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Autonomous: A Novel Hardcover – September 19, 2017

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 4,081 ratings

"Autonomous is to biotech and AI what Neuromancer was to the Internet."―Neal Stephenson

"Something genuinely and thrillingly new in the naturalistic, subjective, paradoxically humanistic but non-anthropomorphic depiction of bot-POV―and all in the service of vivid, solid storytelling."―William Gibson

When anything can be owned, how can we be free

Earth, 2144. Jack is an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate, traversing the world in a submarine as a pharmaceutical Robin Hood, fabricating cheap scrips for poor people who can’t otherwise afford them. But her latest drug hack has left a trail of lethal overdoses as people become addicted to their work, doing repetitive tasks until they become unsafe or insane.

Hot on her trail, an unlikely pair: Eliasz, a brooding military agent, and his robotic partner, Paladin. As they race to stop information about the sinister origins of Jack’s drug from getting out, they begin to form an uncommonly close bond that neither of them fully understand.

And underlying it all is one fundamental question: Is freedom possible in a culture where everything, even people, can be owned?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Newitz always sees to the heart of complex systems and breaks them down with poetic ferocity.”―N. K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth trilogy and The City We Became

"
Autonomous is to biotech and AI what Neuromancer was to the Internet."―Neal Stephenson

"Something genuinely and thrillingly new in the naturalistic, subjective, paradoxically humanistic but non-anthropomorphic depiction of bot-POV―and all in the service of vivid, solid storytelling."―William Gibson

"This book is a cyborg. Partly, it's a novel of ideas, about property, the very concept of it, and how our laws and systems about property shape class structure and society, as well as notions of identity, the self, bodies, autonomy at the most fundamental levels, all woven seamlessly into a dense mesh of impressive complexity. Don't let that fool you though. Because wrapped around that is the most badass exoskeleton--a thrilling and sexy story about pirates and their adventures. Newitz has fused these two layers together at the micro- and macro-levels with insight and wit and verbal flair. Moves fast, with frightening intelligence." ―Charles Yu, author of
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

"Annalee Newitz has conjured the rarest, most exciting thing: a future that's truly new ... a terrific novel and a tremendous vision." ―Robin Sloan, author of
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

"Holy hell.
Autonomous is remarkable." ―Lauren Beukes, bestselling author of Broken Monsters

"Everything you'd hope for from the co-founder of io9 ... Combines the gonzo, corporatized future of Neal Stephenson's
Snow Crash with the weird sex of Charlie Stross's Saturn's Children; throws in an action hero that's a biohacker version of Bruce Sterling's Leggy Starlitz, and then saturates it with decades of deep involvement with free software hackers, pop culture, and the leading edge of human sexuality." ―Cory Doctorow, New York Times bestselling author of Walkaway.

More praise for
Scatter, Adapt, and Remember:

"Fascinating.... [Newitz is] an excellent writer, with an effortless style.... The inner science geek in all of us will uncover some really cool stuff.... A terrific book that covers an astounding amount of ground in a manageable 300 pages... You will be smarter for it."
San Francisco Chronicle

"An enormous amount of knowledge is gathered here, and the book accomplishes something almost impossible, being extremely interesting on every single page. A real pleasure to read and think about." ―Kim Stanley Robinson, author of the Mars trilogy

"A refreshingly optimistic and well thought out dissection of that perennial worry: the coming apocalypse. While everyone else stridently shouts about the end of days, this book asks and answers a simple question: ‘If it’s so bad, then why are we still alive?’... Newitz inspires us with engaging arguments that our race will keep reaching the end of the world and then keep living through it.
Scatter, Adapt, and Remember intimately acquaints the reader with our two-hundred-thousand-year tradition of survival―nothing less than our shared heritage as human beings."―Daniel H. Wilson, author of Robopocalypse and Amped

About the Author

ANNALEE NEWITZ is an American journalist, editor, and author of fiction and nonfiction. They are the recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship from MIT, and have written for Popular Science, The New Yorker, and the Washington Post. They founded the science fiction website io9 and served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008–2015, and then became Editor-in-Chief at Gizmodo and Tech Culture Editor at Ars Technica. Their book Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction was nominated for the LA Times Book Prize in science. Their first novel, Autonomous, won a Lambda award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books; First Edition (September 19, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0765392070
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0765392077
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 4,081 ratings

About the author

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Annalee Newitz
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Annalee Newitz writes fiction and nonfiction about the intersection of science, technology and culture.

Their first novel, Autonomous, won the Lambda Literary Award and was nominated for the Nebula and Locus Awards. Their book Scatter, Adapt, and Remember was nominated for the LA Times Book Award. They are currently a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times. Previously, they were the founding editor of io9, and served as the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo and as the tech culture editor at Ars Technica. They have also written for publications including Wired, Popular Science, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Slate, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and more. They have published short stories in Lightspeed, Shimmer, Apex, and Technology Review's Twelve Tomorrows.

Annalee is the co-host of the Hugo Award-winning podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct.

They were the recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT, worked as a policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and has a Ph.D. in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley.

Learn more at AnnaleeNewitz.com or follow them on Twitter @annaleen


Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4,081 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the plot wonderful and realism. They also appreciate the interesting concepts, characters, and readability. Readers describe the overall content as good and riveting. Opinions are mixed on the writing style, with some finding it brilliant and contemporary, while others say it's muddled and not well written.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

83 customers mention "Plot"61 positive22 negative

Customers find the plot wonderful, dystopian, and believable. They also say the details are worked out and the characters are relevant.

"...detailed and complex world, steady pacing and an exciting, straightforward plot.I loved Autonomous!..." Read more

"...It's a shame. The worldbuilding has been decent so far. The premise was so intriguing. But all the characters are appalling...." Read more

"...All in all, a spectacular debut novel. I will be looking forward to more from Annalee." Read more

"...It does them well too. I found the story a little mundane and predictable. It is Annalee's first novel and I really hope she does more...." Read more

76 customers mention "Realism"65 positive11 negative

Customers find the realism in the book brilliant, intense, and well written. They also say it's a great read for sci-fi readers.

"...It was a very intense book for me, filled to the brim with ideas, feelings, technology, science and action...." Read more

"...A worthwhile, fresh and interesting read bringing a different perspective to AI and potential human-robot relationships...." Read more

"...out who was who and what they were up to, though, I found it a fairly enjoyable read...." Read more

"...Her book is worth reading for pleasure and to get the distance and perspective that sci fi offers. Highly recommended !!!" Read more

72 customers mention "Themes"66 positive6 negative

Customers find the themes interesting, unique, and detailed. They also appreciate the variety of moral perspectives and the hard science extrapolated from current development. Readers also mention that the book is great from a thought-provoking author.

"...The book has interesting, well fleshed out characters, an extremely detailed and complex world, steady pacing and an exciting, straightforward..." Read more

"...The bottom line here is that this is a very complex, layered novel that may be an adventure crime story on the surface but is really much much more..." Read more

"There's some really interesting concepts in this book...." Read more

"...I ordered this book because the synopsis of it is just so interesting. Pharmaceutical pirates living in submarines?..." Read more

56 customers mention "Characters"44 positive12 negative

Customers find the characters interesting, believable, and credible.

"...The book has interesting, well fleshed out characters, an extremely detailed and complex world, steady pacing and an exciting, straightforward..." Read more

"...AUTONOMOUS is a complex, involved, and many layered novel with engaging characters and terrifically written...." Read more

"...What's not to like about this novel, it has well developed characters, hard science extrapolated from current development, A.I. robots, Bio-bots,..." Read more

"...The premise was so intriguing. But all the characters are appalling. It's clear the author fetishsizes gay men...." Read more

19 customers mention "Readability"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written, engaging, and realistic. They also say there's barely a dull moment and it's an excellent ride.

"...an extremely detailed and complex world, steady pacing and an exciting, straightforward plot.I loved Autonomous!..." Read more

"...The plot got moving in time for an interesting end and kept my attention all the way though...." Read more

"...A very intriguing, fun and unique AI ride! Fits well with fans of Blade Runner, Ex Machina and AI in general." Read more

"...Overall an action packed and entertaining work written by an obviously briliiant author." Read more

16 customers mention "Overall content"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content good, brilliant, and forward-thinking. They also describe it as wonderful SF.

"...I like the ideas though.The pace is fair and the world development is so-so. It is Earth, but society has changed significantly...." Read more

"...It's a shame. The worldbuilding has been decent so far. The premise was so intriguing. But all the characters are appalling...." Read more

"...I found all of the characters interesting and believable, with credible motivations and realistic flaws...." Read more

"Calling this a biopunk novel is slightly cliched,but completely apt!..." Read more

15 customers mention "Pacing"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing riveting, smooth, and well worth the price. They also say the book is delivered quickly for a good price.

"...fleshed out characters, an extremely detailed and complex world, steady pacing and an exciting, straightforward plot.I loved Autonomous!..." Read more

"...condition, despite being used, and because it was delivered quickly for a good price. That said, the book itself is trash...." Read more

"...And the price could not be beat. I highly recommend Amazon Prime for your book source. New or used, the prices cannot be beat." Read more

"...A fast-moving and page-turning plot, with breezy dialog and just enough exposition to paint images in the reader's mind...." Read more

42 customers mention "Writing style"26 positive16 negative

Customers are mixed about the writing style. Some mention it's brilliant descriptive writing, compelling imagery, and delicately crafted. They also appreciate the peppering of nice linguistic choices. However, some say the book is not very well written, confusing, and lacks creative insight. They say the entire narration is confusing and the characters are not well developed.

"...It is a strong novel and deserved to be on that list. It certainly deserves your consideration the next time you're looking for something to read." Read more

"...The entire narration was very confusing because this is a large robot that apparently is made of some kind of metal and there is no clear reason..." Read more

"Giving this 5 stars because the product itself was in excellent condition, despite being used, and because it was delivered quickly for a good price...." Read more

"...A fast-moving and page-turning plot, with breezy dialog and just enough exposition to paint images in the reader's mind...." Read more

Disappointing
2 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
The first third was so-so but had a little promise, but then a couple really obviously awkward plot turns were made in order to draw out the story. The protagonist's enemies were close on her heels, then suddenly they decided to take a detour and then suddenly we catch up to the hero bopping around Canada after nearly a year which is not explained. This supposedly in a society were no one can disappear if all-powerful entities are after you.Then what finally caused me to throw the book away in disgust were a couple sudden and completely gratuitious violent acts were awkwardly (stylistically) perpetrated on someone by two characters who until that moment we had no clue of such violent tendencies. It was nonsensical and just didnt fit.Another really awkward aspect of this author's writing was the sexual relationship between the bot and its handler. It was weird and felt as gratuitious as the violence, really didnt do anything for the story and was just thrown in for titillation, though I doubt anyone actually got tittled much.I should have taken a clue from the inside cover which was garishly plastered with review quotes. I knew from past experience that when a book is plastered with review quotes that's a good sign the book hasn't much to stand on other than those review quotes.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021
This futuristic story takes place in 2144. A lot has changed on Earth. Bots made for all imaginable purposes are now part of the society. Tech is booming. The indenture system that in practice means slavery is in place for bots as well as people. Pharmaceuticals are patented, which makes them unavailable to the poor, but Jack is not going to accept it. She's an anti-patent pirate who reverse engineers drugs, shipping them all over the world in her submarine. One day, a drug she's made turns out to be highly addictive and deadly. An agent and a bot are sent on a hunt for her, while Jack is trying to make it right.

The book has interesting, well fleshed out characters, an extremely detailed and complex world, steady pacing and an exciting, straightforward plot.

I loved Autonomous! The cyberpunk setting, the tension of not knowing who was going to get their way, the fact that a lot of characters were activists and belonged to the counterculture, the futuristic technology, the complexity of the protagonists - all of it made for a very engrossing read. The book explores the issues of freedom and slavery, human relationships as well as the relationship between humans and bots, the dangers of patented science in the hands of powerful corporations, gender, love and many more. It was a very intense book for me, filled to the brim with ideas, feelings, technology, science and action.

You might enjoy this book if you are into cyberpunk, hard sci-fi, interested in the future of technology, society and culture and don't mind to receive lots of information some of which might be beyond your grasp (also, some weird human-robot stuff).
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2018
I don't necessarily read many debut novels during any given year, at least not until the Hugo Finalists are announced (as they be later today as I write this) and one or two are on that list. Ann Leckie's ANCILLARY JUSTICE comes to mind as the most recent example. I typically want to try to get through a few books on my to-read list, or new novels that are coming out from authors that I like. But every once in a while a novel is published that gets so much buzz that I can't ignore hearing about it, and if the story sounds like something I might be interested in, I'll give it a try. AUTONOMOUS, by Annalee Newitz, fits that description.

Jack is a pirate, but not the kind that has a hook for a hand, sails on a ship that flies the skull and crossbones, or is Johnny Depp. Rather she is a humanitarian pirate, one who is attempting, in her own way, to take down big pharma. She sells recreational and other fun drugs to raise money for her real cause: reverse engineering drugs that will help humanity. But as we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Jack reverse engineers a drug called Zacuity. Zacuity is a productivity drug, intended to help the people who take it, under controlled circumstances, become more focused and well, get more work done. The key phrase is "under controlled circumstances". Jack unleashes the reverse engineered drug on to the populace, and those who take it become addicted to it, to the point of focusing on tasks so intensely that many die because they don't eat, sleep, or do anything else that a person needs to do to survive.

Meanwhile, the IPC has traced the drug back to Jack. Newly awakenedd bot Paladin is teamed up with an IPC agent named Eliasz, and the pair go in search of Jack in order to bring her to justice. Jack, on her part, is desperately trying to find a drug that will cure the addiction and stop people from dying. She discovers that Zacuity, in fact, *is* addicting, and that the corporation that is marketing it did not perform sufficient testing to determine any nasty side effects. In effect, Jack perfectly reversed engineered the drug, and now she has to not only fix the problem she caused but try to take down the manufacturer in the process.

The novel, then, on the surface looks to be a standard, run-of-the-mill crime story, with the possible twist that the well-intentioned pirate may actually win the day and take down the big, bad, nasty pharmaceutical corporation in the process. Of course, things aren't that simple. And in fact, that particular story line is just a small part of what Newitz is doing here.

Bots, and some humans are born into indentured servitude, and must earn their way out. Humans also can voluntarily enter into this indentured life style because they don't have much choice. Paladin is an indentured bot, for example. Newitz explores the implications of this system and what it means to society. Newitz is also exploring the nature of sexuality and gender fluidity and the ability to make choices. Bots, for example, are generally considered male, and Paladin is presented with a choice she's never had before, a choice bots don't generally get to make.

Relationships and characters are explored in detail as well. Eliasz and Paladin develop a romantic relationship; we learn about Jack's past relationships and how her character developed to get to where it is at the time of the novel and *why* it developed the way it did. The bottom line here is that this is a very complex, layered novel that may be an adventure crime story on the surface but is really much much more than that by the time it is over.

Newitz also doesn't present any easy answers, doesn't tie anything up in a nice little bow for the characters or the reader. Life is dirty and messy, and the reality is that things rarely turn out such that people live happily ever after, and the big bad corporations rarely get their comeuppance.

AUTONOMOUS is a complex, involved, and many layered novel with engaging characters and terrifically written. Since I began this review earlier today, the 2018 Hugo finalists were announced, and AUTONOMOUS did not make the cut for Best Novel. It is a strong novel and deserved to be on that list. It certainly deserves your consideration the next time you're looking for something to read.
40 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2017
There's some really interesting concepts in this book. Some drastic changes in society are a bit of a stretch given it is set only 120 years into the future. I like the ideas though.

The pace is fair and the world development is so-so. It is Earth, but society has changed significantly. I never really felt a lot for the characters and never managed to get a liking or understanding of Jack (arguably, the main character). I really liked Paladin. I particularly like Paladin's struggles. That was excellent throughout.

The book attempts to deal with a lot of contemporary topics. Socioeconomic divide, racial bigotry, sexuality, etc. It does them well too. I found the story a little mundane and predictable. It is Annalee's first novel and I really hope she does more.

Finally, I love the book cover. I reminds me of Westworld.

Top reviews from other countries

Thomas Woolmer
4.0 out of 5 stars A decent read
Reviewed in Canada on May 27, 2023
There were lots of things to like about this book—decent writing, interesting ideas, especially about the exploitation of indentured workers and bots, and the whole underground drug culture against Big Pharma. But the romance with the bot and the pharma hitman-with-a-conscience was just cringe. And the ending was underwhelming. There was such a build-up, and then it ended not with a bang, but a whimper. I did appreciate the thinking about autonomy and bots, however. It was interesting being inside the mind of a bot, and for that, I appreciate the author’s willingness to take risks.
Michela
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story and characters
Reviewed in Italy on April 1, 2019
A novel that is told from the points of view of a number of characters, including two AI bio-robots, one already "autonomous", the other at the service and (hidden, implicit) orders of an anti-piracy bureau until halfway through the story. In this world where humans can be "indentured" too, not just robots, another main character is learning to live his life autonomously after decades of indenture. The main plot follows the attempt of a gene-editing anti-patent pirate and a small team of concerned scientists to fight the catastrophically addictive effects of a new drug and to expose the company that is selling it regardless and that is trying to blame the reverse-engineered, illegally sold version of the drug for the awful side effects. The anti-piracy bureau people are at the same time trying to catch the pirate and stop her. The story unfolds alternating points of views, and giving readers all the necessary flashbacks about the characters' past and the contexts at large. Quite a captivating story and a fascinating set of characters.
Attorney At Law
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in Germany on May 22, 2019
Ownership of your own thoughts. Human prerogative or not? That is the question raised by this brillant piece of Work.
Alex B
5.0 out of 5 stars That's science fiction
Reviewed in France on March 15, 2019
A remarquable mix of hard science and hard sociology. Everything is coherent, even if the efficiency of human brain in face recognition is disputable (in my case)...
T. Thoroddsson
4.0 out of 5 stars Too woke for it’s own good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2018
Well written, good character development, great premise unfortunately far too much woke politics.