Annie bot by Sierra Greer
Annie Bot
by Sierra Greer
Science Fiction | Fantasy
231 Pages
Released March 2024
Rating: ★★
Goodreads
Content Warnings
I picked this book up on a whim first because it was on the shorter side but secondly because the idea of a humanizing robot intrigued me.
This book follows Annie, a robot almost indistinguishable from a human woman. Annie was initially built for her owner to be a “cuddle bunny” after the ending of his last relationship but a setting allows her to gain more human-like qualities, such as curiosity. Her increasingly complex nature cause rifts in her relationship.
Let’s get right to the point: this book is about an abusive relationship between a man and a robot but it’s totally ok because she is a robot. I get it, this book is a moral and ethical exploration that explores the lines of robot and human. Unfortunately, I don’t think this really worked for me.
When we meet Annie, she’s already on her way to becoming more “human” due to a setting that her owner has disabled. As Annie becomes more and more complex in her thoughts and behavior, we see how her “relationship” becomes strained. By human standards, Annie’s relationship with her owner is definitely manipulative and abusive - something that, at times feels justified in the novel simply because Annie isn’t a human. There’s also a lot of sexual moments in the book - not in a spicy romance sort of way but in a way that came across as degrading and icky.
Since the book is from Annie’s perspective, I can appreciate her world view slowly evolving from that of someone who is owned and controlled to find her own voice but I wish that concept had been explored more throughout the side characters of this book. Most of the side characters either condone her situation, manipulate it, or behave hostile towards her and I really wanted to see some more characters embracing her humanity instead of ignoring or discouraging it.
Overall, this book left a lot to be desired. I had hoped this book would be more philosophical in nature but instead it felt mostly like reading about an abusive relationship disguised with only a smidge of ethical exploration. Though, in looking back, I suppose there are some parallels you could draw between women in abusive situations and what Annie experience.
All that to say, I wasn’t a big fan of this. But, if you enjoy books that explore the concept of relationships between humans and robots, please don’t let my review stop you from picking it up.