The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life afterAI

Cory Doctorow

Renown sci-fi writer offers up a hot new take on the current state of the world vis-á-vis the AI invasion. Doctorow is not necessarily anti-AI, but he is decidedly anti-power and anti-techbro. He lays out a pretty clear picture of the status quo, describing the relationship between users, tech developers, content creators, copyright and money. In a nutshell, the thesis is:

When using technology, don't simply think about what the technology can do, consider who it is doing for and who it is doing to. 

This thinking will really lay bare the true purposes, the money trail and what to watch out for with nearly any technology. And probably also any legislation, new product, etc. It is a very fast read and since it makes you think, well worth it. 

3 stars (out of 4)

The Dragon Keeper

Robin Hobb

Book 1 in the Rain Wilds Chronicles

It took a minute to get invested, but this has all the things I like in a good fantasy epic. Several stories running parallel that we know will merge or intertwine at some point. An interesting new take within a fabulous new world. In the Rain Wilds, a new batch of dragons has metamorphed, the first in a generation. Unfortunately, most of them are malformed or weak, can't fly. The characters we are following include Thymara (a Rain Wilds touched young girl who volunteers to travel with the dragons),  Sintara (a dragon queen, one of the strongest of the small herd), Alise (a woman in a horrible marriage, but a self-taught dragon expert), and the Tarman (a liveship barge with its own secrets). In this installment, the characters are all introduced and join together for their quest for Kilsingra, the mythical dragon/Elderling city. 

3 stars (out of 4)

Platform Decay

Martha Wells

Book 8 in the Murderbot Series. My biggest complaint here is that this is a novella. I want more. This is another rescue mission, another unintended consequence from System Collapse with other parts of Dr. Mensah's family. Murderbot must infiltrate a hostile space station, get to the hostages, is thrown an unseen variable that completely changes the mission plan, and adjusts to accomplish it while encountering the benefits and detriments of his humanity. In many ways, this is retread material. But Wells is also extending the rogue secunit world by expanding the family of rogues. This version just sets up the storyline, but I look forward to exploring the ethics and implications of mass emancipation in future stories. For now, I am happy to see Murderbot maturing and developing new skills. 

Still 4 stars (out of 4)