... a brilliant novel, a stunning demonstration that all comedy is a skewed perception of tragedy ... The author's writing and the depth and breadth of his knowledge will almost surely impress his readers as a shining display of a unique talent ... that veritable flood of obviously careful research plus knowledge and wisdom doesn't really sufficiently describe the excellence of the novel. On each page, for example, there appear to be enough delicious metaphors to satisfy the appetites of even the most voracious poetry consumers. Some of those creations are hilarious, some are deadly serious, and all seem to flow so naturally from Sosnowski's imagination that they make literary mincemeat of our usual mundane collections of plain old prosaic pronouncements ... no page-turner. You are unlikely to feel that you can hardly wait to see what happens next. Instead, its real pleasures arise from a deliberate and careful reading of the fascinating, funny and thought-provoking items and ideas that grace each page ... The author graciously provides us with a problem without a solution. He takes us on a journey through the bumpy and hazardous lands and mysteries of consciousness and artificial intelligence, the evils of Pandora's box, and the improbable cartoon of George Jedson's future world. And he guides us merrily down that road to the exit ramp that leads us to our own disappearance. But with Buzz firmly implanted in our brains, we exit laughing.
Along with the almost satirical rendering of the world, the lovely writing, and engaging plot, the characters of George and Pandora are brilliant—fascinating, tough characters who, through their own skills, are able to bend the world to meet their needs.
Fans of Sosnowski’s previous works will find his sardonic wit and social commentary an obvious strength in this narrative ... Additionally, the novel explores (albeit superficially) a variety of potentially intriguing ideas and issues, including the looming singularity, the dystopic potential of social media dependence, and humans' corruption of reality. Ultimately though, the overall storyline feels directionless, lacking immediacy and any real emotional intensity. Although some central characters are authentic and identifiable—Pandora’s grandmother steals the show—George is two-dimensional, a forgettable cardboard character who has almost no internal arc. The biggest disappointment, however, is the conclusion, which, while contemplative, has very little thematic impact ... Although conceptually tantalizing, this novel never delivers the goods.
... suffers from a lack of direction ... Though the novel opens with Pandora and George’s rogue AI lovechild killing off most of humanity, the two don’t meet until halfway through the book. Once they do, their budding romance is first drowned in long-winded exposition about quantum computing, then cut short by George’s unexplained disappearance just as the story starts to pick up. When the AI introduced in the prologue is finally built, there have been too many narrative twists and distractions for readers to still be invested in its rampage. Fans of Sosnowski’s distinct and always enjoyable narrative voice may overlook the novel’s odd pacing, but those expecting a gripping sci-fi thriller will be disappointed.
