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Second in Ashby's "Machine Dynasty" series. I quite liked the first, "vN", which was a terrific robots-on-the-run action story. This one goes deeper into the series' darker themes: how humans use the robots to act out our worst impulses. I have mixed feelings about it, due to some very uncomfortable bits and then a resolution that did not satisfy. But at least one thing it gets right: the promise of a major showdown in book 3. I'm in.