One of the best books I've read over the last few years and brings out such emotion that very few books ever have.

So... what if Murderbot were a very large dog construct, but with Master issues? That's what I started thinking about part way through this book. But it's entirely possible I have a small Murderbot fixation. Rex, a modified and enhanced soldier built on a canine framework, is happy to be a Good Dog, and to please his Master. But what if Master is a Bad Man? His fellow modified and enhanced soldier built on a BEAR framework is Honey. Honey is smarter than the people who made her thought she'd be. She's smart enough to start to question what Master wants her to do. And of course, she doesn't have the canine hard-wiring that Rex does, the stuff that makes him want to be a Good Dog and to obey Master. I went into this book with high expectations, but was somewhat disappointed. The author leaned pretty heavily into the "I AM DOG, I MUST OBEY" idea, somewhat to the detriment of the story. Anybody who owns a dog knows that may not be exactly true. (Of course, domestic dogs don't have actual electrical feedback circuits that have been wired into their brains either.) I thought the book got a bit more interesting toward the end. But honest to doG, the villain was cartoonish. Could have been better for me, but not too bad.

Another brilliant book I'm floored and surprised l over again. As ever not a book I could have imagined reading or being written but it far exceeded its own simple premise to deep dive into all kinds of artificial life exploration. Just brilliantly thought out and sad and engaging.

Amazing everything. Great characters, use of technology, speculation about the direction we go. Everything. I love this book.

Stunning vision of the near future Are you a Good Dog? Do you obey your Master? What if that comes with a price? A near future view of a world of Bioforms and more. Intelligent, moving, thought provoking.