Audiobook Review – Interview with the Robot by Lee Bacon, Narrated by Various (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 3 hours and 42 minutes
Publisher: Audible Original
Release Date: January 2, 2020
ASIN: B082P6HKDH
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audible Original free with Audible membership
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Eve looks like an ordinary 12-year-old girl, but there’s nothing ordinary about her. She has no last name. No parents or guardian. She’s on the run from a dangerous and secretive organization that will stop at nothing to track her down.
And most astonishing of all: she’s a robot, a product of Eden Laboratories. When Eve discovers the truth, she realizes everything she thought she knew about herself is a lie. Eve manages to escape, fleeing the lab, the only home she’s ever known.
After being arrested for shoplifting, Eve is interviewed by Petra Amis from Child Welfare Services. Her incredible story unfolds during the interrogation, with flashbacks to her life inside Eden Laboratories, which has a dark secret. Listeners follow Eve from her first moment of consciousness to her evolution as a nearly-human companion to Emory, the son of the founder of Eden Laboratories.
Exploring a range of topics that drive our society and our lives-topics such as artificial intelligence and human nature – Interview with the Robot is a story told by a startlingly original protagonist, a story that explores the vast potential of technology and the deep complexities of humanity.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone story. I got this audiobook as a free Audible Originals through my Audible membership.
Audiobook Quality (4/5): This is a full performance audiobook. Meaning that there are multiple narrators and sound effects. I am usually not a huge fan of full performance audiobooks but in this case it worked pretty well. The different narrators flowed well together and the sound effects didn’t distract too much from the story. My only complaint is the sound effects during the chase scenes; there were car screeching sound effects and honking sound effects that were a bit…nerve-wracking, since I listen to these books while I am driving. I would recommend Audible stay away from traffic, car crash sound effects in audiobooks because it scares people who are driving, biking, running, or walking while listening to them 🙂
Story (4/5): This story mainly explores what human artificial intelligence can become and what it means to be human. Eve is arrested for shoplifting and her interviewer from Child Welfare Services, Petra, asks her about why she was shoplifting. What follows is a story about what Eve and how she got to be in that store stealing.
This was a good story but not all that unique. It explores what it means to be human and have free will, even if you aren’t really human but a highly advanced robot. I enjoyed the interview style this was presented in. There is an interesting twist at the end, which adds an extra dimension to the story. This book is appropriate for middle grade and older readers.
Characters (4/5): I really enjoyed the characters in here and thought they were well done. Eve was fascinating and I love how we got to watch her evolve from a cube to a very realistic girl.
Setting (4/5): This seems to be set in a near future city. The setting was fine but not the focus of the story.
Writing Style (4/5): I enjoyed the interview style that a lot of the story was written in. We flash between Eve’s interview with the social worker and glimpses into Eve’s past. This format worked well and was easy to read. This was generally well written.
Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and think it’s a story that both kids and adults will enjoy. I always enjoy stories that explore artificial intelligence and what it means to be “human”. This is a story that looks at those topics in a way that is easily accessible to a wide age group.
