Fairyland by Paul J. McAuley

Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award! In the next century, an underground chemist meets and becomes obsessed with Milena, a child genius who is the ultimate product of gene-splicing technology.

Milena is an advocate of the dolls--artificial constructs that have replaced extinct companion animals. Milena wishes to free the dolls from bondage--but in doing so, she creates an autonomous race that may be a threat to mankind.

Genre: Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Cyberpunk