ROEBUCK’S REVENGE

In Shapiro’s speculative dystopian sequel, Raf Vella returns in a story of unrest, artificial intelligence, and revenge.

Raf now has a stable life, working as operations supervisor at a warehouse called the Depot, providing anything and everything to consumers when so many products seem impossible to find in a ravaged economy. In this follow-up to Roebuck’s Prize (2023), the author paints the Depot not as a black-market outlet, but as a highly streamlined corporation, with much of the labor done by AI “bots.” But Raf gets hit with a wave of unexpected difficulties, stemming from AI evolution. First, a chip in his 17-year-olddaughter Olivia’s head drives her to commit serious theft; later, Raf himself is infected by a nebulous technological virus that alters his memories and influences his actions. The bots also move to unionize, which sends the business into uncharted territory. The mastermind who caused all this trouble is the titular Roebuck, who manages to run his conspiracy and launch a political campaign from behind bars (Raf is responsible for his incarceration). In this story of encroaching AI, Shapiro explores complex themes of free will, duality, aging, and regret as humanity and machines overlap. The prose is competent, if plain, but the high-tech worldbuilding, and how the narrative engages with it, is distinctive. Characters make casual comments about unrest and a shaky government as Raf and his inner circle grapple with how worldly developments are affecting their personal interests; one somewhat confusing aspect, though, is that the narrative occasionally emphasizes intense crackdowns on “complaints like ‘toxicity,’ ‘triggered,’ and ‘microaggression.’” The setting is fraught and the characters are in the midst of history-making events, but the story is about the main players saving themselves, while the rest of the world must ultimately adapt on its own.

Not your average dystopian novel, but a rugged exploration of surviving at the epicenter of change.