Richard Powers' Playground is a novel of contrasts: the vast unknown of Earth's oceans, a place of constant discovery and marvelous creatures that seem always to be at play, versus technological advancement and the rise of AI; the unlikely friendship between a young poet and a boy whose life revolves around coding; a remote island with a tiny population still feeling the effects of a history of exploitation, and the tech elites who envision it as the stepping stone to their own utopia. Through the perspectives of four characters who have been brought together on Makatea, an atoll in the South Pacific, Playground explores friendship, play, the wonders of the natural world and humanity in the age of artificial intelligence. Powers' writing is beautiful, and Playground promises to leave you with a lot to think about.