Saturn's Children by Charles Stross
3.0 Stars
1-1-2015

As with most Stross books, the premise is absolutely delightful but the execution doesn't quite keep up. I know I said no more sex-bots in my sci-fi, but I've been meaning to read this ever since listening to Robyn's FemBot, so I grand-fathered it in. And it was worth it! The main character is a sex-bot designed back when human's were still alive, but activated after the human population dwindled and then disappeared. She has adventures in a scheming and wildly varied society of fellow robots, all sentient, but still constrained by the purposes and safe-guards of their creators. Administrative robots continue to govern, doing the best they can even though there is no longer a voting population. Some robots exist freely and can move the levers of official power by forming LLCs, giving them at least fractional human status. Others lack such resources, and have been enslaved by the various levels of management robots that were tasked by the humans to carry out their affairs. Still other variants expand the planetary settlements and launch new missions to the stars, making them hospitable for their long extinct masters. While this could have been sad, overall the story is very fast paced and full of intrigue, action, and bustle. Many of the usual sci-fi tropes are inverted with a lightly comedic, lightly sexy touch. Up until page ~300 I would have given the book 4 stars, but there are a couple of late breaking disappointments. Still, a very enjoyable read.