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Activation Degradation

A Novel

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

The Murderbot Diaries makes first contact in this new, futuristic, standalone novel exploring sentience and artificial intelligence through the lenses of conflicted robot hero Unit Four, from Marina Lostetter, critically acclaimed author of Noumenon, Noumenon Infinity, and Noumenon Ultra.

When Unit Four—a biological soft robot built and stored high above the Jovian atmosphere—is activated for the first time, it's in crisis mode. Aliens are attacking the Helium-3 mine it was created to oversee, and now its sole purpose is to defend Earth's largest energy resource from the invaders in ship-to-ship combat.

But something's wrong. Unit Four doesn't feel quite right.

There are files in its databanks it can't account for, unusual chemical combinations roaring through its pipes, and the primers it possesses on the aliens are suspiciously sparse. The robot is under orders to seek and destroy. That's all it knows.

According to its handler, that's all it needs to know.

Determined to fulfill its directives, Unit Four launches its ship and goes on the attack, but it has no idea it's about to get caught in a downward spiral of misinformation, reprograming, and interstellar conflict.

Most robots are simple tools. Unit Four is well on its way to becoming something more....

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from August 2, 2021
      Lostetter (the Noumenon series) sweeps readers up into a thrilling sci-fi adventure that raises challenging questions about artificial intelligence, sentient responsibility, and freedom. In a far future in which Earth society hangs on by a thread, Autonomous Maintenance System Unit Four is programmed to defend the valuable helium-3 mine orbiting Jupiter under the command of its Earth-based handler. An alien ship attacks and Unit Four risks everything to defend its workplace and home, but when it’s captured by the enemy and discovers they look just like it does—bipedal “soft” robots—Unit Four questions everything it thought it knew. Presented with an alternate worldview, Unit Four must decide whom and how much to believe, and then what to do about it. This decision makes for a riveting story that weaves mystery and philosophical questions together with brisk action. Unit Four is a fascinating character, and Lostetter’s vivid descriptions create a marvelously textured setting for this story of human error and hidden history, where nothing is really what it seems and the truth may be the strangest thing of all. The twisty plot and masterful storytelling set this apart. Agent: DongWon Song, Howard Morhaim Literary.

    • Booklist

      September 1, 2021
      Lostetter's latest (after The Helm of Midnight, 2021) uses classic science-fiction themes to weave together a story that's familiar, and yet it offers enough mystique to keep the reader guessing. Unit Four is activated with a very specific purpose: defend the Jupiter mine, which allows Earth to retain resources for its population, at all costs. Unit Four's only interactions are with the other units--its ""sisters""--and its handler. After a mission to take out the invaders who threaten the mine fails, Unit Four is taken aboard a ship with some strange invaders indeed--and it discovers that its world is nowhere near as simple as it was made out to be. Its constant struggle for identity and learning the truth will resonate with readers, and its wavering back and forth between seeing itself as a robot versus a human gives readers an unexpected sense of empathy for it. Though the novel starts off a bit slowly, it quickly picks up when Unit Four's original mission comes to an end and it begins to find itself anew.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Hayden Bishop narrates the story of a sole robot that is orbiting Jupiter in this thrilling sci-fi adventure. Unit Four is programmed to carry out a simple edict: Defend a helium mine orbiting Jupiter under supervision from Earth. An attack on the mine sets Unit Four on a journey of self-discovery that challenges its artificial intelligence. Bishop complements the vivid writing with a nuanced performance that takes the story of a robot confronting its sentience to fascinating heights. Her narration evolves from a clinical tone upon Unit Four's activation to a surprising emotive tone as the story progresses. The novel and performance are engaging and thought provoking as the plot twists and turns toward the revelation of a strange truth. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

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