Android companions, evil mechanical worms and husbands that have robot faceplates had no place in the world of Anna Karenina created by Leo Tolstoy in 1878.
Ben H. Winters set out to change that in the newest mash-up novel combining science fiction with classic literature, Android Karenina.
Before reading this novel, it is important to set aside skepticism. The fact that the setting is a world where the characters still ride in carriages, while at the same time enjoying more advanced technology than we have today, is perplexing.
The book isn't meant to be based on sound science, and after I embraced that fact, I really enjoyed the story.
Having never read Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, the entire plot was new to me. Anna Karenina's affair with the striking Count Vronsky and the more timid and sweet love between Kitty and Levin, were enough to grab my attention from the beginning.
Still, I must admit, the additions of evil machines that send carriages flying and mechanical worms that eat innocent people are an added bonus.
Now, instead of Anna Karenina just having an angry husband, she has an angry husband whose body is being manhandled by a robot faceplate that is supposed to help him.
Count Vronsky's sexiness is also amplified by his handling of a hot-whip, normally coiled and resting against his thigh, and other various tools that he uses to beat worms to a pulp in order to save Anna from foul play.
The thing I found most enjoyable about this novel was how seamlessly the science fiction was woven into the storyline. After the first chapter, I wasn't surprised to see Android Karenina, Anna's companion robot, at her side in every circumstance. Mechanical worms popping out of the ground and clamping onto the leg of the characters? No big deal.
More than anything, this novel has made me want to go back and check out the original, if only so I can see the differences between the two.
Android Karenina does a good job of doing what the other mashup novels accomplished. It takes a classic that young or inexperienced readers may have been afraid of tackling and puts it on a more accessible level.
I know I certainly couldn't put it down.
3 Culture
Jane Adams
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