Autonomous
by Annalee Newitz

The highly anticipated science fiction debut from a well-connected science/SF journalist and founder of io9, exploring themes of technology and culture in an accessible style

Autonomous features a rakish pharmaceutical pirate named Jack who traverses the world in her own submarine. A notorious anti-patent scientist who has styled herself as a Robin Hood-style heroine fighting to bring cheap drugs to the poor, Jack’s latest drug is leaving a trail of lethal overdoses across what used to be North America. The drug compels people to become addicted to their work.

On Jack’s trail are an unlikely pair: an emotionally shut-down military agent and his partner, Paladin, a military robot, who fall in love against all expectations. Autonomous alternates between the activities of Jack and her co-conspirators, and Joe and Paladin, as they all race to stop a bizarre drug epidemic that is tearing apart lives, causing trains to crash, and flooding New York City.

The characters in Autonomous are dealing with a fundamental question: Is freedom possible in a culture where everything, even people, can be owned?