Book #34 of 2026:
UnWorld by Jayson Greene
In the not-too-distant future of this novella, people can create digital copies of themselves to serve as a backstop for their fallible physical memories. Generally the uploaded consciousness stays close to the human original, but Ana’s has asked to be set free following the death by apparent suicide of her teenage son, whom we learn had developed a relationship of his own with the divergent A.I.
It’s topical and eerily plausible in a Black Mirror sort of way, but both the short length and the structure of this story work against it. We follow first that heroine, then a new woman who has bonded with the former’s virtual self, then the dead boy’s best friend, and then the actual computer program, before circling back for a quick epilogue with the initial protagonist. Although the perspective of a grieving parent is well-rendered and the speculative premise is an interesting one, I think I would have preferred a plot that stuck with one primary character to explore at a greater depth rather than the loose baton race we’re given here.
★★★☆☆
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