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designed to please humans but activated a century after their mysterious extinction, is considered obsolete and works menial jobs to survive. When she offends an aristo and needs to escape off-world, she accepts a job as a courier for the mysterious Jeeves
Corporation and becomes embroiled in a complex and dangerous war among factions conspiring against each other for control of society.
479:
is ... classic SF in that it’s all head and no heart: emotional investment in the protagonist remains minimal. Charles Stross with "Bit Rot" has a similar problem ... Stross writes interestingly about the nature of the disaster and its effects on the ship and the entities on board, and our sympathies
282:
society has spread throughout the galaxy. Wealthy and self-indulgent "aristos" own and have enslaved most of the populace; the remaining "free" androids struggle to keep themselves independent and can rarely afford the exorbitant costs of interplanetary travel. Freya, a robotic courtesan originally
404:
The idea of a post-human solar system is an interesting one, and Stross plays with it quite effectively ... This humanless solar system is ... quite vividly explored, with floating cities ... on Venus, waste heated bio-labs on the frozen dwarf planet of Eris, and a truly frightening description of
356:
The combination of sex and violence clashes a bit with some deep philosophizing on identity and purpose, though Stross’s sense of humor and Freya’s rollicking adventure transcend what SF Reviews deems "some bizarre cross-genre hybrid." Many SF readers will appreciate the novel, deemed as one of
40:
449:
and later made it available online. In the story, a descendant android of Freya's named Lilith
Nakamichi-47 is on a long interstellar voyage as a catastrophic event wreaks havoc on the spaceship and its occupants. Robert E. Waters of
388:
pointed out that the novel contains "a deep message of how android slavery recapitulates humanity's past mistakes", but also suggests that Stross "struggles to make it heard over the moans and gunshots". Adrienne
Martini of the
898:
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wrote that "Stross seems to be saying something about identity and class, but those larger ideas get buried in a labyrinthine plot that isn’t overly satisfying on its own," adding that "for a
Heinlein fan,
472:
agreed, calling it "an exceedingly neat idea for a space horror story, twisting the classic, and Stross, of course, works it out thoroughly well." Nigel Seel wrote for
ScienceFiction.com:
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328:. Both novels feature artificial female persons as secret couriers, both tell their own stories, both secrete their smuggled cargos in their abdomens. Later on in
1603:
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are with Lilith as events unfold ... I enjoyed the story but wondered whether I might have missed some deeper metaphor which Stross had intended.
1523:
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338:. And, identity, in a world where brain data, and brain states, are easily and quickly copyable, isn’t as simple as it is with us meatbags.
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Stross has quite a lot of fun playing with the world he’s created here, naming a city
Heinleingrad, naming a robot butler character after
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705:
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Stross’s more accessible, and revel in the author’s numerous nods toward his influences; others might want to give it a pass.
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called the novel “Good fun ... Heinlein himself would’ve liked this.” Calling it an "erotic futuristic thriller",
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magazine called the novel "a commentary on identity and free will in a post-human galaxy", adding:
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what’s happened to poor old Earth ... The worst sin here is that the ending is rather weak.
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is an interesting game of spot the reference." Jesse Willis of SFFaudio.com wrote:
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there is some playing with the ideas promulgated in
Heinlein’s 1970 novel
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as “one of the most stylishly imaginative robot tales ever penned", and
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seeming to take most of its inspiration though from
Heinlein’s novel
320:’s famous “gentleman’s personal gentleman." It all mostly works with
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The novel chronicles the travels and perils of Freya
Nakamichi-47, a
613:
494:, and called "Bit Rot" the "missing link" between the two novels.
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stories" in the anthology, and called it "one of the most clever
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for Best
Science Fiction Novel, and was a finalist for the 2009
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for Best Science Fiction Novel, and was a finalist for the 2009
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in a distant future in which humanity is extinct and a near-
192:
1034:: Stross's robopervy tribute to the late late Heinlein"
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Schnelbach, Leah; Zutter, Natalie (12 February 2015).
706:"The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2009 Prometheus Awards"
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1001:Magazine's Russell Letson reviews Charles Stross's
838:"Lois Tilton reviews Short Fiction, early December"
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376:described it as "a smart and playful romp.” The
234:tribute", specifically to Heinlein's 1982 novel
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1524:Wireless: The Essential Charles Stross
302:, in particular Heinlein's 1982 novel
1604:Fiction about trans-Neptunian objects
982:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
971:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
508:
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243:The novel was nominated for the 2009
18:Saturn's Children (Stross novel)
7:
454:classified "Bit Rot" as "one of the
648:. TheHugoAwards.org. 18 August 2009
897:Waters, Robert E. (8 March 2011).
25:
1054:Hecht, Jeff (12 November 2008).
804:Stross, Charles (16 June 2013).
1493:Toast: And Other Rusted Futures
1125:Rees, Gareth (9 January 2010).
995:Letson, Russell (August 2008).
612:Willis, Jesse (26 April 2010).
1579:British science fiction novels
679:. 27 June 2009. Archived from
541:. Antipope.org. 27 August 2010
516:. Antipope.org. 9 October 2009
1:
867:Seel, Nigel (11 April 2011).
539:"Interview - Charlie's Diary"
440:called "Bit Rot" in the 2010
294:is an homage to the works of
27:2008 novel by Charles Stross
1569:2008 science fiction novels
991:, at Stross's official site
462:stories in recent memory."
412:was nominated for the 2009
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1101:Jones, Michael M. (2008).
1080:Wagner, Thomas M. (2008).
743:by Charles Stross: Praise"
477:The Server and the Dragon
414:Hugo Award for Best Novel
245:Hugo Award for Best Novel
37:
1594:Novels by Charles Stross
1539:The Rapture of the Nerds
806:"Short Story: "Bit Rot""
514:"The Charles Stross FAQ"
484:In 2013 Stross released
226:novel by British author
1379:The Revolution Business
379:San Diego Union-Tribune
60:Audio read by
1292:The Annihilation Score
933:"Fiction Book Review:
768:"Fiction Book Review:
482:
407:
359:
340:
310:Three Laws of Robotics
263:was released in 2009.
1614:Novels about androids
1268:The Fuller Memorandum
1252:The Atrocity Archives
980:title listing at the
969:title listing at the
966:Saturn's Children
1619:Novels about slavery
1337:The Merchant Princes
1300:The Nightmare Stacks
1276:The Apocalypse Codex
1149:Fifty Shades of Grey
1028:(10 November 2008).
901:Engineering Infinity
875:. ScienceFiction.com
871:Engineering Infinity
446:Engineering Infinity
432:Though Stross wrote
392:Baltimore City Paper
259:version narrated by
1609:Novels set on Venus
1574:2008 British novels
1387:The Trade of Queens
1316:The Labyrinth Index
1260:The Jennifer Morgue
836:(7 December 2010).
671:"2009 Locus Awards"
335:I Will Fear No Evil
198:PR6119.T79 S28 2008
44:First edition cover
34:
1599:Space opera novels
1589:Novels set on Mars
1371:The Merchants' War
1363:The Clan Corporate
1324:Dead Lies Dreaming
1308:The Delirium Brief
1107:by Charles Stross"
1060:by Charles Stross"
937:by Charles Stross"
772:by Charles Stross"
646:"2009 Hugo Awards"
618:by Charles Stross"
574:by Charles Stross"
343:Critical reception
300:Robert A. Heinlein
113:July 1, 2008 (US)
33:Saturn's Children
1624:Orbit Books books
1556:
1555:
1549:
1459:Saturn's Children
1450:Saturn's Children
1355:The Hidden Family
1242:The Laundry Files
1147:"SFF Sexier Than
1129:Saturn's Children
1105:Saturn's Children
1084:Saturn's Children
1082:"Charles Stross:
1058:Saturn's Children
1032:Saturn's Children
1003:Saturn's Children
941:Publishers Weekly
777:Publishers Weekly
770:Saturn's Children
741:Saturn's Children
616:Saturn's Children
572:Saturn's Children
492:Saturn's Children
434:Saturn's Children
410:Saturn's Children
398:Saturn’s Children
385:Publishers Weekly
368:Saturn's Children
330:Saturn’s Children
322:Saturn’s Children
292:Saturn's Children
219:Saturn's Children
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120:Publication place
16:(Redirected from
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1584:Dystopian novels
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1347:The Family Trade
1284:The Rhesus Chart
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913:on 13 April 2017
909:. Archived from
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203:Followed by
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115:3 July 2008 (UK)
109:Publication date
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1088:. SFReviews.net
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582:. November 2008
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1158:. Retrieved
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810:Antipope.org
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622:SFFaudio.com
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