Android Karenina Review in Library Journal

posted May 21st, 2010 by tiffany

A glowing review from Library Journal. Creepy, thrilling, and highly enjoyable!

Tolstoy, Leo & Ben H. Winters. Android Karenina. Quirk. Jun. 2010. c.544p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59474-460-0. pap. $12.95. FANTASY

If the idea of 800-some pages of Russian literature strikes you as overwhelming, try this literary mashup of Anna Karenina. Winters (Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters) does a spectacular job, adding robots and mechanical terrorism to the misery, adultery, and philosophical introspection of Tolstoy’s masterpiece. Robotic companions and functional devices replace domestic servants. Levin mines for Groznium rather than tending his farm, and Vronsky’s beloved Frou-Frou is not a magnificent horse but a transformer-like battle bot. The Union of Concerned Scientists terrorizes society, rebelling against the government control of technological advancement, but the Ministry might be more advanced than they think! Toy soldiers, emotion bombs, and planetary invasion intertwine with Anna’s societal condemnation for her tumultuous affair with Vronsky. Levin’s self-discovery and marriage with Kitty reaffirm faith and hope in freedom and integrity. Discussion questions are included.

Verdict Creepy, thrilling, and highly enjoyable!—Jennifer Anderson, Texas A&M Univ.—Corpus Christi Lib.

Check out the review here.