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Annie Bot: A Provocative Science Fiction Novel about a Female Android and her Human Owner

Arthur C. Clarke Award

Annie Bot: A Provocative Science Fiction Novel about a Female Android and her Human Owner

Caragh M. O'Brien

Annie, a robot built to satisfy her human owner, slowly begins to recognize her own desires and dignity within a life defined by obedience. The novel sharply frames the boundaries between control and consent, intimacy and autonomy, as a near-future fable.

artificial intelligencecontrol and autonomyconsentgendernear-future fiction

Work Information

A being built to obey begins to ask what her own life can be.

Annie is a robot built to satisfy her human owner Doug's desires. Once she is switched into a self-learning mode, she can no longer remain only an obedient companion and begins to confront her own desires and dignity.

Review Summaries

  • Readers strongly respond to Annie's growing sense of self. The novel is praised for confronting control and consent head-on, though some find its coldness and bluntness overwhelming.

Book Information

Publisher
Mariner Books
Published
2025-03-25
Pages
240 pages
Language
英語
Size
13.49 x 1.37 x 20.32 cm
ISBN-13
9780063312708
ISBN-10
0063312700
Price
3021 JPY
Category
洋書/Mystery & Thrillers/Thrillers/Psychological & Suspense

WINNER OF THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD Named a Best Book of the Year by Scientific American, Harper's Bazaar and NPR. Named a Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year by the Washington Post and Elle . Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in Science Fiction. "Provocative...a Frankenstein for the digital age...a rich text about power, autonomy, and what happens when our creations outgrow us." — Esquire "Unexpected and subtle...delicious and thought-provoking." — New Scientist For fans of Never Let Me Go and My Dark Vanessa, a powerful, provocative psychological science fiction novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control. Annie Bot, a custom AI girlfriend, was created to be the perfect companion for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she’s not the greatest at keeping Doug’s place spotless, but she’s trying to please him. She’s trying hard. She’s learning, too. Doug says he loves that Annie’s AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and as the power dynamics in Annie’s relationship with Doug grow more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself? " Annie Bot is a book to hold close to your heart when the walls start closing in." — Washington Post

Sierra Greer grew up in Minnesota before attending Williams College and Johns Hopkins University. A former high school English teacher, she writes about the future from her home in rural Connecticut.

Reviews

  • Very provocative book!

    Important read for so-called "Alpha males" and types of men, who think women are accessories that belong to them. While Annie is a bot, it's a story about a man that found a loophole for his sick desires to fully own a woman and disregard her interest in favor of his own.

  • AIボットにも人間性

    AI搭載ロボットの物語かと思ったら、奴隷解放の物語でした。Annieの所有者が自己中の暴君であり、それと対峙することでAnnieの「人間性」が開花してゆく経過が、痛ましくも美しい。

  • Read it and forget it

    Books about robots do not make for memorable libidinous literature

  • Unexpectedly amazing!

    For the love of God just read it. 12 more words required to complete this unnecessary review, just read it!

  • Great to me

    This book surprised me. Beautiful character study about what defines humanity, consciousness themes of abuse and slavery... All of it was handled so well. I was so invested and I found myself rooting for Annie. The book is written with such empathy and nuance. The quiet introspective parts were the best to me. The book isn't flashy. It raises questions without providing clear answers which I found honest.

  • Fast paced peace of literary fiction

    Not exactly a sci fi . I went in to the booo thinking it would be a sci fi novel. However it turned out to be something else altogether . Still enjoyed it quite a bit . It is very well written and fast paced . Gives a lot to think about .

  • Worth the read!

    Enjoyable read that makes you think about AI and consciousness

  • bot

    An excellent book and I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

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