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Old Media
The story of a freed slave and a robot professor, trying to figure out what it means to be in love while they watch old anime from the 21st century.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
25 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2019
About the author
Annalee Newitz
53 books1,730 followersAnnalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. They received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 they were a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They write for many periodicals from 'Popular Science' to 'Wired,' and from 1999 to 2008 wrote a syndicated weekly column called 'Techsploitation.' They co-founded 'other' magazine in 2002, which was published triannually until 2007. Since 2008, they are editor-in-chief of 'io9,' a Gawker-owned science fiction blog, which was named in 2010 by The Times as one of the top science blogs on the internet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
September 1, 2021
Welcome to August 2, 2145.
When a freed slave and a robot professor stumble upon anime from the 21st century, they try to figure out their feelings for each other.
I don't know how I feel about this one. I really liked how it started out and where it was going. I loved the characters and the whole things with watching old media from 21st century. I also loved the universe it was set up in but then it fell sort of flat at the end. I was expecting some dramatic end may be but still I really enjoyed reading this.
3 stars
When a freed slave and a robot professor stumble upon anime from the 21st century, they try to figure out their feelings for each other.
I don't know how I feel about this one. I really liked how it started out and where it was going. I loved the characters and the whole things with watching old media from 21st century. I also loved the universe it was set up in but then it fell sort of flat at the end. I was expecting some dramatic end may be but still I really enjoyed reading this.
3 stars
February 2, 2019
I was actually pretty excited when I recognized the characters in this story from Autonomous. We have John and Med and it sounds like this is set a year or two after the events of Autonomous.
John was definitely one of the better, more interesting, complex characters from that book and I was happy to get more information about him.
The story itself didn’t feel like it had any real climax or plot structure (or plot?) but I enjoyed it more than not. I don’t know that it’s the kind of story that could be appreciated if you hadn’t already read Autonomous but I could be wrong.
John was definitely one of the better, more interesting, complex characters from that book and I was happy to get more information about him.
The story itself didn’t feel like it had any real climax or plot structure (or plot?) but I enjoyed it more than not. I don’t know that it’s the kind of story that could be appreciated if you hadn’t already read Autonomous but I could be wrong.
August 10, 2021
I'll also put the name of the story here, in case Goodreads decides to merge it into some other work...
Old Media by Annalee Newitz - 2/5★
This is clearly a companion of her main novel, Autonomous, and I wasn’t impressed with either.
The short story is found in Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2019 edition and can also be read on Tor.com.
Old Media by Annalee Newitz - 2/5★
This is clearly a companion of her main novel, Autonomous, and I wasn’t impressed with either.
The short story is found in Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2019 edition and can also be read on Tor.com.
July 29, 2019
Short story about John Chen , working in a small store and depicting a future society (2145) where indentured service is a thing. Genetic ingenniering too. And where Bots live openly or secretly subjects to prejudiced and struggling to find a sense.
It made John think of times before he was born, long before his shit life, or at least the shitty parts of his relatively okay life. Last year at this time… he didn’t want to think about it. Every night he told himself he was safe now, gone legit with a name and a franchise. Nobody owned him anymore. He stared harder at a box overflowing with self-repairing scarves from indeterminate time periods. Maybe they were made yesterday. Maybe sixty years ago.
I don't think the John character is going here for a specific gender sex, for him is just pleasure sex. Or, on the contrary it is rather linked to what happened before and was forced to have sex as slave, or rather that is marked by that fact ...
Oddly, he sort of identifies with the anime Ouran High School Host Club - because is an another clothes playing other-self?
Could be read here in :Tor
First time reading this author, still not convinced after reading the comments about the novel in the same universe.
It made John think of times before he was born, long before his shit life, or at least the shitty parts of his relatively okay life. Last year at this time… he didn’t want to think about it. Every night he told himself he was safe now, gone legit with a name and a franchise. Nobody owned him anymore. He stared harder at a box overflowing with self-repairing scarves from indeterminate time periods. Maybe they were made yesterday. Maybe sixty years ago.
I don't think the John character is going here for a specific gender sex, for him is just pleasure sex. Or, on the contrary it is rather linked to what happened before and was forced to have sex as slave, or rather that is marked by that fact ...
Oddly, he sort of identifies with the anime Ouran High School Host Club - because is an another clothes playing other-self?
Could be read here in :Tor
First time reading this author, still not convinced after reading the comments about the novel in the same universe.
March 20, 2019
Wow, another stellar tor.com novella by the author of Autonomous. Subtle, character-driven world-building in a brief tale that immerses you in its strangeness and sexiness. Wonderful.
December 25, 2019
Stāsts, kura darbība norisinās grāmatas Autonomous pasaulē. Pieņemu, ka būs ļoti mulsinosi šo lasīt, ja nav grāmata lasīta, bet man bija patīkami atgriezties. Šeit apspriestas tādas tēmas, kā cilvēcība, roboti, verdzība, seksualitāte, popkultūras un mākslas ietekme uz nākošajām paaudzēm.
June 11, 2019
I think I probably should have read Autonomous before I read this, but I figured since it was featured in the Tor newsletter it should stand on its own pretty well. I'm not entirely sure if it does, but it was still an interesting and quick read. I've got Autonomous on my to read list and from what little I could gather from this story I think I like the author's writing style and general characterization, so I will definitely check out the full novel now.
June 13, 2019
Interesting premise. Short, definitely wanted more in that world. 3.5 stars rounded down because I’m greedy and wanted more.
August 22, 2019
This short story mad me sad, it made me really angry - but it was a very bittersweet experience overall. There's a lot to like here, especially when it comes to defining intimacy - I thought that was a real triumph.
February 2, 2020
Ah, it's so good to be back to the world in Autonomous and meet familiar character. John is an endearing character and having him here felt like meeting an old friend. This is just a vignette, but I enjoyed it. Useful entry point if you have not read Autonomous, I guess.
October 4, 2019
"It’s like there’s some part of you that fits perfectly inside my consciousness. It’s a feeling that goes beyond trust or friendship. Some kind of emotional infrastructure. Even if I were to isolate every single utility and program I use to think about you, I don’t think I could explain all the ways you occupy my mind. It’s… an emergent and ongoing process. Does that make sense?"
December 11, 2019
Day 10 in my 24 Days of Shorts
This felt depressing and pointless. I gather from other reviews that it is somehow related to a full length novel by Newitz, but I didn’t know that before I read it. I never connected with any of the characters or understood why they were in this story. I can’t say there was anything particularly quotable or interesting here, and I’m not motivated to read anything else by Newitz.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2019/02/20/old-me...
My 24 Days of Shorts
1. File N°002 by Sylvain Neuvel
2. File N°247 by Sylvain Neuvel
3. Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone
4. The Weight of Memories by Liu Cixin
5. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
6. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho
7. Meat And Salt And Sparks by Rich Larson
8. Seven Birthdays by Ken Liu
9. Where Would You Be Now? by Carrie Vaughn
10. Old Media by Annalee Newitz
11. Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory
12. Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor
13. An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon
14. Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
15. A Love Story by Samantha Hunt
16. The Lake by Tananarive Due
17. Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
18. Finnegan's Field by Angela Slatter
19. Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes
20. Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma
21. The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert
22. As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders
23. Twixt Firelight and Water by Juliet Marillier
24. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan
The chime of the door interrupted his increasingly tight rage spiral. Med flopped on the sofa next to him and sighed. “That was a very long day of department meetings.”
This felt depressing and pointless. I gather from other reviews that it is somehow related to a full length novel by Newitz, but I didn’t know that before I read it. I never connected with any of the characters or understood why they were in this story. I can’t say there was anything particularly quotable or interesting here, and I’m not motivated to read anything else by Newitz.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2019/02/20/old-me...
My 24 Days of Shorts
1. File N°002 by Sylvain Neuvel
2. File N°247 by Sylvain Neuvel
3. Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone
4. The Weight of Memories by Liu Cixin
5. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
6. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho
7. Meat And Salt And Sparks by Rich Larson
8. Seven Birthdays by Ken Liu
9. Where Would You Be Now? by Carrie Vaughn
10. Old Media by Annalee Newitz
11. Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory
12. Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor
13. An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon
14. Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
15. A Love Story by Samantha Hunt
16. The Lake by Tananarive Due
17. Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
18. Finnegan's Field by Angela Slatter
19. Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes
20. Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma
21. The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert
22. As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders
23. Twixt Firelight and Water by Juliet Marillier
24. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan
March 12, 2019
I'm not sure what to say about this story. I found it sort of a chore to read, with everything going on in every character's backstory. There's so much extraneous stuff happening, and it lacked focus.
June 10, 2020
Well-written but lacking in plot and doesn’t really go anywhere.
September 3, 2021
3.5 stars. I've been hoping for more from the Autonomous universe, and was happy with this short story. It didn't really go anywhere, but we got a glimpse into the autonomous universe outside of the underbelly of piracy. So that was cool and interesting. I look forward to more fiction from Newitz.
February 25, 2019
I really enjoyed this, for its diversity as well as the sweetness of it. It sounds like Med is asexual, which raises interesting ideas about robots having a sexuality. The only difficulty with this specific instance is that asexuality is often perceived as a lack of emotion, or as if that person is like a robot, without the drive that "makes them human," so almost reinforcing that stereotype. I still like the premise and the little glimpse we get into their lives.
I do not like the whitewashed cover art, which directly contradicts character descriptions in the story.
I do not like the whitewashed cover art, which directly contradicts character descriptions in the story.
April 24, 2019
A clever and emotionally affecting SF short story set in 2145, in Newitz's "Autonomous" universe. You're best going into it cold, I think. The only real flaw is, it just stops. Part of a WIP, maybe?
Direct link: https://www.tor.com/2019/02/20/old-me...
PS: I liked "Autonomous" a LOT: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Direct link: https://www.tor.com/2019/02/20/old-me...
PS: I liked "Autonomous" a LOT: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 9, 2019
Rep: bi mc from "Asian Union"
June 23, 2020
I read Autonomous not too long ago and I didn't like it, but I wanted to read this short story because Threezed, now John, was the character in Autonomous that made it worth reading and the fact this short story focused on him drew me to it. Med was a character I never fully appreciated in Autonomous, but I whole-heartedly adore her in this short story! Who wouldn't love a robot who can goofy grin?
While there were still a few cringe moments in this that reminded me of why I didn't like Autonomous, the discussion of the difference between love and sex was really interesting and important. The relationship between John and Med was also so lovely to read about and, over all, I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! The writing style was lovely to read and the characters felt fully realised, probably in part due to me being already familiar with them to an extent.
This was such a fun, quick read and I'm glad I read it!
While there were still a few cringe moments in this that reminded me of why I didn't like Autonomous, the discussion of the difference between love and sex was really interesting and important. The relationship between John and Med was also so lovely to read about and, over all, I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! The writing style was lovely to read and the characters felt fully realised, probably in part due to me being already familiar with them to an extent.
This was such a fun, quick read and I'm glad I read it!
May 23, 2019
“I’ve always wanted to try sleeping.”
This was a neat futuristic story about the relationship between robots and humans and love and freedom and slavery and anime of the 21st century. I especially loved the cover image for the story, and the old Nintendo controller rug by the bed that John is sitting on. The story describes John as brown skinned, so I do wish the artist stayed true to that description. Otherwise, great story and artwork!
July 9, 2019
This short piece is a good example of an author throwing too many things into a shorter piece. There's slavery, robots, abuse, romance, and a whole soup full of ingredients, and it really didn't mesh into anything that felt like it mixed into a united thing.
I think if the author had picked one of the themes and focused on it, it would have worked better for me.
I think if the author had picked one of the themes and focused on it, it would have worked better for me.
Read
January 31, 2019In a fairly fucked future, a robot and a former sex slave bond over ropy 21st century anime. So, you know, eminently relatable content (and not just because I also need Ouran High Host explained to me, and then still regard it with a fundamental sense of 'But why?').
February 12, 2019
Got this story from Tor.com short fiction newsletter bundle. Apparently it's a companion piece to Annalee Newitz's novel "Autonomous", which has very mixed reviews (that always intrigues me though), but I rather liked this one on its own. It gave just enough information that you could grasp that there's an extensive history to the main character that was not much dealt with in this story, but what was dealt with - finding home and safety - was compelling. I only found one conversation near the end a bit preachy, which annoyed me. But it's not really a big problem. I enjoyed the premise that in the future there'll be academics researching our current anime and stuff. Gave some perspective on how everything we are used to will be weird curiosities some day.
It felt somehow fanfiction-y, but I do enjoy good fanfiction, so the feeling wasn't unwelcome. It's just that there's some sex, some home life, some relationship discovery - exactly the sort of things people like to make fanfic of in the "missed scenes from canon" style :D
It felt somehow fanfiction-y, but I do enjoy good fanfiction, so the feeling wasn't unwelcome. It's just that there's some sex, some home life, some relationship discovery - exactly the sort of things people like to make fanfic of in the "missed scenes from canon" style :D
January 18, 2022
cute i love ouran high school host club
February 24, 2019
I haven't read anything by the author so I though a short story may be a good place to start. And indeed has been.
I do have to criticise the whitewashed art by tor.com (where it was published) as it clashed with the in story descriptions.
I loved the characters and enjoyed their struggles. It has made me curious to read and move some of her books higher in my to read pile. There seem to be a fair amount of diversity and representation, which I absolutely like. It reads very quick and it's very entertaining, so definitely worth a read!
I do have to criticise the whitewashed art by tor.com (where it was published) as it clashed with the in story descriptions.
I loved the characters and enjoyed their struggles. It has made me curious to read and move some of her books higher in my to read pile. There seem to be a fair amount of diversity and representation, which I absolutely like. It reads very quick and it's very entertaining, so definitely worth a read!
June 9, 2019
All tell and no show.
The story feels very juvenile. There is a lot of repeating of the same points and it all felt rather rushed. The thoughts aren't coherent and parts of the story are expanded on that need not be, while other parts that seem way more interesting (like Michael's past) are not further delved into. The escape with Med would have been an exciting scene to include rather than glossing over it.
I understand that that was not what this story was about, but those seemed like much better stories than the one we got.
Here is one example of a case where a sentence could have been cut out to make the story flow much better, give the reader much more credit, and show rather than tell:
Med had been begging the administration for money to cover an update to the lab’s protein library. John sat up to face her. “Did you get that funding you needed?”
“Ugh. No. They don’t understand why we need new protein data when we already have a library from five years ago. Plus some bullshit from the dean about how I should make the students discover new folds themselves, and not just copy from a database like a bot would.” [...]
The first sentence explaining Med's goal is completely unnecessary. The next phrases and paragraph just repeat what was stated, and us, the reader, would easily be able to grasp what Med's goal was by the explanation in the next paragraph.
And lastly, the flipping back and forth between John's perspective and Michael's was not well done. I continued to get confused by who was talking, and characteristics from each of them were not well stated to a point where when they resurfaced later on, I had initially thought it had been part of the other. For example Michael's scar, and John's hair.
(Sidenote: What was the point in mentioning John's hair? It serves no purpose and there is no context given as to how it relates in this world. No information is given as to if this is normal in their world or how it's even possible.)
If this had been a novel I would have DNF'd it early on. I finished it only because it was so short.
The story feels very juvenile. There is a lot of repeating of the same points and it all felt rather rushed. The thoughts aren't coherent and parts of the story are expanded on that need not be, while other parts that seem way more interesting (like Michael's past) are not further delved into. The escape with Med would have been an exciting scene to include rather than glossing over it.
I understand that that was not what this story was about, but those seemed like much better stories than the one we got.
Here is one example of a case where a sentence could have been cut out to make the story flow much better, give the reader much more credit, and show rather than tell:
Med had been begging the administration for money to cover an update to the lab’s protein library. John sat up to face her. “Did you get that funding you needed?”
“Ugh. No. They don’t understand why we need new protein data when we already have a library from five years ago. Plus some bullshit from the dean about how I should make the students discover new folds themselves, and not just copy from a database like a bot would.” [...]
The first sentence explaining Med's goal is completely unnecessary. The next phrases and paragraph just repeat what was stated, and us, the reader, would easily be able to grasp what Med's goal was by the explanation in the next paragraph.
And lastly, the flipping back and forth between John's perspective and Michael's was not well done. I continued to get confused by who was talking, and characteristics from each of them were not well stated to a point where when they resurfaced later on, I had initially thought it had been part of the other. For example Michael's scar, and John's hair.
(Sidenote: What was the point in mentioning John's hair? It serves no purpose and there is no context given as to how it relates in this world. No information is given as to if this is normal in their world or how it's even possible.)
If this had been a novel I would have DNF'd it early on. I finished it only because it was so short.
January 27, 2024
Well, that started out spicy
- I'm still curious abou Bella's managerial style letting two employees bone in the supply closet and actually yelling at the to "not get any fluids on the merchandise". Like Uhm...WTF and also I never EVER want to be that comfortable with my boss. Ever.
Brazen openings are either hit or miss but this time, the sheer audacity of everything in this short is a hit for me.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
It's the year 2145 and things are about as Dystopian-TechAdvanced-Bleak-Yet-Hopeful that one would expect of the future.
Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Oh John (Threezed) a former slave turned indentured laborer who used to stream naked at night whilst journaling in a cubicle out there. When we meet him, he's won his freedom. When I said bleak tech future, I was not picturing this much suffering.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
FFS! even the future has these Neanderthals. If you've ever had the "Where are you from originally" question thrown at you - this scene captured the undertones:
The man looked at him more closely, his pale blue eyes like flecks of aluminum-doped glass. “Where you from?”
“Farm outside Lucky Lake.”
The man gave a big-throated laugh that vacuumed geniality out of the air. “No. I mean, where are you from originally?”
It was a menacing question.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “He turned back just once before he fled, [...] saw Med transform into an avenging angel. Only she was better than an angel. She was real, made of carbon alloy and flesh, not feathers and faith. She’d saved him. Possibly she’d even saved the world.” (Well, now I want to meet Med)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ Cross Species Biohacking
■Indenture School Dormitory, WTF😲
■ Franchising people
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025
Brazen openings are either hit or miss but this time, the sheer audacity of everything in this short is a hit for me.
Plot/Storyline/Themes:
It's the year 2145 and things are about as Dystopian-TechAdvanced-Bleak-Yet-Hopeful that one would expect of the future.
Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Oh John (Threezed) a former slave turned indentured laborer who used to stream naked at night whilst journaling in a cubicle out there. When we meet him, he's won his freedom. When I said bleak tech future, I was not picturing this much suffering.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene: :
FFS! even the future has these Neanderthals. If you've ever had the "Where are you from originally" question thrown at you - this scene captured the undertones:
The man looked at him more closely, his pale blue eyes like flecks of aluminum-doped glass. “Where you from?”
“Farm outside Lucky Lake.”
The man gave a big-throated laugh that vacuumed geniality out of the air. “No. I mean, where are you from originally?”
It was a menacing question.
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “He turned back just once before he fled, [...] saw Med transform into an avenging angel. Only she was better than an angel. She was real, made of carbon alloy and flesh, not feathers and faith. She’d saved him. Possibly she’d even saved the world.” (Well, now I want to meet Med)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ Cross Species Biohacking
■Indenture School Dormitory, WTF😲
■ Franchising people
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories by 2025
November 15, 2020
Sometimes the truth, told right, was the best lie.
In Old Media, John, a former slave, tries to navigate his new life as a free man while figuring out what it means to be in love with Med, a robot University professor.
"It's like there's some part of you that fits perfectly inside my consciousness."
This story is set in the same world as Autonomous, which I haven't read. Since it was my first introduction to these characters, and the story is rather short, I didn't feel I had the time to emotionally connect to them or be particularly invested in the story as a whole. I didn't, however, have any trouble understanding the basic setup of this world, so if you're interested in reading Old Media, know that Autonomous is not a necessary context, but having read it first might make for a more pleasant reading experience. Lastly, while the story itself wasn't badly written or uninteresting, it proved hard for me to read because of the casual way it mentioned so many different kinds of abuse and brushed over John's trauma and PTSD.
It was only when he was alone like this, in complete silence, that John allowed himself to believe he was still alive.
*Trigger Warnings* Mention of past rape, physical abuse, pedophilia, slavery, racial fetishism, child labour, depiction of PTSD, classism.
In Old Media, John, a former slave, tries to navigate his new life as a free man while figuring out what it means to be in love with Med, a robot University professor.
"It's like there's some part of you that fits perfectly inside my consciousness."
This story is set in the same world as Autonomous, which I haven't read. Since it was my first introduction to these characters, and the story is rather short, I didn't feel I had the time to emotionally connect to them or be particularly invested in the story as a whole. I didn't, however, have any trouble understanding the basic setup of this world, so if you're interested in reading Old Media, know that Autonomous is not a necessary context, but having read it first might make for a more pleasant reading experience. Lastly, while the story itself wasn't badly written or uninteresting, it proved hard for me to read because of the casual way it mentioned so many different kinds of abuse and brushed over John's trauma and PTSD.
It was only when he was alone like this, in complete silence, that John allowed himself to believe he was still alive.
*Trigger Warnings* Mention of past rape, physical abuse, pedophilia, slavery, racial fetishism, child labour, depiction of PTSD, classism.
June 8, 2019
Another lunch-time read. I can't tell you why it lost a star except that it never really engaged me. Perhaps my problem with it was that I didn't really like the characters. I did like the writing style. I was also impressed at the ease with which Newitz created a coherent idea of the world in which this story was taking place in my mind. And I like the questions raised and the way that the characters progress towards their own answers to them. The story could be the beginning of a larger narrative or stand perfectly on its own. But, still, the characters were a bit too self centered and immature for me to really care much about them, though I did find that I cared about the situation in which they found themselves. I don't think that I would enjoy reading anything longer than this short story that focused on these characters but I think they did work well enough to tell this story.
February 28, 2024
Apparently, there's a novel published by this author that's also set in this world, and it was published first. I did not know this and so I went into this blind and I can concede this might be why I didn't like it. I just found little value in it. It felt like I read 25 pages from the middle of a novel. It didn't hold the allure that a good short story has. Cool concept, and I bet the novel is well written. It didn't feel like the author knew how to write a short story to me. Lackluster plot with too many flashbacks. I did like the interaction between the robot and the human at the end. Thought-provoking and interesting undoubtedly, but it felt like it came out of nowhere and had little to no relevance to the rest of the story.
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