Saturday, April 18, 2009

Skinned - Robin Wasserman


Title: Skinned
Author: Robin Wasserman
Series: Skinned (Book 1)
Edition: Hardback
Published: September 9, 2008
Pages: 368
Price: $10.87

Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular -- until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life.

Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime -- for which they must pay the ultimate price.


Liked it, very much!

In case you were wondering, do those snotty, cheerleader, barbie, popular high school girls know they are "all that"? Yep, and they'll show you the bag of chips too. At least in this story anyway.

The story is set in the future. Lia's car malfunctions and she is the victim of a car accident that destroys her body. But there is a company that has developed the ability to create an automaton and "download" an existing human personality into it. This is new technology and not trusted by the general population. Society cannot decide if they are really people. For example, what is essentially her internet account is canceled because she is technically dead.

Lia knows she is the most popular girl in school. When her organic body is replaced with a mechanical one, she is suddenly the freak. These members of society (are they members any more?) become outcasts. She has a difficult time fitting back in. Her body was bought "off the rack". It doesn't look like her. It doesn't sound like her. And she doesn't look quite human, so people know instantly that she is a "mech (mechanical)" not an "org (organic)."

They question is one of humanity. What makes us human? Is it our cell, DNA? Or is it an essence or soul? With Lia they ask is it still Lia? Or is just a computer programmed to think it's Lia? She questions this as well.

This is the first of a planned trilogy, and I am interested to read the others. Unfortunately it is going to be a bit of a wait. I have no idea where the author is in Book 2. It definitely is not available for pre-order yet. It is in the "B" range only because it didn't totally suck me in. I blame that on Lia being the "popular" girl. I can't relate.

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