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World Running Down
Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City—a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream, until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric.
Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer—an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is a visa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine's always dreamed of. Finding the androids means navigating both pirate territory and Val and Osric's growing feelings for each other. And as they attempt to recover the "merchandise", they encounter a problem: the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives.
The prize is tempting, but carrying out the job would go against everything Valentine stands for, and would threaten the fragile found family that's kept him alive so far. He'll need to decide whether to risk his own dream in order to give the AI a chance to live theirs.
Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer—an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is a visa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine's always dreamed of. Finding the androids means navigating both pirate territory and Val and Osric's growing feelings for each other. And as they attempt to recover the "merchandise", they encounter a problem: the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives.
The prize is tempting, but carrying out the job would go against everything Valentine stands for, and would threaten the fragile found family that's kept him alive so far. He'll need to decide whether to risk his own dream in order to give the AI a chance to live theirs.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2023
About the author
Al Hess
28 books164 followersAlaric (Al) Hess is author of World Running Down, Key Lime Sky, Yours Celestially, and the award-winning Hep Cats of Boise series.
When not hunched before a computer screen, Al can be found at his art desk. He does portraits in both pencil and oil paint, and loves drawing fellow authors' characters nearly as much as his own. He writes cozy and uplifting stories with queer, trans, and neurodiverse representation.
Al is represented by agent Ren Balcombe at Janklow & Nesbit.
When not hunched before a computer screen, Al can be found at his art desk. He does portraits in both pencil and oil paint, and loves drawing fellow authors' characters nearly as much as his own. He writes cozy and uplifting stories with queer, trans, and neurodiverse representation.
Al is represented by agent Ren Balcombe at Janklow & Nesbit.
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March 24, 2023Read during #TransRightsReadathon.
Set in a Mad Max sort of world, where there are still cities that are bastions of civilisation and tech, but it's damn hard to get into them. Valentine, a trans man possibly with ADHD or similar, desperately needs a visa because once he's on the inside he'll get free T and gender affirming healthcare, but that means both money and passing a citizenship test when he struggles with maths. This part is terrific: the dusty deprived desert, the scavenging and scrabbling, Valentine's dysphoria and hopeless longing for a life he's being denied.
Osric is an AI who's put inside an android (metal plus flesh) body by dubious means, perpetrated by a dodgy rich lady. It isn't entirely clear how this comes about or why, which bugged me a little (how do you forge an AI's signature on paperwork? why would you go to such enormous illegal lengths just to create a messenger to find a couple of random scavengers to retrieve your stolen property? Possibly I missed something but this aspect of the plot felt a bit obviously stage machinery for getting our heroes in place.) But if we slide over that (and I have slid over far worse in my time), we get to Osric learning to live in an unfamiliar body and exploring it, Valentine helping, and the two of them falling delightfully in love.
It's a very sweet romance because they're both immensely kind people, not perfect but big hearted. Valentine in particular makes an incredible sacrifice when he realises the property to be retrieved (android sexbots) are actually sentient beings, and puts their wellbeing ahead of his own. It really is a book about reaching out to others, kindness, and community (Osric is cut off from that network with his fellow AIs when he's put in the android body, something I'd have loved to see explored in more depth re its impact) and despite the dystopian world and the acknowledged moral issues with having the privileged few in the city, we are shown kindness and mutual support leading to a brighter future. There can be hope if we stick together.
I had a few niggles--I found Osric a bit too easily human, honestly, plus the above plot issues--but it's highly readable and lots of fun, and I am always here for an adventure story where the heroes don't win by physical strength or fighting skills. CW that there is a lot on the hero's gender dysphoria and quite a bit of misgendering: this is the engine that powers Valentine's fierce determination and persistence, and shows you the depth of his kindness, so it's absolutely necessary.
Set in a Mad Max sort of world, where there are still cities that are bastions of civilisation and tech, but it's damn hard to get into them. Valentine, a trans man possibly with ADHD or similar, desperately needs a visa because once he's on the inside he'll get free T and gender affirming healthcare, but that means both money and passing a citizenship test when he struggles with maths. This part is terrific: the dusty deprived desert, the scavenging and scrabbling, Valentine's dysphoria and hopeless longing for a life he's being denied.
Osric is an AI who's put inside an android (metal plus flesh) body by dubious means, perpetrated by a dodgy rich lady. It isn't entirely clear how this comes about or why, which bugged me a little (how do you forge an AI's signature on paperwork? why would you go to such enormous illegal lengths just to create a messenger to find a couple of random scavengers to retrieve your stolen property? Possibly I missed something but this aspect of the plot felt a bit obviously stage machinery for getting our heroes in place.) But if we slide over that (and I have slid over far worse in my time), we get to Osric learning to live in an unfamiliar body and exploring it, Valentine helping, and the two of them falling delightfully in love.
It's a very sweet romance because they're both immensely kind people, not perfect but big hearted. Valentine in particular makes an incredible sacrifice when he realises the property to be retrieved (android sexbots) are actually sentient beings, and puts their wellbeing ahead of his own. It really is a book about reaching out to others, kindness, and community (Osric is cut off from that network with his fellow AIs when he's put in the android body, something I'd have loved to see explored in more depth re its impact) and despite the dystopian world and the acknowledged moral issues with having the privileged few in the city, we are shown kindness and mutual support leading to a brighter future. There can be hope if we stick together.
I had a few niggles--I found Osric a bit too easily human, honestly, plus the above plot issues--but it's highly readable and lots of fun, and I am always here for an adventure story where the heroes don't win by physical strength or fighting skills. CW that there is a lot on the hero's gender dysphoria and quite a bit of misgendering: this is the engine that powers Valentine's fierce determination and persistence, and shows you the depth of his kindness, so it's absolutely necessary.
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June 14, 2023Have you ever thought, "Mad Max is cool and all, but you know what would make it better? If it was cozy and gay," then do I have the book for you. World Running Down is a sci-fi road trip romance across the wasteland with a few less car chases and a lot more kissing. There are pirates and backstabbers and giant disconcerting biomechatronic eyeballs, but there's also awkward flirting and trans joy and characters talking about their feelings. It's a hug with barbed wire tangled around it.
Rep: trans, gay, lesbian, non-binary, and (briefly mentioned) polyamorous rep; M/M romance
ADHD main character (some people have claimed Valentine for Team Autistic as well, and I am totally okay with that!)
CWs:
Rep: trans, gay, lesbian, non-binary, and (briefly mentioned) polyamorous rep; M/M romance
ADHD main character (some people have claimed Valentine for Team Autistic as well, and I am totally okay with that!)
CWs:
January 25, 2023
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review.*
Lovely queer rep, an adorable AI, and a hopeful futuristic story!
There was a human trans character and his struggles, as well as an exploration of similar struggles through an AI character in a body for the first time. Things like feeling disconnected from your body and being perceived incorrectly. There was a big focus on things like consent and bodily autonomy and being allowed to explore and decide for yourself what sort of form your body should take and what you do with it. There were trans struggles, but also trans joy.
The characters were great. Osric (the AI) was adorable! A little bit disgruntled about his situation at first, naive about some things because he was still learning how bodies worked, but overall such a sweetheart. Valentine was scrappy and determined and so good-hearted. Often going out of his way to help people, even if it meant sacrificing things he wanted. The android women were fun. Cinnamon was hardcore, ready to stab anyone who looked at her the wrong way, but it was pretty understandable given the situation. The other android women were more naive, still coming into their self-awareness, but sweet.
I loved that there was some angst in the romance. Valentine and Osric had some little mishaps and struggles while getting to know each other. But their relationship was also full of care and understanding, to balance it out. I marked this as explicit sex on my blog, but it wasn't super detailed and was very brief.
It was fun how the author created a... culture isn't quite the right word, but the way the AI in Salt Lake did things, how they interacted with each other, how they formed relationships, etc. They were all connected and could sense each others' feelings and thoughts.
The story was enjoyable and kept me reading. The romance and Valentine's goal of moving into the city to be able to get hormones and surgery ran throughout the book, but there was also a plotline about running a job to retrieve some stolen androids, but then everything goes awry.
I'm categorizing this as post-apoc, though I'm not sure if that's super accurate. The setting was a sort of rough but not overly awful future. Rough outside the cities, there are "pirates," people band together in communities or take salvage jobs to get by, but things seem pretty good inside the cities. There actually wasn't much explanation about the world, but that was fine with me, there was just enough to understand these characters' lives.
Overall, I enjoyed these sweet characters, the queer rep, and the hopeful story!
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2023*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes depictions of trans struggles but also trans joy, adorable AI, a bit of action, a bit of romance, and hopeful stories.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Lovely queer rep, an adorable AI, and a hopeful futuristic story!
There was a human trans character and his struggles, as well as an exploration of similar struggles through an AI character in a body for the first time. Things like feeling disconnected from your body and being perceived incorrectly. There was a big focus on things like consent and bodily autonomy and being allowed to explore and decide for yourself what sort of form your body should take and what you do with it. There were trans struggles, but also trans joy.
The characters were great. Osric (the AI) was adorable! A little bit disgruntled about his situation at first, naive about some things because he was still learning how bodies worked, but overall such a sweetheart. Valentine was scrappy and determined and so good-hearted. Often going out of his way to help people, even if it meant sacrificing things he wanted. The android women were fun. Cinnamon was hardcore, ready to stab anyone who looked at her the wrong way, but it was pretty understandable given the situation. The other android women were more naive, still coming into their self-awareness, but sweet.
I loved that there was some angst in the romance. Valentine and Osric had some little mishaps and struggles while getting to know each other. But their relationship was also full of care and understanding, to balance it out. I marked this as explicit sex on my blog, but it wasn't super detailed and was very brief.
It was fun how the author created a... culture isn't quite the right word, but the way the AI in Salt Lake did things, how they interacted with each other, how they formed relationships, etc. They were all connected and could sense each others' feelings and thoughts.
The story was enjoyable and kept me reading. The romance and Valentine's goal of moving into the city to be able to get hormones and surgery ran throughout the book, but there was also a plotline about running a job to retrieve some stolen androids, but then everything goes awry.
I'm categorizing this as post-apoc, though I'm not sure if that's super accurate. The setting was a sort of rough but not overly awful future. Rough outside the cities, there are "pirates," people band together in communities or take salvage jobs to get by, but things seem pretty good inside the cities. There actually wasn't much explanation about the world, but that was fine with me, there was just enough to understand these characters' lives.
Overall, I enjoyed these sweet characters, the queer rep, and the hopeful story!
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2023*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes depictions of trans struggles but also trans joy, adorable AI, a bit of action, a bit of romance, and hopeful stories.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
August 1, 2022
What a fantastic trade debut from Angry Robot <3
World Running Down hits that exquisite sweetspot: a piercing mix of relevant social commentary that is braided into a riveting scifi adventure.
Hess seizes the post apocalyptic landscape and transforms it into a canvas for exploring the complex intersection of technology and gender. Technology offers certain solutions for Valentine but a raft of complications for Osric. The parallels between Osric's (essentially) enslavement in an android body and Valentine's intense dysmorphia with his human body are beautifully drawn, creating a unique and touching bond between the characters.
While the social issues are front and centre, it's important to note that the book is never preachy, nor does Hess let its musings steer the narrative off-course. At the heart of WRD is a chilling, futuristic mystery story with escalating stakes, and some classic scifi themes (android personhood) thrown into the mix.
World Running Down hits that exquisite sweetspot: a piercing mix of relevant social commentary that is braided into a riveting scifi adventure.
Hess seizes the post apocalyptic landscape and transforms it into a canvas for exploring the complex intersection of technology and gender. Technology offers certain solutions for Valentine but a raft of complications for Osric. The parallels between Osric's (essentially) enslavement in an android body and Valentine's intense dysmorphia with his human body are beautifully drawn, creating a unique and touching bond between the characters.
While the social issues are front and centre, it's important to note that the book is never preachy, nor does Hess let its musings steer the narrative off-course. At the heart of WRD is a chilling, futuristic mystery story with escalating stakes, and some classic scifi themes (android personhood) thrown into the mix.
January 17, 2023
3.5 Stars
I appreciated a lot of aspects of this matifacted science fiction story. First I loved that this book included an ownvoices trans perspective which is a representation I am continually seeking out. Likewise I love stories involving artificial intelligence, which was central to the plot. I loved how the author used the AI perspectives to comment on the experience of being trans. It was an interesting metaphor.
Overall I liked this one, but I never fell in love with it.. It was a good balance of social commentary and character work within a well plotted narrative.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
I appreciated a lot of aspects of this matifacted science fiction story. First I loved that this book included an ownvoices trans perspective which is a representation I am continually seeking out. Likewise I love stories involving artificial intelligence, which was central to the plot. I loved how the author used the AI perspectives to comment on the experience of being trans. It was an interesting metaphor.
Overall I liked this one, but I never fell in love with it.. It was a good balance of social commentary and character work within a well plotted narrative.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
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December 26, 2023One of the very best sci-fi tropes is “non-human among humans,” especially when paired with “figuring out embodiment,” because those are just such excellent starting points for asking questions about sentience, bodily autonomy, what it means to be human, and what it means to be a person, even if you’re not human. This book delivers and it’s an action-packed, post-climate-apocalypse/dystopian roadtrip through the desert in what used to be Utah. The setting deftly combines a kind of Mad Max and weird Western vibe (when the characters are kicking up dust on the run from pirates in their beat-up van) with a retrofuturistic, Jazz Age and robots vibe (when the characters are admiring suit fashions and neon lights in Salt Lake). The romance is adorable, which is a nice contrast with the depths of human villainy that drive the plot and all the horrifying mutant animal experiments running amok in the wilderness. There is trans pain here—estranged family, misgendering, transition that feels far out of reach—but it’s balanced by lots and lots of trans joy. I especially appreciated this book’s depiction of a complex friendship; romance has a lot of ride-or-die besties, so it’s surprising and poignant to find a book showing something thornier. Anyway: renegade Mormon desert pirates, android sex workers who will stab you, a sentient AI who is discovering that maybe having a body is kind of nice, actually, and a big-hearted trans guy trying valiantly to save the world and keep his van running.
March 25, 2023
3.5 stars!
This was very cute! Definitely heavy on the romance which I knew going into it. Just doesn’t feel like something that will stick with me.
This was very cute! Definitely heavy on the romance which I knew going into it. Just doesn’t feel like something that will stick with me.
March 9, 2023
This book is PRECIOUS.
I received a review copy from the publisher. Detailed review to come on my blog.
I received a review copy from the publisher. Detailed review to come on my blog.
January 6, 2023
A post-apocalyptic* story brimming with kindness and compassion! Full review to follow.
*If all the rich people abandoning the planet counts as an apocalypse, it sounds quite nice to me.
*If all the rich people abandoning the planet counts as an apocalypse, it sounds quite nice to me.
January 14, 2023
I would like more books like this one, please and thank you.
Trans rep? Check.
Gay love? Check.
Lesbian love? Check.
Neurodivergence? Check.
Non-binary? Check.
ADHD rep? Check.
Great cast of characters? Check.
Robots? Check.
Action? Check.
Plot? CHECK.
I ate this book up in a couple of hours at the start of January and all I want is more from this world that’s been created by Hess. I’ve never read any of their previous work, but that’s absolutely going to change because holy heck I think I’ve found a new favourite author y’all.
Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books for sending me a copy of this one.
Trans rep? Check.
Gay love? Check.
Lesbian love? Check.
Neurodivergence? Check.
Non-binary? Check.
ADHD rep? Check.
Great cast of characters? Check.
Robots? Check.
Action? Check.
Plot? CHECK.
I ate this book up in a couple of hours at the start of January and all I want is more from this world that’s been created by Hess. I’ve never read any of their previous work, but that’s absolutely going to change because holy heck I think I’ve found a new favourite author y’all.
Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books for sending me a copy of this one.
March 15, 2023
"These moments were the best, when they were raw, vulnerable, and happy: when they told hard stories that they could see the humor in with time and distance, laughing hard enough to bring each other to tears; just after they'd made love, both of them delirious with the scent and taste of the other."
This was--
::takes a deep, shaky breath::
sublime.
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy 🤖
World Running Down by Al Hess is an action-packed hopeful dystopian featuring queer & trans joy, a deliciously slow-burning romance with an android & the salt flats of Utah.
I completely & whole-heartedly adored this!
REP: Trans, gay, lesbian, non-binary, polyamorous & ADHD 🫶🏻
This was--
::takes a deep, shaky breath::
sublime.
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy 🤖
World Running Down by Al Hess is an action-packed hopeful dystopian featuring queer & trans joy, a deliciously slow-burning romance with an android & the salt flats of Utah.
I completely & whole-heartedly adored this!
REP: Trans, gay, lesbian, non-binary, polyamorous & ADHD 🫶🏻
February 5, 2023
Delightful. I never knew I needed the joy of reading a Mad Max-esque queer dystopian novel set in my home state but wow did I ever. Not only was this book a lot of fun, but it was so cathartic to see Valentine find himself and people who see him for who he is in a world that could be cruel and unforgiving at times. There were interesting parallels for me in both his and Osric's stories with the complexities of living as a transgender person--how it can be challenging at times but deeply fulfilling to be seen and understood by others as you see yourself. His bond with Osric was so thoughtfully written, too.
September 30, 2022
Tl;dr: Odyssey x Blade Runner, but all the queer joy. Delicious prose, gritty, engaging post-apocalyptic world, and characters you’ll fall for. Hard.
I don’t read as much as I used to. Disabilities, lifestyle (solo parent), and general energy all get in the way. So when I do pick up a book, it had better be DARN good or I’m not going to waste my on it. And friends, I am here to tell you that WORLD RUNNING DOWN does not disappoint.
It’s full of wonderful things:
• Lyrical, elegant moments when the prose is radiant with texture and flavor and your heart sings with the sheer joy of life;
• Characters you’ll love to hate, and characters you’ll fall for so hard that you’ll be rushing through your chores so you can get back to them;
• A salty, rough-edged post-apocalyptic world that’s massively different from our own, yet chillingly similar;
• A fascinating exploration of identity, bodies, and the way social constructs make it hard to see ourselves and be seen;
• Authentic trans pain without any trans trauma porn or exploitation;
• Lots of cute laugh-out-loud moments;
• Action scenes that will have you leaving fingernail-marks on your sweaty palms;
• The most gorgeous slow-burn romance you could hope for;
• A deeply fun and engaging first act, a steady build to the midpoint, plenty of “oh sh*t” moments, and a third act that will have your heart racing;
• An ending that was more artfully crafted than any of us had any right to hope for;
• And so much more!
Al Hess is a masterful writer. It’s clear from the very beginning that he has the heart of a poet and the imagination of a storyteller. His comfort with structure has him providing us a story with the perfect flow of tension and hope to keep us in our feels as we breathlessly turn each page. He has unique and important things to say about living in a body that doesn’t match who you are, and Valentine’s journey as a trans man is refracted elegantly in Osric’s own fraught relationship with his corporeality.
But also, Valentine and Osric’s journey offers insight into how all of the layers of connection, from the most micro to the most macro, are warped by underlying social structures that have grown stale and toxic. Reading WORLD RUNNING DOWN will give anyone the opportunity to see themselves from the outside, and as Al’s prose does its masterful work, to feel the invisible web of the world’s expectations plucked, so that it shudders and becomes visible. In riding along with Valentine and Osric as they find their way, we, too, are given the opportunity to discover ourselves.
Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of WORLD RUNNING DOWN today. Then grab a snack and settle in for the ride of your life.
I don’t read as much as I used to. Disabilities, lifestyle (solo parent), and general energy all get in the way. So when I do pick up a book, it had better be DARN good or I’m not going to waste my on it. And friends, I am here to tell you that WORLD RUNNING DOWN does not disappoint.
It’s full of wonderful things:
• Lyrical, elegant moments when the prose is radiant with texture and flavor and your heart sings with the sheer joy of life;
• Characters you’ll love to hate, and characters you’ll fall for so hard that you’ll be rushing through your chores so you can get back to them;
• A salty, rough-edged post-apocalyptic world that’s massively different from our own, yet chillingly similar;
• A fascinating exploration of identity, bodies, and the way social constructs make it hard to see ourselves and be seen;
• Authentic trans pain without any trans trauma porn or exploitation;
• Lots of cute laugh-out-loud moments;
• Action scenes that will have you leaving fingernail-marks on your sweaty palms;
• The most gorgeous slow-burn romance you could hope for;
• A deeply fun and engaging first act, a steady build to the midpoint, plenty of “oh sh*t” moments, and a third act that will have your heart racing;
• An ending that was more artfully crafted than any of us had any right to hope for;
• And so much more!
Al Hess is a masterful writer. It’s clear from the very beginning that he has the heart of a poet and the imagination of a storyteller. His comfort with structure has him providing us a story with the perfect flow of tension and hope to keep us in our feels as we breathlessly turn each page. He has unique and important things to say about living in a body that doesn’t match who you are, and Valentine’s journey as a trans man is refracted elegantly in Osric’s own fraught relationship with his corporeality.
But also, Valentine and Osric’s journey offers insight into how all of the layers of connection, from the most micro to the most macro, are warped by underlying social structures that have grown stale and toxic. Reading WORLD RUNNING DOWN will give anyone the opportunity to see themselves from the outside, and as Al’s prose does its masterful work, to feel the invisible web of the world’s expectations plucked, so that it shudders and becomes visible. In riding along with Valentine and Osric as they find their way, we, too, are given the opportunity to discover ourselves.
Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of WORLD RUNNING DOWN today. Then grab a snack and settle in for the ride of your life.
March 3, 2023
I loved everything about this book and how it explored so many nuances of transness and humanity via the main character, Valentine, and Osric, as they both struggle to live in the bodies assigned to them but ultimately connect over so much more. If you’re looking for a very queer and very trans spin on Mad Max Fury Road, set in a dystopian futuristic Utah, this is the book for you. Longer review to come. I can’t stop recommending this book to everyone!
August 27, 2023
Post-apocalyptic trans sci-fi romance = you've got my geek girl romance reader attention. Fill it with themes of bodily autonomy, self-determination, love and acceptance + suspense, action, and survival in the desert = YES THANK YOU. Couldn't have been happier with this.
The prequel, Neuro Noir, is also quite charming, so grab that after you read this.
The prequel, Neuro Noir, is also quite charming, so grab that after you read this.
May 30, 2023
This is the most entertaining book I have read in a long time, and definitely a new favorite. When I saw this described as cozy dystopian, I was intrigued, and when I saw that it was set in a place I’m so familiar with (Salt Lake City, Utah), curiosity won over and I had to pick it up. Once I started reading, I could not put it down.
The Salt Lake City (and surrounding area) that we find and explore in World Running Down is quite different from the one that exists today, but there are enough similarities to make it feel very familiar to anyone who has visited frequently or lived in the area. The wealthy and elite live in the city and have access to all kinds of resources people on the outside go without, including some that you might not expect to see in a dystopian novel (healthcare!) AI Stewards run the city and keep things functioning and comfortable for the humans living there, but they're actually decent beings who are good at their jobs, so it's not a creepy evil robot overlord situation. That was cool. Perhaps the best way to describe the setting is that it was very reminiscent of a Fallout game, and I mean that in the very best way possible. I also got the same amusement seeing places and references I was familiar with in this book as I did wandering the wastelands of New Vegas and seeing some familiar sights there.
Our main character Valentine is a transgender man doing whatever scavenging job he can to save up the money he needs to get a visa into the city and to take the citizenship test. In Salt Lake, he can get the gender-affirming medical care he needs. It's a hard life, constantly being attacked by salt pirates (who turn out to be a bunch of Mormons, which is endlessly amusing to me). The other main character we follow is Osric, an AI thrust into the body of an android who is tasked with finding Valentine and offering him a job. The job? To track down a bunch of androids who, it turns out, are gaining self-awareness and don't actually want to go back to the work they were doing before.
I absolutely adored the two main characters and the relationship that develops between them. I also just really loved the fact that this was a such a kind book, especially for a dystopian novel. So often in books like this we see people who are only out for themselves, and while there is some of that here, there's also a lot of characters doing the right thing and supporting each other, even when they don't know each other very well. It was beautiful to see that, and Valentine himself embodies the whole looking-out-for-others attitude throughout the entire story.
It was honestly so deeply satisfying to see such a beautifully, confidently queer book that takes place in an area which is so steeped in Mormonism (and therefore not the most friendly of places for the LGBTQ community). As someone who was born and raised in the LDS church, a lot of the references to Mormonism had me laughing out loud or cheering in agreement or just smiling to myself because I understood where the reference came from. I appreciated that the book raised some questions about Mormon beliefs and the harm in some of those beliefs, but it didn’t villainize Mormons or their religion and acknowledged that there is still good to be found in that community. As an ex-Mormon still trying to unpack some of that religious stuff, a perspective like this was actually really healing for me.
This is a book I will be recommending to people for a very long time. It impacted me deeply and it was entertaining as hell.
The Salt Lake City (and surrounding area) that we find and explore in World Running Down is quite different from the one that exists today, but there are enough similarities to make it feel very familiar to anyone who has visited frequently or lived in the area. The wealthy and elite live in the city and have access to all kinds of resources people on the outside go without, including some that you might not expect to see in a dystopian novel (healthcare!) AI Stewards run the city and keep things functioning and comfortable for the humans living there, but they're actually decent beings who are good at their jobs, so it's not a creepy evil robot overlord situation. That was cool. Perhaps the best way to describe the setting is that it was very reminiscent of a Fallout game, and I mean that in the very best way possible. I also got the same amusement seeing places and references I was familiar with in this book as I did wandering the wastelands of New Vegas and seeing some familiar sights there.
Our main character Valentine is a transgender man doing whatever scavenging job he can to save up the money he needs to get a visa into the city and to take the citizenship test. In Salt Lake, he can get the gender-affirming medical care he needs. It's a hard life, constantly being attacked by salt pirates (who turn out to be a bunch of Mormons, which is endlessly amusing to me). The other main character we follow is Osric, an AI thrust into the body of an android who is tasked with finding Valentine and offering him a job. The job? To track down a bunch of androids who, it turns out, are gaining self-awareness and don't actually want to go back to the work they were doing before.
I absolutely adored the two main characters and the relationship that develops between them. I also just really loved the fact that this was a such a kind book, especially for a dystopian novel. So often in books like this we see people who are only out for themselves, and while there is some of that here, there's also a lot of characters doing the right thing and supporting each other, even when they don't know each other very well. It was beautiful to see that, and Valentine himself embodies the whole looking-out-for-others attitude throughout the entire story.
It was honestly so deeply satisfying to see such a beautifully, confidently queer book that takes place in an area which is so steeped in Mormonism (and therefore not the most friendly of places for the LGBTQ community). As someone who was born and raised in the LDS church, a lot of the references to Mormonism had me laughing out loud or cheering in agreement or just smiling to myself because I understood where the reference came from. I appreciated that the book raised some questions about Mormon beliefs and the harm in some of those beliefs, but it didn’t villainize Mormons or their religion and acknowledged that there is still good to be found in that community. As an ex-Mormon still trying to unpack some of that religious stuff, a perspective like this was actually really healing for me.
This is a book I will be recommending to people for a very long time. It impacted me deeply and it was entertaining as hell.
February 1, 2023
If you’re looking for a sci-fi with found family, action, and a trans MLM MC who wants nothing more than to just be himself- this is for you.
I adored this book- seriously adored it. I won’t say it’s in the cosy genre because it deals with some very strong themes, however the book itself was like a warm hug on a winters day.
Think A Small Angry Planet meets Mad Max and I-Robot. The found family aspect is so wholesome and loving and had me smiling the whole way through.
The book looks at Valentine, who wants nothing more than entry to this utopia (think the Hunger Games capital) so that he can access affirming healthcare. However getting a visa is hard, and he ends up on a mission to retrieve an AI in exchange for one.
World Running Down is incredibly intriguing, it looks into AI and sentience, and how such poses an extreme issue with consent.
The AI in this were my favourite part, they’re such vivid characters overcoming their own pasts and Osric was always making me grin.
Rep: Trans MLM MC (I think Valentine may also be neurodiverse), MLM MC (romance featured is MLM), Poly relationships discussed & one prominent MC used to be in one, Non Binary SC (xyr/xem), Sapphic SC, Mormon SC’s, I believe Cordelia’s character is neurodiverse also, whilst it’s not stated outright we learn about her discomfort with any eye contact.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
TW// Dysphoria, Misgendering, Struggle to access healthcare, Class divide, Explosions, Vehicle crash, Mentions & discussions of SA (not describing any scenes though), Forced sex work themes (not descriptive but one scene shows a character facing sex work but is freed before they are made to), Guns and bullet wounds, Stabbing, Small dick comment, Graphic anal sex (consensual), Trafficking & Kidnapping.
I adored this book- seriously adored it. I won’t say it’s in the cosy genre because it deals with some very strong themes, however the book itself was like a warm hug on a winters day.
Think A Small Angry Planet meets Mad Max and I-Robot. The found family aspect is so wholesome and loving and had me smiling the whole way through.
The book looks at Valentine, who wants nothing more than entry to this utopia (think the Hunger Games capital) so that he can access affirming healthcare. However getting a visa is hard, and he ends up on a mission to retrieve an AI in exchange for one.
World Running Down is incredibly intriguing, it looks into AI and sentience, and how such poses an extreme issue with consent.
The AI in this were my favourite part, they’re such vivid characters overcoming their own pasts and Osric was always making me grin.
Rep: Trans MLM MC (I think Valentine may also be neurodiverse), MLM MC (romance featured is MLM), Poly relationships discussed & one prominent MC used to be in one, Non Binary SC (xyr/xem), Sapphic SC, Mormon SC’s, I believe Cordelia’s character is neurodiverse also, whilst it’s not stated outright we learn about her discomfort with any eye contact.
TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
TW// Dysphoria, Misgendering, Struggle to access healthcare, Class divide, Explosions, Vehicle crash, Mentions & discussions of SA (not describing any scenes though), Forced sex work themes (not descriptive but one scene shows a character facing sex work but is freed before they are made to), Guns and bullet wounds, Stabbing, Small dick comment, Graphic anal sex (consensual), Trafficking & Kidnapping.
February 18, 2023
4.5 stars
The nitty-gritty: A feel good story with lovable characters, World Running Down is an engaging dystopian that offers plenty of food for thought.
Despite the gloomy title, World Running Down was a breath of fresh air, an upbeat and optimistic story that tackles some heavy themes in an accessible way, and it was simply a delight to read. Valentine and Osric are two adorable cinnamon roll characters who stole my heart, and I was rooting for them from the beginning. Valentine is a trans man, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read such a personal, raw story from the trans point of view, written by a trans author no less.
Valentine and Ace are salvagers, roaming the salt flats outside of Salt Lake City in search of paying jobs. Their goal is to make enough money to get visas to the city, where healthcare is free and they won’t have to scrounge for food and other basic resources. Valentine hates his body and he knows he won’t be able to get the surgery he wants without a visa, but visas are expensive and it’s proving difficult to save the money.
One day the two are approached by a man from the city named Osric, who says he’s been sent with a message for Valentine and Ace. Osric used to be a Steward of the city, an AI connected to a vast network of other Stewards. But an altercation at work resulted in Osric being stripped of his title and thrown into a stranger’s body. The woman he works for is looking for a talented salvaging team to go after some merchandise that was stolen from her. And the best part? Payment for completing the job is two visas to the city, one for each of them.
Valentine and Ace are ecstatic and agree to accompany Osric back to Salt Lake City to confirm the details, where they learn that the “merchandise” is a group of female androids who work in Portia’s “house of tea and entertainment.” Osric goes along to help, but once they find the girls, Valentine realizes that returning them to Portia might not be the best idea. Faced with a moral dilemma, a sweet and handsome AI who is curious about his newly acquired body but who also feels out of place, and a partner who is increasingly hard to get along with, Valentine must face salt pirates, misgendering and the fact that his dream of a visa is starting to slip away.
Al Hess sets his story in a futuristic Utah, where only the rich and privileged get to live in a city full of wonderful resources, like free healthcare, access to exotic foods and high fashion, things that those without visas can only dream of. Although the author doesn’t go into great detail with the worldbuilding, I didn’t really mind, because the meat of the story isn’t the worldbuilding, but the characters and their relationships with each other. Valentine is a wonderfully complex character. He longs for a body that he can feel comfortable in, one where he won’t have to wear chest binders or stuff his pants with rolled up socks. He’s trying hard to make things work with his partner Ace, a scrappy woman who isn’t trying to be disrespectful to Valentine, but once in a while she slips up and uses the wrong pronoun.
Valentine also has a soft spot for those in trouble, maybe not the best quality if you’re a salvager in a rough and tumble world. But his moral compass is in full working order, and because he knows from experience how rough it is when people don’t understand you, he tries his best to make sure everyone’s treated fairly.
When he meets Osric, he realizes they have some very important things in common. Osric has been thrust into a body he doesn’t want, just like Valentine, and so they are uniquely qualified to understand each other. Osric may not like his unfamiliar body and its strange urges, but when he and Valentine tentatively get to know each other better, he realizes there are advantages to having one. Hess does a great job of showing that nothing is really clear cut. There’s a tug-of-war going on with both men: Osric longs for his old life as a Steward, but if he goes back, he won’t be able to have a relationship with Valentine. And Valentine is such a good person, he wants Osric to be happy, even if it means giving him up.
This is the first book I’ve read that deals so frankly with the trans experience, and I urge everyone to pick this up, especially if you are curious. Hess talks about the emotions Valentine is feeling, of course, but he also delves into the physical challenges of having a body that just doesn’t feel right and the steps Valentine takes to change that fact, like taking testosterone. Osric and Valentine have some open conversations about the nitty gritty of sex and body parts, which I found fascinating, but as far as on page sex goes, it’s all very mild and sweet, so don’t let that scare you away.
I can’t end this review without mentioning Al Hess’s artwork, which graces both the cover of the book and the inside as well. Hess is a portrait artist, and his drawings of Valentine and Osric are included in the first pages of the book. On his Instagram account, Hess has drawn all of the characters in World Running Down, which is a lot of fun.
And while there are messages aplenty in the book—in addition to the themes of acceptance and identity, Hess also focuses on sentience and the rights of androids and AI—don’t worry, because this is a fun, action-packed story with an engaging plot. The last third of the book in particular was full of high stakes, exciting action, and if you love a good “happily ever after” tale, then look no further. The ending felt like a warm hug, and in fact I wanted to hug Valentine and Osric myself!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
The nitty-gritty: A feel good story with lovable characters, World Running Down is an engaging dystopian that offers plenty of food for thought.
Despite the gloomy title, World Running Down was a breath of fresh air, an upbeat and optimistic story that tackles some heavy themes in an accessible way, and it was simply a delight to read. Valentine and Osric are two adorable cinnamon roll characters who stole my heart, and I was rooting for them from the beginning. Valentine is a trans man, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read such a personal, raw story from the trans point of view, written by a trans author no less.
Valentine and Ace are salvagers, roaming the salt flats outside of Salt Lake City in search of paying jobs. Their goal is to make enough money to get visas to the city, where healthcare is free and they won’t have to scrounge for food and other basic resources. Valentine hates his body and he knows he won’t be able to get the surgery he wants without a visa, but visas are expensive and it’s proving difficult to save the money.
One day the two are approached by a man from the city named Osric, who says he’s been sent with a message for Valentine and Ace. Osric used to be a Steward of the city, an AI connected to a vast network of other Stewards. But an altercation at work resulted in Osric being stripped of his title and thrown into a stranger’s body. The woman he works for is looking for a talented salvaging team to go after some merchandise that was stolen from her. And the best part? Payment for completing the job is two visas to the city, one for each of them.
Valentine and Ace are ecstatic and agree to accompany Osric back to Salt Lake City to confirm the details, where they learn that the “merchandise” is a group of female androids who work in Portia’s “house of tea and entertainment.” Osric goes along to help, but once they find the girls, Valentine realizes that returning them to Portia might not be the best idea. Faced with a moral dilemma, a sweet and handsome AI who is curious about his newly acquired body but who also feels out of place, and a partner who is increasingly hard to get along with, Valentine must face salt pirates, misgendering and the fact that his dream of a visa is starting to slip away.
Al Hess sets his story in a futuristic Utah, where only the rich and privileged get to live in a city full of wonderful resources, like free healthcare, access to exotic foods and high fashion, things that those without visas can only dream of. Although the author doesn’t go into great detail with the worldbuilding, I didn’t really mind, because the meat of the story isn’t the worldbuilding, but the characters and their relationships with each other. Valentine is a wonderfully complex character. He longs for a body that he can feel comfortable in, one where he won’t have to wear chest binders or stuff his pants with rolled up socks. He’s trying hard to make things work with his partner Ace, a scrappy woman who isn’t trying to be disrespectful to Valentine, but once in a while she slips up and uses the wrong pronoun.
Valentine also has a soft spot for those in trouble, maybe not the best quality if you’re a salvager in a rough and tumble world. But his moral compass is in full working order, and because he knows from experience how rough it is when people don’t understand you, he tries his best to make sure everyone’s treated fairly.
When he meets Osric, he realizes they have some very important things in common. Osric has been thrust into a body he doesn’t want, just like Valentine, and so they are uniquely qualified to understand each other. Osric may not like his unfamiliar body and its strange urges, but when he and Valentine tentatively get to know each other better, he realizes there are advantages to having one. Hess does a great job of showing that nothing is really clear cut. There’s a tug-of-war going on with both men: Osric longs for his old life as a Steward, but if he goes back, he won’t be able to have a relationship with Valentine. And Valentine is such a good person, he wants Osric to be happy, even if it means giving him up.
This is the first book I’ve read that deals so frankly with the trans experience, and I urge everyone to pick this up, especially if you are curious. Hess talks about the emotions Valentine is feeling, of course, but he also delves into the physical challenges of having a body that just doesn’t feel right and the steps Valentine takes to change that fact, like taking testosterone. Osric and Valentine have some open conversations about the nitty gritty of sex and body parts, which I found fascinating, but as far as on page sex goes, it’s all very mild and sweet, so don’t let that scare you away.
I can’t end this review without mentioning Al Hess’s artwork, which graces both the cover of the book and the inside as well. Hess is a portrait artist, and his drawings of Valentine and Osric are included in the first pages of the book. On his Instagram account, Hess has drawn all of the characters in World Running Down, which is a lot of fun.
And while there are messages aplenty in the book—in addition to the themes of acceptance and identity, Hess also focuses on sentience and the rights of androids and AI—don’t worry, because this is a fun, action-packed story with an engaging plot. The last third of the book in particular was full of high stakes, exciting action, and if you love a good “happily ever after” tale, then look no further. The ending felt like a warm hug, and in fact I wanted to hug Valentine and Osric myself!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Read
May 23, 2023mad max fury road but extremely queer and horny
May 31, 2023
3.5. The two main characters in this are so well-voiced and fleshed out and I cherish both of them. The plot is nothing new and Ace is such an afterthought unless she's needed for a plot thing.
Love the kindness. Think this could have benefited from being a little shorter. The beginning is definitely the strongest and most compelling part.
Love the kindness. Think this could have benefited from being a little shorter. The beginning is definitely the strongest and most compelling part.
September 17, 2022
I've had the good fortune of reading several of Al's books and, like all of his work, World Running Down is simply breathtaking. Al has a talent for writing incredibly realistic, sympathetic, three-dimensional characters that leap straight off the page and into your heart. The book explores themes of identity, body dysphoria, prejudice, and the confines of social construct, but never in a way that feels overdone or heavy handed. There are plot twists aplenty and an increasing sense of urgency that keep this a propulsive, thrilling read. And while the subject matter is dark and the setting is brutal, World Running Down is never bleak. The incredible humanity (and AI-ity?) in this book shines through, making World Running Down a truly wonderful read.
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 19, 2023I knew going in that this was going to be a sci fi adventure romance, but I still expect romance books to engage with its themes in an interesting and engaging way (especially a queer dystopia), and that's not what I got - at least not from the first quarter of the book. Right off the bat, the pace felt off, and the characters felt flat. The recurring themes of existing in a queer body and what that means for an individual were literally spelled out for the reader, leaving seemingly nothing for the rest of the book to chew on or do something with that isn't painfully unsubtle.
March 2, 2023
Lovely cozy sci fi about doing the right thing and finding joy and connection even as the world falls apart. I especially liked Osric as he figured out what it was like to move from an AI collective to an android body.
February 18, 2023
4.5*
World Running Down was a lovely, quieter take on the future- one replete with AIs of various sentiency, and one with at least a bit of societal collapse. I have seen some reviews mention that it doesn't feel quite post-apocalyptic, and I feel like that is a great way to say it. Because it isn't necessarily the apocalypse- things aren't really at that level of degradation- but neither is it the bustling world we know today. There are cities, and technology, and forms of government, but they're few and far between, and the vast areas between them are kind of lawless hellscapes.
To start, we meet Valentine. I loved that the author provided illustrations of the characters, because I was able to picture them so well! I found Valentine to give me Jasper Jordan vibes, probably from his goggles, but either way it endeared me to him immediately. He's trans, and in a world with very limited resources, getting the medication and surgical procedures he so desperately needs are outside his current financial grasp. That is heartbreaking, full stop. And obviously relevant in our current society, which is even more infuriating because we don't have any global collapses to blame for our ignorance. I digress, but I felt for Valentine from the start. He travels in his van with his bestie Ace, who... honestly sometimes she was more of a frenemy than an actual friend, but their complicated relationship was kind of refreshing to see. Sometimes, we need to see examples of unhealthy relationships (as long as they're portrayed as such, which this does) just as much as great ones. They're traveling around working as couriers basically, trying to earn enough money to become citizens of Salt Lake City.
Osric is an AI. A sentient AI, who used to be part of a collective group of fellow sentient AIs, who now finds himself in this random body he never asked to be in. When Osric and Valentine end up on a mission together, they find they have a lot more in common than meets the eye. I loved the parallels the author created between Valentine's and Osric's body dysphoria. Both simply don't feel comfortable in their current skin, and neither chose the bodies they are in, and obviously this made them even closer, as they were able to relate to each other in such a significant way.
There are a lot of other aspects I enjoyed about this book, too! Things like: Quasi-Apocalyptic Road Trips™, desert pirate clans, other AIs who are being treated like possessions and we hope will eventually not be, complicated relationships, incredibly atmospheric desolate desert settings, thought provoking questions of morality, and lots of humorous and adorable moments along the way. If you like any of the aforementioned, you should probably give this book a go!
Bottom Line: World Running Down was thoughtful and entertaining, with characters I cared about and a story that provides plenty of commentary on current social issues.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
World Running Down was a lovely, quieter take on the future- one replete with AIs of various sentiency, and one with at least a bit of societal collapse. I have seen some reviews mention that it doesn't feel quite post-apocalyptic, and I feel like that is a great way to say it. Because it isn't necessarily the apocalypse- things aren't really at that level of degradation- but neither is it the bustling world we know today. There are cities, and technology, and forms of government, but they're few and far between, and the vast areas between them are kind of lawless hellscapes.
To start, we meet Valentine. I loved that the author provided illustrations of the characters, because I was able to picture them so well! I found Valentine to give me Jasper Jordan vibes, probably from his goggles, but either way it endeared me to him immediately. He's trans, and in a world with very limited resources, getting the medication and surgical procedures he so desperately needs are outside his current financial grasp. That is heartbreaking, full stop. And obviously relevant in our current society, which is even more infuriating because we don't have any global collapses to blame for our ignorance. I digress, but I felt for Valentine from the start. He travels in his van with his bestie Ace, who... honestly sometimes she was more of a frenemy than an actual friend, but their complicated relationship was kind of refreshing to see. Sometimes, we need to see examples of unhealthy relationships (as long as they're portrayed as such, which this does) just as much as great ones. They're traveling around working as couriers basically, trying to earn enough money to become citizens of Salt Lake City.
Osric is an AI. A sentient AI, who used to be part of a collective group of fellow sentient AIs, who now finds himself in this random body he never asked to be in. When Osric and Valentine end up on a mission together, they find they have a lot more in common than meets the eye. I loved the parallels the author created between Valentine's and Osric's body dysphoria. Both simply don't feel comfortable in their current skin, and neither chose the bodies they are in, and obviously this made them even closer, as they were able to relate to each other in such a significant way.
There are a lot of other aspects I enjoyed about this book, too! Things like: Quasi-Apocalyptic Road Trips™, desert pirate clans, other AIs who are being treated like possessions and we hope will eventually not be, complicated relationships, incredibly atmospheric desolate desert settings, thought provoking questions of morality, and lots of humorous and adorable moments along the way. If you like any of the aforementioned, you should probably give this book a go!
Bottom Line: World Running Down was thoughtful and entertaining, with characters I cared about and a story that provides plenty of commentary on current social issues.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
February 20, 2023
I enjoyed this. The best part for me was definitely the relationship between Osric and Val, I loved both of their characters and the way they really saw one another, all the small ways they cared for one another and the way they were always putting the well-being of the other first. The whole relationship aspect was so well done. The plot dragged for me in a few places, and the pacing felt a bit off. I lost some of the momentum I'd built up wanting to know what happened with these characters because it felt like there was too much going on at times. But overall I still enjoyed it and especially love the idea of more trans main characters in every genre. This is definitely one to check out if you like Mad Max type scenarios and like a romance where the MCs really know and care for one another.
July 16, 2023
A powerful story about autonomy and self-worth, love, and family, with a dash of queer romance, some interesting discussions about religion, and pirates! Super enjoyed this one, I want more of Valentine & Osric’s story!
August 2, 2023
I liked this book a lot. Dysphoria isn’t always written well, but I thought the author captured it perfectly. It’s not something that someone thinks about constantly, but it remains there in the periphery, especially when others perceive you in the way that you’re not.
Valentine was a great main character. Characters with bleeding hearts can get annoying, especially if authors make them too self righteous, but I thought that Valentine was just the right balance of wanting to help people while also refusing to judge others for their differences. I also liked how both main characters were able to connect in how their bodies didn’t look like they wanted them to. It made it easier for them to understand each other and feel closer from the jump. They were also so nice to each other throughout most of the book, and that made me happy.
Valentine was a great main character. Characters with bleeding hearts can get annoying, especially if authors make them too self righteous, but I thought that Valentine was just the right balance of wanting to help people while also refusing to judge others for their differences. I also liked how both main characters were able to connect in how their bodies didn’t look like they wanted them to. It made it easier for them to understand each other and feel closer from the jump. They were also so nice to each other throughout most of the book, and that made me happy.
March 5, 2023
Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/world-ru...
World Running Down is the new novel from Al Hess, and the first one that has got traditionally published. It constitutes a marvelous story about the importance of identity and accepting the rest as they self-identify, and not impose the prejudices we have over them, told in a dystopian setting, mixing a trending theme as AIs are nowadays.
Valentine Weiss is a salvager in the post-apocalyptic lands of Utah, fighting with his body dysphoria; all of his dreams can be summed up in getting the residency in Salt Lake City, so he could get the treatments he needs for transitioning for free. A dream that seems almost impossible until he meets Osric, an old AI that has been put into a body against his will, offering work on behalf of her employer that could get Valentine enough money to achieve his dream.
But what should have been an easy job, recovering some stolen androids, become an authentical moral dilemma for Valentine once he discovers those androids are developing a conscience.Should he put his happiness over those androids' existence? It doesn't seem fair, especially for somebody who has struggled with his all the time. Add into the mix how the relationship between Osric and him is developing.
Al Hess's writing is also excellent, showing the strength of his craft. For a highly emotional story, it's certainly remarkable how Hess is able to transmit it fully to the reader, even if the setting is so different from what you can be experiencing. Taking such a difficult theme, evolving it into a compelling story, and transmitting such an important message is not an easy task, but Al has certainly fulfilled it amazingly.
While I'm not a fan in general of romance elements in novels, I have to admit that I liked how it was integrated subtly into the story, feeling really natural (at this point, I'm almost thinking that my problem is not with romance). Probably it also helped the pacing, as it was perfect to slow down the story when it became too fast or too complex.
World Running Down is an excellent novel, and a perfect traditional debut for Al Hess. I strongly recommend it to anybody who likes sci-fi with a dystopian element in it; and probably, if you liked Blade Runner 2049, I think you should like this novel, as the vibes are really similar. Personally, I became a fan of Al Hess with this novel, and can't wait what more he can do!
World Running Down is the new novel from Al Hess, and the first one that has got traditionally published. It constitutes a marvelous story about the importance of identity and accepting the rest as they self-identify, and not impose the prejudices we have over them, told in a dystopian setting, mixing a trending theme as AIs are nowadays.
Valentine Weiss is a salvager in the post-apocalyptic lands of Utah, fighting with his body dysphoria; all of his dreams can be summed up in getting the residency in Salt Lake City, so he could get the treatments he needs for transitioning for free. A dream that seems almost impossible until he meets Osric, an old AI that has been put into a body against his will, offering work on behalf of her employer that could get Valentine enough money to achieve his dream.
But what should have been an easy job, recovering some stolen androids, become an authentical moral dilemma for Valentine once he discovers those androids are developing a conscience.Should he put his happiness over those androids' existence? It doesn't seem fair, especially for somebody who has struggled with his all the time. Add into the mix how the relationship between Osric and him is developing.
Al Hess's writing is also excellent, showing the strength of his craft. For a highly emotional story, it's certainly remarkable how Hess is able to transmit it fully to the reader, even if the setting is so different from what you can be experiencing. Taking such a difficult theme, evolving it into a compelling story, and transmitting such an important message is not an easy task, but Al has certainly fulfilled it amazingly.
While I'm not a fan in general of romance elements in novels, I have to admit that I liked how it was integrated subtly into the story, feeling really natural (at this point, I'm almost thinking that my problem is not with romance). Probably it also helped the pacing, as it was perfect to slow down the story when it became too fast or too complex.
World Running Down is an excellent novel, and a perfect traditional debut for Al Hess. I strongly recommend it to anybody who likes sci-fi with a dystopian element in it; and probably, if you liked Blade Runner 2049, I think you should like this novel, as the vibes are really similar. Personally, I became a fan of Al Hess with this novel, and can't wait what more he can do!
February 8, 2023
The world is broken, and even though there appears to be wealth and opportunity barricaded behind city walls in this future, the price is high and hard to achieve to get past the gates.
Both the main character, salvager Valentine Weis, a transgender man, and Osric, an AI stuffed into an android body, have similarities. Both suffer from body dysmorphia. Valentine wants to get a visa for Salt Lake City so he can get surgery, better work and go back on testosterone. And we’re not told initially what rules Osric broke or what crime he committed to get himself cut out of the friendly and soothing network the AIs of Salt Lake City, called Stewards, live in.
Valentine and his argumentative and abrasive partner Ace, with Osric tagging along, are tasked with recovering stolen androids who worked at a brothel. (Androids have fairly simple programming, compared with Stewards, and are not sentient.) The brothel owner intends to reward Valentine and Ace with visas for the recovery of the androids.
To the trio's dismay when they find the androids, they discover that the androids are becoming sentient, thanks to an accidental restriction removed on their programming during their theft. This places Valentine in a difficult position; as desperately as he wants a visa, he has no intention of sending sentient beings back into a situation in which they don't want to be in, and who will certainly be abused by the brothel owner.
There is community happening amidst the harsh life on the Utah salt flats, and interestingly, the very pirates Valentine was scared of at the book's outset become the people he and Osric must rely on during their scary attempt to resolve the situation with the androids.
In fairly economical storytelling, Al Hess considers identity, gender, sentience, bodily autonomy, and who has rights in this post-apocalyptic society, without resorting to being overbearing. I liked all the discussions Valentine and Osric have about identity, friendship, and kindness, even amidst some pretty awful moments, before resolving to a satisfying conclusion.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Angry Robot for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Both the main character, salvager Valentine Weis, a transgender man, and Osric, an AI stuffed into an android body, have similarities. Both suffer from body dysmorphia. Valentine wants to get a visa for Salt Lake City so he can get surgery, better work and go back on testosterone. And we’re not told initially what rules Osric broke or what crime he committed to get himself cut out of the friendly and soothing network the AIs of Salt Lake City, called Stewards, live in.
Valentine and his argumentative and abrasive partner Ace, with Osric tagging along, are tasked with recovering stolen androids who worked at a brothel. (Androids have fairly simple programming, compared with Stewards, and are not sentient.) The brothel owner intends to reward Valentine and Ace with visas for the recovery of the androids.
To the trio's dismay when they find the androids, they discover that the androids are becoming sentient, thanks to an accidental restriction removed on their programming during their theft. This places Valentine in a difficult position; as desperately as he wants a visa, he has no intention of sending sentient beings back into a situation in which they don't want to be in, and who will certainly be abused by the brothel owner.
There is community happening amidst the harsh life on the Utah salt flats, and interestingly, the very pirates Valentine was scared of at the book's outset become the people he and Osric must rely on during their scary attempt to resolve the situation with the androids.
In fairly economical storytelling, Al Hess considers identity, gender, sentience, bodily autonomy, and who has rights in this post-apocalyptic society, without resorting to being overbearing. I liked all the discussions Valentine and Osric have about identity, friendship, and kindness, even amidst some pretty awful moments, before resolving to a satisfying conclusion.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Angry Robot for this ARC in exchange for my review.
October 23, 2022
Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so happy this book caught my attention on twitter! The blurb sounded just like my kind of thing and after I was lucky enough to receive an ARC, the novel did not disappoint at all.
It's strange to say this about a book featuring a sort of dystopian future about the "leftovers" of humanity after the rich had ransacked the planet, gotten on their spaceships, and f*cked off to another star system, and which mostly plays out in a desert, neo-Salt Lake City and shows off salt pirates and AIs that look like giant eyeballs, but the novel is...cozy and cute. And hopeful. Not in a preachy or sugarcoating way, but in a very human manner. Valentine, the scavenger, was a character I immediately felt for, and rooted for. His wish was so simple and so complicated at the same time: to finally become who he wanted to be, to have enough money to get into a city where he would have the medical resources to make his transition. Throw in a romance with a gentle AI also trying to find his way, then a plotline about androids gaining sentience, and you have...something special. On this of ruined, abandoned Earth which still sports rough class differences, cruelty, and oppression (not humanity's best qualities), here is a tale of acceptance, kindness, and fighting for each other. And yes, it seems hopeless sometimes and not everything is so straightforward and we mess up all the time, even when we want the best for each other, but we have to try. Stay and grow and bloom among the desert ruins. And make mixtapes for each other and stuff.
If anything, I just wanted more. But the story was satisfying, the writing evocative, and the world of the book something that will stay with me for a long time.
I'm so happy this book caught my attention on twitter! The blurb sounded just like my kind of thing and after I was lucky enough to receive an ARC, the novel did not disappoint at all.
It's strange to say this about a book featuring a sort of dystopian future about the "leftovers" of humanity after the rich had ransacked the planet, gotten on their spaceships, and f*cked off to another star system, and which mostly plays out in a desert, neo-Salt Lake City and shows off salt pirates and AIs that look like giant eyeballs, but the novel is...cozy and cute. And hopeful. Not in a preachy or sugarcoating way, but in a very human manner. Valentine, the scavenger, was a character I immediately felt for, and rooted for. His wish was so simple and so complicated at the same time: to finally become who he wanted to be, to have enough money to get into a city where he would have the medical resources to make his transition. Throw in a romance with a gentle AI also trying to find his way, then a plotline about androids gaining sentience, and you have...something special. On this of ruined, abandoned Earth which still sports rough class differences, cruelty, and oppression (not humanity's best qualities), here is a tale of acceptance, kindness, and fighting for each other. And yes, it seems hopeless sometimes and not everything is so straightforward and we mess up all the time, even when we want the best for each other, but we have to try. Stay and grow and bloom among the desert ruins. And make mixtapes for each other and stuff.
If anything, I just wanted more. But the story was satisfying, the writing evocative, and the world of the book something that will stay with me for a long time.
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