Decent...if unspectacular take on gay science fiction.
Boy Robot is one of those books that pretty much does what it says on the tin. Our lead characteDecent...if unspectacular take on gay science fiction.
Boy Robot is one of those books that pretty much does what it says on the tin. Our lead character here is a boy, and well, he's a robot. There by cue some secret government conspiracy wackiness ensues.
I will say straight up that there are elements of this book that really work. I found the action scenes to be well pretty done and interesting, they have a slight X-Men vibe with telekinesis and shielding powers that lead to some interesting ideas and sequences, but our main villains are basically nameless government agents in black suits and black SUV's. Not exactly screaming originality here.
As with most books in the genre though our main character doesn't just have one power, oh no no, he of course has ALL OF THEM, so the Mary Sue is definitely strong in this one. The resistance is looking for him to help them fight the government, the government wants him dead, it's one of those stories that has been done a dozen times before and plot wise there isn't anything completely new, well plot wise at least.
The area where it is new lies in the fact that our main character is gay, and probably the first gay robot to lead a book. [Strike that, I forgot Willfull Machines exists.] Out of the gay led sci-fi YA books I've read recently, it doesn't quite reach the heights of Proxy (God bless Alex London) but you can certainly do worse. It can be a bit of a downer when it comes to the characters back stories though. It seems like every bad thing in the history of mankind has happened to them, to the point where I began rolling my eyes instead of feeling sympathy for them. (I'm a nice person I swear it!)
I'd consider the book to be an entirely passable form of entertainment if you're looking for a gay book with a more sci-fi or adventure style story. The trend in gay dystopias/sci-fi recently has been very good for diversity but I feel like we are still waiting for those stand out books. I will probably read the inevitable sequel, but probably won't be rushing out for it.
I forgot to mention the love story here, but that's because it seemed like the author forgot about it half the time too.
3 Stars ***
Merged review:
Decent...if unspectacular take on gay science fiction.
Boy Robot is one of those books that pretty much does what it says on the tin. Our lead character here is a boy, and well, he's a robot. There by cue some secret government conspiracy wackiness ensues.
I will say straight up that there are elements of this book that really work. I found the action scenes to be well pretty done and interesting, they have a slight X-Men vibe with telekinesis and shielding powers that lead to some interesting ideas and sequences, but our main villains are basically nameless government agents in black suits and black SUV's. Not exactly screaming originality here.
As with most books in the genre though our main character doesn't just have one power, oh no no, he of course has ALL OF THEM, so the Mary Sue is definitely strong in this one. The resistance is looking for him to help them fight the government, the government wants him dead, it's one of those stories that has been done a dozen times before and plot wise there isn't anything completely new, well plot wise at least.
The area where it is new lies in the fact that our main character is gay, and probably the first gay robot to lead a book. [Strike that, I forgot Willfull Machines exists.] Out of the gay led sci-fi YA books I've read recently, it doesn't quite reach the heights of Proxy (God bless Alex London) but you can certainly do worse. It can be a bit of a downer when it comes to the characters back stories though. It seems like every bad thing in the history of mankind has happened to them, to the point where I began rolling my eyes instead of feeling sympathy for them. (I'm a nice person I swear it!)
I'd consider the book to be an entirely passable form of entertainment if you're looking for a gay book with a more sci-fi or adventure style story. The trend in gay dystopias/sci-fi recently has been very good for diversity but I feel like we are still waiting for those stand out books. I will probably read the inevitable sequel, but probably won't be rushing out for it.
I forgot to mention the love story here, but that's because it seemed like the author forgot about it half the time too.
**spoiler alert** For the final book in the series, I can't help but feel this was a little on the lackluster side. Ten books of building up to an epi**spoiler alert** For the final book in the series, I can't help but feel this was a little on the lackluster side. Ten books of building up to an epic showdown between Kate and Roland, and this is what we get? No real fight and a magical McGuffin brought in from the spin-off I didn't even know about?
This should have been all about Roland and Kate facing off against each other, but instead, we get dragons....because?
Honestly, for a numbered Kate Daniels book, it's as decent as the rest, but considering it's the finale, I have to say they sort of drop the ball.
Okay, so full disclosure on this one, I actually only picked this book up after discovering that the authors next seWell that was a pleasant surprise.
Okay, so full disclosure on this one, I actually only picked this book up after discovering that the authors next series is going to a trilogy set in the world of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". The Scooby fanboy in me was just too strong to not at least try some of her other work and see what her writing was like, so I picked this up on a whim, and I'm genuinely glad I did.
The story here is a gender bent version of Vlad the Impaler, who I will admit to knowing very little about. Vlad, now Lada, is the ugly (that's how she's described) unwanted daughter with a thirst for power, who, along with her shy and meek brother, are traded to a different nation as a treaty for peace. In this new nation, they meet and befriend a son of the current sultan, setting them on a path of court intrigue and battles for the throne.
There were quite a few positives for this novel, but number one for me was the setting. Taking place in an Indian inspired world, it really differentiated itself from most of the historical fiction I've read, and seemed quite well researched, even using these historical insights as plot points. For instance, while there is a semi-love triangle involved with the sultans son, it's shown for it to be quite acceptable for him to frequent the whore houses of the palace, despite any romantic inclinations he may have with our main MC's.
I also really grew to love the characters here. At the beginning of the novel they are about 11 or 12, and there are time jumps throughout the novel where you can see the genuine growth that their situation has forced upon them. The author also diversifies the story with some LGBT rep by having one of the two POV's be gay. I was semi annoyed at first that it's an unrequited love style storyline (I guess you could call it a semi love triangle), but by the end I was impressed in the direction the author takes it, and expands upon it.
Overall, I just had a really good time with this book, to the point where I actually ended up reading it in one sitting. If you're looking for some enjoyable, but deep YA historical fiction, I'd highly recommend it, and I've already ordered book two.
Lukas Anthony
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