Under the Blue: Shortlisted for the 2023 ASLE-UKI Book Prize

Ffion
I couldn’t put the book down, and I’m not too sure why. Yes I liked the story and even grew to like the characters. At times the author jumped so much I had to put aside all my questions and roll with it, the ending was the same, I went scroll to the next page but there wasn’t another page. The story felt incomplete but kept me captivated. I would give it a 7/10.

Carolyn
I wasn't drawn into this book straightaway. It's not one I would normally pick. I wasn't keen on having the two strands, they seemed to interrupt each other to start with. It was better as it went on.
I liked the idea that the pandemic was caused by global warming and the ending was clever. Harry seemed a bit of an idiot and I'm not sure he could have buried the cow in that way. I liked the robot. He told it like it is, humans never do the best for the planet, just the best for themselves. Mainly I enjoyed it and give it 7.

Rachel
This was a very interesting read! I started this book without any idea of the genre, and during the first chapter I thought that this was going to be a very different sort of book. The end of the first chapter felt like a nice twist. I really liked the dual perspective of Harry and the scientists. although the interaction with the computer dragged sometimes, and I found myself skimming those bits. I enjoyed the pace of the book overall, and I was always genuinely curious as to what the ending would be. The characters were interesting and likable. The only downside for me was the fact that some questions were raised and not answered, such as Harry remarking that the relationship between the two sisters seemed odd. I expected an explanation for that. It was a bleak ending, but I would be interested in reading a sequel! 8/10

Cat
I enjoyed Under the Blue. I found the main character's (Harry's) personality really original and interesting, as was his uncomfortable relationship to the two girls. It was funny that he didn't notice the pandemic starting... working from home I can empathize with that possibility.
The development of the AI was suitably unnerving.
I think it could have been made clearer what was happening at times (in particular with the people working with the AI and the ending) but overall I found this to be a good page turner. 7/10.

Michelle
A very brief “6” from me. Wasn’t the most exciting read but I read it and was interested throughout. I do have a penchant for a post apocalyptic novel, so this was a good choice.

Arleen
I did enjoy this book and found it hard to put down. I found the first part with the robot a bit boring but the rest of the book was very interesting. It made you think just how we are ruining this beautiful world we live in. It was strange how the book was written before Coronavirus hit us.

I found the main characters very interesting and could identify with them. It shows how Coronavirus/or other, without any medical help could just about wipe out humanity. A very scary thought.

Although I found the robot went over the same ground over again and again (and I did read it all) I still enjoyed the rest of the book to the extent of giving the book 8/10

Eve
I did not enjoy this book at first, I found it difficult to understand. However, I carried on and eventually rather enjoyed the story about the man and two women, who were trying to get to Africa away from the nuclear reactors. I found this part of the story enjoyable, if rather frightening as it was rather realistic. The computers however, I found difficult to understand and found them less interesting. The story about the pandemic and global warming is of course very up to date and certainly makes us think about the future. I would not call this book enjoyable exactly, but certainly interesting. The only drawback being the muddled writing about the computers. I would score it - 5

Sonia
I really enjoyed this book and appreciated how the various strands of a pandemic, artificial intelligence development and the challenges of a global warming were woven together. I was actually more interested in the development of the robot's intelligence and particularly how the concept of ethics gradually evolved - something that seems to have bypassed our government! Interesting to see how individuals might or might not cope with global warming. I found it an absorbing read and would give it 7 out of 10.

Chris, Yvonne and Mabe
Chris skip read parts and gave it 5. Yvonne and Mabe didn't read enough so no score

Average score was 6.5

This post-apocalyptic genre book is two different books that wind there way around each other until the last ten or so pages. One story is that of a virulent pandemic that has implecations for the nuclear energy sector as the humans die off and there is no one to run the reactors. Of course that means nuclear explosions world wide. The other story is that of an Artificial Intelligence program that is self learning and all the philosophical issures that it needs to identify and make ethical decisions. Both stories are interesting in their own way but made the book read as if two manuscripts were dropped and in picking them up alternate chapters of the two were melded into one book.
It was an interesting lesson in ethics to read the AI component but the story of three people fleeing the pandemic and nuclear anihilation was fairly simplistic. All in all they were predictable chararcters and a bit annoying.
When the two stories finally tie together there is no great AHA moment just relief that the book is coming to an end. I was a somewhat disappointed in this book but did find it an okay read. The dialogue between the two scientists and the AI was interesting and thought provoking and enough to earn this a mediocre rating,

Under the Blue tells two almost totally disconnected stories. The main narrative follows three young people, seemingly the sole survivors of a global pandemic, as they travel across Europe in an attempt to escape impending nuclear meltdown. The other narrative, told through a series of conversation transcripts, features a scientist attempting to teach ethics to a swiftly-advancing AI. Put together, the two narratives address big questions about humanity’s impact on planet earth and the sanctity of human life.

I must admit I quite enjoyed the AI sections. While the idea of an AI eventually outgrowing its creator is certainly not original, Aristde uses this trope effectively to deepen her discussion of human nature. The transcript format worked well to generate mystery and keep up the pace, and the conclusion of this storyline definitely left me thinking.

The other narrative, however, was just somewhat dull. None of the characters were interesting and their journey across the continent was little more than a series of vignettes, all of which could just have easily occurred in any other post-apocalyptic story. While some of the interactions between characters were realistic, I was frustrated by Harry’s pathetic crush on Ash and the way that she seems completely helpless in the face of any danger. Their story arc goes nowhere, and the way their journey connects to the AI storyline in the end is unsatisfying.

Overall, this isn’t a bad addition to the post-apocalyptic genre. The AI sections were interesting and the big questions the novel asks have got me thinking. The fact that 80% of the novel is taken up with the inconsequential journey of three not-particularly-likeable characters, however, meant that this is not a novel I’m likely to pick up again.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4094065339

The author shows a remarkable prescience in writing this book about a pandemic prior to the actual event. So much science fiction is becoming science fact, and the alternative version of the current situation is entirely believable. The added dimension of AI is fascinating and presents another set of ethical questions. Great storyline. I didn't want the book to end.

The author started writing this book in2017, setting it in a futuristic, pandemic ridden 2020. In the afterword she states that they considered pushing the date forward so it was still in the future, but decided it made more sense to present it as an alternative reality for 2020, how things might have panned out.  

A reclusive artist,struggling with his work and guilt and grief after the death of his nephew,nearly misses the start of a global pandemic, only recalling images of people in protective suits in far off countries on the news, after noticing the shops are all closed and people are fleeing from cities in gas masks. He flees too and the novel explores his struggle for survival against all the odds, and the unlikely partnership he forms with a pair of sisters.  Parallel to this is the story of an Artificial Intelligence being developed at a remote base in the Arctic, and the dialogues between it and the scientists creating and developing it. 

I found this book a fascinating exploration, not just of how the pandemic might have been, but also considering other major questions, such as the power of AI, the purpose of art, the value of human existence, the balance of eco systems and how people change in the fight for survival. It has interesting but enigmatic characters, and leaves us with some questions answered but more and more emerging. It left me with lots of things to think about.

There are two strands to the story. The first is a road trip taken by Harry, an artist who is dragged along by two sisters with whom he is barely acquainted in the aftermath of a pandemic which has wiped out most of the human race. They flee the UK and head for Africa to escape the incipient risks from nuclear plants having been switched off. The second revolves around Lisa and Paul, two computer scientists based in the Arctic. They are involved in a project to develop a robot which is fed historical data and which then uses AI techniques to extrapolate from that data to both predict potential disasters which might affect human life and to work out measures to avoid these threats. Inevitably these two strands converge and as the story unfolds, we find out how.

This is one of the most remarkable books that I have ever read, and I do not say that lightly. Whether that elevated status survives the test of time, remains to be seen. The road trip part of the story is told in a very matter of fact way, entirely from the point of view of Harry, a troubled artist. As a stand-alone story, it is a very gripping tale. And then there is Talos the robot, who converses with one of his makers as it tries to get to grips with the logic that humans use to make sense of their lives and their environment. This is pure philosophy, presented in an accessible way and centred around the issue of human life being sacred - it is a fascinating discussion if, on occasions, slightly beyond me. As a whole the novel is unique, interesting, complex, thought-provoking and, above all, highly intelligent.

One of the amazing things about this book, as revealed in the author’s notes at the end, is that it was written and submitted to the publishers before anything was known about the real-life pandemic that we are all currently living through. I understand that certain things were modified slightly to cater for this totally unforeseen development. Bizarrely the fact that it is set in the aftermath of a pandemic both adds to and detracts from its appeal. It is certainly fascinating to recognise certain aspects of life in the novel that are frighteningly familiar as a result of our new-found knowledge of living through a pandemic and this gives an unexpected poignancy to the book. However, the two scenarios are also very different from each other (thankfully the one in the book is much worse), making it difficult not to avoid comparisons.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to everybody. It tackles a subject that has affected all of our lives and it does so in a very accessible way. It is a very poignant and exciting read and I defy anybody not to enjoy it. There may just be enough material for a “part two” – I sincerely hope so.

This book is a bit like the pandemic it describes; at first I wasn't sure what was happening or even if I enjoyed the book - the main character, painter Harry who is so self obsessed that he isn't even aware what is happening at first is not an easy character to like - but by the end I was hooked. However something grabbed me and before I knew it I was thinking about what happened even when I wasn't reading it. I really enjoyed the dual narrative and the way it all came together.
This is an unsettling book but is written so well that you will enjoy the process of being unsettled!