The Infinity Particle
Wendy Xu
Quill Tree Books
Published August 29, 2023
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About The Infinity Particle
In this gorgeous graphic novel by Wendy Xu, co-creator of the award-winning Mooncakes, a young inventor falls for a lifelike AI and confronts questions of freedom and autonomy.
Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robots—she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human.
When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human?
As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free—even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.
My Review
I’ve read both MOONCAKES and TIDESONG, and love the story and illustrations so much. When I saw that Wendy Xu had a new graphic novel coming out this year, I could not wait to get my hands on it.
This book has the same expressive, detailed illustrations that I’ve come to love in Xu’s other books. I love the way she draws characters’ expressions and how she places them on the page. Both these elements really call attention to the relationships between the characters. I found it easy to feel the friendships and romance building as I turned the pages of the story.
I don’t really know anything about the field of AI, and I felt like I could enjoy the book just fine without being familiar with the field. But there were moments when I felt like I might have had a deeper or more resonant experience reading the book if I knew more. It made me want to check out the podcasts the author mentions in her book dedication.
All in all, I devoured this gorgeous graphic novel in one sitting. It’s a beautiful, tender story that deserves to sit on the shelf with Xu’s other works.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation
Major characters are survivors of or experiencing domestic violence. A minor character wears a hijab.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girl and masculine AI.
Spiritual Content
The story examines questions about the meaning of personhood and humanity.
Violent Content
Scenes show or reference a person in a position of power verbally abusing someone with less power than them.
Drug Content
None.
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