Review - Too Hot to Handle by Ruby Jones

In a future when androids are sentient individuals, no longer the property of humans, someone is introducing a virus that essentially forces an infected android to sexually service a human or die. Police detective Carter is forced to team up with a former android partner, Evan, to investigate the problem. Carter never liked the idea of an android doing his job, but he has to admit Evan is very good at it. When Evan is infected with the virus, and the two are stuck together in a snowstorm, it puts Carter in a difficult position. How far is he willing to go to save Evan’s life?

“Too Hot to Handle” imagines a future where artificial life forms — think Data from Star Trek TNG — have achieved full sentience and recognition as equals to the humans that created them. They are, however, still apparently susceptible to malicious code despite many safeguards. Someone has figured out how to get around the safety checks and infect an android with code that makes them completely submissive to the sexual needs of humans. It’s an interesting concept and explored in very believable detail.

The narration alternates between human Carter and android Evan. Carter comes off as a typical hardened detective archetype. He reacted the way a lot of humans did to the androids, but he is trying hard to accept them as equals. More importantly, despite his flaws, Carter has a strong moral compass.

Evan’s emotional reactions to his situation seem quite human, which makes it easy to relate to him. The situation Evan finds himself in is hard enough to imagine. I suppose you could compare it to being forced into prostitution through coercion or even being forced drugs so you’re addicted and the only way to get your fix is to have sex.

This is a tightly written short novella. I think it could have benefited from a little more world-building at the start, to give us more background on the rise of androids and their developing sentience. There’s enough there, barely, to set the scene. I would have liked more.

“Too Hot to Handle” is available from Smashwords.