THE DELIVERY

Is the rapid acceleration of technology a blessing or a curse?

The current uncertainty and anxiety surrounding AI make Hurwitz’s taut thriller particularly timely. Mark and Rebecca Higgins have somewhat reluctantly accepted delivery of a big, boxy humanoid AI companion, which they’re convinced will improve their lives in Los Angeles. The creepy, lightning-fast narrative bounces back and forth between the run-up to this questionable acquisition, initiated nine months ago, and their ongoing experience with the device. The former plays out like a seduction, with the initial pitch from Mark’s boss—wouldn’t you love “something that knows everything about you, everything you want, and could get it for you? While staying totally under your control?”—playing out against the couple’s realization that their comfy middle-class lives, which include young daughter Maddy and bunny Bao-Bao, have become dull and difficult. They spend a small fortune to purchase N0RM LLC, which, at Maddy’s suggestion, they name Mr. Man. Readers of Hurwitz’s long-running Orphan X series will find all the punchy prose, short chapters, terse dialogue, and single-word and -sentence paragraphs they’ve been led to expect. This time, form echoes content, with Mr. Man’s progressive takeover of the lives of the Higgins family accelerating out of Rebecca and Mark’s control. What might have been a straightforward tech horror story is complicated by Mr. Man’s genuine helpfulness. At the same time, there are weird problems with the neighbors, Maddy acts up at school, and things spiral from there.

A pungent, timely thriller that will leave readers thinking.