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Autonomous: How Not To Write a Science Fiction Novel
I thought this was the next great AI and biotech novel
With artificial intelligence (“AI”) playing a larger role in society, I wanted to read Autonomous by Annalee Newitz, which received some critical acclaim when it was published in 2017. Neal Stephenson, one of my favorite science fiction authors, said this about the book:
“Autonomous is to biotech and AI what Neuromancer was to the internet.”
Bold claim. But coming from Stephenson, I was inclined to believe it.
Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. Very underwhelmed. If anything, Autonomous demonstrated how not to write a science fiction novel.
An interesting plot almost always fails to save subpar worldbuilding
The main character, Jack, is an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate. Autonomous is set in 2144, and Jack works to reverse-engineer drugs produced by big pharmaceutical companies. She sells these on the black market for profit.
The irony of it all is that Jack causes a pharmaceutical disaster in the same way as the corporations she fights against. And she causes it for the same reason: money.
