Nicky's bookshelf: robots en-US Thu, 23 May 2019 20:11:31 -0700 60 Nicky's bookshelf: robots 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Eros, Philia, Agape 8469860 Locus Award.

Rachel Swirsky's short fiction has appeared in Weird Tales, Fantasy Magazine, and Subterranean Magazine, among others, and has been collected in Year's Best anthologies edited by Rich Horton, Jonathan Strahan, and the VanderMeers. She is also the submissions editor of Podcastle, an audio fantasy magazine.]]> 40 Rachel Swirsky 1429951974 Nicky 5
I think perhaps my favourite detail is that little Rose wants to be a robot like her father. Of course she does, it makes so much sense, and the way she insists on it is just -- ouch, my heart.

Oh, and I love that there's a gay couple in the background, matter of fact and loving.

(A warning, though: there are brief descriptions of childhood abuse and rape. They're very brief and not explicit.)]]> 3.64 2010 Eros, Philia, Agape
author: Rachel Swirsky
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2011/06/09
date added: 2019/05/23
shelves: short-stories-novellas, robots, romance
review:
Eros, Philia, Agape is lovely. It's available, like the other short stories by Rachel Swirsky that I've been reading, on Tor.com, . It's a lovely story, which reminds me a little of Isaac Asimov's The Positronic Man -- except more emotional, more evocative, more tender and more sad. Despite how short it is, it creates a world and characters I fully believe in, and the writing is lovely. My heart was in my throat while reading parts of it, just for the aching tenderness in it.

I think perhaps my favourite detail is that little Rose wants to be a robot like her father. Of course she does, it makes so much sense, and the way she insists on it is just -- ouch, my heart.

Oh, and I love that there's a gay couple in the background, matter of fact and loving.

(A warning, though: there are brief descriptions of childhood abuse and rape. They're very brief and not explicit.)
]]> <![CDATA[All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)]]> 32758901 "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.� Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.]]> 144 Martha Wells Nicky 4
I found it all very entertaining, but there was a more serious aspect, too: the Murderbot’s misanthropic attitude and even anxiety about interacting with humans, especially without its suit and opaque helmet on as a buffer. Thus the interactions with the team were a little sad as well as funny � if not sad, perhaps the right term would be invested with pathos, especially as they interact more and more with their employers (contractors? not sure quite what the term should be).

I was a little disappointed by the ending, leaving behind the established team. Obviously there’s gonna be more Murderbot, but� with a new cast otherwise? Boo. I was just getting to like ’em.

]]> 4.11 2017 All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)
author: Martha Wells
name: Nicky
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/11
date added: 2017/06/26
shelves: speculative-fiction, robots, short-stories-novellas
review:
All Systems Red is the diary of a self-proclaimed murderbot � a part organic, part synthetic construct designed to protect groups of colonists, and perfectly capable of going wrong and killing them all. Hence, Murderbot � although our Murderbot has disabled the system that they think caused them to do that, and manages to take pretty good care of its little group of prospectors while also mainlining a ton of soaps and whatever other entertainment programs come its way.

I found it all very entertaining, but there was a more serious aspect, too: the Murderbot’s misanthropic attitude and even anxiety about interacting with humans, especially without its suit and opaque helmet on as a buffer. Thus the interactions with the team were a little sad as well as funny � if not sad, perhaps the right term would be invested with pathos, especially as they interact more and more with their employers (contractors? not sure quite what the term should be).

I was a little disappointed by the ending, leaving behind the established team. Obviously there’s gonna be more Murderbot, but� with a new cast otherwise? Boo. I was just getting to like ’em.


]]> <![CDATA[Brisk Money (Ray Electromatic Mysteries, #0.5)]]> 22539556
The first of these stories was recently unearthed by author Adam Christopher. On the topic of how the manuscript made its way from Chandler's study in California to Christopher's home in England, Christopher is suspiciously quiet.]]> 32 Adam Christopher Nicky 4
I can’t promise it’ll blow your mind, but if a noir detective robot story appeals, then I can pretty much guarantee you’re going to have fun. It’s well-structured, too, which is also a delight to me in a short story.

]]> 3.67 2014 Brisk Money (Ray Electromatic Mysteries, #0.5)
author: Adam Christopher
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2017/03/06
date added: 2017/05/06
shelves: short-stories-novellas, robots, mystery
review:
I’ve gone about things a bit backwards, because I only read Brisk Money after already having read Made to Kill (and Standard Hollywood Depravity, too). So the twist in this tale was one I already knew. It’s still a fun short story; good set up for the later stories, and a good pastiche of Chandler’s general style � if not quite his flair at coining a phrase. It doesn’t take itself too seriously: honestly, all through it you can feel that the author is having fun. It’s Chandler-esque sci-fi, where Chandler called sci-fi fiction crap, and Christopher takes obvious joy in using the noir setting and bending it to take account of a robot detective.

I can’t promise it’ll blow your mind, but if a noir detective robot story appeals, then I can pretty much guarantee you’re going to have fun. It’s well-structured, too, which is also a delight to me in a short story.


]]> <![CDATA[The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5)]]> 12
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey through time and space.

"The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"

Facing annihilation at the hands of warmongers is a curious time to crave tea. It could only happen to the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his comrades as they hurtle across the galaxy in a desperate search for a place to eat.

"Life, the Universe and Everything"

The unhappy inhabitants of planet Krikkit are sick of looking at the night sky- so they plan to destroy it. The universe, that is. Now only five individuals can avert Armageddon: mild-mannered Arthur Dent and his stalwart crew.

"So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"

Back on Earth, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription conspires to thrust him back to reality. So to speak.

"Mostly Harmless"

Just when Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy life, all hell breaks loose. Can he save the Earth from total obliteration? Can he save the Guide from a hostile alien takeover? Can he save his daughter from herself?

Also includes the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe".]]> 815 Douglas Adams 0517226952 Nicky 4 speculative-fiction, robots 4.52 1996 The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Nicky
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2006/08/01
date added: 2016/09/13
shelves: speculative-fiction, robots
review:
I enjoyed the first couple of books, but I disliked the way the last book ended -- it made the rest of the series seem really, pretty pointless. The books got less funny as they went along, too.
]]> Alex + Ada, Vol. 1 21823465
Collects ALEX + ADA #1-5.]]> 128 Jonathan Luna 1632150069 Nicky 3
And that’s� pretty much it. It’s an intriguing enough set-up, but it’s barely the start of a story. I wish the library had the next book; I’d rather just go straight onto that, and hope that it picks up straight away. As it is, I’m not sure when I’ll get to read the second volume.

]]> 3.95 2014 Alex + Ada, Vol. 1
author: Jonathan Luna
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2016/03/07
date added: 2016/04/05
shelves: speculative-fiction, robots, graphic-novels-and-manga
review:
I picked up Alex + Ada because I read some pretty positive reviews, and I’ve always been interested in AI/android stories, ever since my first fateful encounter with Asimov’s robots in The Positronic Man. I’m a little irritated now that the library only had volume one, because that barely gets things off the ground: Alex meets his new android companion, names her, and realises that she’s lacking that something that makes her a person. For whatever reason � and this isn’t really covered in depth, which actually kind of makes sense to me � Alex decides that he wants to free her intelligence and make her truly sentience. He hasn’t really thought about it before, even though he’s all wired up to his house, but it just feels right, so he goes through with it.

And that’s� pretty much it. It’s an intriguing enough set-up, but it’s barely the start of a story. I wish the library had the next book; I’d rather just go straight onto that, and hope that it picks up straight away. As it is, I’m not sure when I’ll get to read the second volume.


]]> <![CDATA[Made to Kill (Ray Electromatic Mysteries, #1)]]> 23848137 It was just another Tuesday morning when she walked into the office--young, as I suspected they all might be, another dark brunette with some assistance and enough eye black to match up to Cleopatra. And who am I? I'm Ray, the world's last robot, famed and feared in equal measure, which suits me just fine--after all, the last place you'd expect to find a Hollywood's best hit man is in the plain light of day.

Raymond Electromatic is good at his job, as good as he ever was at being a true Private Investigator, the lone employee of the Electromatic Detective Agency--except for Ada, office gal and super-computer, the constant voice in Ray's inner ear. Ray might have taken up a new line of work, but money is money, after all, and he was programmed to make a profit. Besides, with his twenty-four-hour memory-tape limits, he sure can keep a secret.

When a familiar-looking woman arrives at the agency wanting to hire Ray to find a missing movie star, he's inclined to tell her to take a hike. But she had the cold hard cash, a demand for total anonymity, and tendency to vanish on her own.

Plunged into a glittering world of fame, fortune, and secrecy, Ray uncovers a sinister plot that goes much deeper than the silver screen--and this robot is at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Made to Kill is the thrilling new speculative noir from novelist and comic writer Adam Christopher.

]]> 237 Adam Christopher 076537918X Nicky 4
You might know from my reviews of another Angry Robot alumnus, Chris Holm, that I kind of love the hardboiled pulp mystery fiction by the likes of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. This is basically exactly that� except you add a robot and his equally electronic handler, Ada; the robot has a limited 24-hour memory because his memory’s on tapes; and the electronic handler has a prime directive of “profit� and nothing to keep her on the straight and narrow.

There’s an interesting story in the background, too: Ray discovering what he does during what are essentially blackouts; the whole background with Ada and Ray’s creator; the manipulations of Ray’s memory by Ada; Ray’s discovery that he’s being used as a murder weapon� Wisely, I think, this fascinating stuff is kept as background. It keeps you wondering what exactly Ada’s up to, it means you know about Ray’s limited memory and how he can be manipulated, but it focuses on an immediate mystery and leaves all that background to keep you wondering and coming up with your own red herrings.

Adam Christopher doesn’t quite have the style and originality of Chandler (there’s no phrases like “shop-worn Galahad� to delight the senses), but the writing is slick and functional in the best way. I read the whole thing in just over an hour, without stopping, without ever catching up on a snag that made me want to stop. He uses the robot nature of his protagonist in great ways to add detail, uses the limitations of the character to convey expressions and emotions. The robot technology is also kept at just the right level: sure, Ray can take pictures using his eyes, but they’re stored on film and he only has four rolls of film at a time. Ada runs on tapes. The technology is clunky, old-fashioned.

The plot itself is classic and I’m not gonna spoil it by giving you any clues. There’s some staples of pulp fiction here, though, and it’s good for a knowing smile, makes you want to wear a trenchcoat and a natty hat.

]]> 3.34 2015 Made to Kill (Ray Electromatic Mysteries, #1)
author: Adam Christopher
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/10/03
date added: 2015/11/06
shelves: speculative-fiction, mystery, crime, robots
review:
Received to review via Netgalley

You might know from my reviews of another Angry Robot alumnus, Chris Holm, that I kind of love the hardboiled pulp mystery fiction by the likes of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. This is basically exactly that� except you add a robot and his equally electronic handler, Ada; the robot has a limited 24-hour memory because his memory’s on tapes; and the electronic handler has a prime directive of “profit� and nothing to keep her on the straight and narrow.

There’s an interesting story in the background, too: Ray discovering what he does during what are essentially blackouts; the whole background with Ada and Ray’s creator; the manipulations of Ray’s memory by Ada; Ray’s discovery that he’s being used as a murder weapon� Wisely, I think, this fascinating stuff is kept as background. It keeps you wondering what exactly Ada’s up to, it means you know about Ray’s limited memory and how he can be manipulated, but it focuses on an immediate mystery and leaves all that background to keep you wondering and coming up with your own red herrings.

Adam Christopher doesn’t quite have the style and originality of Chandler (there’s no phrases like “shop-worn Galahad� to delight the senses), but the writing is slick and functional in the best way. I read the whole thing in just over an hour, without stopping, without ever catching up on a snag that made me want to stop. He uses the robot nature of his protagonist in great ways to add detail, uses the limitations of the character to convey expressions and emotions. The robot technology is also kept at just the right level: sure, Ray can take pictures using his eyes, but they’re stored on film and he only has four rolls of film at a time. Ada runs on tapes. The technology is clunky, old-fashioned.

The plot itself is classic and I’m not gonna spoil it by giving you any clues. There’s some staples of pulp fiction here, though, and it’s good for a knowing smile, makes you want to wear a trenchcoat and a natty hat.


]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Robot (Robot, #0.3)]]> 1927634 In these stories, Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age: when Earth is ruled by master-machines and when robots are more human than mankind.]]> 688 Isaac Asimov Nicky 4 speculative-fiction, robots The Positronic Man -- and so this was a nice familiar read for me. I've read some of the stories, while some were less familiar, but it is a bit like comfort eating: with Asimov, I know exactly what I'm getting. It'd be a bit much to start here with Asimov, I think, and read all the short stories start to finish. I'd pick a smaller collection, rather than a collected one. But if you're a fan of Asimov's robot stories, then this is definitely worth picking up -- there're some in here I wasn't really aware of.

I think what's really great about these stories is that Asimov set up some rules, and then he bent them until they became almost meaningless within the constraints of the story. You can program a robot to never harm a human being, but if it decides you are not a human being, that rule no longer applies. Who is the judge of humanness? Or the stories where the hierarchy of rules fights against itself, with a robot trapped between compulsions. I love the way Asimov explored that. He didn't just come up with a clever idea and then write robots you could sympathise with all the way; he liked stories that sympathised with robots, and he also saw how our society would really react to robots, and he got to work and told us stories that fit with what he saw.

I find it hard to talk about character or anything in Asimov's stories, about not portraying women properly, etc, because I don't think he portrays anything truly except robots. That's what he was interested in, and that's what he achieved. I can understand not liking them for that reason, but to me as a reader, it's irrelevant.]]> 4.21 1982 The Complete Robot (Robot, #0.3)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Nicky
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at: 2014/04/27
date added: 2014/04/27
shelves: speculative-fiction, robots
review:
I've always liked Asimov's work -- one of my favourites has always been the expanded version of one of the short stories in this volume, The Positronic Man -- and so this was a nice familiar read for me. I've read some of the stories, while some were less familiar, but it is a bit like comfort eating: with Asimov, I know exactly what I'm getting. It'd be a bit much to start here with Asimov, I think, and read all the short stories start to finish. I'd pick a smaller collection, rather than a collected one. But if you're a fan of Asimov's robot stories, then this is definitely worth picking up -- there're some in here I wasn't really aware of.

I think what's really great about these stories is that Asimov set up some rules, and then he bent them until they became almost meaningless within the constraints of the story. You can program a robot to never harm a human being, but if it decides you are not a human being, that rule no longer applies. Who is the judge of humanness? Or the stories where the hierarchy of rules fights against itself, with a robot trapped between compulsions. I love the way Asimov explored that. He didn't just come up with a clever idea and then write robots you could sympathise with all the way; he liked stories that sympathised with robots, and he also saw how our society would really react to robots, and he got to work and told us stories that fit with what he saw.

I find it hard to talk about character or anything in Asimov's stories, about not portraying women properly, etc, because I don't think he portrays anything truly except robots. That's what he was interested in, and that's what he achieved. I can understand not liking them for that reason, but to me as a reader, it's irrelevant.
]]> <![CDATA[Infernal Devices (Infernal Devices, #1)]]> 9222475 384 K.W. Jeter 0857660977 Nicky 4
It's a juxtaposition of ideas, written very much in the tradition of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and with a protagonist that reminds me very much of the common mental image of bumbling, unintelligent John Watson. (Which usually ignores that he is a doctor, an army man, and capable of handling fire arms, not to mention trusted by Holmes who is obviously no idiot. He has a certain lack of imagination, yes, but he's not as stupid as the stereotype would have you believe -- and certainly not as stupid as the protagonist of this novel.)

I thought it was fun, and actually pretty absorbing. Not convincing as anything serious, but fun. I'm glad Angry Robot republished it, it's been a nice diversion from waiting for the slow wheels of the NHS to turn.]]> 3.36 1986 Infernal Devices (Infernal Devices, #1)
author: K.W. Jeter
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.36
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2013/04/06
date added: 2013/04/06
shelves: speculative-fiction, steampunk, robots, historical-fiction-alternatehistory
review:
I've had this book vaguely on my mental list of books that might be interesting for a long time, but I picked it up on pure whim. I'm interested in how many low reviews it has: I think the problem is that people expect something great and marvelously written from the book that inaugurated such a huge cultural phenomenon as steampunk. It's not that. It's fun, silly, often ridiculous, and in no way intended to be taken too seriously, I think.

It's a juxtaposition of ideas, written very much in the tradition of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and with a protagonist that reminds me very much of the common mental image of bumbling, unintelligent John Watson. (Which usually ignores that he is a doctor, an army man, and capable of handling fire arms, not to mention trusted by Holmes who is obviously no idiot. He has a certain lack of imagination, yes, but he's not as stupid as the stereotype would have you believe -- and certainly not as stupid as the protagonist of this novel.)

I thought it was fun, and actually pretty absorbing. Not convincing as anything serious, but fun. I'm glad Angry Robot republished it, it's been a nice diversion from waiting for the slow wheels of the NHS to turn.
]]> Unicorn Variations 536800
Contents:
Introduction (Unicorn Variations) [essay] (1983)
Unicorn Variation (1981)
The Last of the Wild Ones [Sam Murdock] (1981)
Recital (1981)
The Naked Matador (1981)
The Parts That Are Only Glimpsed: Three Reflexes [essay] (1978)
Dismal Light [Francis Sandow] (1968)
Go Starless in the Night (1979)
But Not the Herald (1965)
A Hand Across the Galaxy (1967)
The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current (1976)
Home is the Hangman [Nemo] (1975)
Fire and/or Ice, Exeunt Omnes, A Very Good Year ... [essay] (1983)
Fire and/or Ice (1980)
Exeunt Omnes (1980)
A Very Good Year ... (1979)
My Lady of the Diodes (1970)
And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee (1981)
The Horses of Lir (1981)
The Night Has 999 Eyes (1964)
Angel, Dark Angel (1967)
Walpurgisnacht (1981)
The George Business (1980)
Some Science Fiction Parameters: A Biased View [essay] (1975)

]]> 213 Roger Zelazny 067149449X Nicky 4
I liked Dismal Light a lot, and The George Business made me smile; Recital was powerful and sort-of sad but not quite, a nice mix of feelings... There are so many stories in this collection, I don't think I could really pick and choose.]]> 4.05 1983 Unicorn Variations
author: Roger Zelazny
name: Nicky
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/07
date added: 2012/09/07
shelves: speculative-fiction, fantasy, dragons, robots
review:
Zelazny is really, really good at short stories. I preferred his shortest stories to the longest stories in here, I think, but all of them are good, with the perfect little twist or sting in the tail. Well, not all of them: I suppose there were some that made little impression on me, but mostly my impression is of a strong collection.

I liked Dismal Light a lot, and The George Business made me smile; Recital was powerful and sort-of sad but not quite, a nice mix of feelings... There are so many stories in this collection, I don't think I could really pick and choose.
]]> <![CDATA[Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)]]> 9634967
In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans—a single mother disconcerted by her daughter's menacing "smart" toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a "pacification unit" go haywire—but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.

When the Robot War ignites—at a moment known later as Zero Hour—humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us ... and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.]]> 368 Daniel H. Wilson 0385533853 Nicky 2
I've also seen a more subtle robots-achieve-awareness-and-their-creators-are-frightened-and-try-to-kill-them storyline fairly recently, where things aren't as morally clear cut. It's called Mass Effect, and the third game is particularly relevant, and it is well worth playing. (Except, for my lights, just turn the game off before the end of it. There's a reason I own .) The issue of the geth vs. the quarians is one I was very glad to explore because the game allowed subtlety: this book sort of does, in that you end up with part-robot people and robots who achieve a separate state of awareness and can oppose the evil bad robots, but the fact that you clearly have evil bad robots kind of ruins that.

Also, this isn't really a novel. The only characters I really cared about were Mr Takeo Nomura and Laura Perez's family, and even then, the style of the book makes it difficult to be really invested.]]> 3.70 2011 Robopocalypse (Robopocalypse, #1)
author: Daniel H. Wilson
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2012/08/28
date added: 2012/08/28
shelves: post-apocalyptic, robots, speculative-fiction
review:
Robopocalypse is basically World War Z, but with robots instead of zombies. I'm afraid that's probably a spoiler. That's the way it's told and the tone of it and everything else, except it's not quite as global as World War Z. At first I was quite absorbed -- I was especially interested in Mr Takeo Nomura and Mikiko, but most of the story revolved around the USA, which gets... wearing. To its credit, it did involve Native Americans in a prominent role, though I have no idea how well those aspects were handled.

I've also seen a more subtle robots-achieve-awareness-and-their-creators-are-frightened-and-try-to-kill-them storyline fairly recently, where things aren't as morally clear cut. It's called Mass Effect, and the third game is particularly relevant, and it is well worth playing. (Except, for my lights, just turn the game off before the end of it. There's a reason I own .) The issue of the geth vs. the quarians is one I was very glad to explore because the game allowed subtlety: this book sort of does, in that you end up with part-robot people and robots who achieve a separate state of awareness and can oppose the evil bad robots, but the fact that you clearly have evil bad robots kind of ruins that.

Also, this isn't really a novel. The only characters I really cared about were Mr Takeo Nomura and Laura Perez's family, and even then, the style of the book makes it difficult to be really invested.
]]> <![CDATA[The Caves of Steel (Robot, #1)]]> 41811 206 Isaac Asimov Nicky 4 months.

Anyway, so it's partially nostalgia that makes me love The Caves of Steel so much. And partially my new appreciation for crime novels. Asimov's short mystery stories were very easy to guess; The Caves of Steel, not so much. I had a feeling about the culprit, after a while, but mostly because his innocence kept going unquestioned.

I'm really quite fond of Elijah and Daneel. There's enough of characterisation and personal investment there for that, and for me to be eager to read more of their adventures. I got quite embarrassed for Elijah when he kept getting things wrong -- but it led to the eventual conclusion, so that was nice. Asimov's pretty good at pulling everything together like that.]]> 4.19 1953 The Caves of Steel (Robot, #1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Nicky
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1953
rating: 4
read at: 2010/09/20
date added: 2010/09/20
shelves: robots, speculative-fiction, mystery, crime
review:
I know I read this when I was quite young -- ten or so -- but I found I remembered very, very little of it. I used to read Isaac Asimov obsessively, at that age: the library wouldn't let me take the books out myself, so my mother did it. I racked up an amazing fine for her by keeping The Positronic Man for months.

Anyway, so it's partially nostalgia that makes me love The Caves of Steel so much. And partially my new appreciation for crime novels. Asimov's short mystery stories were very easy to guess; The Caves of Steel, not so much. I had a feeling about the culprit, after a while, but mostly because his innocence kept going unquestioned.

I'm really quite fond of Elijah and Daneel. There's enough of characterisation and personal investment there for that, and for me to be eager to read more of their adventures. I got quite embarrassed for Elijah when he kept getting things wrong -- but it led to the eventual conclusion, so that was nice. Asimov's pretty good at pulling everything together like that.
]]> I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) 41804
I, ROBOT

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on perhaps its greatest adventure: the invention of the first positronic man. It was a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. For the scientists who invented the earliest robots weren't content that their creations should ' remain programmed helpers, companions, and semisentient worker-machines. And soon the robots themselves; aware of their own intelligence, power, and humanity, aren't either.

As humans and robots struggle to survive together—and sometimes against each other—on earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligences that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

In l, Robot Isaac Asimov changes forever our perception of robots, and human beings and updates the timeless myth of man's dream to play god. with all its rewards—and terrors.
--front flap]]> 224 Isaac Asimov 0553803700 Nicky 3 4.22 1950 I, Robot (Robot, #0.1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Nicky
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1950
rating: 3
read at: 2005/04/03
date added: 2008/10/18
shelves: speculative-fiction, short-stories-novellas, robots
review:
I don't remember this very well, I'm going to have to reread it. I know the movie is compleeeeetely different, although I haven't seen that, either.
]]> Century Rain 944995 544 Alastair Reynolds 0575076917 Nicky 4
(I gave my copy to my sister, who despite not being much of a reader, loved it madly.)]]> 3.89 2004 Century Rain
author: Alastair Reynolds
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2007/07/16
date added: 2008/06/04
shelves: speculative-fiction, robots, welsh-writing
review:
I can't remember why I first picked up this book, but I read it twice very soon after getting it (and believe me, it's another of those on the "to read again" list). There's something of the detective novel in it, and it's certainly sci-fi -- not quite sure if it goes into cyberpunk, because I'm no good with genres. There are two parallel stories in this that converge, and the best you can hope for is a bittersweet ending. I read the whole book in about half a day because I really didn't want to put it down. In-world politics, amusing little anecdotes (overly intelligent control systems formed fungi on the ocean into the shape of a rude gesture, if I recall rightly), some near inevitable commentary about the evils we're inflicting on earth... There's also an element of time travel, and alien intelligences, and the sense that there's something bigger hanging around outside the story... As I said, I loved it.

(I gave my copy to my sister, who despite not being much of a reader, loved it madly.)
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]]> 433 Charles Stross 1841493899 Nicky 1
Most of the book basically flew right over my head. The characters weren't that special, either. About half way through the book I got more interested in it all -- perhaps because I finally got into the world and characters a little.

I'm pretty sure that for someone who reads more sci-fi, or maybe does physics and also knows a bit about business/law, it would have been a really, really interesting book. Some of the ideas intrigued me. It felt very, very fast paced -- which makes sense, considering the speed of the world its set in -- and felt to me like a succession of ideas, none of which were fully realised.

Really, I was left with the overwhelming feeling that I am not the target audience for the book. It's not keeping me from picking up one of Charles Stross' other books, Singularity Sky, but that's only because I already have it. I don't think I'd buy it.]]> 3.79 2005 Accelerando
author: Charles Stross
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2005
rating: 1
read at: 2008/04/18
date added: 2008/06/04
shelves: speculative-fiction, robots, cyberpunk
review:
It's a sci-fi book, and tosses around words like singularity and wetware and all kinds of words that seem to be required knowledge for reading sci-fi (since I recognise them from Ken MacLeod's books). To be honest, I'm rapidly discovering I'm out of my depth with a lot of sci-fi. I'm alright with Le Guin, Alastair Reynolds, Tad Williams and Asimov, but a lot of the rest is beyond me.

Most of the book basically flew right over my head. The characters weren't that special, either. About half way through the book I got more interested in it all -- perhaps because I finally got into the world and characters a little.

I'm pretty sure that for someone who reads more sci-fi, or maybe does physics and also knows a bit about business/law, it would have been a really, really interesting book. Some of the ideas intrigued me. It felt very, very fast paced -- which makes sense, considering the speed of the world its set in -- and felt to me like a succession of ideas, none of which were fully realised.

Really, I was left with the overwhelming feeling that I am not the target audience for the book. It's not keeping me from picking up one of Charles Stross' other books, Singularity Sky, but that's only because I already have it. I don't think I'd buy it.
]]> <![CDATA[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]> 7083 169 Philip K. Dick 1857988132 Nicky 2 3.95 1968 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Nicky
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1968
rating: 2
read at: 2005/05/19
date added: 2008/06/04
shelves: speculative-fiction, dystopia, robots, cyberpunk
review:
I know I read this, but I don't really remember what it was about, and it made no real impression on me. I think I found it confusing.
]]> <![CDATA[The Positronic Man (Robot, #0.6)]]> 651964 The Positronic Man is an unforgettable novel that redefines Isaac Asimov's and Robert Silverberg's place among the greatest science fiction authors of all time.

In the twenty-first century the creation of the positronic brain leads to the development of robot laborers and revolutionizes life on Earth. But to the Martin family, their household robot NDR-113 is more than a trusted friend, a confidant, a member of the family. For through some unknown manufacturing glitch, Andrew has been blessed with a capacity for love and a drive toward self-awareness and devlopment that are almost...human.

But almost is not enough. Andrew's dream is to become fully human. Facing human prejudice, the laws of robotics, and his own mechanical limitations, Andrew will use science and law in his quest for the impossible, arriving at last at a terrifying choice: to make his dream a reality, he must pay the ultimate price.

]]> 290 Isaac Asimov 0553561219 Nicky 5 4.12 1992 The Positronic Man (Robot, #0.6)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Nicky
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 1999/04/02
date added: 2008/06/04
shelves: speculative-fiction, favourites, robots
review:
I loved this book when I was about nine or ten. My mum got it out from the library for me and I read it over and over and over again, refusing to let her take it back to the library for me. My girlfriend got me a copy of my own, eventually, and I still love it. Andrew's progression from robot to human is touching and the reactions of the characters in the background are believable and realistic -- from acceptance to disquiet to hate.
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