I am thrilled to be part of this book tour and tell you about this debut sci-fi novel!
Thank you, Random Things Tours, for providing me with the ARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
My rating:
Synopsis:
A highly anticipated, sweeping debut set in a unified Korea that tells the story of three estranged siblings—two human, one robot—as they collide against the backdrop of a murder investigation to settle old scores and make sense of their shattered childhood, perfect for fans of Klara and the Sun and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.
Read More:
In a reunified Korea of the future, robots have been integrated into society as surrogates, servants, children, and even lovers. Though boundaries between bionic and organic frequently blur, these robots are decidedly second-class citizens. Jun and Morgan, two siblings estranged for many years, are haunted by the memory of their lost brother, Yoyo, who was warm, sensitive, and very nearly human.
Jun, a war veteran turned detective of the lowly Robot Crimes Unit in Seoul, becomes consumed by an investigation that reconnects him with his sister Morgan, now a prominent robot designer working for a top firm, who is, embarrassingly, dating one of her creations in secret.
On the other side of Seoul in a junkyard filled with abandoned robots, eleven-year-old Ruijie sifts through scraps looking for robotic parts that might support her failing body. When she discovers a robot boy named Yoyo among the piles of trash, an unlikely bond is formed since Yoyo is so lifelike, he’s unlike anything she’s seen before.
While Morgan prepares to launch the most advanced robot-boy of her career, Jun’s investigation sparks a journey through the underbelly of Seoul, unearthing deeper mysteries about the history of their country and their family. The three siblings must find their way back to each other to reckon with their pasts and the future ahead of them in this poignant and remarkable exploration of what it really means to be human.
- Pages: 400
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Mystery
- Publication date: March 11, 2025 by Simon & Schuster
- Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audible, Hardcover
- Source: Random Things Tours
PURCHASE LINKS:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
AUDIBLE
THE REVIEW:
Hmmm, I must say this was an interesting read for sure. I really struggled with the writing style, and it did take me a lot of effort to get used to it. I don’t really know why per se, it wasn’t difficult to understand or anything like that, I just guess it was scattered a bit, and we were jumping from one point to another, hence the struggle to focus on what was really going on.
The story follows Jun, Morgan, Yoyo and Ruijie, and it has different timelines by diving deep into the meaning of what it is to be human. The setting is in Korea after the South and the North have unified, and it portrays the culture and traditions of this country, which I really appreciate since I am a huge fan of South Korea myself (been there and loved it!).
Jun is a detective who investigates crimes related to robots, there are layers of him that I found intriguing. Morgan, on the other hand, is his sister, and she is designing robots for a big robotic company. They are estranged, but Jun’s most recent case of kidnapping has made them cross paths. Yoyo, well, he is their long-lost brother. Ruijie is just a girl who happens to encounter Yoyo and is dealing with a degenerative disease that forces her to use “robowear” in order to be able to move. Her character was really key to the whole story, I think, and I really liked her resilience and the connection she formed with Yoyo.
This was a very deep dive into a society where robots are everywhere, and they can substitute pretty much every part of our everyday life, from servants to children to lovers to things a bit more sinister. It delves into the ever-pondering moral questions when it comes to sci-fi novels involving robots, but it only scratches the surface here. I really did like the depiction of the dysfunctional family, of the grief and how thought-provoking some parts of this book were.
3.5/5
On a side note, there is a rumour that this book will be turned into a TV series, and the author will be directing the production. If this hits the big screen, I would absolutely love to watch it!
TOUR SCHEDULE:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Silvia Park grew up in Seoul and has spent most of her life in Korea.
She received her BA from Columbia and her MFA from NYU, in addition to completing the Clarion Workshop in 2018 on the George R.R. Martin “Sense of Wonder” Fellowship.
Her short fiction has been published in Black Warrior Review, Joyland and Tor.com, nominated for a Pushcart and reprinted in the 2019 Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Contact details:
IG @park_silvia
Lin's Perspective 
Leave a comment