Autonomous: A Novel by Annalee Newitz (3.5 stars)

This was in the running for a Hugo but didn't win. Big Pharma is the bad guy in this dystopian sci-fi. The things that are different is that it is a coming-of-age for an AI military robot that begins to confront gender identity and a relationship with a human. I particularly liked the idea of AIs and robots enjoying memory crashes like drugs, and selling them to each other:

The bot’s whole body spasmed, his reflexes made useless by bogus and contradictory commands. A wave of ecstatic nonsense gripped him and the file ended.

There's a lot of sex, I think at the expense of character development. There's also some genuinely creepy moments like when Eliasz climbs onto Paladin's back and becomes aroused by shooting the robot's guns...Somehow Paladin spends a ton of time examining how a relationship with Eliasz could work, but no time examining her motivations for killing tons of people to find pirate Jack. 

It was an entertaining read, but one I quickly forgot about and now don't have too much to say.

3.5 stars