Autonomous
A Novel
by Annalee Newitz · first published 2017
55% recommend36% neutral9% critical
Why HN recommends it
Fun, science-grounded far-future sci-fi with a Robin Hood-style story told from two perspectives; recommended by readers who enjoy speculative fiction with plausible tech and a fast, entertaining plot.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
When anything can be owned, how can we be free Earth, 2144. Jack is an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate, traversing the world in a submarine as a pharmaceutical Robin Hood, fabricating cheap scrips for poor people who can’t otherwise afford them. But her latest drug hack has left a trail of lethal overdoses as people become addicted to their work, doing repetitive tasks until they become unsafe or insane. Hot on her trail, an unlikely pair: Eliasz, a brooding military agent, and his robotic partner, Paladin. As they race to stop information about the sinister origins of Jack’s dr
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you might look at the novel Autonomous by Annalee Newitz for her take on such a world, it's quite interesting
on “Medicine needs to embrace open source” ↗There's 'Autonomous' by Annalee Newitz which has lots of things like that https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28209634-autonomous
on “The bacterial 'homing missiles' that scientists want to harness” ↗…Robert Charles Wilson Zodiac by Neal Stephenson The Blue Ant trilogy (Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, Zero History) by William Gibson Omnitopia: Dawn by Diane Duane Walkaway by Cory Doctorow Autonomous by Annalee Newitz The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson Reamde by Neal Stephenson Lock In by John Scalzi Rascal Money by Joseph Garber
on “Ask HN: What's some great fiction for founders and entrepreneurs?” ↗Autonomous by Annalee Newitz that just came out is fantastic fun full of good science - she is a science writer. It also got positive reviews from William Gibson and Neal Stephenson.
on “Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?” ↗There is a fun sci-fi on topic published last year: Autonomous by Annalee Newitz.
on “Why Sleep Apnea Patients Rely on a CPAP Machine Hacker” ↗I recently listened the audiobook version of Autonomous by Annalee Newitz, and liked it a lot. It's an interesting Robin Hood kind of a tale set in far future and told from two different perspectives of the same story.
on “Ask HN: Recent sci-fi recommendations” ↗"Autonomous" by Annalee Newitz fits the bill from reviews/summary, though I personally have not read it.
on “Ask HN: Books on Techno-Dystopias” ↗Best: My Year of Rest and Relaxation - Ottessa Moshfegh The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah Disappointments: The Fifth Season - NK Jemisin - gimmicky nonsense. I realize I'm in the minority. Autonomous - Annalee Newitz - This guy falls in love with a robot that is basically being described as in the shape of a refrigerator, among other things. I couldn't get over how stupid it all was.
on “Ask HN: Favorite fiction books of 2018?” ↗Autonomous (Annalee Newitz, 2017) has a military robot character that uses part of a human brain for functions like face and emotion recognition. As a technical device it’s a smart use of capabilities; as a fictional…
on “The Army tried to develop a missile guided by pigeons” ↗…Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson: a setting in a future San Francisco, handle topic nanotechnology "Counting Heads" by David Marusek: futuristic vision of San Francisco, focus on technology and AI. "Autonomous" by Annalee Newitz: not exclusively in San Francisco, handles AI, piracy, and corporate control. Why explicit San Francisco? :) Taking the possibilities into account, there's might be no San Francisco…
on “Ask HN: Dystopian Sci-fi books that take place in San Francisco to recommend?” ↗…working on [something] and I'm trying to do [etc...] co-worker: Oh, that's [answer...] It becomes clearer what is going on here when we compare to the robot-robot conversations from Annalee Newitz's book Autonomous: The mantis beamed Paladin a hail. Hello. Let’s establish a secure session using the AF protocol. Hello. I can use AF version 7.6, Paladin replied. Let’s do it. I’m Fang. We’ll call this session…
on “Don't Just Say "Hello" in Chat” ↗