The Mother Code by Carole Stivers

Book Review

When you read a book about robots, obviously you have to dress your dog up in a robot costume. 😝

Thank you Berkley Pub for sending me this gifted copy of The Mother Code - out now in paperback!

The Mother Code takes place several decades in the future when a man-made virus, created for biological warfare, spirals out of control and threatens to bring humanity to the brink of extinction. In an effort to preserve the human species, a team of scientist develop a plan to place genetically engineered babies (whom they’ve made immune to the virus) into “mother” robots, who have the capacity to birth, shelter and raise the babies. However, the children’s survival becomes uncertain when the Mothers begin acting strangely.

While I loved the premise of the book, the execution fell a bit short for me. I found many of the characters underdeveloped and I therefore had a hard time keeping some of their storylines straight. I also found much of the scientific/artificial intelligence conversations quite confusing. Unlike Project Hail Mary, which includes quite a lot of astrophysics and other science I couldn’t possibly understand, I wasn’t able to simply skim over the parts I knew I had no hope of understanding, as they were too essential to the plot line. I think it would have helped to have a less smart character in the room during the in-depth scientific conversations… one who required a childlike explanation of what the scientists were trying to accomplish.

Given the content and storyline of the book, I think this one will work better as a movie…. and clearly I’m not the only one, because the book is already being adapted for film by Stephen Spielberg. Talk about an accomplishment for a debut novelist!!

If you’re a big sci-fi fan or just love a futuristic storyline, give this one a try.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What’s your favorite science fiction book??