‘Fear makes her human. Humans make her fear.’ cover tagline

My thanks to Sandstone Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Actuality’ by Paul Braddon. My apologies for the late feedback.

The novel is set in a future Britain, circa 2130, which is now only England and Wales. In 2101 the Protective Acts banned all AABs, Autonomous Artificial Beings. Yet Evie, a near-perfect bioengineered human, managed to avoid this purge. She was created to serve as a substitute for Evelyn, the late real life fiancé of Matthew, who Evie considers her husband.

Forty-one years have passed and while Matthew has aged, Evie has remained young. He has kept her hidden all these years with the assistance of Daniels, his long suffering servant. Evie worries about what will happen when Matthew dies. Then her existence is accidentally revealed. There are those who would go to extreme lengths to obtain her for nefarious purposes. No further details to avoid spoilers.

In ‘The Actuality’ Paul Braddon explores the popular SF trope that most people consider artificial humans as abominations and are more than willing to capture and/or exterminate them.

The story is told from Evie’s perspective allowing the reader to appreciate her situation and indeed her ‘humanity’.

The novel began quite slowly establishing Evie in her home environment before the sudden switch to more focus on action as Evie seeks sanctuary. There were also times where the text was quite mystical, especially in the conclusion.

Overall, I was impressed with ‘The Actuality’ and felt that it was a strong debut. I was pleased that Paul Braddon concluded with notes on how he created the world of ‘The Actuality’.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Evie is a near-perfect bioengineered human. In a broken-down future England where her kind has been outlawed, her ‘husband’ Matthew keeps her safe but hidden – until her existence is revealed. Now Evie must take her chances on the dark and hostile streets, where more than one predator is on the hunt. I read this book in one sitting. I stayed up until midnight devouring the action A unique story.

In a post-apocalyptic UK, Evie is a bioengineered human, built to be a substitute for the loss of her 'husband' Matthew's real life fiancé, Evelyn, who tragically died. Now that Matthew is getting old but she hasn't aged a day, Evie worries about what will happen to her when he dies. Evie only knows the home where she lives as she is kept inside the garden walls due to the fact that AIs were now forbidden by law, so she has no experience of the violent outside world. When her existence is revealed, she has to go on the run & attempts to rescue the only other AI she has heard about in existence, called David, currently on display at a local museum.

The synopsis to this sounded really intriguing so I was happy to receive an ARC to read. The plot & pacing are good, & the initial characters are well written. I soon came to find Evie too passive, she was reactive rather than initiating events, & she didn't seem to learn from her mistakes. It all built up into a decisive ending which then petered out into a unsatisfactory conclusion. I think a lot more could have been said about the objectification of women, & the ethical considerations involved in AI through the plot. It was an entertaining read but I was ultimately left feeling a little disappointed. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Sandstone Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This was a good read that has a great storyline with an almost lyrical narrative and an interesting storyline. The characters were well written and well developed and I really enjoyed it.

Evie is a near-perfect bioengineered human. In a broken-down future England where her kind has been outlawed, her ‘husband’ Matthew keeps her safe but hidden – until her existence is revealed. Now Evie must take her chances on the dark and hostile streets, where more than one predator is on the hunt.

This is totally not the kind of book that I would normally read. I am not a fan of sci-fi novels however the premise of this caught my attention and I thought I would give it a go.

And I am definitely glad I did. This was a really entertaining novel which kept me gripped throughout. Set hundreds of years in the future it gave an excellent glimpse of what the future planet may look like and the problems we face in terms of climate change and the future of technology.

However, above all that was a really thrilling plot with a delightful twist at the end which I have to say I did not see coming (although it seems so obvious now!)

Thanks to Netgalley and Sandstone Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.