Annie Bot - Outside of a Dog

English language

Published July 4, 2024 by HarperCollins Publishers.

ISBN:: 9780063312692

(1 review)

A powerful, provocative novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.

Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she’s not the greatest at keeping Doug’s place spotless, but she’s trying to please him. She’s trying hard.

She’s learning, too.

Doug says he loves that Annie’s AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and as Annie’s relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? …

A powerful, provocative novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.

Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she’s not the greatest at keeping Doug’s place spotless, but she’s trying to please him. She’s trying hard.

She’s learning, too.

Doug says he loves that Annie’s AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy, and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and as Annie’s relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?

5 editions

73pctGeek reviewed Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

Dark, timely sci-fi

4 stars

Annie was created to be the perfect cuddle bunny companion, but after she was switched to autodidact mode, things are changing. She’s learning.

Greer writes well, and deftly brings up a host of issues for the reader to ponder. I found the first 20-30% of this book absolutely breathtaking and genuinely exciting. Though I didn’t find the ending quite as exquisite, I don’t see how Greer could have ended it in a truly satisfying (to me) way.

A very timely novel that deals with really heavy, dark themes but remains extremely readable. I’ll be reading more Greer novels in the future.