the benign patriarch whose blind eye for his children's shortcomings makes him about the least benign of all of the bots, the human who's taken in and also becomes a weird, domineering asshole who can't admit help and uses sister bot just as thoroughly as everyone else, and the fucked up partying son bot who has feelings he can't admit because he'd rather be a rebel and a robot supremacist, and frankly feelings just haven't served him terribly well in the past. Oh, and Sapien, who is like WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE MOTHERFUCKERS... I gotsta hack their computer and get ALL their dirt, and also who is that hot young babe with the pink hair and can I get with her pleeeease. So, standard dirty old hippie man bot.
Anyway. Entertaining, but probably not something I'd revisit. Recommended for the speculative fiction fans who want to know what daytime drama would look like in a post-human time.
Anyway. Entertaining, but probably not something I'd revisit. Recommended for the speculative fiction fans who want to know what daytime drama would look like in a post-human time.
February 2, 2026
The character this book starts off with, who you think you’ll be reading about, ended up being in only a third of the book. I felt he wasn’t much needed.
A dysfunctional family of robots and the human that was “adopted” by them. These robots have various personalities and differences in the emotions they feel and yet they all definitely lack emotional intelligence to understand and regulate these emotions. Dark themes mixed in and yet most of the robots only glance at these situations without much care. If there is thought it isn’t empathy for the most part. Some characters were basically sociopaths who have no empathy or sympathy for humans and see them as toys.
The world is not touched on at all in this book. I just know it would be apocalyptic if this were from a humans pov.
My main take from this was that robots are still searching for the same thing a lot of humans search for. Why we are here and what it means to be alive and want to continue on. What are we here for, what is our purpose.
Even with the variety of personalities the robots had it all seemed in the end that even with emotions they only care about themselves first and base their wants and world very selfishly. Even the human in the book is selfish and thinks of himself first.
Themes of murder, rape, incest etc
A dysfunctional family of robots and the human that was “adopted” by them. These robots have various personalities and differences in the emotions they feel and yet they all definitely lack emotional intelligence to understand and regulate these emotions. Dark themes mixed in and yet most of the robots only glance at these situations without much care. If there is thought it isn’t empathy for the most part. Some characters were basically sociopaths who have no empathy or sympathy for humans and see them as toys.
The world is not touched on at all in this book. I just know it would be apocalyptic if this were from a humans pov.
My main take from this was that robots are still searching for the same thing a lot of humans search for. Why we are here and what it means to be alive and want to continue on. What are we here for, what is our purpose.
Even with the variety of personalities the robots had it all seemed in the end that even with emotions they only care about themselves first and base their wants and world very selfishly. Even the human in the book is selfish and thinks of himself first.
Themes of murder, rape, incest etc
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2022
“In Los Angeles Times Book Prize nominee Ariel S. Winter’s Barren Cove, humans are nearly extinct and robots are now the dominant life-form on Earth.
The aged robot Sapien is the recent victim of a debilitating accident. The socially acceptable thing to do in robot culture is deactivate, but Sapien is not ready to end his life. Instead he orders spare parts for himself and rents a remote beach house in order to repair and ponder why he wants to go on. While there, he becomes obsessed with his landlords, the peculiar robot family living on the rambling estate perched at the top of the cliff. He is convinced that the elusive and enigmatic Beachstone, the head of the family, holds the answers to his existential quandary. Invoking the works of the great supernatural and science fiction writers Mary Shelley, Isaac Asimov, and Philip K. Dick, Barren Cove is a gothic tale in an unusual future.” (From the book blurb).
I absolutely LOVED this book. Such an unusual tale and group of characters-all robots! The book was heartwarming and heartbreaking, an examination of what makes us who we are. Just wonderful!!! I strongly recommend this novel! Top book of the year!! Ariel S. Winter is an amazing author!
The aged robot Sapien is the recent victim of a debilitating accident. The socially acceptable thing to do in robot culture is deactivate, but Sapien is not ready to end his life. Instead he orders spare parts for himself and rents a remote beach house in order to repair and ponder why he wants to go on. While there, he becomes obsessed with his landlords, the peculiar robot family living on the rambling estate perched at the top of the cliff. He is convinced that the elusive and enigmatic Beachstone, the head of the family, holds the answers to his existential quandary. Invoking the works of the great supernatural and science fiction writers Mary Shelley, Isaac Asimov, and Philip K. Dick, Barren Cove is a gothic tale in an unusual future.” (From the book blurb).
I absolutely LOVED this book. Such an unusual tale and group of characters-all robots! The book was heartwarming and heartbreaking, an examination of what makes us who we are. Just wonderful!!! I strongly recommend this novel! Top book of the year!! Ariel S. Winter is an amazing author!
April 2, 2018
Am Anfang habe ich mir etwas schwer getan, da ich andere Erwartungen an das Buch hatte. Es klang sehr tiefgründig und ich dachte es würde eine Message vermitteln wollen. Ich war etwas enttäuscht, zumal die Sprünge die das Buch macht, anfangs nicht erklärlich waren....Im Nachhinein aber schlussfolgernd waren.
Ich habe weitergelesen und habe durchgehalten, was ich jedem nur empfehlen kann, bei diesem Buch! Ab der Hälfte wurde die Story tiefgründiger und man konnte als Leser die Message des wertvollem an der Endlichkeit unseres Lebens sehen. Man genießt viel mehr den Augenblick, wenn man weiß seine Zeit ist begrenzt, nicht wie die des Roboters...
Legt man das Buch weg, denkt man danach noch länger über das Leben und den Sinn des Daseins nach, deshalb jedem weiter zu empfehlen.
Ich habe weitergelesen und habe durchgehalten, was ich jedem nur empfehlen kann, bei diesem Buch! Ab der Hälfte wurde die Story tiefgründiger und man konnte als Leser die Message des wertvollem an der Endlichkeit unseres Lebens sehen. Man genießt viel mehr den Augenblick, wenn man weiß seine Zeit ist begrenzt, nicht wie die des Roboters...
Legt man das Buch weg, denkt man danach noch länger über das Leben und den Sinn des Daseins nach, deshalb jedem weiter zu empfehlen.
June 4, 2019
Feels like a novena lengthened for a book, and one where gender and class were left unexplained because while class went recognised dimly, gender is assumed to be irrelevant to identity other than a default - all children are boys, after all.
The slight mystery as to whether Sapien is reprogrammed Philip is so slight that it becomes meh at the end which is a nice nihilist end to a bleak story but again, the whole book feels more idea than people.
Clarke in his struggle to care and feel and balance all that he was and knew - and the limited consciousness and curiosity mimicking humanity to make this so very fable more than exploration - Clarke was the only character who felt like he had an inner life.
Better as a novella tightly compressed to suggest.
The slight mystery as to whether Sapien is reprogrammed Philip is so slight that it becomes meh at the end which is a nice nihilist end to a bleak story but again, the whole book feels more idea than people.
Clarke in his struggle to care and feel and balance all that he was and knew - and the limited consciousness and curiosity mimicking humanity to make this so very fable more than exploration - Clarke was the only character who felt like he had an inner life.
Better as a novella tightly compressed to suggest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2018
Hands down, one of my favorite books of all time. This is one of those books that I read and wish so badly I had written it. A brilliant book that seamlessly reconciles human drama with science fiction. It has the complexity and devastation of Great Expectations and Wuthering Heights with the fantastical possibilities of the future. Through robots, Winter explores the human condition in a spectacularly haunting way: where we come from, in what image we are made and modeling, and where we choose to go. This is the only book I remember ever finishing, then immediately re-reading to put all the pieces of the narrative together. I cannot stress how much you need to read this book!
July 25, 2020
A concise transposition of robots into a gothic 'crumbling family in an isolated manor' story. The key novelty that robots bring to this genre is that they can be reprogrammed, so clever things are done with that. I liked how the spectre of reprogramming left it unclear whether the viewpoint character of the framing story was actually a stranger or just a rebooted version of the family's dead child.
Robot reproduction leads to some interesting ideas, with the blurry line between "child" and "duplicate" meaning that dead characters continue to have a direct presence in their nigh-identical spawn.
Robot reproduction leads to some interesting ideas, with the blurry line between "child" and "duplicate" meaning that dead characters continue to have a direct presence in their nigh-identical spawn.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2024
I read the first half of this book. Found it very confusing. Jumped to the last quarter of it. Could not figure out what point the author was trying to make. Seemed like she was showing that robots, whether made by humans, or themselves, were prone to the same weakness that many humans have. Why would that happen? Wouldn't they be interested in building a better world? Unless, of course, they were programmed to take over and exert power over all the earth. That did not seem to be the case. And I can't believe they would ever have the same intense emotions of love - or even hate, jealousy, etc. that humans have.
July 20, 2018
I’m honestly confused about how I feel about this book, maybe because the book itself was confusing. Part of me wants to reread it in a few months & maybe I’ll get more out of it? I’m usually a sucker for dystopian novels, but this one didn’t hold me the same way. I have a feeling that the confusing narration was intentional, but I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll have a different review if I do decide to reread it later?
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