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We Are Satellites
From award-winning author Sarah Pinsker comes a novel about one family and the technology that divides them.
Everybody's getting one.
Val and Julie just want what's best for their kids, David and Sophie. So when teenage son David comes home one day asking for a Pilot, a new brain implant to help with school, they reluctantly agree. This is the future, after all.
Soon, Julie feels mounting pressure at work to get a Pilot to keep pace with her colleagues, leaving Val and Sophie part of the shrinking minority of people without the device.
Before long, the implications are clear, for the family and get a Pilot or get left behind. With government subsidies and no downside, why would anyone refuse? And how do you stop a technology once it's everywhere? Those are the questions Sophie and her anti-Pilot movement rise up to answer, even if it puts them up against the Pilot's powerful manufacturer and pits Sophie against the people she loves most.
Everybody's getting one.
Val and Julie just want what's best for their kids, David and Sophie. So when teenage son David comes home one day asking for a Pilot, a new brain implant to help with school, they reluctantly agree. This is the future, after all.
Soon, Julie feels mounting pressure at work to get a Pilot to keep pace with her colleagues, leaving Val and Sophie part of the shrinking minority of people without the device.
Before long, the implications are clear, for the family and get a Pilot or get left behind. With government subsidies and no downside, why would anyone refuse? And how do you stop a technology once it's everywhere? Those are the questions Sophie and her anti-Pilot movement rise up to answer, even if it puts them up against the Pilot's powerful manufacturer and pits Sophie against the people she loves most.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 11, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 604 reviews
June 17, 2021
Visionary, scary, realistic, dark, original , mind bending, extra smart, well researched, unique, extraordinary!
This book reminds you of the importance of reading more sci-fi novels to understand your present lives and prepare yourselves about what the future may bring to you!
It has sophisticated approach to the brain enhancing technology with four different voices!
We’re introduced to lovely and concerning couple Val and Julie who always think what’s best for their children : David and Sophie. A new technology introduced as Pilot is new at everywhere gives you impressive skills and cognitive powers to achieve your goals and the couple’s son David gets interested to have one to be successful at school even though there are always risks about the procedure!
On the other hand Sophie has epilepsy so she cannot ever have a pilot! Poor Julie is also pressured to have one because of overwhelming responsibilities and growing competition at work.
We just move forward throughout the years and learn how the family of four develop, change against the raising power of pilot technology. Each of them chose to follow different paths! As Val rejects to have one, Julie finally loses the war and reluctantly accepts to get one because of high tension at her work place and interestingly she starts enjoying its advantages. Their children are also having different ideas about the concept: Sophie becomes anti activist against pilots as David enlists the military.
This book is not the thought provoking sci-if tells us the advantages and destructive effects of technology in modern people’s lives, it’s also great family drama about how technology affects party of four’s lives, how it builds inner and outer conflicts, how it makes easier our lives as it pulls more barriers around people, how it could break a family apart.
It was one of the best reads I’ve recently had with rich, deeply layered characters. I enjoyed each of the voices and agree each of their opinions, learning to consider their different perspectives!
I enjoyed the author’s previous work which was about power of music! But I think I loved this one more! I think I can honestly say Ms. Pinsker is one of my favorite sci-fi authors and looking forward to devour her upcoming works delightfully!
I’m giving five blazing, brain enhancing, family, changing lives stars! This is not good! This book is freaking fantastic!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
This book reminds you of the importance of reading more sci-fi novels to understand your present lives and prepare yourselves about what the future may bring to you!
It has sophisticated approach to the brain enhancing technology with four different voices!
We’re introduced to lovely and concerning couple Val and Julie who always think what’s best for their children : David and Sophie. A new technology introduced as Pilot is new at everywhere gives you impressive skills and cognitive powers to achieve your goals and the couple’s son David gets interested to have one to be successful at school even though there are always risks about the procedure!
On the other hand Sophie has epilepsy so she cannot ever have a pilot! Poor Julie is also pressured to have one because of overwhelming responsibilities and growing competition at work.
We just move forward throughout the years and learn how the family of four develop, change against the raising power of pilot technology. Each of them chose to follow different paths! As Val rejects to have one, Julie finally loses the war and reluctantly accepts to get one because of high tension at her work place and interestingly she starts enjoying its advantages. Their children are also having different ideas about the concept: Sophie becomes anti activist against pilots as David enlists the military.
This book is not the thought provoking sci-if tells us the advantages and destructive effects of technology in modern people’s lives, it’s also great family drama about how technology affects party of four’s lives, how it builds inner and outer conflicts, how it makes easier our lives as it pulls more barriers around people, how it could break a family apart.
It was one of the best reads I’ve recently had with rich, deeply layered characters. I enjoyed each of the voices and agree each of their opinions, learning to consider their different perspectives!
I enjoyed the author’s previous work which was about power of music! But I think I loved this one more! I think I can honestly say Ms. Pinsker is one of my favorite sci-fi authors and looking forward to devour her upcoming works delightfully!
I’m giving five blazing, brain enhancing, family, changing lives stars! This is not good! This book is freaking fantastic!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
February 7, 2021
4.0 Stars
This was an intelligent and thoughtful piece of science fiction that explored the ramifications of introducing brain enhancing technology Told over multiple perspectives and jumping through time, this story showed the possible long term effects and consequences of this imagined future.
At its core, this was very much a character driven story. The four main characters were each clearly defined with unique personalities and traits. Each chapter listed the character's name, but it quickly became unnecessary to read this header, because I could immediately tell who's perspective I was reading from the context and voice.
I really liked that this novel showcased a diverse "non traditional" family.. The relationship between the new lesbian women was a realistic and honest portrayal of marriage. Likewise, the parent experience felt realistic, as raising they faced the challenges of raising their biological and adopted children.
There was very little action in this novel, yet the narrative still managed to be quite immersive, provides a nuanced analysis of a very possible future. The novel revealed the class discrepancies that would likely arise with the introduction of these kind of brain enhancing devices. What started out as an advantage, quickly would becomes the new normal and anyone without access to the technology would be left behind. From the very beginning, we see how parents must weigh risks and benefits of the technology, worrying their children will be placed at a disadvantage in society without it.
Since this book is set in the near future, this is the kind of science fiction that is very accessible to readers new to the genre. The only new technology introduced is the Pilots which were described in simple, understandable ways. Beyond that there was very little world building since it was set so close to the present day.
Overall, I really enjoyed this science fiction novel and would recommend it to a wide audience. I think this book will particularly strike a chord with parents who already grapple with the conundrum of trying to do what is best for their children in an ever changing world.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was an intelligent and thoughtful piece of science fiction that explored the ramifications of introducing brain enhancing technology Told over multiple perspectives and jumping through time, this story showed the possible long term effects and consequences of this imagined future.
At its core, this was very much a character driven story. The four main characters were each clearly defined with unique personalities and traits. Each chapter listed the character's name, but it quickly became unnecessary to read this header, because I could immediately tell who's perspective I was reading from the context and voice.
I really liked that this novel showcased a diverse "non traditional" family.. The relationship between the new lesbian women was a realistic and honest portrayal of marriage. Likewise, the parent experience felt realistic, as raising they faced the challenges of raising their biological and adopted children.
There was very little action in this novel, yet the narrative still managed to be quite immersive, provides a nuanced analysis of a very possible future. The novel revealed the class discrepancies that would likely arise with the introduction of these kind of brain enhancing devices. What started out as an advantage, quickly would becomes the new normal and anyone without access to the technology would be left behind. From the very beginning, we see how parents must weigh risks and benefits of the technology, worrying their children will be placed at a disadvantage in society without it.
Since this book is set in the near future, this is the kind of science fiction that is very accessible to readers new to the genre. The only new technology introduced is the Pilots which were described in simple, understandable ways. Beyond that there was very little world building since it was set so close to the present day.
Overall, I really enjoyed this science fiction novel and would recommend it to a wide audience. I think this book will particularly strike a chord with parents who already grapple with the conundrum of trying to do what is best for their children in an ever changing world.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 12, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up because I think it will appeal to some readers.
Boring, not-science fiction, family drama type of story. There are so many dull real life types of family stories out there that Pinsker assumed, correctly, that she had to throw something else in. What she threw in was a very lightly discussed "sci-fi" element that essentially gives anyone who has it an advantage. The separation of society could have been discussed much better and much more in depth but it wasn't, we just got the whole "I am alienating my son/daughter oh woe is me"
There is a reason I reads science fiction instead of generic fiction, I don't like false advertising but even without that, the book wasn't very entertaining.
Boring, not-science fiction, family drama type of story. There are so many dull real life types of family stories out there that Pinsker assumed, correctly, that she had to throw something else in. What she threw in was a very lightly discussed "sci-fi" element that essentially gives anyone who has it an advantage. The separation of society could have been discussed much better and much more in depth but it wasn't, we just got the whole "I am alienating my son/daughter oh woe is me"
There is a reason I reads science fiction instead of generic fiction, I don't like false advertising but even without that, the book wasn't very entertaining.
June 26, 2021
This is a great read about the dangers of future technologies, scary and visionary in many ways.
Pilot is a brain implant that helps people multitask and focus on multiple things at once. Everyone with a pilot has a blue LED on their temple. The book goes into all the various issues that such a device could cause from schools being divided into Pilot classes and nonPilot classes, to workers only being hired if they have it, military recruitment etc. This is all done very well and kept simple by the story being based in and around one family, the chapters alternate between the different family members points of view. The values of honesty and trust are a major theme.
Well plotted and well paced, and there’s plenty of ideas to think on. Many of the issues could’ve been taken even further!
Pilot is a brain implant that helps people multitask and focus on multiple things at once. Everyone with a pilot has a blue LED on their temple. The book goes into all the various issues that such a device could cause from schools being divided into Pilot classes and nonPilot classes, to workers only being hired if they have it, military recruitment etc. This is all done very well and kept simple by the story being based in and around one family, the chapters alternate between the different family members points of view. The values of honesty and trust are a major theme.
Well plotted and well paced, and there’s plenty of ideas to think on. Many of the issues could’ve been taken even further!
May 22, 2021
3.5 stars
An engaging story about a pervasive new technology that divides people in yet another way.
Told from four POVs, We Are Satellites illustrates this division from the internal perspective of a family whose members each have sometimes opposing opinions and are differently affected by the technology used by themselves (or not) and others around them.
I thought this was well-written, and Pinsker did a nice job of giving each character a distinctive voice. Especially in the case of Sophie and David, the voices progressed and matured believably from child or teen into young adulthood.
I liked the way the very real questions about the differing effects new technology can have on people were tackled. The story lost a bit of strength and fell in rating for me because I felt that the way the company manufacturing the technology was ultimately portrayed allowed the author to take the obvious way out. A subtler framing of the motivations and actions of the company would have been more realistic, and required a slightly more thoughtful and complicated resolution without everything neatly tied up at the end.
That said, I enjoyed reading this. It's an enjoyable book for anyone interested in questions about individual challenges and social implications of new technology.
An engaging story about a pervasive new technology that divides people in yet another way.
Told from four POVs, We Are Satellites illustrates this division from the internal perspective of a family whose members each have sometimes opposing opinions and are differently affected by the technology used by themselves (or not) and others around them.
I thought this was well-written, and Pinsker did a nice job of giving each character a distinctive voice. Especially in the case of Sophie and David, the voices progressed and matured believably from child or teen into young adulthood.
I liked the way the very real questions about the differing effects new technology can have on people were tackled. The story lost a bit of strength and fell in rating for me because I felt that the way the company manufacturing the technology was ultimately portrayed allowed the author to take the obvious way out. A subtler framing of the motivations and actions of the company would have been more realistic, and required a slightly more thoughtful and complicated resolution without everything neatly tied up at the end.
That said, I enjoyed reading this. It's an enjoyable book for anyone interested in questions about individual challenges and social implications of new technology.
June 11, 2021
In the near future, a new technology is available that makes your brain able to multitask and work faster. The two moms in the central story are at odds about it but give in when their son begs for one, because his classmates are leaving him behind.
They give in, even though it costs all of their savings. While his friends seem to find it easy to adapt to the new stimulation, he is never able to separate himself from "the noise." Not long after, he is recruited by the army, much to his mothers' chagrin.
Their daughter is ineligible because she has frequent seizures, and they are always trying different techniques and medications to deal with her epilepsy. As she gets older, she is more and more excluded as one of only a handful of people her age without the implant. She grows into an activist against the Pilots.
This is a deep exploration about new technologies and control from a bunch of different angles, and I found myself thinking about the characters and the different points of views after I finished it, which is why I rated it at 4 instead of 3 stars. I still need to read this author's prescient pandemic novel but this was a good introduction.
I had a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss and NetGalley; it came out May 11th, 2021.
They give in, even though it costs all of their savings. While his friends seem to find it easy to adapt to the new stimulation, he is never able to separate himself from "the noise." Not long after, he is recruited by the army, much to his mothers' chagrin.
Their daughter is ineligible because she has frequent seizures, and they are always trying different techniques and medications to deal with her epilepsy. As she gets older, she is more and more excluded as one of only a handful of people her age without the implant. She grows into an activist against the Pilots.
This is a deep exploration about new technologies and control from a bunch of different angles, and I found myself thinking about the characters and the different points of views after I finished it, which is why I rated it at 4 instead of 3 stars. I still need to read this author's prescient pandemic novel but this was a good introduction.
I had a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss and NetGalley; it came out May 11th, 2021.
May 30, 2021
I wasn't overwhelmed by "Song of a New Day" by the same author, so my expectations were accordingly before I started reading. But this novel worked so much better for me. The characters are well developed and interesting to follow along, the family dynamic is strong, believable and wholesome. And I love the concept that it is not 'us' against 'them', but that the line of discord runs through the family itself. This way both sides get proper reflection without a black-and-white painting.
October 27, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. I’m glad I was able to read it. It is very timely, as well and touches on a few issues that are dear to my heart. My son has ADHD (the inattentive type) and I imagine that what one of the main characters goes through is similar to my son’s experience. I’m looking forward to the Q&A with Sarah Pinsker over on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club.
October 18, 2021
Very glad to have read this book. It is contemplative and humanity -focused with good follow through on on the "what if".
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-The thought put in. The "what if" here is an implant that helps multi tasking. You can feel the background here, with the trend (blissfully being walked back) towards requiring employees to give 100% to lots of different inputs and projects at once. What would that take? How would that change things?
-The family focus. I thought it was very smart to walk through the different permutations of interest, acceptance and tolerance in a single family.
-The language. I really enjoyed the technical writing skill and the different sort of writing each POV received. David's "noise" sounds just like my experience with panic attacks, and others said it sounded like untreated AD(H)D, so that was cool.
-The work of activism. I enjoyed that we got to see the different models of social activism. So many people think revolution or nothing, and that's just...well, there's a lot in between.
-The pain of gaslighting medical conditions. This was really relatable, sadly. We've got work to do in our healthcare delivery system.
Things that didn't quite serve the narrative for me:
-Pacing. We spend a LOT of time sort of dithering in the middle about the unhappiness of loving people with different opinions, and then the end is my second least favorite "summary" style ending. The juxtaposition of the winding, detailed steps and the sort of racing speed ending was jarring for me.
-The backlash movement. I really wanted more about why folks were so upset about it beyond "this was fast." The discrimination element was sort of skirted in their outrage, the fact they were surprised to learn lots of people were unhappy with their Pilot...I felt this part was less thought out than other elements.
-My own personal experiences. This isn't really the book. I'm extremely conscious of the harm of people not trusting medical professionals, and believing that if you draw profit from something, you must be trying to cover up the parts that would minimize profits. I am in the clinical trial industry. This? Is not how it works. Medical devices DO need to report adverse events. The problem really with medical devices and reporting is that in the US, and ONLY in the US of all developed nations, there isn't a national registry, so doctors in, say California, would have to check individual hospitals in, say, New York to see if they'd reported adverse events, and then they'd have to check all the study numbers, serial numbers etc. to see what happened. This is a real issue, for sure. Aside from that, you've seen how the COVID vaccines have been scrutinized. Do we really think optional brain surgery would be LESS criticized?
So yeah, a few downsides, but I'm definitely excited to read more by th is author, so 3.5 stars rounded up.
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-The thought put in. The "what if" here is an implant that helps multi tasking. You can feel the background here, with the trend (blissfully being walked back) towards requiring employees to give 100% to lots of different inputs and projects at once. What would that take? How would that change things?
-The family focus. I thought it was very smart to walk through the different permutations of interest, acceptance and tolerance in a single family.
-The language. I really enjoyed the technical writing skill and the different sort of writing each POV received. David's "noise" sounds just like my experience with panic attacks, and others said it sounded like untreated AD(H)D, so that was cool.
-The work of activism. I enjoyed that we got to see the different models of social activism. So many people think revolution or nothing, and that's just...well, there's a lot in between.
-The pain of gaslighting medical conditions. This was really relatable, sadly. We've got work to do in our healthcare delivery system.
Things that didn't quite serve the narrative for me:
-Pacing. We spend a LOT of time sort of dithering in the middle about the unhappiness of loving people with different opinions, and then the end is my second least favorite "summary" style ending. The juxtaposition of the winding, detailed steps and the sort of racing speed ending was jarring for me.
-The backlash movement. I really wanted more about why folks were so upset about it beyond "this was fast." The discrimination element was sort of skirted in their outrage, the fact they were surprised to learn lots of people were unhappy with their Pilot...I felt this part was less thought out than other elements.
-My own personal experiences. This isn't really the book. I'm extremely conscious of the harm of people not trusting medical professionals, and believing that if you draw profit from something, you must be trying to cover up the parts that would minimize profits. I am in the clinical trial industry. This? Is not how it works. Medical devices DO need to report adverse events. The problem really with medical devices and reporting is that in the US, and ONLY in the US of all developed nations, there isn't a national registry, so doctors in, say California, would have to check individual hospitals in, say, New York to see if they'd reported adverse events, and then they'd have to check all the study numbers, serial numbers etc. to see what happened. This is a real issue, for sure. Aside from that, you've seen how the COVID vaccines have been scrutinized. Do we really think optional brain surgery would be LESS criticized?
So yeah, a few downsides, but I'm definitely excited to read more by th is author, so 3.5 stars rounded up.
May 21, 2021
Well, I finished this book in one day so that tells me I really liked it!!
This was a realistic look at futuristic tech that is probably being worked on right now, it just seemed so plausible. Pilots are the wave of the future and everyone has one. This tech is inserted in the wearers temple and it’s connected to the brain which allows the user to multitask on several items at once rather than having to focus on one item at a time. As more and more people get a Pilot, the ones that don’t have them fall behind and no longer get the jobs, and are separated into the slower groups at school. To ensure that everyone knows whether you have a Pilot, it comes with a blue light so your prospective employer knows right away whether or not you have a Pilot. Although discrimination isn’t allowed, it’s going on.
This story follows Val and Julie, and their two kids, David and Sophie, as they go through the consequences of whether to get Pilots or not. The book is told through their 4 POVs and spans a dozen years as they struggle with normal life but adding in the advantages and disadvantages of Pilots.
This was a refreshing look at a sci-fi contemporaryish story of a close knit family and what this new tech does to them.
I felt a connection to the entire family and stayed up late last night just to finish.
I thought it was well researched and definitely believeable. And it scared me at how plausible this scenario could be. Well done!
*Thank you so much to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advance copy!*
This was a realistic look at futuristic tech that is probably being worked on right now, it just seemed so plausible. Pilots are the wave of the future and everyone has one. This tech is inserted in the wearers temple and it’s connected to the brain which allows the user to multitask on several items at once rather than having to focus on one item at a time. As more and more people get a Pilot, the ones that don’t have them fall behind and no longer get the jobs, and are separated into the slower groups at school. To ensure that everyone knows whether you have a Pilot, it comes with a blue light so your prospective employer knows right away whether or not you have a Pilot. Although discrimination isn’t allowed, it’s going on.
This story follows Val and Julie, and their two kids, David and Sophie, as they go through the consequences of whether to get Pilots or not. The book is told through their 4 POVs and spans a dozen years as they struggle with normal life but adding in the advantages and disadvantages of Pilots.
This was a refreshing look at a sci-fi contemporaryish story of a close knit family and what this new tech does to them.
I felt a connection to the entire family and stayed up late last night just to finish.
I thought it was well researched and definitely believeable. And it scared me at how plausible this scenario could be. Well done!
*Thank you so much to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advance copy!*
May 23, 2021
Let me preface this by saying there are a lot of strong things about this book. There are people who will really enjoy this, for very valid reasons.
It's rock solid on concept. Pinsker imagines a society going through a sudden and foundational upheaval due to the rapid adoption of a piece of technology that promises better attention, focus, multi-tasking and productivity.
And then she imagines the many nuanced impacts, intentional and unintentional. She talks about the people who, due to choice or means or medical condition, can't get the implant. In a world where the bar for productivity is driven by whether or not you have a blue light flashing at your temple, what about the people left behind? How would that impact their chances of getting a job, or getting scholarships, or keeping up to their classmates in school?
Access to technology is a real source of class stratification. We know this. We see this historically. We also see the breakneck pace of technological advancement in our own society, and access to those advancements is often far from even. So Pinsker's exploration--this idea of technological second-class citizens--is a very worthy and timely conversation.
Equal to that, there are a long list of examples of what happens when advancement outruns regulation, and how hard that can sometimes be to reel in. Again, good concept worthy of being explored.
I even liked the structure. I liked how the author used this family to explore those different scenarios. I thought it wove together really well.
But for all that--all these things that should tick every box on my checklist--I didn't enjoy reading this. There were parts where I got into it (in particular, I had good periods during the chapters from the kids' POV in the second half of the book) but, for the most part, I really struggled with the style.
To me, a lot of the sections came across as dispassionate, particularly during dialogue, and it made it really hard for me to connect emotionally with the characters. There often wasn't a lot of detail on body language or tone or internal thought process, and I felt like I needed more of that to bring some of those dialogues alive. There's one point where the parents end a conversation and they both had tears in their eyes and all I can think was, "really? because I wasn't getting that from either of you til now."
I appreciate that the author went out of her way to create parental characters that are emotionally mature and supportive, but during some of those emotionally fraught conversations, I would have liked to see some internal struggle, not before or after, but actually during the dialogue. I would have liked to see the moment of instinctual anger before the character clamps down and makes that emotionally mature response. Instead, the result was often flat for me.
Who it is for
If you normally don't like lyrical writing, this could be for you. The style is very matter of fact.
Likewise, I think people who listened to this on audiobook will really like this, for the very reasons that I didn't like in print. The style does seem half-way to a script, and a lot of the tone that I was missing in the dialogue could easily get filled in by a narrator.
Finally, there are some younger readers that might really appreciate this. It's very readable, and the concepts are just as valid for a Grade 5 or 6 student as they are for adults.
So there definitely is an audience for this, but in the form I read it, it wasn't for me.
It's rock solid on concept. Pinsker imagines a society going through a sudden and foundational upheaval due to the rapid adoption of a piece of technology that promises better attention, focus, multi-tasking and productivity.
And then she imagines the many nuanced impacts, intentional and unintentional. She talks about the people who, due to choice or means or medical condition, can't get the implant. In a world where the bar for productivity is driven by whether or not you have a blue light flashing at your temple, what about the people left behind? How would that impact their chances of getting a job, or getting scholarships, or keeping up to their classmates in school?
Access to technology is a real source of class stratification. We know this. We see this historically. We also see the breakneck pace of technological advancement in our own society, and access to those advancements is often far from even. So Pinsker's exploration--this idea of technological second-class citizens--is a very worthy and timely conversation.
Equal to that, there are a long list of examples of what happens when advancement outruns regulation, and how hard that can sometimes be to reel in. Again, good concept worthy of being explored.
I even liked the structure. I liked how the author used this family to explore those different scenarios. I thought it wove together really well.
But for all that--all these things that should tick every box on my checklist--I didn't enjoy reading this. There were parts where I got into it (in particular, I had good periods during the chapters from the kids' POV in the second half of the book) but, for the most part, I really struggled with the style.
To me, a lot of the sections came across as dispassionate, particularly during dialogue, and it made it really hard for me to connect emotionally with the characters. There often wasn't a lot of detail on body language or tone or internal thought process, and I felt like I needed more of that to bring some of those dialogues alive. There's one point where the parents end a conversation and they both had tears in their eyes and all I can think was, "really? because I wasn't getting that from either of you til now."
I appreciate that the author went out of her way to create parental characters that are emotionally mature and supportive, but during some of those emotionally fraught conversations, I would have liked to see some internal struggle, not before or after, but actually during the dialogue. I would have liked to see the moment of instinctual anger before the character clamps down and makes that emotionally mature response. Instead, the result was often flat for me.
Who it is for
If you normally don't like lyrical writing, this could be for you. The style is very matter of fact.
Likewise, I think people who listened to this on audiobook will really like this, for the very reasons that I didn't like in print. The style does seem half-way to a script, and a lot of the tone that I was missing in the dialogue could easily get filled in by a narrator.
Finally, there are some younger readers that might really appreciate this. It's very readable, and the concepts are just as valid for a Grade 5 or 6 student as they are for adults.
So there definitely is an audience for this, but in the form I read it, it wasn't for me.
January 25, 2021
I loved this book so much that I dreamed about it the night after I finished it! At the start of the book, Julie and Val are trying to decide whether to get a Pilot for their son, David. Pilots are a new technology that allow people to multitask better, and David has been struggling in school. But this is a brain implant, and there are definitely risks involved. Plus Sophie, their daughter, has epilepsy, and she can never have a Pilot. As the Pilots become more ubiquitous, we follow the family through the years, seeing them grow and change along with the technology. Sophie becomes an anti-Pilot activist, and Val decides never to get one, while Julie embraces her new productivity. David enlists in the military. As the family navigates the changes in their worlds, they struggle against both interior and exterior conflict until they can no longer ignore the weight of what this tech has done to them. Pinsker does a masterful job of moving between points of view so that this is a true ensemble cast, with the main focus on the family as a unit and how they grow both together and individually. I got to know the characters so well that I didn't want the book to end. The technology and its insidious secrets are the thread moving the story, but the characters are the book's heart. Highly recommended.
October 25, 2021
This is a near-future new device “what if story”. I read it as a part of monthly reading for October 2021 at SciFi and Fantasy Book Club group.
The story follows a family of two mothers and two kids – a boy and a girl, when a new device called Pilot is introduced. Pilots are electronic devices linked to owner’s brains that help spotting little details or do multiple things at once, spreading attention without loss of processing what’s happening. Initially, rich kids get it – helps making your homework while playing games and the like – and to show that you have it, it has an external ‘brand’ symbol – a shining LED next to the implant. Quite soon it spreads, the programs are voted to subsidize it for poorer families, etc.
One of the moms works in a school, another – in a politician office. Their younger daughter has a condition – epilepsy of unknow origin, so cannot be implanted and one of the mothers to support her, vows not to get a Pilot either. Their older son begs them to get him one, but soon finds out that it hakes his hyperreactive – he gets constant inflow of information, both needed and superficial/unnecessary, which overloads him with ‘noise’. When he tries to solve the issue, no one can really understand him, assuming that he just hasn’t trained enough and soon it’ll go away…
This is an interesting investigation into a problem of a new untested tech, which becomes a fad what would happen to a society, where the majority got something from it, but some couldn't or get negative effects but aren’t heard.
The story follows a family of two mothers and two kids – a boy and a girl, when a new device called Pilot is introduced. Pilots are electronic devices linked to owner’s brains that help spotting little details or do multiple things at once, spreading attention without loss of processing what’s happening. Initially, rich kids get it – helps making your homework while playing games and the like – and to show that you have it, it has an external ‘brand’ symbol – a shining LED next to the implant. Quite soon it spreads, the programs are voted to subsidize it for poorer families, etc.
One of the moms works in a school, another – in a politician office. Their younger daughter has a condition – epilepsy of unknow origin, so cannot be implanted and one of the mothers to support her, vows not to get a Pilot either. Their older son begs them to get him one, but soon finds out that it hakes his hyperreactive – he gets constant inflow of information, both needed and superficial/unnecessary, which overloads him with ‘noise’. When he tries to solve the issue, no one can really understand him, assuming that he just hasn’t trained enough and soon it’ll go away…
This is an interesting investigation into a problem of a new untested tech, which becomes a fad what would happen to a society, where the majority got something from it, but some couldn't or get negative effects but aren’t heard.
August 31, 2021
Technology is a two-edged sword.
Societies, especially Western ones, are quick to adopt new technologies, especially those sold to the public as improving one's status and personal performance. However, public relations and marketing employees are not paid to tell the truth but they are judged by their employers on how many product units their promotion campaigns sold. OEM and inventors are held to a higher standard of proof of efficacy, but they usually withhold any test or negative user feedback of harm, sometimes either delaying release of such information, or worse, suppressing this information, despite laws. Consumers often want what they want despite any harms which come from using a product, and they shame their friends and family who express any caution or reluctance in adopting anything new, especially tech.
'We Are Satellites' by Sarah Pinsker explores all sides of the introduction of a new technology in an intelligent manner. Through a fictional family near our own Time, the author realistically shows the impact of a new product that enhances mental functioning. People can choose to have an operation on their brain to implant a chip which allows for concurrent processing - in other words, multitasking brain operations. Employees who opt in get raises and promotions. A glowing LED light on the head indicates one has a superior brain because they have the implant. Immediately embraced by many, it divides the Haves and the Havenots. The real problems for awhile are only the social ones. Later, some who have the implant are not doing well at all.
The novel is good at presenting both sides for half of the book, but it ends in fully supporting the naysayers. IMHO, this is disappointing. All new tech is NOT bad for ALL users. However, I agree with the author human bodies are not formed by a cookie-cutter manufacturing process, and social space, plus options for those who are injured, should be made for those unable to physically tolerate new tech.
Any surgeon will tell you that few internal organs look exactly alike in place or shape in the body. All medications come with lists of possible side effects that SOME people experience. We know people have physical differences which, if ignored, for example blood type or allergies, can kill. But if a majority is good to go, well, I am just saying. I like new tech and have yet to experience harm, or being a social pariah, except of course pocketbook expense, because I have either a Google cell or an iPhone. I originally was a Windows user, but switched to Apple. I have been mocked, but I haven't been socially ostracized. (I have experienced social ostracization for other reasons.) The contrived social stigmas of being in one supporter group vs. the opposition supporter group are ridiculous and sad. Treating people with different blood types really IS life and death - but does this mean I shouldn't get a blood transfusion if it has been properly typed? The book doesn't really make that distinction.
I debated with myself on what to rate this novel - two stars? Four? The specific technology the author has invented is fascinating to think about. The internal divisions that the technology causes within the, to me, sitcom family the author makes center stage in her basically domestic (and extremely mild-sauce science-) fiction, for me, is missing the Big Picture I think she should have explored. Instead, she approached it gradually narrowing down her focus into the viewfinder of a technology hater.
I didn't like the novel overall, but it is a well-written domestic family story for those in the middle-class worrying about some issues we currently worry about. I love real science fiction! This is not that, really.
Societies, especially Western ones, are quick to adopt new technologies, especially those sold to the public as improving one's status and personal performance. However, public relations and marketing employees are not paid to tell the truth but they are judged by their employers on how many product units their promotion campaigns sold. OEM and inventors are held to a higher standard of proof of efficacy, but they usually withhold any test or negative user feedback of harm, sometimes either delaying release of such information, or worse, suppressing this information, despite laws. Consumers often want what they want despite any harms which come from using a product, and they shame their friends and family who express any caution or reluctance in adopting anything new, especially tech.
'We Are Satellites' by Sarah Pinsker explores all sides of the introduction of a new technology in an intelligent manner. Through a fictional family near our own Time, the author realistically shows the impact of a new product that enhances mental functioning. People can choose to have an operation on their brain to implant a chip which allows for concurrent processing - in other words, multitasking brain operations. Employees who opt in get raises and promotions. A glowing LED light on the head indicates one has a superior brain because they have the implant. Immediately embraced by many, it divides the Haves and the Havenots. The real problems for awhile are only the social ones. Later, some who have the implant are not doing well at all.
The novel is good at presenting both sides for half of the book, but it ends in fully supporting the naysayers. IMHO, this is disappointing. All new tech is NOT bad for ALL users. However, I agree with the author human bodies are not formed by a cookie-cutter manufacturing process, and social space, plus options for those who are injured, should be made for those unable to physically tolerate new tech.
Any surgeon will tell you that few internal organs look exactly alike in place or shape in the body. All medications come with lists of possible side effects that SOME people experience. We know people have physical differences which, if ignored, for example blood type or allergies, can kill. But if a majority is good to go, well, I am just saying. I like new tech and have yet to experience harm, or being a social pariah, except of course pocketbook expense, because I have either a Google cell or an iPhone. I originally was a Windows user, but switched to Apple. I have been mocked, but I haven't been socially ostracized. (I have experienced social ostracization for other reasons.) The contrived social stigmas of being in one supporter group vs. the opposition supporter group are ridiculous and sad. Treating people with different blood types really IS life and death - but does this mean I shouldn't get a blood transfusion if it has been properly typed? The book doesn't really make that distinction.
I debated with myself on what to rate this novel - two stars? Four? The specific technology the author has invented is fascinating to think about. The internal divisions that the technology causes within the, to me, sitcom family the author makes center stage in her basically domestic (and extremely mild-sauce science-) fiction, for me, is missing the Big Picture I think she should have explored. Instead, she approached it gradually narrowing down her focus into the viewfinder of a technology hater.
I didn't like the novel overall, but it is a well-written domestic family story for those in the middle-class worrying about some issues we currently worry about. I love real science fiction! This is not that, really.
May 15, 2024
I enjoyed this a lot as a family story, and it’s a good exploration of the side effects of invasive technology. It would have been close to 5 stars for me if it hadn’t tried to go the corporate conspiracy route at the end, in ways that didn’t make sense; the book’s strengths are in its focus on a family.
In a near-future America, a new device catches on: brain implants that allow true multitasking. This divides a family down the middle. One of the mothers, Val, a high school teacher and coach, is a technology skeptic; the other, Julie, a congressional staffer, is an early adopter at heart and feels pressure to keep up in a workplace where her abilities are sometimes doubted. Their son, David, begs for an implant to keep up at school, but finds it doesn’t quite work with his brain, though everyone brushes him off. Their daughter, Sophie, suffers from epilepsy, thus isn’t eligible for an implant, and grows up to be an activist opposing them.
I found the story very engrossing and perfectly paced, and in fact read the entire longer-than-average book in two days (it’s been awhile since I’ve done that!). All four family members are well-drawn, distinct, and equally sympathetic, which is quite a feat. Despite their different dispositions and mindsets, I appreciated where all of them were coming from. And nobody is perfect, either. The conflicts around the mothers’ urge to overprotect Sophie are particularly well-drawn: she could have a seizure at any moment and they worry constantly because they want to keep her alive, but at the same time, she needs to live and that includes taking risks. This felt extremely real, for lots of families these days but particularly with disabled kids. I was not surprised to discover that Pinsker has personal experience with people with epilepsy and their families.
The dialogue is also strong, and the writing flows smoothly. Basically the only thing I didn’t like, up to the last 50 pages, was the book pushing this “introduce yourself with name and pronouns” thing, which as someone who doesn’t personally identify with any pronouns or with conceptions of gender really, feels unwelcoming to me. I don’t object to the grammar corresponding to my biology but hate being asked to affirmatively claim it, as if this represented my identity. This already pops up in real-life spaces so I didn’t need it from a book!
The last 50 pages go off the rails a bit, however; I had the sense the author wanted to provide some larger resolution than just within the family, but the book veers hard to the Luddite side at the end, and on little evidence, the characters suddenly all believe in a corporate conspiracy that doesn’t really make sense.
At any rate, outside of those issues, this is a strong family story, incorporating speculative elements but keeping the focus on the human ones. Worth a read for the interested.
In a near-future America, a new device catches on: brain implants that allow true multitasking. This divides a family down the middle. One of the mothers, Val, a high school teacher and coach, is a technology skeptic; the other, Julie, a congressional staffer, is an early adopter at heart and feels pressure to keep up in a workplace where her abilities are sometimes doubted. Their son, David, begs for an implant to keep up at school, but finds it doesn’t quite work with his brain, though everyone brushes him off. Their daughter, Sophie, suffers from epilepsy, thus isn’t eligible for an implant, and grows up to be an activist opposing them.
I found the story very engrossing and perfectly paced, and in fact read the entire longer-than-average book in two days (it’s been awhile since I’ve done that!). All four family members are well-drawn, distinct, and equally sympathetic, which is quite a feat. Despite their different dispositions and mindsets, I appreciated where all of them were coming from. And nobody is perfect, either. The conflicts around the mothers’ urge to overprotect Sophie are particularly well-drawn: she could have a seizure at any moment and they worry constantly because they want to keep her alive, but at the same time, she needs to live and that includes taking risks. This felt extremely real, for lots of families these days but particularly with disabled kids. I was not surprised to discover that Pinsker has personal experience with people with epilepsy and their families.
The dialogue is also strong, and the writing flows smoothly. Basically the only thing I didn’t like, up to the last 50 pages, was the book pushing this “introduce yourself with name and pronouns” thing, which as someone who doesn’t personally identify with any pronouns or with conceptions of gender really, feels unwelcoming to me. I don’t object to the grammar corresponding to my biology but hate being asked to affirmatively claim it, as if this represented my identity. This already pops up in real-life spaces so I didn’t need it from a book!
The last 50 pages go off the rails a bit, however; I had the sense the author wanted to provide some larger resolution than just within the family, but the book veers hard to the Luddite side at the end, and on little evidence, the characters suddenly all believe in a corporate conspiracy that doesn’t really make sense.
At any rate, outside of those issues, this is a strong family story, incorporating speculative elements but keeping the focus on the human ones. Worth a read for the interested.
May 5, 2021
I am so glad I read this book. A number of the situations spoke to me about my own experiences and it was a relief to see them down on paper for the first time. I think a lot of people are going to love this and it'd make a great book club read because it's contemporary and there's lots to discuss.
We Are Satellites follows an American family as they navigate the perils of society's latest fad technology: the Pilot. Pilots are inserted into the brain in a minor operation and allow true multi-tasking to become a reality. Most love them but some, for health or religious reasons, can't have them and become sidelined; others have them fitted but don’t find the experience to be all it was promised.
David is eighteen and an average student at a private high-school. His friends are in the first wave to get Pilots and, without one, David is beginning to fall behind. His mums agree to let him get one fitted but he finds the new level of input overwhelming. His concerns, however, fall on deaf ears and David has to find his own ways to cope.
David’s sister Sophie is ten and suffers from epilepsy. They’ve tried one drug after another to manage the seizures but their effectiveness all seem to wear off and a Pilot is out of the question. Soon, Sophie finds herself in a minority, but a friend’s father shows her the power of a voice and a spark is lit within her.
Val and Julie are Sophie and David’s mums. Val is a teacher uninterested in social fads and determined to show solidarity with her daughter no matter the cost. Julie works for a Congressman and is a technophile - keen for every new gadget and fearful that she’ll fall behind without.
In some ways, this is a story of David and Goliath: the little guy against the corporate giant. And yet it’s not quite so clear cut. The Pilots and their creators aren’t evil - they’re just one technology company among many who happen to have developed a product that (almost) everyone wants because of the benefits it brings.
Instead, this story is primarily about family and how familial ties are influenced by societal pressure. Over the ten years this book covers, David and Sophie grow and must face the challenges of life post-school; tempers wax and wane, interests come and go, and Val and Julie can only do their best to keep up and balance the competing demands of their own lives.
The challenges they face are likely to be those (or very similar to those) that I face in my own life time. Today, parents have to manage the effect of social media on their children. Who knows what we’ll have to contend with in ten years, let alone twenty? All of a sudden, Pilots don’t seem too far-fetched and god knows we all know the pressure to conform.
Personally, two elements particularly spoke to me. The first was Sophie’s seizures because I myself suffer seizures (though with more warning) and have had to just soldier on. More deeply though, I felt David’s plight. Again and again he tries to explain the Noise to others, only for them to ignore him or tell him he’s not trying hard enough, that its his own fault. For the five years before I was diagnosed with FND, people treated me the same way: “it’s all in your head”, “just relax”, “you’re attention seeking”. I almost believed it. Now they know better, now I know better, but it was a tough time and made me empathise all the better with David.
In general, this book is hugely representative. It features an LGBT+ married couple and two non-binary secondary characters. Amongst other things, it deals with PTSD, addiction, discrimination, disability and adoption. Furthermore, these topics are handled with finesse and understanding.
Why then did I not give it five stars? After all, the writing is superb and the story nuanced.
Honestly, it’s my fault, not the book’s. I like a bit more optimism and a bit more heroism in my books. The story ends on a high note but covers some tough ground which meant that, sometimes, I just wasn’t in the mood to read it. Meanwhile, whilst their journeys are interesting, the characters are just normal people - deftly crafted but a far cry from my usual kick-ass heroines (though Sophie certainly has some spunk).
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but bear in mind it’s more contemporary fiction than science fiction (ie. no robots or spaceships). It’s very well written and will speak to a number of people’s fears for the future of technology. Would I read it again? No, but I would read more by Pinsker now. Is it likely to be nominated for an award in the future? Definitely.
’What kind of society were they creating where kids voluntarily changed their brains to keep pace with all the input coming at them?’
We Are Satellites follows an American family as they navigate the perils of society's latest fad technology: the Pilot. Pilots are inserted into the brain in a minor operation and allow true multi-tasking to become a reality. Most love them but some, for health or religious reasons, can't have them and become sidelined; others have them fitted but don’t find the experience to be all it was promised.
’A system in dire need of change, but the wrong change had arrived. The wrong changes were everywhere.’
David is eighteen and an average student at a private high-school. His friends are in the first wave to get Pilots and, without one, David is beginning to fall behind. His mums agree to let him get one fitted but he finds the new level of input overwhelming. His concerns, however, fall on deaf ears and David has to find his own ways to cope.
David’s sister Sophie is ten and suffers from epilepsy. They’ve tried one drug after another to manage the seizures but their effectiveness all seem to wear off and a Pilot is out of the question. Soon, Sophie finds herself in a minority, but a friend’s father shows her the power of a voice and a spark is lit within her.
’She ran until her thought no longer lingered on their daughter who didn’t know how to stay, or their boy becoming an adult in a world that demanded so much more from him than she would ever have imagined.’
Val and Julie are Sophie and David’s mums. Val is a teacher uninterested in social fads and determined to show solidarity with her daughter no matter the cost. Julie works for a Congressman and is a technophile - keen for every new gadget and fearful that she’ll fall behind without.
In some ways, this is a story of David and Goliath: the little guy against the corporate giant. And yet it’s not quite so clear cut. The Pilots and their creators aren’t evil - they’re just one technology company among many who happen to have developed a product that (almost) everyone wants because of the benefits it brings.
Instead, this story is primarily about family and how familial ties are influenced by societal pressure. Over the ten years this book covers, David and Sophie grow and must face the challenges of life post-school; tempers wax and wane, interests come and go, and Val and Julie can only do their best to keep up and balance the competing demands of their own lives.
The challenges they face are likely to be those (or very similar to those) that I face in my own life time. Today, parents have to manage the effect of social media on their children. Who knows what we’ll have to contend with in ten years, let alone twenty? All of a sudden, Pilots don’t seem too far-fetched and god knows we all know the pressure to conform.
’Back to the noise nobody else believed, noise that people played at during parties even while saying it’s a nice place but we wouldn’t want to live here. He hate everyone.’
Personally, two elements particularly spoke to me. The first was Sophie’s seizures because I myself suffer seizures (though with more warning) and have had to just soldier on. More deeply though, I felt David’s plight. Again and again he tries to explain the Noise to others, only for them to ignore him or tell him he’s not trying hard enough, that its his own fault. For the five years before I was diagnosed with FND, people treated me the same way: “it’s all in your head”, “just relax”, “you’re attention seeking”. I almost believed it. Now they know better, now I know better, but it was a tough time and made me empathise all the better with David.
In general, this book is hugely representative. It features an LGBT+ married couple and two non-binary secondary characters. Amongst other things, it deals with PTSD, addiction, discrimination, disability and adoption. Furthermore, these topics are handled with finesse and understanding.
Why then did I not give it five stars? After all, the writing is superb and the story nuanced.
Honestly, it’s my fault, not the book’s. I like a bit more optimism and a bit more heroism in my books. The story ends on a high note but covers some tough ground which meant that, sometimes, I just wasn’t in the mood to read it. Meanwhile, whilst their journeys are interesting, the characters are just normal people - deftly crafted but a far cry from my usual kick-ass heroines (though Sophie certainly has some spunk).
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but bear in mind it’s more contemporary fiction than science fiction (ie. no robots or spaceships). It’s very well written and will speak to a number of people’s fears for the future of technology. Would I read it again? No, but I would read more by Pinsker now. Is it likely to be nominated for an award in the future? Definitely.
May 3, 2021
🔊🔊🔊🔊 (four stars as rated in all the noise in your mind that never ever stops)
When Val and Julie’s son David comes home from school asking for a Pilot, a new brain implant that improves brain function, they reluctantly agree. The doctors all assure them it’s safe and, with the new technology becoming commonplace, more kids at David’s school have them than do not. But with the many benefits of the Pilot come downsides as well. What of Sophie, David’s younger sister who has epilepsy and whose brain can not support the technology? What of Val who simply isn’t interested in getting one? Who is really behind the almost overnight success of this life changing science? And how do you fight back against something once it’s everywhere?
“We know Pilots don’t make anybody smarter. They don’t teach good study skills. They aren’t a replacement for teachers or books. If a kid is in tenth grade and reading on a third-grade level, he’s not going to magically start comprehending quantum physics or To the Lighthouse just because he has a Pilot . It’s a superficial fix. A bandage for a paper cut on a finger when there’s a sucking chest wound, too.”
This is my first Sarah Pinsker novel and it exceeded all of my expectations! The story is one part speculative sci-fi, one part family drama, and one part conspiracy! But what I really, really loved about this novel was how quickly it moved. Everything I knew about the story going into it literally occurs within the first 10 pages! The book just takes off and sustains this fast, engrossing pace throughout. I loved that especially considering the technical nature of the subject matter which could have become very easily bogged down.
The arcs of the four main characters were really lovely to read. I appreciate the way this family is illustrated for us and loved getting to see them grow and change. I want to say that Sophie was my favorite character, but when I think about it I don’t know that I could choose between them. They each make mistakes, but we are gifted so much insight into why they all chose to do what they do. And I really enjoyed that.
✨ Rep in this book: Queer MC’s, Neurodivergent MC
✨ Content warnings for this book: thoughts of suicide, drug use, addiction, mentions of war and battle, PTSD, medical stuff, gas-lighting
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August 14, 2021
I wanted more from this book than it was able to give. Pinsker starts with a fascinating premise: neurotech that enhances the brain to actually multi-task. The story builds with the idea that this will be the next "must have" status badge for teens and professionals, which I find credible. The book centers around a nuclear family where one mom (Julie) needs the Pilot to stay current with her job, one (Val) distrusts it (for vague, unexplained reasons, the first red flag), the son (David) wants it to compete on school work, and the daughter (Sophie) can't have one due to epilepsy. This should set up dynamic tension within the family that gives us insight into the many ways that people approach environmental changes outside of their control.
Unfortunately, it fails on this and other fronts. The mid-story time jump robs the reader of any understanding of how Sophie goes from a child who can't have this tech to an activist against it, so this comes across as largely "I can't have it so it's automatically bad". She's vindicated in the end but because Pinsker failed to foreshadow the company's unethical behavior, this robbed the story of tension or suspense. It's like the reader is supposed to know that medical corporations (or maybe all businesses?) are automatically suspect, but for me, I need evidence in the text. Pinsker had an opportunity to explore exactly how medical devices might circumvent or be restrained by good safety practices and just... didn't. This feels irresponsible in a time when we're fighting people's misunderstanding of the safety and efficacy of our best tools to fight a pandemic, feeding a nebulous, general distrust of the medical system that's working against all of us.
The one thing that did work for me in this story was the representation of a lesbian couple whose stories center around trying to be good parents as their children achieve more independence. They simply exist in their world, without having to be representative of everyone-like-them. While I felt like Julie was a bit flat and Val was unrealistically naïve and disconnected from her local environment, being able to focus on their story as parents felt refreshing.
I might re-try Pinsker as an author in a few years, but overall, not recommended.
Unfortunately, it fails on this and other fronts. The mid-story time jump robs the reader of any understanding of how Sophie goes from a child who can't have this tech to an activist against it, so this comes across as largely "I can't have it so it's automatically bad". She's vindicated in the end but because Pinsker failed to foreshadow the company's unethical behavior, this robbed the story of tension or suspense. It's like the reader is supposed to know that medical corporations (or maybe all businesses?) are automatically suspect, but for me, I need evidence in the text. Pinsker had an opportunity to explore exactly how medical devices might circumvent or be restrained by good safety practices and just... didn't. This feels irresponsible in a time when we're fighting people's misunderstanding of the safety and efficacy of our best tools to fight a pandemic, feeding a nebulous, general distrust of the medical system that's working against all of us.
The one thing that did work for me in this story was the representation of a lesbian couple whose stories center around trying to be good parents as their children achieve more independence. They simply exist in their world, without having to be representative of everyone-like-them. While I felt like Julie was a bit flat and Val was unrealistically naïve and disconnected from her local environment, being able to focus on their story as parents felt refreshing.
I might re-try Pinsker as an author in a few years, but overall, not recommended.
April 13, 2022
I refuse to categorize this as sci-fi. This is a family drama with the barest hint of a sci-fi element, like the La Croix of genres. I probably should have put this book down as soon as I could tell where things were (or were not) heading, but I wanted to finish it so I could feel justified in leaving an actual rating.
The book follows Val and Julie, and their two kids Sophie and David. Society has begun adopting neural implants called Pilots that augment human attention, allegedly letting them multitask better and be more productive. A rift quickly opens up between the "haves" (people with Pilots) and the "have nots" (people without). David is the first person in the family to get a Pilot, followed soon by Julie. Val is staunchly anti-Pilot, and Sophie can't get one for medical reasons. We watch this small family grow up, grow apart, and grow into different aspects of Pilot life--Sophie becomes an activist, David becomes involved in the military (and then washes out with PTSD-like symptoms), and Julie and Val become increasingly irritated with the other's stance on family.
And then....the book ends. Interspersed with this family's drama are attempts by the author to push a certain narrative. Social media is bad, screen time is bad, military members are knuckle dragging cavemen and college is superior in all ways, ride share programs steal your information and aren't to be trusted, the list goes on and on. It comes off super preachy and not at all organically integrated into the non-story the author is trying to tell.
I was super disappointed with this book, and think the premise and summary is misleading. The sci-fi element (the Pilot implants) is barely used beyond being the catalyst for drama, and I was incredibly disappointed at being given a family drama I wasn't signing up for.
The book follows Val and Julie, and their two kids Sophie and David. Society has begun adopting neural implants called Pilots that augment human attention, allegedly letting them multitask better and be more productive. A rift quickly opens up between the "haves" (people with Pilots) and the "have nots" (people without). David is the first person in the family to get a Pilot, followed soon by Julie. Val is staunchly anti-Pilot, and Sophie can't get one for medical reasons. We watch this small family grow up, grow apart, and grow into different aspects of Pilot life--Sophie becomes an activist, David becomes involved in the military (and then washes out with PTSD-like symptoms), and Julie and Val become increasingly irritated with the other's stance on family.
And then....the book ends. Interspersed with this family's drama are attempts by the author to push a certain narrative. Social media is bad, screen time is bad, military members are knuckle dragging cavemen and college is superior in all ways, ride share programs steal your information and aren't to be trusted, the list goes on and on. It comes off super preachy and not at all organically integrated into the non-story the author is trying to tell.
I was super disappointed with this book, and think the premise and summary is misleading. The sci-fi element (the Pilot implants) is barely used beyond being the catalyst for drama, and I was incredibly disappointed at being given a family drama I wasn't signing up for.
May 9, 2021
This was an incredibly thought provoking read.
I liked that the author had a family of four who all had different views on a pilot. The pilot meant something different to each of them and their voices were so strong.
I have never read anything quite like David's chapters and the author did wonderful capturing his thoughts and his feelings.
I especially liked looking into the future where gender wasn't assumed and everyone was able to live their truth peacefully.
I liked that the author had a family of four who all had different views on a pilot. The pilot meant something different to each of them and their voices were so strong.
I have never read anything quite like David's chapters and the author did wonderful capturing his thoughts and his feelings.
I especially liked looking into the future where gender wasn't assumed and everyone was able to live their truth peacefully.
March 18, 2022
Sarah Pinsker's We Are Satellites is an excellent near-future hard science fiction novel built on an entirely plausible central conceit, a technological advance whose likely consequences are worked out with rigor.
You could be forgiven for not noticing Pinsker's attention to scientific accuracy, though. Her focus is on the people who are profoundly affected by that science-fictional invention.
Call it an iron core, wrapped in a velvet plot.
*
The innovation in We Are Satellites is called a Pilot. It's a brain implant, easily installed via an inexpensive outpatient procedure, small and unobtrustive except for its bright blue LED (heh—a "Pilot light"). A Pilot improves focus, allowing its recipient to multitask (or "approximate multitasking") more effectively. People with Pilots just function better—and before long, getting a Pilot starts to seem... necessary.
Inevitable.
Mandatory.
Of course, not everyone reacts to this new technology equally well. Some people can't get one at all; their brains just don't work that way.
And, of course, not everyone can afford this new tech, at least not at first. To paraphrase William Gibson, the future's never distributed evenly.
Pilots are too good to be true—that much is immediately obvious—and Pinsker builds foreboding nicely as the technology, despite its downsides, keeps spreading anyway. But the other shoe I was expecting does not get dropped, so much as gently placed beside its mate.
We Are Satellites shows us all this through a close-knit family whose bonds are stressed to the breaking point by Pilots:
Sophie has epilepsy. A Pilot won't work for her.
Her brother David, on the other hand, is an early adopter (in a pilot program—heh), but it doesn't work out the way he expected.
Julie, their mom, needs to get one for her job as a Congressional aide.
And Val, their other mom, refuses to get a Pilot at all—and the peer pressure and career consequences she faces only make that reluctance stronger. I, as a refusenik who never joined Facebook, find that entirely reasonable.
*
*
I'm profoundly glad I chose We Are Satellites when my daughter took me to our favorite local bookstore (Powell's on Hawthorne) as a Christmas present. After all, Sarah Pinsker had already impressed me mightily with A Song for a New Day, a post-pandemic novel that I read in January 2020, just a couple of months before our real pandemic took hold.
We Are Satellites was easily, breezily readable, but hides a lot of depth beneath that accessible surface. Pinsker's work doesn't really fit into the "YA" category, either (as I was discussing with my Goodreads friend Britton S.), and it does not seem to have been marketed as YA—but I also think that this novel could easily appeal to teenaged readers, and the relative absence of any explicit violence, sex or cursing would please watchful parents as well.
At any rate, We Are Satellites certainly pleased me.
You could be forgiven for not noticing Pinsker's attention to scientific accuracy, though. Her focus is on the people who are profoundly affected by that science-fictional invention.
Call it an iron core, wrapped in a velvet plot.
*
The innovation in We Are Satellites is called a Pilot. It's a brain implant, easily installed via an inexpensive outpatient procedure, small and unobtrustive except for its bright blue LED (heh—a "Pilot light"). A Pilot improves focus, allowing its recipient to multitask (or "approximate multitasking") more effectively. People with Pilots just function better—and before long, getting a Pilot starts to seem... necessary.
Inevitable.
Mandatory.
Of course, not everyone reacts to this new technology equally well. Some people can't get one at all; their brains just don't work that way.
And, of course, not everyone can afford this new tech, at least not at first. To paraphrase William Gibson, the future's never distributed evenly.
Pilots are too good to be true—that much is immediately obvious—and Pinsker builds foreboding nicely as the technology, despite its downsides, keeps spreading anyway. But the other shoe I was expecting does not get dropped, so much as gently placed beside its mate.
We Are Satellites shows us all this through a close-knit family whose bonds are stressed to the breaking point by Pilots:
Sophie has epilepsy. A Pilot won't work for her.
Her brother David, on the other hand, is an early adopter (in a pilot program—heh), but it doesn't work out the way he expected.
Julie, their mom, needs to get one for her job as a Congressional aide.
And Val, their other mom, refuses to get a Pilot at all—and the peer pressure and career consequences she faces only make that reluctance stronger. I, as a refusenik who never joined Facebook, find that entirely reasonable.
*
David stroked his single chin whisker reverently, a move that had been amusing both his parents since they'd noticed it.Heh... that amused me too.
—p.20
*
I'm profoundly glad I chose We Are Satellites when my daughter took me to our favorite local bookstore (Powell's on Hawthorne) as a Christmas present. After all, Sarah Pinsker had already impressed me mightily with A Song for a New Day, a post-pandemic novel that I read in January 2020, just a couple of months before our real pandemic took hold.
We Are Satellites was easily, breezily readable, but hides a lot of depth beneath that accessible surface. Pinsker's work doesn't really fit into the "YA" category, either (as I was discussing with my Goodreads friend Britton S.), and it does not seem to have been marketed as YA—but I also think that this novel could easily appeal to teenaged readers, and the relative absence of any explicit violence, sex or cursing would please watchful parents as well.
At any rate, We Are Satellites certainly pleased me.
August 14, 2021
This is a family drama masquerading as science fiction. Family dramas as a genre aren’t really my thing and this one was much less compelling than others I’ve read recently.
May 12, 2021
Rating: 8.0/10
Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of We Are Satellites for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
We Are Satellites is an intriguing novel that explores the impact of futuristic technology at home and abroad. Pinsker introduces a character-driven story that nails a “family first” mentality with the complications of being left behind in a constantly progressing society.
While We Are Satellites is not a normal go-to type novel for me, I really enjoyed the entire read. Pinsker has a knack for writing characters that are relatable and you can completely empathize with, on top of providing very interesting premise. Much like our world today, if you aren’t keeping up with the technology trends at a steady pace, you can get left in the dust fairly quickly.
I enjoyed how each chapter provided multiple POVs between David, Sophie, Val & Julie. While the chapter headers were a nice add, you quickly became familiar with each distinctive voice fairly early on. I love how each character stood out from the pack, and their strengths and weaknesses were laid bare for all to see.
The idea behind the ‘Pilot’ is fantastic, and while I’m not sure having a device implanted on the side of my noggin is the best way to go, I can see why so many people would be chomping at the bit. So many times during a workday, I find myself wandering for other things to do as my mind constantly attempts to figure out how to get everything needing done, well, done.
I became quickly enthralled with David’s character (and no, NOT because it is also my name you silly gooses), but because from very early on, my heart just went out to him. I felt like no-one really wanted to listen to what he had to say, then he joins the military (soft spot there), attempts to reorient himself with society and realizes it is more difficult than he imagined. At least it ends on a good note, which I’m not sure I would’ve been in as good a mood talking to Sarah had it not LOL.
I really enjoyed We Are Satellites, and if you are looking for a futuristic, character-driven sci-fi novel with more heart than lasers, check it out. I also recommend the audio if you’d rather take that route. Bernadette Dunne did a phenomenal job capturing the true essence of each character.
Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of We Are Satellites for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
We Are Satellites is an intriguing novel that explores the impact of futuristic technology at home and abroad. Pinsker introduces a character-driven story that nails a “family first” mentality with the complications of being left behind in a constantly progressing society.
While We Are Satellites is not a normal go-to type novel for me, I really enjoyed the entire read. Pinsker has a knack for writing characters that are relatable and you can completely empathize with, on top of providing very interesting premise. Much like our world today, if you aren’t keeping up with the technology trends at a steady pace, you can get left in the dust fairly quickly.
I enjoyed how each chapter provided multiple POVs between David, Sophie, Val & Julie. While the chapter headers were a nice add, you quickly became familiar with each distinctive voice fairly early on. I love how each character stood out from the pack, and their strengths and weaknesses were laid bare for all to see.
The idea behind the ‘Pilot’ is fantastic, and while I’m not sure having a device implanted on the side of my noggin is the best way to go, I can see why so many people would be chomping at the bit. So many times during a workday, I find myself wandering for other things to do as my mind constantly attempts to figure out how to get everything needing done, well, done.
I became quickly enthralled with David’s character (and no, NOT because it is also my name you silly gooses), but because from very early on, my heart just went out to him. I felt like no-one really wanted to listen to what he had to say, then he joins the military (soft spot there), attempts to reorient himself with society and realizes it is more difficult than he imagined. At least it ends on a good note, which I’m not sure I would’ve been in as good a mood talking to Sarah had it not LOL.
I really enjoyed We Are Satellites, and if you are looking for a futuristic, character-driven sci-fi novel with more heart than lasers, check it out. I also recommend the audio if you’d rather take that route. Bernadette Dunne did a phenomenal job capturing the true essence of each character.
May 17, 2021
Synopsis: Teacher Val and political staffer Julie are mothers of two children, David and Sophie. They live at a time when a new technology is becoming nearly mandatory for everyone: A brain implant, the Pilot, enhances the ability to multitask. Visible to everyone are the blue lights at the temple.
David is the family's first to get one. He enlists for a special military service troop and becomes the poster boy for the product. The other family members are far more reluctant. Julie doesn't want to left behind in her job and has always been affine to the newest gadgets. But then there is Sophie whose epilepsy makes it impossible for a brain implantation. Finally, Val decides to stay on Sophie's side but feels the pressure in school as there are only a couple of students without the Pilot.
Sophie goes fully anti-Pilot, joins the local board of a national NGO to organize demonstrations etc. against the product. She is shocked as David joins the "enemy", the producer of the Pilot as a marketing specialist. But David has his own problems with the Pilot, because it works far more intense for him than for everyone else.
Review: The story starts with the wholesome family just before the technology arrives. It's very heartwarming and engaging. But as soon as the technology arrives, shadows appear. Very. slowly.
The novel gets a good while to take off. Which isn't exactly a bad thing, but one needs to sit down and enjoy the slow ride.
The following plot is predictable and checks off lots of tropes with technology misuse, young adults out of their safety zone, adults making harsh errors, and a monstrous technology corporation. It doesn't get horrific or bleedingly harsh, so I count it off as a soft dystopia with a happy end.
Recommended for readers of ultralight cyborg technology in a near future SF setting who don't want to get stressed by a rigorous dystopia.
David is the family's first to get one. He enlists for a special military service troop and becomes the poster boy for the product. The other family members are far more reluctant. Julie doesn't want to left behind in her job and has always been affine to the newest gadgets. But then there is Sophie whose epilepsy makes it impossible for a brain implantation. Finally, Val decides to stay on Sophie's side but feels the pressure in school as there are only a couple of students without the Pilot.
Sophie goes fully anti-Pilot, joins the local board of a national NGO to organize demonstrations etc. against the product. She is shocked as David joins the "enemy", the producer of the Pilot as a marketing specialist. But David has his own problems with the Pilot, because it works far more intense for him than for everyone else.
Review: The story starts with the wholesome family just before the technology arrives. It's very heartwarming and engaging. But as soon as the technology arrives, shadows appear. Very. slowly.
The novel gets a good while to take off. Which isn't exactly a bad thing, but one needs to sit down and enjoy the slow ride.
The following plot is predictable and checks off lots of tropes with technology misuse, young adults out of their safety zone, adults making harsh errors, and a monstrous technology corporation. It doesn't get horrific or bleedingly harsh, so I count it off as a soft dystopia with a happy end.
Recommended for readers of ultralight cyborg technology in a near future SF setting who don't want to get stressed by a rigorous dystopia.
June 17, 2021
Excellent writing/reading, as expected from Sarah Pinsker, who has become one of my favorites. This book was not my favorite of hers, but I still like it a lot. It reminds me of some of Cory Doctorow's books with the political message, but the evil of the corporation in this one is maybe not quite as extreme. In fact, I don't think the evil is explained, or developed, or something, enough. The anti-technology group kind of maybe stumbles over it, or extrapolates what it might be, and then it turns out to be exactly that plus more.
Each of the characters, a family of four, has their own voice, separated into their own chapters. That is done well; each is pretty believable and likable (and exasperating), as is the complicated family dynamic. I especially liked the daughter, Sophie, though at times she was the most exasperating one - inescapable with a teenager/young adult.
Each of the characters, a family of four, has their own voice, separated into their own chapters. That is done well; each is pretty believable and likable (and exasperating), as is the complicated family dynamic. I especially liked the daughter, Sophie, though at times she was the most exasperating one - inescapable with a teenager/young adult.
October 12, 2021
The novel is a study of a seemingly ordinary family with two parents, two children and really good dynamics established between them, struggling with common problems. And then it goes on to explore how a completely revolutionary technology affects them individually and in relation to one another over time.
The book was populated with well-written, relatable and realistically flawed characters. I didn't really like most of them, but I enjoyed reading about them. They had different values, different goals and different sets of circumstances despite being a family and therefore the conflicts between them were interesting to read about.
For the bigger part of the novel I also enjoyed the exploration of how a new technology can affect people and the everyday reality they live in. It did a good job of diving into "what ifs". Unfortunately, it then tipped into just one side of the conflict and started to be too virtue signaling to my liking, taking away the layers I assumed the book to have.
In other words, the book started really promising but I ended up being disappointed with it.
The book was populated with well-written, relatable and realistically flawed characters. I didn't really like most of them, but I enjoyed reading about them. They had different values, different goals and different sets of circumstances despite being a family and therefore the conflicts between them were interesting to read about.
For the bigger part of the novel I also enjoyed the exploration of how a new technology can affect people and the everyday reality they live in. It did a good job of diving into "what ifs". Unfortunately, it then tipped into just one side of the conflict and started to be too virtue signaling to my liking, taking away the layers I assumed the book to have.
In other words, the book started really promising but I ended up being disappointed with it.
September 21, 2021
This is one of those “ripped from tomorrow’s headlines!” stories that uses science fiction to make us look at the world we currently live in differently.
The basic story is about the invention of a new device, called a Pilot, which is implanted in your brain to help you focus and multitask. It touches on all aspects of this idea: is it as good as the hype, what are the side effects, how does society deal with this change, how does this affect business and politics… all of that. Pinsker focuses primarily on a family: two moms, their son and daughter. Each of them has different reactions to the Pilot: two want them, one doesn’t, one can’t get it due to suffering from epilepsy. A nice range to set up the conflicts as well as the larger discussions.
This also brings up discussions that we’re currently having regarding smartphones and tablets, about giant multinational corporations and billionaires doing what they want, and more. It’s the Amazon discussion, the Apple discussion, the Walmart discussion, the inequities of technology exacerbating existing inequalities, privacy stuff, and more. I mean, this would be so much worse than iPhone apps sending your info to sketchy third parties, because it’s in your head. Yikes.
On top of all that it is exceedingly well written. With some books I feel like I’m fighting to hack through a jungle, or swimming upstream. Not so here. The trail was open and clearly marked, and I could flow with the current.
The basic story is about the invention of a new device, called a Pilot, which is implanted in your brain to help you focus and multitask. It touches on all aspects of this idea: is it as good as the hype, what are the side effects, how does society deal with this change, how does this affect business and politics… all of that. Pinsker focuses primarily on a family: two moms, their son and daughter. Each of them has different reactions to the Pilot: two want them, one doesn’t, one can’t get it due to suffering from epilepsy. A nice range to set up the conflicts as well as the larger discussions.
This also brings up discussions that we’re currently having regarding smartphones and tablets, about giant multinational corporations and billionaires doing what they want, and more. It’s the Amazon discussion, the Apple discussion, the Walmart discussion, the inequities of technology exacerbating existing inequalities, privacy stuff, and more. I mean, this would be so much worse than iPhone apps sending your info to sketchy third parties, because it’s in your head. Yikes.
On top of all that it is exceedingly well written. With some books I feel like I’m fighting to hack through a jungle, or swimming upstream. Not so here. The trail was open and clearly marked, and I could flow with the current.
May 2, 2021
Much like Sarah Pinsker’s debut novel A Song for a New Day, We Are Satellites draws strength from its lightly speculative but all too believable premise: the invention and near-ubiquitous implementation of a device called a Pilot, a brain implant that allows for functional multitasking. While this may seem like a rather tame premise, the way Pinsker unfolds the conflict makes this an unputdownable book, one that reads like a novel length episode of Black Mirror and leaves you with an equal amount of questions and answers.
Pinsker excels at examining all the layers and striations of conflict arising from the all but mandatory usage of ability enhancing devices. One of my favourite parts of this book was the detailed look at how differing ideologies can split a family apart. The four POV characters we get throughout the novel—Julie, Val, Sophie, and David—are all members of the same family; Julie and Val are queer women married to one another and mothers to David and Sophie. Activism plays a huge part in this novel, and the examination of an artificially created class of privilege thanks to the Pilot devices is fascinating to read.
What made this novel stand out to me was how utterly real it felt. Though the prose was definitely stylized (and beautifully so, at that) in places for impact, I felt like I could have easily been reading a real account of events that had come to pass. This along with the seamless integration of questionable technology is what gave We Are Satellites the Black Mirror feel and what kept me turning page after page. The characterization and attention to detail was impeccable.
The diversity of this novel was also greatly appreciated. Julie and Val are LGBTQIA+, Sophie is disabled, there is a major secondary character who is a trans, and various racial and ethnic identities are represented. Characters who have not stated a pronoun preference are referred to by default as ‘they’, which was delightful to see.
My only critique about this novel is regarding the pacing. The slow build up of the first half of the novel and the rushed conclusion with shocking turn after shocking turn left me feeling a little jarred. There are also lots of time skips that contributed to the bumpy pacing.
Overall, if you’re looking for a compelling sci-fi read that uses the few speculative elements it employs to great effect and raises thoughtful questions about the use and regulation of augmentative technology, look no further than We Are Satellites. Sarah Pinsker delivers yet another detailed, introspective, diverse, and thought provoking novel with her sophomore book.
Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Pinsker excels at examining all the layers and striations of conflict arising from the all but mandatory usage of ability enhancing devices. One of my favourite parts of this book was the detailed look at how differing ideologies can split a family apart. The four POV characters we get throughout the novel—Julie, Val, Sophie, and David—are all members of the same family; Julie and Val are queer women married to one another and mothers to David and Sophie. Activism plays a huge part in this novel, and the examination of an artificially created class of privilege thanks to the Pilot devices is fascinating to read.
What made this novel stand out to me was how utterly real it felt. Though the prose was definitely stylized (and beautifully so, at that) in places for impact, I felt like I could have easily been reading a real account of events that had come to pass. This along with the seamless integration of questionable technology is what gave We Are Satellites the Black Mirror feel and what kept me turning page after page. The characterization and attention to detail was impeccable.
The diversity of this novel was also greatly appreciated. Julie and Val are LGBTQIA+, Sophie is disabled, there is a major secondary character who is a trans, and various racial and ethnic identities are represented. Characters who have not stated a pronoun preference are referred to by default as ‘they’, which was delightful to see.
My only critique about this novel is regarding the pacing. The slow build up of the first half of the novel and the rushed conclusion with shocking turn after shocking turn left me feeling a little jarred. There are also lots of time skips that contributed to the bumpy pacing.
Overall, if you’re looking for a compelling sci-fi read that uses the few speculative elements it employs to great effect and raises thoughtful questions about the use and regulation of augmentative technology, look no further than We Are Satellites. Sarah Pinsker delivers yet another detailed, introspective, diverse, and thought provoking novel with her sophomore book.
Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 25, 2021
This started as a really good exploration of people who support a new technology and people whose default is often to mistrust it or who are reluctant towards it and those people tend to be ostracized.
The family dynamics were well done and really interesting to follow along. The fact that there were supporters and opposers within one family gave an interesting perspective, but the book ends up fully in the opposing camp and that was a shame. Regardless of personal views, new technology isn't always bad for everyone involved and I wish it could've remained split between the two camps.
There's also not much clarity on whether the Pilot technology was spreading towards the rest of the country or even the rest of the world, it all stayed really vague and I would've appreciated more details.
Overall, this wasn't bad, but it's more of a family drama than it is a science fiction novel.
The family dynamics were well done and really interesting to follow along. The fact that there were supporters and opposers within one family gave an interesting perspective, but the book ends up fully in the opposing camp and that was a shame. Regardless of personal views, new technology isn't always bad for everyone involved and I wish it could've remained split between the two camps.
There's also not much clarity on whether the Pilot technology was spreading towards the rest of the country or even the rest of the world, it all stayed really vague and I would've appreciated more details.
Overall, this wasn't bad, but it's more of a family drama than it is a science fiction novel.
May 18, 2021
DNF at 66% -- Do not like the narrative or the message of the book and have decided, in a rare moment of self-indulgence -- to just quit reading it instead of forcing myself to finish something I will rate poorly. If there's one thing I can't stand, it is reading adult books with children having a huge part of the narrative voice. I didn't like the characters and the "activism" and the very slow moving story.
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