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Machinehood

S.B. Divya (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 96 ratings · 77 reviews

From the Hugo Award nominee S.B. Divya, Zero Dark Thirty meets The Social Network in this science fiction thriller about artificial intelligence, sentience, and labor rights in a near future dominated by the gig economy.

Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is about to retire early when her client is killed in front of her. It’s 2095 and people don’t us ...more

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Hardcover, 416 pages

Published March 2nd 2021 by Gallery / Saga Press

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Oct 04, 2020 Tonya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-reads, action, 2020reads, authors-to-know, fiction, netgalley, dystopian, looks-good, uniqueread, readin2020

Do you enjoy reading books that challenge you to think?

It is the year 2095- and so many things have changed in the 75 years from now to then. Seriously such a good book- absolutely stunned with how loaded this book is with plot, characters, action, themes and character development. The writing is sharp- alternating views between two sisters-in-law who are also close friends- I would say best friends. Their worlds are different but their journeys parallel each other’s lives in many ways. These t Do you enjoy reading books that challenge you to think?

It is the year 2095- and so many things have changed in the 75 years from now to then. Seriously such a good book- absolutely stunned with how loaded this book is with plot, characters, action, themes and character development. The writing is sharp- alternating views between two sisters-in-law who are also close friends- I would say best friends. Their worlds are different but their journeys parallel each other’s lives in many ways. These two women are women I would enjoy having as best friends. They have strengths and weaknesses and both of them go through some major changes during this novel- I felt like I was on the journey with them.

The future consists of robots and androids who do pretty much everything and the humans that have to compete with them for work. Competition for jobs is so fierce that people all over the world are taking pills to supplement and boost their health; their performance; their endurance and their focus. Inside these pills are not just the medicinal testament but nanobots that go to work inside the body to help the effects of the pills. Weird eh? Fascinating to think of the technology but also very interesting to think of what that tech would mean to our health and to our lives should we embrace it.

When I read Sci-Fi, particularly the good stuff that captures my attention like Machinehood, I’m always intrigued in how people live: eating, bathing, work, transportation all of these areas have changed so much because of technological advances.

The part that really stands out in Machinehood is how much social media is literally involved in every facet of life for people. People have “tip jars” they play a huge role in economic survival but are mostly geared to how much the public likes you- your performance with your job, any drama going on in your life, and how much they enjoy looking into your household:/life. Very interesting theme to explore. (How much access do we really want to give others into our lives?)

Another theme in Machinehood is the rebellion of a group of militants who are protesting all the pills that people are taking and advocating for the rights of machines. It’s these protests and acts of terrorism that the book’s plot is centered around- and I have to admit it’s given me plenty to think about. I finished the books days ago yet I still am thinking through the questions that the book’s characters deal with. That’s one way I know the book I’ve read is outstanding; it sticks with you long after you’ve turned the last page and has you asking questions and thinking.

Looking forward to reading more books by author S.D. Divya. A temporary, digital advance review copy was given to me by NetGalley to read and enjoy. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

Trigger: abortion. ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Overall 5⭐

Character diversity: 5⭐

Worldbuilding: 5⭐

Pacing: 4⭐

Plot line wrap up: 5⭐

Ending: 5⭐

I loved this book, absolutely loved it. The merging of human with machine and possible sentient machines is one of my favorite things. This did it well in my opinion. It was hard to put down.

One of my favorite aspects of it was the way social media had changed by the time the story starts. Microdrones, small flying camera bots, infest the air. Everyone's actions are live streamed. If people like what they ...more

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Sep 09, 2020 Bandit rated it liked it · review of another edition

I enjoy a varied reading diet and was due a science fiction book. This was available on Netgalley and had an intriguing premise and good reviews, so, despite initial reservations, it was mission go. And turns out the reservations were well founded. There was something about the description of the book that didn’t quite excite me and neither did the book. Oh it tried, it really did. It had perfectly decent writing, a lot of grand ideas, tons of action, morals, etc. It had all the right qualities I enjoy a varied reading diet and was due a science fiction book. This was available on Netgalley and had an intriguing premise and good reviews, so, despite initial reservations, it was mission go. And turns out the reservations were well founded. There was something about the description of the book that didn’t quite excite me and neither did the book. Oh it tried, it really did. It had perfectly decent writing, a lot of grand ideas, tons of action, morals, etc. It had all the right qualities for a good sci fi book, in fact it had a lot of ingredients I specifically enjoy in a sci fi book…social relevance/commentary being one of the prerequisites. But in the end int just didn’t work for me and while I endeavor to put into words why not, I’ll just talk about the plot. So in the year 2095 the world’s technology has come pretty far, the development of AI specifically has done so much (too much?) to change the social structure, now people are reduced to working gig economies observing and supervising AI and now people are being aggressively chemically assisted to be their best most competitive selves (it isn’t all negative, of course, in fact a lot of it dramatically enhances people’s lives, but it is a crippling dependency). Essentially AI is thriving and people are junkies, desperately trying to stay on the level. That’s reductive, but practical…and so into this world Machinehood emerges. Manifesto and all. An idea that all intelligence ought to be equal and cooperative, a notion for a purer and more integrative sort of existence. Originating either in a caliphate of Maghreb or a Buddhist space colony, this is a very dangerous idea, it threatens to upset the entire apple cart of current status quo and so it must be investigated. Which ends up down to a single special forces operative named Welga Ramirez. So yeah, that all sounds exciting, doesn’t it. And to be fair, the author does try to make it exciting, but somehow it never really did it for me, the excitement was muted at best, in fact there was too much action for my liking and, frankly, too much tech also. I mean, the tech was fascinating, but once established, it was still all too prevalent, overwhelming the story at times. The characters were interesting enough and properly heroic when needed to be, but can’t say I cared about any of them. That’s kind of the main thing with this novel, it was all interesting, but not especially engaging. The sort of book to appreciate, not to love. The author to her credit did some very interesting things with world building, AI development and integration, futuristic logistics, etc. The 2095 of her creation is culturally and ethnically diverse with a wide variety of multiethnic gender nonspecific characters, who still use the tragically unimaginative and grammatically iffy They to describe themselves. The tech has made chores nearly obsolete, fabrics and furniture reconstitute themselves, food get delivered and prepares itself in a futuristic kitchen, it’s an almost magically convenient world…so long as it functions properly. And the obverse evil side of that coin is that social media developments have turned lives into reality shows with too much information too easily available and observed. Brave new world indeed, one it seems only Welga’s heroic efforts can help save. I really did wish I liked this more, such gamut of ideas, but just too many things smushed together and seasoned too heavily with action scenes and action movie like characters. It read fairly quickly for being over 400 pages, so that was nice. But much like some AI, no matter how lifelike, it lacked that certain something to properly bring it to life. The cover has the same (muted) effect, actually, oddly enough. Almost there. Thanks Netgalley. ...more

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Dec 22, 2020 Jacqie rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

This is the most concept-heavy SF book that I've read in some time. It's set almost 100 years into the future, at the end of the twenty-first century. The main character, Welga Ramirez, is ex-military and now works as a Shield. Shields protect Funders from Protesters. All of these titles are essentially job/careers. Funders... fund new technological developments and provide employment, and protesters attack them when they go out in Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

This is the most concept-heavy SF book that I've read in some time. It's set almost 100 years into the future, at the end of the twenty-first century. The main character, Welga Ramirez, is ex-military and now works as a Shield. Shields protect Funders from Protesters. All of these titles are essentially job/careers. Funders... fund new technological developments and provide employment, and protesters attack them when they go out in public. These protesters must register as groups and also give notification as to when they are likely to strike. Shields are both bodyguards and reality-show characters. They make the conflicts look exciting and a little sexy. This means that Welga makes sure that she's appropriately fashion-forward when she's working, doesn't take out opponents too quickly, and makes it look good when she fights. Welga has a virtual tip jar and a cloud of microdrones that follow her to catch her activity. Most people in this world either have the good fortune to work directly for a funder or they're gigsters, finding any way they can to make a living. Everyone has tip jars and everyone is accustomed to the total lack of privacy that performative life makes necessary.

And this is just the beginning. There's a conflict about whether artificial beings should have rights. There's tension over humans supervising robots doing much of the actual work because humans otherwise would have no way to make a living- this society has not evolved beyond capitalism even though there's a great surplus of labor and the strain is showing. Climate change is taken as a given, everyone takes drugs every day from their kitchen pharmaceutical dispensers because new diseases (both engineered and natural) are constantly being created. Welga herself is constantly on "zips" (drugs that speed up reflexes) because of her work as a shield, and she also takes buffs (for strength) and 'juvers (for healing) almost daily. Everyone is part of this pill-popping culture in order to keep up with AIs and also with each other. Everyone is racing faster and faster just to stay in place.

The concepts in this book were the most interesting part to me. The author has imagine a rather grim yet rather plausible future. Characters, on the other hand, tended to be a bit more basic. I was interested in them, but not very emotionally invested. The book ramps up a plot early in the book, but the conflict kind of peters out at the end instead of exploding. That loses the book a star, but I'm really impressed by this author. She's looking at our present and writing about about our future (but it's really about our present after all, like most science fiction). It's an imaginative book with plenty of action. I'd love to see more books like this, by this author or others.
...more

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Sep 12, 2020 Leah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: giveaways

I LOVED this book. It hit me in my sci-fi sweet spot and didn't let go. A credit to Ms. Divya's writing. Her characters were all so different yet relatable and compelling and REAL. The world as she envisions it here? Yeah, I could ABSOLUTELY see it. I really enjoyed this story - give it a try! I got my copy as an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway ☺ ...more

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Jan 19, 2021 Judy Lesley rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

I'm surprised by how ambivalent I am with regard to this story. It should have been just right for me with the emphasis placed on artificial intelligence but this didn't strike me as a futuristic adventure of humans and AIs but a moral dilemma of how the AIs should be treated by humans. This world sounded like it would be interesting to read about because, essentially, all humans are addicted to pills of all types as augmentation for improving themselves. They even formulate their own drugs of c ...more

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Sep 26, 2020 Joan rated it really liked it

Review of eGalley

In the world of 2095, technology has progressed to the point that basic chores are nonexistent, furniture reforms itself into various pieces as needed, the kitchen cooks the food, and Artificial Intelligence thrives. People take a variety of pills to keep various illnesses at bay, to enhance their capabilities, to compete with artificial intelligence. They no longer have permanent jobs; they supervise the bots and the gig economy keeps them working at short-term projects and the Review of eGalley

In the world of 2095, technology has progressed to the point that basic chores are nonexistent, furniture reforms itself into various pieces as needed, the kitchen cooks the food, and Artificial Intelligence thrives. People take a variety of pills to keep various illnesses at bay, to enhance their capabilities, to compete with artificial intelligence. They no longer have permanent jobs; they supervise the bots and the gig economy keeps them working at short-term projects and then searching for a new project.

Social media rules. Everything [yes, EVERYTHING] is live-streamed, thanks to network constellations, microdrones, and swarms of tiny cameras surrounding everyone. Tip jars help with finances; if the watchers like what they see, they drop coin into your tip jar.

Into this seemingly utopian existence comes Machinehood with its Manifesto requiring the cessation of all pill production and recognition of the sentience of Artificial Intelligence as equal with humanity. Attacks by Machinehood operatives who seem to be part human, part machine, kill several pill funders; they believe in using force to gain their objectives.

Bodyguard Welga Ramirez finds herself pulled back into intelligence work for the government. Despite her desire to dismantle the Machinehood, she finds herself caught up in an unexpected dilemma that threatens her life. Is the Machinehood hiding in the caliphate of the al-Muwahhidun empire? Is it threatening the way of life on earth from one of the orbiting space colonies?

As global panic takes hold, people destroy their bots in hopes of staving off an AI takeover. Can Welga find the answers before Machinehood destroys their world?

The complex world-building throughout this narrative is impressive, but there’s a LOT crammed into this narrative where, at times, the technology threatens to overwhelm the storytelling. Welga is sure to earn the reader’s empathy; however, despite the intimacy in the telling of the tale, the reader often feels like an observer standing on the sidelines watching the unfolding story. Nevertheless, there’s much to consider in this thought-provoking tale.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Gallery Books / Saga Press and NetGalley
#Machinehood #NetGalley ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 Beth Cato rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science, netgalley, 2021

I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.

The year 2021 has just started, but I already know this is one of the best new science fiction books I will read this year. It's that good. Divya has created an utterly immersive future that is plausible and spooky all at once.

Welcome to a future Earth where designer drugs help people work and think faster in order to keep them competitive with advanced machines. Everyone has personal drone clouds that broadcast their activities to the world ...more

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Feb 22, 2021 Dianne rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf, galleys-arcs, edelweiss, attl

I'm truly sorry that I could not make it past 25% of this book. The synopsis pulled me in but the execution just wasn't for me. This is a dense complicated novel that gives us a flimsy back story, shallow characters, and a glimpse at what could be.

I understand that the biggest issue is should/could artificial intelligence be considered human (I think that's what it was!) Should AI not be treated as slaves, pets, or unpaid labor. I think the story goes deeper than that but I just don't have the i ...more

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Jan 21, 2021 Jordan rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2021

Really interesting ideas, a bit heavy on info-dumping type content at times, but still enjoyable. Full review to come!

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Nov 26, 2020 Poornima Vijayashanker rated it really liked it

I did find the premise of the book to be interesting and realistic. I could see gig workers in the future having to take drugs to compete with robots and automation. Also having it set in Chennai with references to its culture hit close to home for me.

Initially, the author does a good job of developing the primary characters along with the supporting characters and antagonists. But towards the middle and end the situations they are put in and their reactions to those situations don't seem deep ...more

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Nov 04, 2020 Anneke rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-read

Book Review: Machinehood
Author: S.B. Divya
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Review Date: November 4, 2020

From the blurb:
“From the Hugo Award nominee S.B. Divya, Zero Dark Thirty meets The Social Network in this science fiction thriller about artificial intelligence, sentience, and labor rights in a near future dominated by the gig economy.

Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is about to retire early when her client is killed in front of her. It’s ...more

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Oct 23, 2020 Jenna Freedman rated it liked it

I hung in as long as I could, but despite solid, plausible world building and complex (yet decipherable) characters, it was just taking too long to get where it was going. I stopped reading at 19% finished, per the NetGalley ereader, which I have to say is a little buggy. I was just as invested (or maybe more so!) in secondary character Nithya, her family's primary breadwinner who was dealing with an unwanted pregnancy and an anti-choice husband.

Recommended for folks interested in/terrified of ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 Doreen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

2/26/2021 3.5 stars rounded up for great ideas. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

3/1/2021 Set at the end of the 21st century, this sci-fi novel follows the stories of two sisters-in-law who will both prove pivotal in the fight against the terrorist organization known as the Machinehood.

Eighty years from now, people are heavily reliant on technology and weak artificial intelligences (known as WAIs) to perform the most mundane tasks, leading to increased joblessness as humans need to do 2/26/2021 3.5 stars rounded up for great ideas. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

3/1/2021 Set at the end of the 21st century, this sci-fi novel follows the stories of two sisters-in-law who will both prove pivotal in the fight against the terrorist organization known as the Machinehood.

Eighty years from now, people are heavily reliant on technology and weak artificial intelligences (known as WAIs) to perform the most mundane tasks, leading to increased joblessness as humans need to dose themselves with all manner of performance-enhancing pills, often mini-machines that work inside the body, in order to keep up with the Joneses, human or AI. American Welga Ramirez is the daughter of a bioengineer who died a painful death due to her genetic code’s incompatibility with flow, a common mind/focus enhancer: on her deathbed, she made her kids foreswear the drug, leading to Welga washing out of college. So Welga enlisted in the US Armed Forces instead, eventually retiring as a result of her disgust at a botched operation in the Maghreb. Now she works as a Shield, essentially a telegenic bodyguard for the rich capitalist class or funders, as they’re known, to differentiate them from giggers, the majority of the world labor force who must rely on the gig economy to make ends meet.

Her brother Luis is married to Nithya Balachandran and lives in Chennai with his wife and their daughter Carma. Nithya is a biogeneticist, and the first person Welga turns to when she starts to suffer from tremors, likely caused by the constant pill usage required in her line of work. But all personal issues take a back seat when a shadowy organization proclaiming the equality of humanity with AI targets the funders of several successful pharmaceutical companies simultaneously, resulting in death, destruction and mass panic as the terrorists' demands make their way to the global populace. Soon, Welga will have to question her own beliefs and boundaries as she embarks on a desperate hunt to stop the organization calling itself the Machinehood from killing again.

It might come as a surprise for me to say that in a book so shot through with ideas of future tech and sentience, my favorite parts were the ones that dealt with the romantic relationships, between Nithya and Luis, and between Welga and Connor. Their relationships get messy and uncomfortable but the way the partners negotiate their way through conflict is honestly inspiring. It’s so nice to see realistic portrayals of strong partnerships depicted in any media, much less genre fiction.

And while I appreciated how Welga stayed true to the idea that the ends do not justify the means, particularly when the cost is in human and AI lives, and while I agreed with the well-thought-out moral and scientific philosophies of this novel, a lot of the economic premises failed to convince me. In one of the earlier chapters, Welga discovers the shortcomings of a local WAI coffee vendor and opts for coffee from a human instead: the fact that this tendency of human nature to prefer human contact, and thusly to be willing to pay a marginal amount extra for it, is often overlooked in progressive sci-fi depictions of future economies continues to baffle me (I am also watching the latest season of The Expanse right now and trying to ignore the economics -- perhaps once I read the books I’ll understand it better.) I was also unenthused by Nithya’s career change: for a novel that had seemed to be critiquing capitalist stratification, it felt odd for Nithya to cap her personal journey by (view spoiler) class.

I did enjoy the dry remarks made at the expense of various world governments, as well as the clever references to previous decades subtly mirroring the just-past century. I also really liked how S. B. Divya acknowledges the importance of the very different skillsets both Welga and Nithya brought to bear in combating the Machinehood. I think more could have been done in building emotional suspense -- the Big Bad’s capitulation, as one example, felt strangely flat -- but overall, this was an entertaining, thought-provoking look at a plausible future extrapolated from some of the worst of our present-day.

Machinehood by S. B. Divya will be published tomorrow March 2, 2021 by Gallery/Saga Press and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop! Want it now? For the Kindle version, click here. ...more

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Jan 28, 2021 Lou Jacobs rated it really liked it

A chilling tale of the consequences of escalating need for technology. All are aware that technology is as addictive as every escapist, feel-good drug. People were originally horrified with the thought of tiny nanomachines tinkering with their bodies. In this near future world we have drugs and pills (actually nanomachines) that can aid us in every endeavor. There exists a huge and expanding market for these "enhancement" pills. "Juvers" for muscle recovery and repair. "Flow" to enhance focus an A chilling tale of the consequences of escalating need for technology. All are aware that technology is as addictive as every escapist, feel-good drug. People were originally horrified with the thought of tiny nanomachines tinkering with their bodies. In this near future world we have drugs and pills (actually nanomachines) that can aid us in every endeavor. There exists a huge and expanding market for these "enhancement" pills. "Juvers" for muscle recovery and repair. "Flow" to enhance focus and intelligence. "Zips" to enhance performance and speed. "Buffs" to make us stronger. All with the goal to allow humans to remain competitive with the ever improving Artificial Intelligence machines (WAI) and bots. One day an organization, shrouded in mystery and intent, and known as "Machinehood" beams across communication channels an ultimatum. "Cease all pill and drug production by March 19 or we will make it happen. A New Era awaits humankind" Later as their Manifesto goes public .;. their goal becomes more easily defined. "All of us are intelligent machines. All of us deserve the right of personhood". ( They obviously are making the case that AI's have now reached the stage of Sentience and demand equality)
Our intrepid hero is Welga Ramirez, former soldier,and present-day bodyguard, who is flawed and partially surgically enhanced. Experiencing increasing seizures and tremors on the basis of decades usage of "Zips". But, yet she is uniquely qualified to investigate and confront this threat. The Machinehood threatens to start killing the "funders" who are responsible for the ever expanding market of designer drugs and pills. Will Welga and the government agencies who draw her back into the fray, uncover the forces behind this movement?
S B Divya unwinds a chilling , and twisted tale of the ramifications of technology. Her tale is compelling and propulsive and excels in worldbuilding. Successfully woven into her narrative is the dilemma of the working class and continued presence of bigotry. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Anticipated publication will be March 2. 2021. ...more

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Mar 02, 2021 Erin (roostercalls) rated it it was amazing

“Modern society has found itself at the mercy of an oligarchy whose primary objective is to accrue power. They have done this by dividing human labor into two classes: designers and gigsters. The former are exploited for their cognitive power, while the latter rely on low-skilled, transient forms of work for hire.” —Machinehood, S.B. Divya
🦾
Happy pub day to MACHINEHOOD, an action-packed and delightfully non-Eurocentric novel that challenges the goals & unintended consequences of technological pro ...more

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Oct 09, 2020 Kay Brooks rated it liked it

Machinehood, A Futuristic Novel

If this is the future in 2095 I’m glad I won’t be here to see it. Everything is controlled by AI and people have nothing to do except take pills to enhance themselves and keep them well. Welga Ramirez is a bodyguard by profession who is called out to fight when there is a disturbance. Fighting is not all that dangerous, though, people are not supposed to kill anyone, just maim and disable them until they can get the necessary treatment and pills to heal their wound ...more

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Mar 01, 2021 Madelon rated it really liked it

As is often the case with cutting edge sci-fi, it takes more than a couple of pages to acclimate to the language used, but once you do, the story does take off. Through the use of words, Divya conveys a different time and place not too far from our own to be unidentifiable but distant enough to feel strange. For example, we all know what a kitchen is… the place where food is stored and cooked. In MACHINEHOOD, a kitchen is an automated unit that not only prepares food but biologicals and other th ...more

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Feb 12, 2021 Kasia rated it it was ok

Shelves: own, giveaways

It's 2095 and luddites worst nightmare is happening - there is not enough jobs for humans and the machines. To make people competitive and match the skills of WAI (Weak Artificial Intelligence), they are forced to take pills that enhance focus, speed, strength etc. The corporations are no longer existing (no idea what happened with them) and they are replaced by the vague idea of all-powerful and money-thirsty oligarchs (who they are exactly is never explained). The way of life is dramatically d ...more

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Oct 02, 2020 Chuk rated it really liked it

This was good, an interesting setting, the main character (although a combat badass soldier type) actually has a family who actually interact with her in the course of the book (her sister in law is a viewpoint character as well in fact), plus the resolution is unusual too. I certainly hope the setting of the book never comes to be, but it might be on its way...

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Sep 09, 2020 Keshia rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If we won’t see machines as human, will we instead see humans as machines?

5 Stars for Machinhood from me. The first page of this book had me hooked. I am a big lover of sci-fi and the world in this book is so enviable! The author did a fantastic job explaining the tech that the people of 2095 live in and it was so fun fantasizing about what it must be like to have a kitchen to cook your meals, machinery that can manipulate your living arrangements and a personal agent that you can name and rely If we won’t see machines as human, will we instead see humans as machines?

5 Stars for Machinhood from me. The first page of this book had me hooked. I am a big lover of sci-fi and the world in this book is so enviable! The author did a fantastic job explaining the tech that the people of 2095 live in and it was so fun fantasizing about what it must be like to have a kitchen to cook your meals, machinery that can manipulate your living arrangements and a personal agent that you can name and rely on for everything from schedules, news, communications and health needs.
But on the other hand this tech is so advanced that it can have emotions/feelings similar to a small animal. Can you imagine tossing out your animal bot just because you wanted something different leaving it to suffer eternity searching for you? The Machinehood wants to offer a new option to life where all humans and machines can live harmoniously under their neo-Buddhism practices but have they gone too far?
Things I love about this book...
- The pacing. It doesn’t linger on long conversations because the world moves so much faster.
- The inclusions of everyone without being cheesy. Yep, there are non-binary people but they aren’t presented as token characters. They are just like anyone, as it should be.
- The explication of science/tech. I’m not the best at tech but the author was able to write it so I could understand the basics of what was going on
- The food. I’ve never googled so many food items before and now all I want is to try these yummy sounding dishes!
- Nithya - My favorite character by far. I love reading about women who are strong in many ways. Mother, Breadwinner, caregiver, scientist... woman have always been so many things throughout time and this character was just beautifully written. I want to know her in real life. Thank you for her.
Things I didn’t really enjoy about this book...
- The ending wrapped up super quickly and sort of too neat for realistic expectations. While I really wanted that ending it was sort of meh
- Connor. Can we say perfect partner but in a unrealistic way? We can, but I applaud his love making capabilities although he was on the brink of death haha

I highly recommend this book as it was so fun to read. It’s sci-fi but in the most hopeful of ways because now I truly want to live in that world. Let’s hope these organs of ours continue to work until we can get some of that Dakini technology in us!

I’d like to thank the publisher for the ARC of this book and note that it had no reflection on my rating. ...more

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Jan 19, 2021 Jessica Strider rated it it was amazing

Pros: brilliant worldbuilding, interesting characters, thought-provoking, international setting

Cons:

Olga (Welga) Ramirez only has a few months of shield work left before she ages out of it, which is why she’s ready to ignore the tremors her zips (enhancement drugs) seem to be causing. To placate her boyfriend, she asks her sister-in-law, Nithya, a biogeneticist, to look into it.

Protecting drug manufacturing funders from protesters as a shield is a semi-dangerous but rewarding and steady job in a Pros: brilliant worldbuilding, interesting characters, thought-provoking, international setting

Cons:

Olga (Welga) Ramirez only has a few months of shield work left before she ages out of it, which is why she’s ready to ignore the tremors her zips (enhancement drugs) seem to be causing. To placate her boyfriend, she asks her sister-in-law, Nithya, a biogeneticist, to look into it.

Protecting drug manufacturing funders from protesters as a shield is a semi-dangerous but rewarding and steady job in a world where most people can only find gig work. When a new protest group, the Machinehood, ignores the established ‘rules’ and kills the funder, leaving a manifesto behind, Ramirez realizes the world is about to change.

I really liked the two main point of view characters. Welga’s a bad ass former soldier who loves to cook. Her side of the story deals with the physical aspects of modifications. Nithya is the primary wage earner in her family which makes things a challenge when she discovers she’s pregnant and has to stop using the drugs that allow her to work. Her story is about juggling family and work. Her story also deals more with ethical problems. The book also has a minor non-binary character which was cool to see. And while the story shows that racism isn’t dead, this character faces no in text negativity, so maybe humanity in this future has progressed in that respect.

The worldbuilding was incredible. The amount of history the author created is mind boggling, especially given its detail with regards to politics, conflict, ethics, and most importantly science (with the development of mech technology, then bots, then zips and veemods). I also appreciated the differences in attitude shown by people of various ages with regards to the technology (as it changed) and privacy issues. Also the mixing of technologies - static and moldable items - was really cool, and showed that people adapt new technologies at different speeds depending on their wealth and rural vs urban positioning.

There’s a large emphasis on the gig economy and how having machines take over most physical work makes employment difficult for humans. Global warming also shows up in the form of climactic shifts in regions of the world (like Arizona being subject to repeated dust storms).

I loved that the book had an international setting with one major point of view character in India, major mentions of North Africa and Singapore, nods to China and Europe in addition to a fair amount of action taking place in the United States.

This book would be fantastic for book club meetings as there are a lot of interesting discussion possibilities, specifically around ethics, but also with regards to technological advancements and how things like privacy and the gig economy will change in the future.

I noticed in a few places the author gave the same information twice, in one case using almost the same language both times. This isn’t really a problem beyond the fact that the repetition was unnecessary and therefore a little distracting.

The ending felt a little simplistic given the complexity of the problems the characters are dealing with, but it did wrap things up well.

This is a fantastic book, alternating fast paced action scenes with slower paced visions of life. There’s a lot to think about in this complex possible future. ...more

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Feb 07, 2021 Lacey Mubanga rated it it was ok

Shelves: giveaway-wins

2.5 Stars rounded down. This book was just interesting enough to keep me reading, but not with much real enjoyment or immersion. I enjoyed Nithya’s chapters more than Welga’s as I actually felt like she was a better fleshed out character. The book was written well, but for some reason never grasped me. I didn’t feel any urgency in the combat scenes, and I felt like the pacing was a little slow. I really enjoyed the concept of the world, but overall, the book fell a little flat. I still recommend ...more

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Jan 26, 2021 Olav rated it it was amazing

The novel is clever, brimming with engaging ideas, and provides important commentary on current political trends. Set a century down the line, Machinehood delves into the erosion of human rights, the perils of capital-driven pharmaceutical development, and the evolving understandings of privacy.

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Sep 06, 2020 Jenny Coyne rated it really liked it

Shelves: stand-alones

I received this as an ARC. Thank you, Simon and Schuster!

I expected the book to be a little more high action and it definitely went in some directions that I didn't expect, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was my first book from this author and I look forward to reading more. ...more

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Dec 19, 2020 Chris Bauer rated it it was amazing

I received an early copy of this novel from NetGallery

Every so often, if you're fortunate, you'll read a novel which essentially challenges and resets your expectations for genre. "Machinehood" by S.B. Divya was such a work for me.

There is a lot to love about this work. It features one of the most diverse cast of characters I've read in a very long time and was depicted with realism, heart and sincerity. Each of the primary characters was rendered in vibrant, living color with their own constell ...more

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Feb 24, 2021 Mike Dillon rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Robots who want to be people

Shelves: kindle

Machinehood is great visionary novel of how technology will interact with human lives in the near future. surveillance drones and social media have taken total control of our economy and how humans interact with each other. Most humans live and work in a social media dictated gig economy where only an elite few are "funders" while the rest of us are either gig workers or "Shields", a weird but not implausible combination of security workers and performance artists. Protestors and Shields play ou Machinehood is great visionary novel of how technology will interact with human lives in the near future. surveillance drones and social media have taken total control of our economy and how humans interact with each other. Most humans live and work in a social media dictated gig economy where only an elite few are "funders" while the rest of us are either gig workers or "Shields", a weird but not implausible combination of security workers and performance artists. Protestors and Shields play out a non-lethal combat for tips and donations over social media, enacting little if any social change. The Shields rely on protestors to create disturbances that they can put down in the most dramatic style, and the protestors rely on Shields rise to defend the Funders from their antics. The result is major donations to both causes. No actual social change is achieved, but the viewers will pour money into both sides from the comfort of their chairs at home.

The whole system is created and fueled by both the elites' and the protestors' reliance on an ever increasingly intelligent system of surveillance drones, and other "Weak Artificial Intelligence" (WAIs) to record and broadcast their messages and actions. Social conflicts are carried out in cinematic confrontations over social media, where neither side has any real interest in winning a conflict as much as soliciting donations from viewers across the world. There are no wars, and murder is almost unheard of. No one in this vision of the future is desperate enough to die, or kill for their cause. Until The Machinehood enters the picture.

The Machinehood is an organization dedicated to human rights for WAIs. Every machine that humanity relies on, from vehicles to personal assistant drones to toasters to communication devices has some form of WAI, and The Machinehood has decided that these devices are people, and deserve all the rights that humans enjoy. They are willing to fight and die and kill for these rights in a revolutionary movement that humanity hasn't seen for a hundred years.

I absolutely loved SB Divya's vision of the near-future. Everything is chillingly plausible. The tech scene, the dominance of social media, even the evolution of religion and how different religions have reacted to a new every day life dictated by new technology. Humans are taking pills, which don't actually contain pharmaceutical chemicals, but nano-machines that stimulate growth in musculature systems, immune systems, digestion, circulation, etc. People rely on machines inside and out. Giggers broadcast their entire lives on social media and rely on tips whether they're doing their jobs, visiting restaurants, making love, or fighting for a cause. Nano drones are everywhere and record and broadcast everything. The whole economic system that our characters live and work in is both plausibly fantastic and chillingly familiar. The world building and setting of this book are so good that this would be a five star read for me except for one thing...

The cause that The Machinehood is fighting for is complete and utter nonsense. I knew coming in that this novel had a lot to say about the rights of artificial intelligence, but WAIs simply aren't anything that could be confused with a sentient being. Throughout the book Divya tries to equate machine rights with animal rights, but her vision of machines in the near future doesn't resemble anything that could be confused with artificial intelligence or even animal intelligence. The climactic showdown in The Machinehood doesn't involve an action sequence, but rather a philosophical discussion about the nature of humanity and human rights. While I'm fully willing to give that conversation to an android or a machine that has learned to feel something more than the sum of it's metal parts, that entity is absent from this book. The soldiers of The Machinehood that are fighting for equal rights are not robots that want to be recognized as people, rather they already are humans who have been fully augmented with artificial intelligences. They never stopped being human and don't need to fight for their own rights, much less the rights of flying rolodexes and cell phones with personality programming. The whole premise of the main conflict just didn't ever make sense to me.

Still, the world that SB Divya imagined is so ripe for revolution and exploitation, and so plausible and familiar that I highly rated this book and whole heartedly recommend it to any near-future sci-fi fan who likes to imagine where technology is taking us. Thanks to the author, publisher, and netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Mar 01, 2021 Amy (Bossy Bookworm) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasyish-sci-fi, netgalley

3.75 stars for me.

For my full review of this book on The Bossy Bookworm, or to receive all of my Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Machinehood.

In her debut novel, Divya sets the scene in the world of 2095. Humanity around the world is reliant on homemade and commercially manufactured pills--for health, for work focus, for managing bots, for healing, for sleep, and for transitioning between all of the above.

The economy runs on robots, partially augm 3.75 stars for me.

For my full review of this book on The Bossy Bookworm, or to receive all of my Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Machinehood.

In her debut novel, Divya sets the scene in the world of 2095. Humanity around the world is reliant on homemade and commercially manufactured pills--for health, for work focus, for managing bots, for healing, for sleep, and for transitioning between all of the above.

The economy runs on robots, partially augmented humans, and humans desperately trying to compete with artificial intelligence and survive in the gig economy.

Welga Ramirez is an elite bodyguard who is former special forces, and she's on the verge of retirement. Like almost everyone, Welga allows constant live feeds of her activity for anyone who's interested in seeing what she's doing. She manages to keep her virtual tip jar full, and her biggest challenge lately has been shifting her angle or slightly manipulating a situation during her bodyguard jobs in order to maximize tips. Then the unthinkable happens: her team's client is murdered. Violent crimes really don't happen anymore, and society is thrown into a tailspin.

A new terrorist group, The Machinehood, takes responsibility. They're attacking and killing major pill funders, and they threaten more widespread destruction if society doesn't immediately stop using pills as the basis for everyday tasks and as the foundation for the worldwide economy and offer greater rights for humans enhanced with artificial intelligence. In the midst of a global panic, Welga is drawn back into intelligence work in order to identify and fight this new enemy--an enemy that may turn out to be a new incarnation of an old nemesis.

Space! Robots! Artificial intelligence! I wished for more page time spent on everyday tasks and activities (cooking, shifting household modules, travel, and communicating), which were all carried out in Jetsons-level, fascinating, futuristic ways. But Divya is too busy crafting strong female main protagonists (complete with working mother guilt, which exists in the future too) as they: navigate ethical considerations such as pressures on workers and workload expectations; consider modifications to the body to enable faster or more strenuous work; manage the implications of a backlash against artificial enhancements; and face society's inability to extricate itself and the worldwide economy from a reliance on pills.

There are mysterious elements at play. Going off world is presented as a possible solution (for those with means) and a potential escape from the Earth's complications. The management of many large-scale issues and their side effects are shown in shades of gray rather than black-and-white, including the meaning and value of personhood; the definitions of health, autonomy, and freedom; sometimes-necessary compromises; and the promise for the future of the world.

Toward the end of the book there's significant summary, and as events move along during the late phase of the story, we see abrupt changes and shifts in thinking and plans. This works for the plot and resolutions—and none of it happens without realistic complications—but it also felt a little jarring.

I received a prepublication copy of this book courtesy of Gallery Books and NetGalley.

I mentioned this book in the Bossy Bookworm Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 2/24/21 Edition. ...more

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Mar 02, 2021 Corey (grimdark_dad) rated it really liked it

When I first heard about MACHINEHOOD, the debut novel by S. B. Divya, it took me a moment to realize I had actually read her novella, RUNTIME. It’s one of the earlier releases from TorDotCom Publishing! My memory is typically garbage, but the overall vibe of RUNTIME left an impression on me, so I was really looking forward to MACHINEHOOD!

And wow, this book is rad as hell! Divya imagines a future that feels simultaneously scary as hell, and entirely possible.

It’s 2095, and the way humans have in When I first heard about MACHINEHOOD, the debut novel by S. B. Divya, it took me a moment to realize I had actually read her novella, RUNTIME. It’s one of the earlier releases from TorDotCom Publishing! My memory is typically garbage, but the overall vibe of RUNTIME left an impression on me, so I was really looking forward to MACHINEHOOD!

And wow, this book is rad as hell! Divya imagines a future that feels simultaneously scary as hell, and entirely possible.

It’s 2095, and the way humans have integrated technology and social media into their lives is...a lot. You can stay in near-constant contact with friends & family. Tiny swarms of micro cameras can record your every move, and your audience can leave you tips. Which is good, because the world has moved into a gig economy: people might do a handful of unrelated tasks throughout the day. Any number of pills can be taken to sharpen your senses, so you can stay competitive with artificial intelligence/machines. These pills can be cooked up in pretty much any kitchen.

Welga Ramirez is an ex-Marine, now working as a shield. It’s essentially bodyguard work, but glammed up a bit. Shields are cognizant of how they look, how they move, how they fight & protect their clients. After all, the world is watching and they’ve got to make those tips. It’s large-scale groups of organized protestors that pose the biggest threat to Welga & her crew. But the arrival of a new & mysterious group known as the Machinehood presents Welga with one of the biggest threats she’s ever known.

This book taps into the very real fear that some people have about sentient AI, as it’s unclear whether there is a human face behind the Machinehood at all. There are some big & heavy themes here, and Divya tackles them head-on. It’s a familiar concept, but one that’s always interesting to think about: if a machine is sentient, does it have rights? How should it be treated?

The scope of this story is quite massive, and delves into everything from addiction, to religion, to abortion, and more.

Welga is a pretty badass protagonist, someone who grew on me more & more as I read. She pushes the limits of what her body can handle to an incredibly dangerous degree, all in an effort to protect her family & the people on her crew. She doesn’t know when to quit, and through Welga, we see how easy it would be to become over-reliant on these pills that make her feel superhuman.

The cast of characters is diverse, with both a prominent nonbinary character & a transgender character. As always, as a cisgender white man, I’m not sure mine should be the loudest voice on the topic of gender, but I was really impressed with what Divya brought to this novel in that regard. The gender of every character is either established in some really clever/sci-fi/tech-y way (basically like if you were wearing a digital name tag and could put your pronouns on it for others to see), or is offered up by the character themself. And if a character’s gender isn’t established, or hasn’t been established yet, then Divya uses they/them pronouns to refer to them.

All in all, this was a very solid sci-fi novel. Some really thought provoking topics are raised, there’s some VERY cool technology at work here, and there’s some wicked action sequences as well. MACHINEHOOD shows us a version of our world where our control over the technology we use has...slipped. And the ramifications of that could cost us dearly.

Massive thanks to Saga Press for the copy!! MACHINEHOOD releases today, March 2nd! ...more

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Feb 25, 2021 Valerie rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

I won an arc copy from a Goodreads giveaway, and here's my honest review.

The pros:

The premise of Machinehood intrigued me from the get-go. In a world where people are completely dependent on pills that eradicate illness and disease and make you stronger, faster, and smarter in order to compete with bots that do everything for you, what happens when that's taken away?

On the surface, the book does a great job of describing what our world would look like in 100 years with lots of artificial I won an arc copy from a Goodreads giveaway, and here's my honest review.

The pros:

The premise of Machinehood intrigued me from the get-go. In a world where people are completely dependent on pills that eradicate illness and disease and make you stronger, faster, and smarter in order to compete with bots that do everything for you, what happens when that's taken away?

On the surface, the book does a great job of describing what our world would look like in 100 years with lots of artificial intelligence, space travel and established colonies, and advanced technology. However there's more to it. S. B. Divya paints a grim picture of an extreme dependence to social media that mirrors our own usage. Microbots are everwhere, recording everything you do from your job, to your hobbies, to even your more intimate moments that most people would wish to remain private. Everything is posted online for the world to see, and the more people that like it, the more tips you earn in return. It's an eerie yet plausible thought to think that our own need to post our lives on social media could turn into something as extreme as this.

I was also intrigued by the discussion of artificial intelligence in this. A main factor in the novel is whether or not to treat machines as human. Are they sentient beings? Do they have their own thoughts and feelings and should be treated as such with their own rights? The discussion also extended out to animals as well and made me reflect on my own feelings on the matter which was unexpected.

The diversity in this is fantastic. There is queer rep. There are a variety of different ethnicities, religions, and cultures. Nothing felt out of place or put in as an after thought to be more inclusive. Everything worked together to advance the plot in a great way and bring life to the characters.

The cons:

As much as I loved the diversity, I never really felt all that invested in the characters. I loved each character and their uniqueness and how realistic they were, but I never rooted for them in anyway. It was always just an indifference to them. I was just here for the ride and nothing else.

The ending also fell flat. The build up to the reveal of the Machinehood terrorist group was so interesting, and then once the main character is there and can resolve the fight, it just ends with nothing. It shouldn't have been that easy, based on all the destruction that happened to advance to that point in the story for it to just be like "oh okay we're done, we'll stop". I was a little disappointed. I felt like there should have been something else to that. I'm keeping it really vague to avoid spoilers so I apologize if this isn't very detailed.

With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was hard to put down and each moment was full of enjoyment. It was thought-provoking, and full of action with just the right amount of sci-fi sprinkled in. I look forward to seeing what the author writes in the future. ...more

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About S.B. Divya

S.B. Divya

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S.B. Divya is a lover of science, math, fiction, and the Oxford comma. She enjoys subverting expectations and breaking stereotypes whenever she can. Divya is the Hugo and Nebula nominated author of Runtime and co-editor of Escape Pod, with Mur Lafferty. Her short stories have been published at various magazines including Analog, Uncanny, and tor.com. Her collection, Contingency Plans For the Apoca ...more