Reviewer (text)
Rachel D., Teen Board Member
In an apocalyptic future, some humans are humans and other humans are, well, not. What started as a military program to make human weapons became a curse for those affected. While the children grow up feeling like average the entire beginning of their lives, the instant they turn eighteen, they are hunted to be killed by the very people who created them.
Isaak is about to turn 18 when his life turns upside down. When he hits his head and instantly recovers in front of his adoptive parents, they immediately quick him out. He's left in the open, until a girl, Azure, rescues him and tell his what he never imagined he would ever hear--he's a robot, and there are already specially trained officers outside of his home ready to kill him. Quickly thereafter, Azure, who has been rescuing robots and leading them to safety in Los Angeles, and Isaak leave to find refuge. On their way to safety, they meet a myriad of fellow robots like JB, Kamea and V, who all have their own specialties and powers.
"Having read many science fiction novels, I was pleasantly surprised with how original BOY ROBOT's plotline was."
Having read many science fiction novels, I was pleasantly surprised with how original BOY ROBOT's plotline was. The characters were fresh, especially Isaak, who was just so lovable and great to read about. There's a lot of reflection about the meaning of humanity and what makes anyone really "human" at all, which I thought was great--Simon Curtis did a great job of using the novel to pose some interesting questions about the way we function as a society.
Up until they were 18, the robots in this novel had no idea they were human-made machines created only to kill. They felt human. So were they ever human because they thought themselves to be so even though they biologically were? It was definitely really cool to reflect on it after finishing the novel.
I felt like this book was also some kind of allegory for what's been happening to the LGBTQ+ community, especially with the shooting at The Pulse nightclub over the summer. Curtis references to it in his preface, but it obvious that the novel really is written to present the struggles of LGBTQ+ teens in this country and around the world. No one's sexuality is really questioned, it is just is, just like how the robots in the book identify as human because they feel like they just are. I thought it was a nice way to address such an important issue.
The book is structured so that some chapters tell the story of Isaak and his fellow robots running from the military-search unit sent to kill him, and short stories of other various robots. I personally didn't mind it, but to be honest, I sometimes skipped the short stories because I wanted to know what was happening in the main plot over the side plots. It was definitely an original aspect to the novel, though, I just didn't care for it much.
If you're looking for an action-packed read unlike anything you've ever seen before, look no further than Curtis' BOY ROBOT. The plotline as well as deeper meaning within the story are more than enough to make any reader interested. BOY ROBOT is set to be a trilogy, and I'll definitely be reading the second novel as soon as it comes out!
Teaser
In a single night, Isaak’s life changed forever. His adoptive parents were killed, a mysterious girl saved him from a team of soldiers, and he learned of his own dark and destructive origin. Isaak is a Robot: a government-made synthetic human, produced as a weapon and now marked for termination. He and the Robots can only find asylum with the Underground --- a secret network of Robots and humans working together to ensure a coexistent future. But with a deadly military force tasked to find him at any cost, his odds are less than favorable. Now Isaak must decide whether to hold on to his humanity and face possible death…or to embrace his true nature in order to survive.
Promo
In a single night, Isaak’s life changed forever. His adoptive parents were killed, a mysterious girl saved him from a team of soldiers, and he learned of his own dark and destructive origin. Isaak is a Robot: a government-made synthetic human, produced as a weapon and now marked for termination. He and the Robots can only find asylum with the Underground --- a secret network of Robots and humans working together to ensure a coexistent future. But with a deadly military force tasked to find him at any cost, his odds are less than favorable. Now Isaak must decide whether to hold on to his humanity and face possible death…or to embrace his true nature in order to survive.
About the Book
Seventeen-year-old Isaak discovers the truth about his origin and the underground forces that must come together to fight against a secret government organization formed to eradicate those like him in this high-octane science fiction debut.
There once was a boy who was made, not created.
In a single night, Isaak’s life changed forever.
His adoptive parents were killed, a mysterious girl saved him from a team of soldiers, and he learned of his own dark and destructive origin.
An origin he doesn’t want to believe, but one he cannot deny.
Isaak is a Robot: a government-made synthetic human, produced as a weapon and now hunted, marked for termination.
He and the Robots can only find asylum with the Underground --- a secret network of Robots and humans working together to ensure a coexistent future.
To be protected by the Underground, Isaak will have to make it there first. But with a deadly military force tasked to find him at any cost, his odds are less than favorable.
Now Isaak must decide whether to hold on to his humanity and face possible death…or to embrace his true nature in order to survive, at the risk of becoming the weapon he was made to be.
In his debut, recording artist Simon Curtis has written a fast-paced, high-stakes novel that explores humanity, the ultimate power of empathy, and the greatest battle of all: love vs. fear.
