There's an object lesson in kicking of a world-building-heavy novel here in Me And The Machine. We open with our protagonist Gaby trying to obtain and then potentially blackmail a vaguely dodgy doctor into giving her genetic modifications so she can qualify to become a Space Marine. In the course of a nervy, heist-like chapter, we get the unfolding idea of what Gaby wants, what her current situation is and also get to watch her in action - she is smart, but not savvy, poor but not destitute. What's more, she fails. It's an excellent way of grounding her in a book that takes an awful lot of leaps into sci-fi flights of fantasy and just about keeps the audience onside.

It is later identified that Gaby is a mathematics prodigy (wise not to open with that), living with her neglectful parents who spend most of their time in VR, or lightly disparaging her. She is a trainee in the information corps of the fleet but would rather be a grunt like her brother, who died, was - hence the modifications. She wants to go fight in the endless war, and any seasoned sci-fi reader will take a quick look at the heavily militaristic society she lives in and wonder briefly if they are the good guys. She is then picked for a special project, flown to a prototype spaceship, and introduced the The Machine of the title.

Me And The Machine is a solid sci-fi YA novel that isn't reinventing its wheel but does make a lot of smart choices. It is good at explaining maths as problem-solving and then bringing us into an analogy of how that problem-solving might work. It is good at making supporting characters' heel turns actually matter. At the heart it has put together an almost Dickensian central character whose writ large motivations jobe against her attempt at moral action, and has the courage to not be too simplistic when it gets to its impossible decisions. Some of the writing is a bit simp;istic and I wasn't always convinced that the lead was a teenage girl, but the narrative arc is solid and entertaining.

Me and the Machine is a fast paced, tense novel that, once the main plot gets kicking, is almost claustrophobic. If you’re looking for unsettling science fiction, this is absolutely the book for you. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it horror, but there’s a creeping sense of dread that pervades every inch of this novel. Following Gaby, a cadet in a corporately owned military, as she is taken to a demonstration of a new weapon featuring AI integration, the atmosphere of Watts’ writing is undeniable. The moment Gaby sets foot on the ship, she becomes entangled in a mutiny by her late brother’s best friend, forcing her into a precarious position.

Me and the Machine is perfect for readers of science fiction, particularly fans of books like Some Desperate Glory. A gripping read, it will entrance readers from cover to cover, drawing them into a world where AI integration is becoming a terrifying reality. I highly recommend.