What if the robots you invented thought you were a god? What if a car maliciously tried to kill you… without a driver? What if your computer had feelings and was in love with you? What if an AI was smarter than its programmer?
These are only some of the possibilities the authors of the seventeen short stories ask and answer (more or less, anyway) in this wonderful collection edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams, Robot Uprisings.
The range of the kind of science fiction stories in the collection is fantastic. Some of them are a more traditional post-apocalyptic near-future, some are set in the past, some could be happening in your town! The tone of the stories vary as well. Some are comedic, some are nail-biters, some are reflective, and one – my favourite “Epoch” by Cory Doctorow – is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read.
This book is dedicated to GLaDOS and Gort, our less-than-benevolent, but according to the editors’ Forward, inevitable future masters. Adams and Wilson seem to think resistance might actually be futile. But its not like you’re using machines right now… oh.
Robot Uprisings is available from Vintage Books April 1, 2014.
You can follow Daniel H. Wilson on Twitter @danielwilsonPDX and John Joseph Adams @johnjosephadams or check out their websites: Daniel H. Wilson, John Joseph Adams.
Jody “Goldberry Riverdaughter” Boyce
“Goldberry Riverdaughter” has been her friends’ and families’ resident book nerd since reading the Tao of Pooh at age eight. Since then her literary exploration has lead her straight to Lord of the Rings where she’s made her home. In addition to a staff reporter for Legendarium, she also runs Hells Hobbits. She has a degree in History, as well as a new-found penchant for disassembling literary canon. She lives with her equally nerdy husband and two gigantic cats enjoying table top games & cosplay.
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