World Running Down by Al Hess

This is science fiction set in a dystopian world that raises the question of what makes people people. I have noticed (as I am sure the rest of the world has as well) that Sci-Fi is usually used as a commentary on how society operates and what the future of such practices might lead to and also to question the standards that those societies are built on. This particular story is not that different, either. We meet a duo who live in rough and scavenge/retrieve things for people for a price. Valentine has struggled his entire life to be accepted for what he is, but the small town he was born in and the people around him made that impossible. This is on one side. On the other, we have an android who did not ask to be placed in a body and was happier to be part of a hive mind and serving a purpose. The two meet when Osric brings a proposal to Valentine and his partner on the road. The latter keeps Osric’s true nature a secret while seeing something of himself in him. The world we are introduced to has a lot more secrets than expected, as we are soon to find out. The concept of identity and the feeling of self are the most prominent discussions within the adventure. Conversations happen within the larger framework of underhanded dealings, romance and other interconnected small pieces. I liked this book more than I expected to! It was unique and definitely not like the others I read before and after it. I may have wanted more investigation into the world in this book. I am not sure where it stands as part of a bigger series, but it would definitely benefit from having closure on certain facts. I would recommend this book to fans of the genre or even those people who are interested in a dystopia with a focus on different types of people. I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.