Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2015
368 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
"A deft mixture of science fiction, gritty action, and sweet first love."
In the near future, scientists create what may be a new form of life: an artificial human named Charlotte. All goes well until Charlotte escapes, transfers her consciousness to the Internet, and begins terrorizing the American public.
Charlotte's attacks have everyone on high alert - everyone except Lee Fisher, the closeted son of the US president. Lee has other things to worry about, like keeping his Secret Service detail from finding out about his crush on Nico, the eccentric, Shakespeare-obsessed new boy at school. And keeping Nico from finding out about his recent suicide attempt. And keeping himself from freaking out about all his secrets.
But when attacks start happening at his school, Lee realizes he's Charlotte's next target. Even worse, Nico may be part of Charlotte's plan too.
As Lee races to save himself, uncover Charlotte's plan, and figure out if he can trust Nico, he comes to a whole new understanding of what it means to be alive…and what makes life worth living.
"Starred Review. As varied as his opinions are of himself, so too is the landscape, mixing technology with gothic settings à la Poe and Stoker. Gothic, gadget-y, gay: a socially conscious sci-fi thriller to shelve between The Terminator and Romeo and Juliet." - Kirkus
"Genuine twists should catch readers off-guard, but the ultimate set of revelations requires some significant leaps of logic. Nevertheless, the developing chemistry between Nico and Lee is satisfying, and the story raises intriguing ideas about free will, morality, and growing up. Ages 14–up." - Publishers Weekly
"An excellent debut thriller that will reach a wide range of readers. grade 9 and up." - School Library Journal
"The question of whether machines can possess free will – and if so, what separates man and machine - is thought provoking and handled maturely. Readers will beg for a sequel." - Booklist
"Smart, brave and utterly original...Tim Floreen's unforgettable debut will stay with you long after you've finished reading." - Amie Kaufman, New York Times Bestselling Author of Illuminae and These Broken Stars
"A deft mixture of science fiction, gritty action, and sweet first love, Tim Floreen's debut is everything I want from a book." - Shaun David Hutchinson, author of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley
"A thought-provoking thriller wrapped around a fascinating concept - skillfully mixed in with basic humandilemmas. Tim Floreen's tale convincingly depicts a world where machinescan pass as human, but humans still struggle with age-old questions: 'How much control do I have over my own life? Who can I dare to trust? Who can I dare to love?'" - Margaret Peterson Haddix, New York Times Bestselling Author
This information about Willful Machines was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Tim Floreen majored in English at Yale and earned a Master's degree in creative writing at Boston University. He now lives in San Francisco with his partner and their two cats. Willful Machines is his first novel. You can find him online at TimFloreen.com or on Twitter at @TimFloreen.
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