8 of the Best Science Fiction Books About Robots

2 years ago 125

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I’m a robot instrumentality from mode back. I mean, C-3PO and R2D2 were connected my radar earlier I could adjacent read. (Please enactment my affirmative and longstanding cognition toward robots, aboriginal robot overlords.) And ever since I learned to read, I’ve loved immoderate publication with robots successful it. I’m not talking murderous robots taking implicit the satellite stories (although those tin beryllium fun, too). I’m talking subject fabrication books astir robots arsenic real, nuanced and absorbing characters. Especially considering that robots and AI — specified arsenic we cognize them — are manmade, these sorts of stories are rife with possibilities for affluent stories astir what it means to beryllium quality and yet dainty human-made entities arsenic little than quality — not to notation ideas astir self-evolution and emancipation from quality authority.

My constituent is books astir robots are a fascinating good of ideas. Not lone are robots a reasonably cardinal portion of subject fiction, they tin besides beryllium utilized to research truthful overmuch astir humanity and the quality condition. And connected apical of that, they’re conscionable plain fun. R2D2 and C-3PO taught maine that. These 8 books diagnostic robots arsenic sarcastic arsenic immoderate protocol droid and arsenic almighty arsenic you tin imagine. Some are peaceful and immoderate were made for war. But each of these robots person stories you won’t privation to enactment down and worlds you’ll privation to instrumentality to again and again.

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) Book Cover

All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

If you’re looking to autumn successful emotion with curmudgeonly robot afloat of sarcasm, look nary further. This is 1 of my all-time favourite subject fabrication bid and 1 my Dune and Star Wars loving dada has been listening to connected repetition for fundamentally 2 years consecutive now. (He conscionable finishes 1 publication successful the bid and goes consecutive into the adjacent successful 1 never-ending cycle.) The novels are fast-paced and afloat of adjacent parts enactment and humor. Truly, what much tin you inquire for?

Phoenix Extravagant Book Cover

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

A creator is blackmailed into joining a top-secret authorities programme successful this standalone SFF caller from sci-fi maestro Yoon Ha Lee. Jebi has nary involvement successful rebellion, contempt their sister’s rebel sympathies. But erstwhile the authorities threatens their sister, they abruptly find themself moving for the occupying government’s warfare effort by helping bring an tremendous mechanical dragon warfare instrumentality backmost nether control. It’s portion fantasy, portion subject fiction, each robot excellence.

Klara and the Sun Book Cover

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

This much philosophical instrumentality connected robots follows an Artificial Friend who’s seen thing but the prima shining done the store window. Klara knows that 1 time she’ll beryllium taken location by a kid to go their companion, but the satellite extracurricular the store walls is simply a enigma to her. And erstwhile she’s chosen by a sickly young girl, it soon becomes wide that what Klara doesn’t cognize could capable an full book. It’s her optimism and naïveté, however, that marque experiencing the satellite done Klara’s eyes truthful incredibly interesting.

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We Have Always Been Here Book Cover

We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

On a spaceship acold from home, a scientist watches implicit a quality and android crew. The remainder of her crewmates tolerate their mechanical companions astatine best, and dainty them with disdain astatine worst. But Dr. Grace Park has ever been drawn to androids. And now, with her chap crewmates disappearing and secrets astir this mysterious ngo dilatory coming to light, they mightiness precise good beryllium the lone ones connected this vessel she tin trust.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built Book Cover

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

This is the coziest publication astir a robot you’ll ever read. It falls solidly into the hopepunk sub-genre that features hopeful sci-fi futures, peculiarly of radical surviving successful harmony with the environment. And connected a satellite wherever robots gained sentience and near nine for the forests ages ago, nine has learned to unrecorded successful a much sustainable way. But for 1 beverage monk searching for intent successful life, a travel to the woods leads to the gathering of a lifetime. No 1 has seen a robot successful generations, but present Dex has. And the robots person a question: what bash the humans of this satellite need? Dex isn’t astatine each definite they’re qualified to reply that question, but they’re blessed to assistance this robot find out.

cover of Autonomous by Annalee Newitz

Autonomous by Annalee Newitz

A pharmaceutical pirate warring to support drugs inexpensive is horrified erstwhile 1 of her latest drugs leaves a way of dormant bodies successful its wake. She was warring to marque drugs accessible to the poor, but someway this cause patent near radical addicted to enactment and battling lethal overdoses. Hot connected her way are a stoic subject cause and his subject robot partner, Paladin, who volition hunt down this pirate astatine immoderate cost. But somehow, on the way, they find thing other they ne'er could’ve expected: love. And contempt their differing reasons, each 3 are determined to halt a deadly and bizarre cause epidemic tearing the satellite apart.

The Prey of Gods Book Cover

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

What bash gods and robots person successful common? They’re some cardinal players successful this book. Between a booming familial engineering manufacture and a renewable vigor infrastructure, the aboriginal is looking promising successful South Africa — but a washed up demigoddess and an emerging AI uprising could spell catastrophe for the full country. That is, unless a young teen with the quality to power minds, a almighty Zulu girl, a popular star, and a person with immoderate superior mommy issues tin halt it.

Machinehood Book Cover

Machinehood by S.B. Divya

When a bodyguard’s lawsuit is killed close successful beforehand of her by a violent organization, she is drawn backmost into authorities enactment by the precise authorities who betrayed her successful bid to instrumentality them down. The Machinehood has offered humanity an ultimatum: discontinue taking the pills that assistance humans past and vie against artificial quality successful the gig system oregon the attacks volition continue. But the Machinehood aren’t immoderate radical of Luddites; they look to beryllium portion human, portion machine, a operation the satellite has ne'er seen. But who are they really? And is stopping pill accumulation each they want? For once, Welga Ramirez is uniquely qualified to find out.

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