Set My Heart to Five
Stephenson, SimonYou'll be pleased to know that the future of dentistry is in safe hands. It is 2054 and the world has moved on - New Zealand and North Korea are no more - but bots now tend to one's dental needs. Jared is one such bot and has a dental practice in Michigan, but when a glitch in his system means he is facing a compulsory wiping, he has certain feelings about this possibility, illegal feelings. In fact, feelings subversive enough that Jared needs to go on the run.
Thought-provoking and entertaining, Jared, with his unique view of the world, is a superb raconteur for this satirical coming-of-age story that examines what it means to be human while light heartedly endorsing the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
Pages
460
460
Year
2020
2020
Reviews
26-06-2023
This story is told with such humour and perceptive insights into humanity at large that you can't help but laugh and ponder the contradictions in who and how we are. The story takes us down a path, that shows how we treat class, income, and race. Sort of a cross between Smokey and the Bandit meets Blade Runner. Are robots capable of human emotion Are humans even capable of human emotion If the ending doesn't make you shed a single tear then you definitely need to sit down and examine your provenance.
08-05-2023
Not a crowd favourite. Some people didn't finish the book, while some did but didn't really enjoy it. Others thought it was just OK. Although it was an interesting scenario, the writing style was divisive and in some parts it was difficult to suspend belief.
08-11-2022
The satire was appreciated. Some refused to read it, but those who did could appreciate it. The notes were excellent and the questions produced good discussion,
05-10-2022
Moving in parts, with interesting views - especially about New Zealand. Thoughtful and amusing ideas but needed drastic editing.
01-08-2022
There were mixed feelings in the group. Most of us enjoyed reading a sample of 'new writing', and found it intelligent, funny and clever. Others agreed, but felt that the book was too long and got boring in parts. All of us enjoyed the clever criticism of the human race, and the subtle disclosure of the post apocalyptic world. On the whole an interesting book, and we were happy to have read it.
27-07-2022
This was polarising - we either loved or hated it.