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THIS REVIEW HAS 0 SPOILERS (i think) SO READ ON EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK
Imagine you are a farmer on a distant planet. Your Gandparents were the first to arrive off a colony ship that took 200 years to make the trek from Earth to “New Sonora”. You have been told you would be left alone. That is not the case. Soon after a gate is opened to make ease of travel between Earth and New Sonora easier, Apex industries was tasked by the Earth government to clear out the settlers. Seeing an opportunity for cha-ching $$$ dollar eyes emoji, they put the opportunity to remotely pilot a mech on sale. Allowing anyone (with deep enough pockets) the opportunity to protect humanity from the comfort of their own homes. Oliver and friends are minding their own business, when the mechs come knockin’. Their only defense is their farm equipment and an AI unit named Roger.
If you are not acquainted with Matt Dinniman, I suggest you do so quickly. The man puts a modern twist on science fiction in a way that works surprisingly well. I feel as if any mention of AI in literature can easily be disregarded with an eye-roll. The classic dystopian future where AI gets out of control is dry and frankly not very interesting. Surprisingly, that is not the case in OBH. Dinniman’s AI characters are more than just a lifeless, robotic system that won’t open the bay doors. The AI in this book had depth and personality. It follows an arc that proves, along with the other characters, who it is.
Overall this book left me contemplative of our own world, technology, social media and such. The internet has pushed us farther away from people both far and near. I spend the precious time I could be enjoying a walk through my neighborhood (full of neighbors, mind you) to judge a person who lives 5,000 miles away for a 10 second snippet of their lives. Without standing too high on my soapbox, I will say that this book made me rethink how I treat the people who I may not understand and sparked my desire to better know those who share my sidewalks.
It was a good book, I love me some new science fiction. Be prepared to have to push through some of the middle to get to the good stuff, but I would recommend to anyone wanting a not-too-distant future sci-fi novel.