Sometime in the twenty-third century, humanity went extinctleaving only androids behind. Freya Nakamichi 47 is a femmebot, one of the last of her ...
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Apr 04, 2011
Matt
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Feb 06, 2010
Terence
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Jan 29, 2012
C.S.
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I am always all over the place with Stross. He is a gifted writer and can really put a story together but sometimes his books just don't knock me out.
This book was good but I admit that I was expecting more and it wasn't nearly as clever as I think it was suppose to be. I will continue to read Stross but I have a feeling he is going to always be one of those writers that just completely wows me or is just all right.
This book was good but I admit that I was expecting more and it wasn't nearly as clever as I think it was suppose to be. I will continue to read Stross but I have a feeling he is going to always be one of those writers that just completely wows me or is just all right.
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Jan 12, 2011
Sisimka
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I loved this book.
I sometimes have a hard time reading Charles Stross. I enjoy his concepts but I don’t often feel empathy for his characters. I adored Freya, however, her voice sang loudly and clearly to me and her personality leapt from the page.
As always, the writing is superb, but in this case, even more so. As all of the characters in Saturn’s Children are constructs of a sort, artificial beings, his writing and his style were particularly relevant. He managed to co More...
I sometimes have a hard time reading Charles Stross. I enjoy his concepts but I don’t often feel empathy for his characters. I adored Freya, however, her voice sang loudly and clearly to me and her personality leapt from the page.
As always, the writing is superb, but in this case, even more so. As all of the characters in Saturn’s Children are constructs of a sort, artificial beings, his writing and his style were particularly relevant. He managed to co More...
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May 31, 2011
mark
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the ideas behind the theme What Makes a Slave a Slave are particularly interesting when considering how they are approached and transformed by the genre in which they appear. in fantasy and historical fiction, slavery is often depicted as a regular part of the environment, and if a central character is enslaved, it is merely an obstacle that is usually surmounted. in horror, the idea of a total loss of freedom, especially the loss of an individualized mind, becomes another facet of evil: possess
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Aug 07, 2009
Tony
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This was probably not the best place for me to begin exploring Charles Stross-- I read it to be familiar with it when he showed up at our shop for a signing. This book is ablaze with homages to science fiction authors old and new, from Asimov to Scalzi, and it's written quite puckishly despite there being some rather dark and disturbing ideas behind the whole thing. As any good speculative science fiction should, it has some intriguing extrapolations of social implications for the future. Thin
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Oct 27, 2008
Bruce
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Well, three and a half stars ;-)
I have a sort of proprietary narcissistic interest in stross, given that I found out about him early in his career, bought Toast when it was his only published book. Or maybe it's just that I like his writing.
But for some reason the guy just puts out stuff that has a high amount of mediocrity to it. Maybe it's the crazy amount of books he's writing-- I mean, you don't make any money as a sci fi author, so I understand, or maybe that's jus More...
I have a sort of proprietary narcissistic interest in stross, given that I found out about him early in his career, bought Toast when it was his only published book. Or maybe it's just that I like his writing.
But for some reason the guy just puts out stuff that has a high amount of mediocrity to it. Maybe it's the crazy amount of books he's writing-- I mean, you don't make any money as a sci fi author, so I understand, or maybe that's jus More...
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Jan 03, 2009
Ada
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Mar 26, 2009
Doug
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I was disappointed by this - Stross has the capability to produce something much better. This book has a twist (look ma, no humans!) and some of the ideas are pretty interesting - but frankly I think he's writing too much and too hard. This could have done with maturing for a lot longer.
The main character is very reminiscent of the lead from Friday by Robert A. Heinlein which is apparently intentional. As with Friday the lead is a robot made for erotic purposes. For what it's wor More...
The main character is very reminiscent of the lead from Friday by Robert A. Heinlein which is apparently intentional. As with Friday the lead is a robot made for erotic purposes. For what it's wor More...
Feb 17, 2009
Karlo
rated it:
This is the first of Stross' books that misfired for me.
Stross starts out by quoting Newton "standing on the shoulders of giants..." and then referencing Heinlein and Asimov. I remember liking Heinlein's Friday a great deal, but then that was 20 years ago when I was a Teenager. I read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistess" more recently and enjoyed it, so I'm cool with Heinlein. Asimov is more problematic; I've read lost of his stuff, but even then I found his ideas were More...
Stross starts out by quoting Newton "standing on the shoulders of giants..." and then referencing Heinlein and Asimov. I remember liking Heinlein's Friday a great deal, but then that was 20 years ago when I was a Teenager. I read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistess" more recently and enjoyed it, so I'm cool with Heinlein. Asimov is more problematic; I've read lost of his stuff, but even then I found his ideas were More...
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Feb 05, 2009
Skyler
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A synthetically erotic novel about the legacy humanity leaves behind: Robots. In fact, androids (like the main character) have become obsolete, and Freya is left with a feeling of isolation, as if her race discarded her. As she tries to find her place in the galaxy, Freya unwittingly becomes more important to a possible future of her people than she could have imagined.
I loved how this book captures a very strong feeling of the "soft" novels that my mother used to read. More...
I loved how this book captures a very strong feeling of the "soft" novels that my mother used to read. More...
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Jan 07, 2009
Rebecca
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So, I'm told this is a tribute/parody/something to the old Heinlein and Asimov space operas. I can see it -- I read a lot of Heinlein as a teen, including some stuff that my parents probably didn't know about. It is a little less problematic* than some of the old Heinlein, though, despite the former profession of the character. Seriously, you can feel the allusions to Friday throughout the first half and even the main character's name (Freya is the Norse goddess of beauty, related to the G
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Oct 30, 2011
Elf
rated it:
I read Saturn's Children by Charlie Stross, and after having thought about it some, I've come to the conclusion that the book is shallower than I wanted it to be.
The book follows the adventures of Freya Nakamichi, a sex 'droid designed to please her human masters. Unfortunately for Freya, human beings have been extinct for two centuries or so, leaving us with a character with no idea what to do with her life. Most robots designed to serve human beings were cute, anime-like designs fo More...
The book follows the adventures of Freya Nakamichi, a sex 'droid designed to please her human masters. Unfortunately for Freya, human beings have been extinct for two centuries or so, leaving us with a character with no idea what to do with her life. Most robots designed to serve human beings were cute, anime-like designs fo More...
Oct 03, 2011
Joey-Joey-Jo-Jo
rated it:
As with most Stross books, the premise is absolutely delightful but the execution doesn't quite keep up. I know I said no more sex-bots in my sci-fi, but I've been meaning to read this ever since listening to Robyn's FemBot, so I grand-fathered it in. And it was worth it! The main character is a sex-bot designed back when human's were still alive, but activated after the human population dwindled and then disappeared. She has adventures in a scheming and wildly varied society of fellow robot
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Jul 16, 2011
Roger
rated it:
Despite an off-putting cover that appears to have been designed with 14 year old boys in mind, Charlie Stross' "Saturn's Children" is an interesting read with a great premise -- once the human race dies off, what's to become of their androids?
In Stross' clever scenario, they continue on -- struggling to fulfill the aspirations of their extinct creators (space exploration, extraterrestrial colonies) while picking up a few of our less than noble traits too (slavery and murder t More...
In Stross' clever scenario, they continue on -- struggling to fulfill the aspirations of their extinct creators (space exploration, extraterrestrial colonies) while picking up a few of our less than noble traits too (slavery and murder t More...
May 24, 2011
I found this book when looking through the list of past Hugo Award nominees and Winners. This book didn't win the Hugo Award in 2010 but I thought I'd give it a read as I wasn't persuaded by the winner.
The book presents an interesting view of a future in which humanity has become extinct leaving behind a society of robots, most of whom were built with the famous Three Laws ingrained. The book is a fascinating journey through this society as it grapples with the consequences of being b More...
The book presents an interesting view of a future in which humanity has become extinct leaving behind a society of robots, most of whom were built with the famous Three Laws ingrained. The book is a fascinating journey through this society as it grapples with the consequences of being b More...
Jun 06, 2009
Jacqie
rated it:
I do love me some Charles Stross. I read this one because I'm trying to pick which book of his to feature in the science fiction book club I'm starting, and because it's up for a Hugo this year. I think I will not choose this book for the club, but go with Singularity Sky.
Freya is a difficult main character. She's been created to love and bond with humans as a concubine, but since humans went extinct before she went online, she's got this pathological co-dependent need for love. Stro More...
Freya is a difficult main character. She's been created to love and bond with humans as a concubine, but since humans went extinct before she went online, she's got this pathological co-dependent need for love. Stro More...
Jun 05, 2009
Daniel
rated it:
Charles Stross' work can be really hit or miss for me. This book was enjoyable, but seemed almost rushed. I don't mean rushed in terms of pacing, but almost like there was a lot going on in his head that never actually made it to the page, which made it a far less thoughtful book than it could have been.
There are some interesting ideas in here, particularly the musing on how a society of robots designed to serve humanity cope with the fact that humans are extinct, and thus their pr More...
There are some interesting ideas in here, particularly the musing on how a society of robots designed to serve humanity cope with the fact that humans are extinct, and thus their pr More...
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Jun 11, 2009
Cathy
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I was excited when I picked this up from the library. It is subtitled, "A Space Opera," and dedicated to Heinlein and Asimov, then opens with the 3 laws. I figured it had to be good. Then I read the reviews and was less hopeful. But in the end, it was a good, solid 3. Nothing wrong with that. The whole book is patterned off of Heinlein's Friday meets Asimov's Robots, moderately successfully. A robot (a dirty word to them) designed to be a female sex slave gets into all sorts of adventu
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(6 people liked it)
Feb 05, 2009
Charles Stross is a unique voice among today's wave of "New British SF" writers, but he also knows his history. Saturn's Children is dedicated to old lions Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, and the ghosts of both (especially Heinlein) can be felt in the latest effort. Reviews of the novel vary wildly, which may suggest as much about the tastes of particular SF readers as it does about the specific case. The combination of sex and violence clashes a bit with some deep philosophizing on
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Feb 10, 2010
Peter
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Mar 07, 2009
Alan
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I simply devoured this book. Oh, not in one straight sitting - my life does not allow for that anymore, for books of any serious length. But it did only take me two days to read, snatching time when and where I could. I kept wanting to find out What Happens Next, and by that measure Stross succeeded with me unconditionally.
Well, almost...
Stross writes a rollicking tale, an explicit homage to the sf of Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. The book is dedicated to these gia More...
Well, almost...
Stross writes a rollicking tale, an explicit homage to the sf of Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. The book is dedicated to these gia More...
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Apr 02, 2011
Preston
rated it:
This book is described by the publisher as, "seething sexuality," and it does. I will admit that those words are the reasons I decide to read the book. If they kept pictures of patrons walking out of the library with books, the shit eating grin on my face would have been a dead giveaway.
The plot was great even without the sex (But I am Damn glad the author put it in) and is way outside the 95 % of science fiction, and everything else, that is shit. I admit without hesitat More...
The plot was great even without the sex (But I am Damn glad the author put it in) and is way outside the 95 % of science fiction, and everything else, that is shit. I admit without hesitat More...
Jul 20, 2010
Unwisely
rated it:
If you read a lot of science fiction, you have probably read many, many books where the female characters pretty much exist to help out (and eventually sleep with) the male characters. They have no goals of their own and are effectively sex robots. Well, Charles Stross doesn't even bother trying to hide; the protagonist is a sex robot, straight up. Which makes all of the parts where you sit there rolling your eyes going, come on, that's just male fantasy fairly legitimate. Because you can im
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Oct 02, 2010
Raj
rated it:
This is a post-human novel. Not a novel set in a world where Humanity has evolved into something more than human, but a world where Humanity has become extinct. Not a very interesting place, you might think, but we have left a legacy in this world: AI robots. These self-aware descendants have colonised the solar system and even begun looking to the stars. Our heroine is Freya, a robot who was obsolete before she was even 'born': a sex robot activated just after Humanity became extinct. However,
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Jun 18, 2011
Mieczyslaw
rated it:
Now here's an interesting one... it could almost be "The Ipcress File" in future times... it's certainly better written and even (dare I say it) not as fantastical and over-the-top. In a nutshell (without giving too much away because I hate reviews that stop you reading the real thing) the story is set in a future without humans - only their creatively-thinking, intelligent robotic offspring exist.The problem is that robots are created as servants to mankind and no-one ever thought of
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Sep 07, 2009
Psychophant
rated it:
This book filled me with deja-vu. At times it was Heinlein's Friday, at others it was Varley's whole solar system. It was predictable, the sex was non-descript (but still all over the place) and the premise did not hold together.
In spite of all of that (or, in the case of Varley, maybe because of it) I liked the novel, and devoured it quickly. In this case it was the science part of the SF, including the whole future presentation, even the many non-serious parts, the details, what k More...
In spite of all of that (or, in the case of Varley, maybe because of it) I liked the novel, and devoured it quickly. In this case it was the science part of the SF, including the whole future presentation, even the many non-serious parts, the details, what k More...
Feb 02, 2009
Netanella
rated it:
This book was my introduction to Charles Stross's writing, and I'll definitely look out for more of his work. Saturn's Children answers the question of what happens to humanity's children - robotic servants - when humanity no longer exists? The story focuses on Freya, a pleasure bot who's become obsolete in a world with no "Creators." She takes on a courier job for the Jeeves Corporation to carry contraband to Mars - pink goo that may contain the secret to resurrecting humanity. The
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Jun 19, 2009
John
rated it:
I return again and again to Charlie Stross because he is a playful author:
1) He plays with all kinds of fascinating concepts. His books are like the FAO Schwartz of ideas.
2) He uses the SF genre to play with storytelling techniques.
In Saturn's Children, his lead character is a completely sympathetic and pleasure-giving fembot named Freya whose original purpose is made obsolete by the extinction of the human race who created her. The entire solar system is populate More...
1) He plays with all kinds of fascinating concepts. His books are like the FAO Schwartz of ideas.
2) He uses the SF genre to play with storytelling techniques.
In Saturn's Children, his lead character is a completely sympathetic and pleasure-giving fembot named Freya whose original purpose is made obsolete by the extinction of the human race who created her. The entire solar system is populate More...
Aug 02, 2009
Christopher
rated it:
I had heard this was a Heinleinesque story about a sexbot. That's true but wildly misleading. The homage to Heinlein's Friday isn't overpowering, and the sex is neither graphic nor even easy for a human to identify with. It reads more like Accelerando than anything else, and the story is really about robots designed to serve humans but having to get along without them. Although I appreciated how Freya's diction changed gradually (as a matter of some significance), I didn't actually like either s
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