**Features:**

- An interesting blend of mystery and satire
- Explores the use of AI and its use in corporations
- Examines human and AI interaction and its pitfalls

**Summary:**

Beloved language-learning mascot Coki has gone missing. The village of AI instructors has been thrown into disarray as they try to figure out what happened and begin exploring new roles in Coki’s absence. Meanwhile, outside of the digital world, the corporation in charge of Coki’s world famous language app experiments with AI as a means to cut costs and efficiently expand their app. But no matter which world the people of Cok Dilli Corporation are in, everyone has the same questions: What happened to Coki Bear and who is responsible for her disappearance?

**Thoughts:**

As Finegan describes in the forward, this piece came together in a language learning community forum and I really enjoy the concept of this project. That being said, I probably wasn’t the right audience for this piece. I have dabbled with a couple of language learning apps in the past and definitely appreciated the many clever moments, but I haven’t dedicated enough hours to these programs for me to connect with the humor of it the way I think I was meant to. Similarly, I found the chapters that explored the development and use of AI on a more macro level extremely interesting, but I think that it goes into depth in a way that might not speak to a more general readership and some of the humor in these sections really didn’t hit.

Overall, this story offers some great food for thought, but it lacked cohesion for me. Though the style of the story makes sense and the pieces come together eventually, it just felt a little too disjointed for a novel you would ‘grab off the shelf’. That being said, there is still a lot of potential here and I think the right audience would find a lot to enjoy.

Toys in Babylon is a hilariously clever satire that reimagines a language app as the backdrop for a bizarre and gripping murder mystery. The book’s quirky premise—solving the death of a beloved AI mascot—kept me turning the pages, laughing at the witty nods to language learners and tech culture. The story is packed with sharp humor, intriguing twists, and surprisingly relatable moments. I couldn’t stop reading because it’s such a fun, original concept that pokes fun at modern obsessions while delivering a solid mystery.

Toys in Babylon is an absolute riot! Imagine your favorite language app going full murder mystery—mascots, AI instructors, and a whole lot of shenanigans. This book is like a meme come to life, but smarter. I was cracking up at the spot-on jokes about language learners (we’ve all been there, right?) and the crazy twists had me yelling, “What is even happening?!” If you’ve ever stared at a cartoon owl demanding you finish your streak, you NEED to read this. 🦉🔍📚