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Annie Bot review: A sharp take on a sex robot that becomes human

In a smart, compassionate novel, Sierra Greer spins the tired trope of a robot challenging its fate into sci-fi gold

By Emily Wilson

13 March 2024

'Play With Me' series — Annie Bot is hard-coded to please her owner/partner
Niaz Maleknia

Annie Bot
Sierra Greer (The Borough Press (UK), available now; Mariner Books (US), on sale 19 March)

ANNIE BOT is the story of a robot who lives with her human owner, Doug, in a New York apartment. I opened the novel with low hopes, because the idea of a robot learning to be human, then chafing at its bonds, seemed a bit old hat. How wrong I was. Right from the first page, the book is coruscating, unexpected and subtle. I picked…

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