Autonomous

A Novel

paperback, 304 pages

Published Sept. 4, 2018 by Tor Books.

ISBN:
978-0-7653-9208-4
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Autonomous features a rakish female pharmaceutical pirate named Jack who traverses the world in her own submarine. A notorious anti-patent scientist who has styled herself as a Robin Hood heroine fighting to bring cheap drugs to the poor, Jack’s latest drug is leaving a trail of lethal overdoses across what used to be North America—a drug that compels people to become addicted to their work.

On Jack’s trail are an unlikely pair: an emotionally shut-down military agent and his partner, Paladin, a young military robot, who fall in love against all expectations. Autonomous alternates between the activities of Jack and her co-conspirators, and Elias and Paladin, as they all race to stop a bizarre drug epidemic that is tearing apart lives, causing trains to crash, and flooding New York City.

7 editions

Stormy

A mix of concepts and ideas. I don't think it really ever settled into a direction.

Some interesting concepts around the future of healthcare, drugs, bioengineering and slavery. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had gone deeper on some of its ideas, rather than going so wide.

Quite focused on sexuality and gender identity, which in a world of AI and a backdrop of ownership was uncomfortable at times.