I loved the world created by this author. So real, so relatable to our current fears about AI, and believable as something the world may grapple with one day.

The characters were fun and well differentiated - dealing with real issues and not removed from budgets/reality like in a lot of sci-fi/fantasy. I will say, some of the prose dragged for me. It felt more like the author was straying into exposition, telling us about philosophy rather than moving the story along.

That being said, this was a really fun read and it gave me a lot to think about.

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Machinehood by S.B. Divya is a science-fiction story about the way legal drugs, artificial intelligence, and big corporations can inherit the future. Ms. Divya is an award nominated writer, this is her first novel.

In the year 2095, Welga Ramirez is an ex-special forces soldier, now working as a bodyguard. Additionally, Welga is about to retire and move to an off world space station with her boyfriend. Welga’s client, however, is killed. In a world where people don’t usually die in a violent way this is an especially big issue.

The Machinehood, a terrorist group which is attacking pill funders that all humans use seem to be behind the killing, wanting to stop pill production. The operative Machinehood sent is part machine, part human which no one has seen before.

The world building in Machinehood by S.B. Divya was, for me, the highlight of this book. Humans are reliant on pills, which everyone can make in their kitchens. The pills can help you be stronger, or faster, or smarter, for a period of time.

Humans need these pills because they must compete with robots for work. It is a fierce way to make a living, nevertheless humans augment themselves in a way which will damage their health in the long term.

The financial system of a gig economy and total lack of privacy are also an equally important aspect of this world building. People have a “tip jar” and accordingly stream themselves via drones. Since Welga, the protagonist, has an exciting job and gets tipped well (they try not to be too violent), but others struggle. They even broadcast themselves having sex, without reservation, hoping for tips. It’s a generally gloomy future.

Ms. Divya captures all the nuances of science-fiction which, specifically, I find fascinating. How people eat, sleep, bath, communicate, commute as well as other such mundane, everyday activities.

This is a very will written story, sci-fi or not, it is a concise story with compelling characters and world building. The power struggle within the pages shows a scary, disturbing, and quite believe path for humanity.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

This book gives us a rather grim view of the future, where social media drives success (to an extreme) and medical augmentation is required of anyone wanting to thrive in their jobs. Humans compete (even more than today) for jobs against machines. The intelligence of machines has grown to the extent that there are large movements that want to give machines the same rights as biological humans. And, of course, corporations are the big evil, letting profits thrive above accountability.

Lots of interesting bio-ethics are involved in this novel, as well as how personal devices could morph into... something more.

In the year 2095 humans take pills in order to be able to compete with artificial intelligence in a gig based economy that is more competitive every day. There is a daily Pill that defends against designer diseases. There are pills that enhance focus, some that enhance strength, speed and intelligence. There are even pills that speed the healing process.

Welga Ramirez, ex-special forces and currently working as an executive bodyguard, was considering retirement. At least until her client is killed in front of her. The Machinehood takes credit for this attack and for several others aimed at pill makers and funders. The Mahinehood then demands that all pill production and consumption be stopped in one week.

People do not take this well at all. Many destroy their bots, believing the bots will turn on them. Others fear for their jobs, as there is no way they can keep up with AI without their pills.

Welga is determined to take down the Machinehood, But who are the Machinehood and what do they really want?

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

The main character, Welga Ramirez, is ex-military and now works as a Shield. This is an almost entirely gig economy. Welga is a for-hire guard for some of the wealthiest pill manufacturers. She is augmented by built-in technology and pills that can increase thought, strength, and speed. She is suffering from side effects that could be from the pills that everyone uses to function at a level that allows them to compete against intelligent machines.

I prefer Science fiction that focuses on ideas and the dilemmas that evolve out of humanity’s advances. This novel does that and infuses Buddist thought into the argument that Artificial intelligence is deserving of treatment that is equal to humans. Machines that can think are performing most of humanity's tasks and are treated as non-entities. Are they more?

The story explores the conflict between society and a group called the Machinhood, who are fighting for machine rights. This conflict draws Welga and her family into the core of the fight. There are plenty of exciting twists and plot changes to keep the story moving. Even during the action, there is the questioning of what is human and are machines capable of thought and possible emotions, also similar enough to humans to be sentient beings.

I enjoyed this book and the concepts that it explores. The main character is intriguing and the plot moved at a pace that was varied but always entertaining. Although I didn’t have time to read long stretches at a time the story was paced so I could read for a shorter or longer time and stay involved and able to follow the plot twists.

I found this to be a well-written and nicely paced story that was thought-provoking while not too cerebral. The Buddist ideas added a counterpoint to the science-edged society that was portrayed.

This book was a great extrapolation of current societal trends and technology. In the not too distant future, machines do a lot of the work, and people use enhancements to keep up. The questions it asks are pretty deep - at what point do AI helpers have rights? How does a non-enhanced human compete in this new world?

The economy, social media, and other settings were very believable, and were definitely my favorite part of the book. The characters were also good. Welga is an elite bodyguard, without much work-time left since much of her job depends on image and she's almost too old. When her client is killed in a coordinated terrorist attack, Welga is determined to find out what happened. The terrorists threaten that all pill production (a main form of enhancement) must stop within a week or worse will happen.

The panic and chaos that happened seemed almost familiar, and the mystery was good. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys futuristic fiction.

Interesting spin on science fiction and AI. This setting is less than 80 years in the future and society relies on machines for practically every task - cooking, cleaning, and manufacturing daily medicines in your home.

I found the medicines in particular extremely scary... Robots had taken over so many jobs, the only way for humans to compete, was by taking pills. They were taking "flow" for work in a job requiring focus and analysis, "zips" were used to enhance strength and durability, "juvers" were taken like antibiotics to heal or reduce pain. Most of the story is focused around the downside of the practically unregulated drugs.

The story could have been condensed a bit with less emphasis on the political aspect. Overall this was a great science fiction tale! Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the free copy!

Machinehood is a terrific book that addresses the struggle between men and machines. A well-done take on the trope of AI/human relations. I loved it!

Very enjoyable, all too believable sci-fi featuring two excellent female lead characters in a near-future world where humans must take performance-enhancing drugs if they have any chance of competing with AI and machines for work. In such an environment, air course many personal difficulties and instances of corporate malfeasance ensue. What next for humanity?

The pacing was slow at times, making the whole novel feel a bit too long, but overall it’s great work. I especially appreciated the global aspect of it, that not everything was based in the U.S.
This author is one to watch for sure.

I haven't read a true blue sci-fi book in a long while and I'm so glad I read Machinehood.
This is sci-fi which is on point.

It is the year 2095 and numerous things have changed.
Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is about to retire early when her client is killed in front of her. It’s 2095 and people don’t usually die from violence. Humanity is entirely dependent on pills that not only help them stay alive, but allow them to compete with artificial intelligence in an increasingly competitive gig economy. Daily doses protect against designer diseases, flow enhances focus, zips and buffs enhance physical strength and speed, and juvers speed the healing process.

All that changes when Welga’s client is killed by The Machinehood, a new and mysterious terrorist group that has simultaneously attacked several major pill funders. The Machinehood operatives seem to be part human, part machine, something the world has never seen. They issue an ultimatum: stop all pill production in one week.

Global panic ensues as pill production slows and many become ill. Thousands destroy their bots in fear of a strong AI takeover. But the US government believes the Machinehood is a cover for an old enemy. One that Welga is uniquely qualified to fight.

Welga, determined to take down the Machinehood, is pulled back into intelligence work by the government that betrayed her. But who are the Machinehood and what do they really want?

The plot, characters, action, themes and character development are top notch. The writing is sharp and the pacing and the plotting of the story is so good that the world is believable.
The merging of human with machine and possible sentient machines has been done seamlessly.

One of the best parts about the book was the way social media had changed by the time the story starts. Microdrones, small flying camera bots, infest the air. Everyone's actions are live-streamed. If people like what they see, there's a tip jar. It's like straight from a Black Mirror episode.

The premise sounds simple: a group wants the same rights afforded humans to be afforded to machines--it's something that's popped up in time throughout humanity but here the author has done a super job of handling it. It is logical and unpredictable. It is thought-provoking making you ask questions and ponder.

This book came at the perfect time for me. I was feeling a bit slumpy and this action packed sci-fi was exactly what I needed. I really loved exploring the world through the eyes of Welga and her sister in law and the world is my favorite part of this book. What S.B. Divya envisions for 2090 is so interesting and not something I have personally seen. Although I loved the world I had some issues with the world building execution but that didn't really detract from my enjoyment. I am constantly going back and forth with how I feel about the ending but think I have landed on largely liking it. This was just the perfect paced novel for me and exactly the type of compelling sci-fi I wanted when I picked it up.

Machinehood is a great novel which questions and challenges the line between man and machine. In 2095 bots and AI make the world run, while humans take pills and boosters to keep up with them. Humans live their lives on display, captured on constant video feeds, receiving tips by their viewers.

This future is easy to imagine, it takes our gig economy to a likely, and unsettling, conclusion. It takes our fascination with watching others, and monetizes it. It is entirely believable, as all good sci-fi tends to be. When a new enemy threatens this way of life Welga Ramirez, former government agent turned private body guard, is pulled back into her old life to try to stop the Machinehood.

Welga is a great character and while she struggles to discover the enemy, she also struggles to control her failing body. The pills and boosters are doing more harm than good and her sister in law, Nithya, races to find answers. The story is told through alternating chapters, giving the reader a glimpse into two very different lives. The world building is excellent and fully formed. The story takes its time and delivers a satisfying read.

This is a story about family, about what makes us human, and about what keeps us human.

The title of S. B. Divya’s debut novel, Machinehood (Gallery/Saga Press, 2021), refers to an underground band of rebels (or terrorists, depending on your view) who threaten to unplug the world from the tech essential to modern life unless all intelligences—human and man-made—are given equal rights.

The book opens with Welga, the story’s hero, ordering black coffee from a bot in Chennai, India; the bot puts milk in the coffee while insisting that the drink is still “black.” A human vendor across the street fills Welga’s order properly, without milk, and then summarizes her experiences with the two vendors in a tidy lesson: “Bots work faster, but human mind is smarter.”

The vendor’s words foreshadow the fault line that runs through the book. On the one hand, humans rely on bots to run their homes and economy, on the other, humans compete with bots, constantly afraid of falling physically and mentally behind.

“Once upon a time, we harnessed animals to help us,” Divya says. “Now we've turned to machines and, as those machines get increasingly intelligent, the competition in certain sectors is going to also ramp up. There's an existential fear right now for a lot of people that AIs are going to replace them and then they're not going to have work. So in part, this novel is exploring that particular concern, but not so much as a dystopia, more as a realistic vision … of what the future could look like when we have to coexist with these very, very capable machines.”

Set 75 years in the future, the AIs in Welga’s world have not yet achieved sentience (hence they’re referred to as “weak” AIs.) Still, they are stronger and process information faster than humans. To keep up, humans use mechanized exoskeletons to make themselves stronger and pills to speed their thinking and reflexes, greying the distinction between humans and bots.

“How much of a difference is there really between human beings, cyborgs and AI-based robots? And should we be making as much distinction between those categories as we do today, especially going forward as all of these things get more sophisticated? I was really interested in looking at the blurring of those lines and interrogating at what point we decide to give machines rights, especially when they provide us with so much free labor.”

S.B. Divya was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for her novella Runtime. She is co-editor of Escape Pod, with Mur Lafferty.

Lots of interesting ideas here, but also a lot of troubling assumptions. Full review at the Chicago Review of Books.

Included in March 23 column at Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/lets-talk-about-wonderful-indian-science-fiction-and-fantasy-novels/2021/03/22/ff61b888-868a-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html

Highly recommended book that I am going to use as supplementary reading material in teaching my undergraduate and graduate Intro. to Artificial Intelligence course. With Ethics in AI becoming an important topic to be addressed in today’s day and age of machine learning, data science, and artificial intelligence; S.B. Divya’s book asks important questions - What is the intelligence continuum? Can one form of intelligence own another?

Machinehood is a near-future, set in 2095, action-packed sci-fi to keep the story moving while engaging the reader's philosophical grey cells is a delicate balance that S.B. Divya manages with aplomb! In 2095 human beings rely on on AI, robots and mainly on a sort of smart-drugs that enhances their body cyberneticaly to ensure that they can compete with machines. A shadowy organization (calling themselves Mahcinehood) appears and demands that humans stop relying on these technologies and grant personhood to these AI and intelligent beings. The book very cleverly explores these intersections because it deliberately moves away from the traditional portrayal of AI and Intelligent Machines (pop culture and film) as horribly evil (commonly terminator) or horribly oppressed (ex machina) and offers a moral and legal treatment of Artificial Intelligence.

Kudos on an excellent debut novel.

Machinehood was fantastic and yet a bit terrifying to think about how deeply social media has infiltrated daily life in this future. I mean EVERYTHING. And people can tip you. Add in drugs to enhance human abilities, robots, androids and a brewing rebellion and you have a really interesting SciFi adventure.

I loved the diversity of the characters overall but specifically appreciated how gender and a person's pronouns were woven seamlessly into the world. The pacing felt a little uneven at times but obviously not enough to stop me from binging 2/3s of the book in a day.

I found Machinehood to be both thrilling and thought-provoking. I will be keeping an eye out for what ever S.B. Divya puts out next!

An interesting take on artificial intelligence and the molding with humanity. I found the book engrossing and well thought out.

MACHINEHOOD is straight out outstanding Science Fiction! Cli-Fi, Sci-Fi, Futuristic (not too far), Classism, Climate change destroying the planet, space stations, and MACHINES! Bots and WAI (Weak Artificial Intelligence). Not yet at the point of digital implants, but Virtual connections,  voluntary modifications with machine tech, protestors against not giving machines rights. A global economy in which humans are often relegated to status of supervisory labor of machines,  and almost all humans are on daily pills for physical and mental improvement.

Author S. B. Divya juggles not just a wide cast of characters delineated in depth, but also explores machines utilized to improve human life (often to satisfy human greed and cupidity), and whether machines can be intelligent and sentient and have inalienable rights. As in her short story LOSS OF SIGNAL, Ms. Divya opens the core of her characters to unexpected and gratifying levels.

In Machinehood, humans operate on a higher level thanks to pills called flow. They have to do something to keep up with machines/AI, which of course have no rights or powers. The Machinehood operatives seem to be part human, part machine, something the world has never seen. They issue an ultimatum: stop all pill production in one week. Welga, determined to take down the Machinehood, is pulled back into intelligence work by the government that betrayed her. But who are the Machinehood and what do they really want?

There are things I really liked about this book. Asian representation, the effects of merging humanity and AI, and the question of the end of gender. I appreciated how the future uses religion to show how people’s view of them and religious practices adapt (or don’t) to changing times. The last two hours got really good, but for me, it took too long to really grab me. I’m glad I stuck with it, but it took effort.

It’s out now, though, and there’s some really good stuff in here. I find that to be true of most sci-fi, particularly the works that are actually inclusive and intersectional.