Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Death I Gave Him (published 12 September 2023) is a Sci-Fi thriller that leans towards the hard side of Sci-Fi. The prosaic, matter-of-fact style of writing, using chat excerpts, transcripts and third person POV narration, poignantly conveys the story’s topics of depression, fear of death and guilt.

The main romantic relationship is between a man and a genderless AI. This offers an interesting new view on how human-AI romance might work; yet, anyone who expects “a gay Shakespeare retelling” might be disappointed.

I enjoyed reading this novel. The mixed-media format helped me get through some of the slightly denser chapters. It’s definitely a book I’ll recommend to other readers.

4/5 Harpy Eagles