The AI Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

 

Publication date: 3 June 2020
Published by: Amazon Direct Publishing (Kindle)
Genre: Sci-Fi/Romance

 Synopsis

Set in the not-too-distant-future, my guess is around 2050, Trinity Jordan works for a high-tech government agency, called the Hive.  I got the impression that this is a company that has no regard for the well being of it's workers.  We learn that the only reason Trinity works for them is because she was coerced into doing so. 

Trinity was caught up in a major incident at work that caused an explosion.  She does not remember much about the event, but she believes that she must have been thrown on impact, because her knee was badly damaged and, ever since, she has been experiencing headaches, brain fog and (increasingly), memory loss.  Following a period of hospitalisation in the Hive, she has been discharged and is at home convalescing in her apartment, which is controlled by a central AI system called Penny.  Her employers have given her a low maintenance job that she is able to do at a computerised workstation in her apartment.

One day she goes to see her neighbour and Hive co-worker, Dr Zhang, who lives across from her apartment, and, instead of Dr Zhang answering the door, she is confronted with a young man.  Trinity observes that he is tall, muscular and very good looking, and that he is also staring at her in a strange way.   Dr Zhang appears at the door and introduces him as Li Wei, her nephew...

Caution, this review may contain spoilers

My Review
Anyone who is familiar with my blog will know that I am a massive fan of science-fiction.  When I saw that this novel was a sci-fi/romance hybrid I was curious.   

First impressions:
The book title and cover are quite revealing.  It told me that the female character is most likely human and (based on the red light in his left iris) the male character is some kind of cyborg (that is, a being made up of a combination of organic and mechanical material), leading me to come to a conclusion about the kind of ideas and themes that would be explored in the story.  I was sold!

The upside:
What lies at the heart of this story is a romance.  Trinity and Li Wei are drawn to one another from the moment they meet.  Li Wei is a new AI, and at the beginning he is sort of in his infancy, learning about who he is and the world around him.  Dr Zhang tells him that his purpose is to learn about humans, and to decide for himself what his ultimate purpose in life should be.  Trinity becomes his main subject for learning and in doing so, he discovers that being around her seems to activate all kinds of positive emotions in him.  As such, his desire to be in her company increases with time.  

Trinity can tell that there is something odd about Li Wei, but she does not clock that he is not human.  She too enjoys his company and a friendship develops, as well as an increasing mutual attraction. 

It becomes apparent fairly quickly that something untoward is coming, and whatever it is, it's going to be from Hive HQ.  Events that occur in that regard causes the truth to come out.  Trinity realises Li Wei is something other than human and Li Wei decides to trust her.  He reveals that he is in fact a biosynthetic humanoid, created by Dolores Zhang at Hive HQ.  I thought the scene was rather Twilightesque (the way it plays out reminded me of when Bella discovers Edward is something other than human).

As I suspected, the main idea explored in this story is around what it is to be human.  It reminded me of Blade Runner, in that respect.  Like Blade Runner, there are biosynthetic animaloids (for want of a proper word) and humanoids.  From what I can tell, most people are unaware of their existence, and would probably not be able to tell the difference, if they did.  Also like Blade Runner, the AIs show more humanity than some of the humans, demonstrating that being human isn't about being organic (or is it?).      

The conflict raises the tension in the story and takes us to a more 'Terminator' style story.  When the time comes to do battle against the machines, that thing happens in some stories where the male protagonist is made to 'disappear' so that the female protagonist won't be saved by him; instead she does battle and saves the day (because in the interest of gender equality no one wants a damsel in distress type of situation).  This can be tricky to execute and I have been critical about the clumsy way some authors have handled it.  Alyssa Cole provides a master class on how to do it in such a way that does not cause eyebrows to raise.  Fellow writers, read and learn. 

The downside:
There isn't one.

The Verdict:
I absolutely loved this story and I know it is one I will return to in future. I do believe it is my favourite read for 2021.  

Misguided Perceptions by Colleen C. Moore

Publication date: 30 October 2021 (E-book)
Published by: Hyacinth Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance

First, I would like to thank Hyacinth books who provided me with a free copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.  

Synopsis
The Prologue provides the 'meet cute'.  Darcie and her brother, Georgie, have been dragged along to a garden exhibition by their dad.  She is separated from them both and, while looking at a flower exhibit, runs into an attractive young distinguished-looking stranger.

The story begins two years later.  Darcie is a high-flying heart surgeon with the ambition of becoming the Head of Cardiac Surgery at the London-based university hospital where she works.

Darcie acquires a house that needs renovating.   Dave Bennet, the building contractor hired to carry out the work, arrives one morning to discuss plans for the project.  He introduces her to his son, Craig, who will assist him, and, to Darcie's horror, she recognises him.

Darcie is an elitist snob who looks down on anyone she considers to be uneducated and uncultured.  To her, the very idea of being romantically involved with a blue-collar worker is unthinkable.  Yet, once the building project is underway, the more encounters she has with Craig Bennet, the more attracted to him she becomes - much to her annoyance.

My Review

First impressions:
To quote myself: When I first heard about this book, I felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation.  Pride and Prejudice is a much-loved classic and one of my all time favourite books. I had decided 'not to go there', but curiosity got the better of me in the end.  I didn't expect it to be any good, but I hoped I would be wrong about that.  I was wrong about that.  Apparently, I went in with a prejudiced frame of mind, much like Elizabeth.  This was what I wrote for my review of Eligible (The Austen Project no.4) by Curtis Sittenfeld.  So, when I discovered Misguided Perceptions, I decided to give it a chance and to do so with an open mind.

I like the cover.  It definitely drew me in and raised my expectations. (Oh boy!)  

The upside:
Gosh!  Where do I start?

Eligible is set in the United States and, although has a modern day setting, the male and female protagonists, and the romance, play out much like Austen's original.  Misguided Perceptions is set in the UK and, although in essence the characters are very much the same as Austen's originals, the gender roles have been switched.  

Although I agree that the original story can be set in any country, being British myself, I felt that having this story set in the UK provided the opportunity for the author to explore aspects of the original story with greater authenticity.  Let me explain:

As well as being a great love story, P&P is very much a story about classism and gender inequality, presumably as Austen experienced them in her time.  Britain's history and it's obsession with social class has resulted in a class structure that is different to that of other countries, and one that is very difficult to emulate (although, strangely, some have tried).  For me, MP does a wonderful job of addressing the same British social class issues as the original - but adapting them for the 21st century, suggesting that although times have changed in some ways they haven't.

Darcie comes across very much like a modern female version of the original Mr Darcy.  She experiences the same emotional journey when she meets and gets to know Craig Bennet, that is, mortification, followed by indignation, followed by realisation, followed by acceptance.   I also recognised Elizabeth and Jane Bennet in the Bennet twins, Craig and Dean, and I found that even more interesting, as they both assume what is traditionally the role of 'the female character' of a romance novel - Craig in particular is pursued and sexually objectified in the same way, while female characters doing the pursing are the ones in control of the situation.  He is 'walking in someone else's shoes' and experiencing what it feels like - in this case a woman's shoes.  I found that very refreshing, and not something I have ever come across in a romance novel before.

There is an added bonus for readers who have read and are familiar with P&P, as Moore has done a nice job of adapting the plot for modern times - some of the scenes and dialogue seem to have been lifted from the original.  Very nicely done, indeed!

The downside:
I gather this is the author's debut novel, and like most first novels it isn't perfect.

It contains a lot of dialogue, which I didn't mind, but is not for everyone.  Also, unless you pay attention you may find it difficult to work out who is doing the talking in some scenarios.

I did have to suspend my disbelief because I am not entirely convinced that some aspects of this story are feasible.  In particular, I am not convinced that the British class divide in the 21st century is as stark as is suggested in this novel.  The pyramid is flatter than it once was.  For example: When dining, do people still use different types of cutlery for each course?  Maybe the Queen (?).  I do see that the stark class divide works better for the story, so perhaps it is exaggeration for impact (?).  

The verdict:
If you are a fan of P&P I would recommend you read this book.  Even if you aren't familiar with the original, it's novelty alone makes it an interesting read.  Misguided Perceptions is a treasure that I hope will not remain hidden.