Machines Like Me

De: Ian McEwan

Narrado por: Billy Howle

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan, read by Billy Howle.

Britain has lost the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding.

Machines Like Me occurs in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda’s assistance, he co-designs Adam’s personality. This near-perfect human is beautiful, strong and clever – a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will confront a profound moral dilemma. Ian McEwan’s subversive and entertaining new novel poses fundamental questions: what makes us human? Our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns of the power to invent things beyond our control.

©2019 Ian McEwan (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

Machines Like Me reminds us that McEwan is once-in-a-generation talent, offering readerly pleasure, cerebral incisiveness and an enticing imagination. (Lara Feigel)

[Machines Like Me] is right up there with his very best [novels]. Machines Like Me manages to combine the dark acidity of McEwan’s great early stories with the crowd-pleasing readability of his more recent work. A novel this smart oughtn’t to be such fun, but it is. (Alex Preston)

Ian McEwan’s Machines Like Me is a dazzling account of our interaction with technology… He marries a gripping plot, handled with rarefied skill and dexterity, to a deep excavation of the narrowing gap between the canny and the uncanny, leaving the reader pleasurably dizzied, and marvelling at human existence. (Philip Womack)

Intelligent and beatiful

The novel Machines like us is a tale about human morals and the limitations of comprehension. Despite addressing social issues, it retains a personal touch. Thereby a hauntingly beautiful story enfolds in front of the reader’s eyes, which is somewhat reminiscent of Dostojevskij.
The author describes clashes of different perspectives without passing judgment and leaves it up to the reader to make up his or her opinions. This novel is a mirror of our times and can stand proudly among those of Huxley and Orwell. A truly amazing work of thought!

Is AI what we need more of?

Ian asks questions we should all be thinking about but blends them into a great story. It finished too soon.

Excellent and thought provoking.

Well written, deep and poetic. The story is gripping and deliveres a poignant portrayal of the complex relation between humans and artificial intelligence.

Incredibly thoughtful story about what AI will mean 

Being a follower of much that has happening in AI currently, I found this novel remarkable. It was being written before the current debates and discussion but is much more thoughtful and insightful about the challenges that will follow when we have genuine artificial general, intelligence, embodied in automatons, which have agency. Highly recommended. 

Interesting but linear

Masterfully writing and well flowing the story is kept simple. The different elements stay a little bit too separate and don't seem to mix in any too creative way. Overall nothing to complain about and good entertainment.

A book about us!

Easy listening to, and an intense storytelling.
A real deal to look closely at ourselves. One may thought this book is about IA and ML will be pleased to listen/read to this piece.
Beutifully writen, with care and understanding about mankind in general.
Sorry if I sound cheesy. I realy loved it!!!

Emotional narrative. Smart use of material

Recommend wholeheartedly . Lovely character definition… especially Adam. Billy Howell is a great counterpoint to the potentially cold material.

Entertaining

The story is entertaining, I couldn't figure out whats the purpose of the authrous playing with changing some past historical facts that do not necessarily mingle with the story. All the sex in the book was not needed at all. And the exploration of a society with robots barely scratched the surface.

What's AI

The what if of AI. Brilliant, engrossing, awesome in its impact and analysis. Most recommended.

Brilliant & Intelligent

This is Ian MacEwan at his best.
I sincerly recommend this book to all Audible listeners