Review of I, Robot Soldier
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[Following is a volunteer review of "I, Robot Soldier" by Joel R. Dennstedt.]
I, Robot Soldier is a wonderful science fiction character study written by Joel R. Dennstedt. This short novel tells the tale of One Shot, a good robot programmed to serve humans, and an orphaned little girl, Amy, as they journey through a war-torn world in search of surviving humans. One Shot selflessly serves Amy and raises her from a small child through early adolescence. These two characters grow and mature as the story slowly unfolds.
There's some action in the tale - Amy and One Shot battle wildlife and enemy robots - but what the author does with the characters is a lot more interesting than the plot progression, in my opinion. I thought it was a wonderful thought experiment: what would a child raised solely in the care of a robot grow into? How would a robot whose sole purpose is caring for and raising a small child change and adapt to that task? I thought it was a beautiful book.
I was very moved by Amy's relationship with her pets and also how she came to see One Shot as a father. Watching her grow into a leader was very empowering. It's beautifully written, and while I would definitely describe it as a slow burner, getting to know these two characters kept the pages turning. I would rate this book five out of five stars. It's a lovely but slow read that definitely made me think about the nature of humanity and our relationship with technology and how that relationship could change in the future.
Amy asks what makes One Shot a robot and what makes her a human; as our own reliance on machine intelligence increases, I think this is a really good question. The book made me reflect on the potential future of human-robot relationships and how they might evolve. I would recommend this book to any fan of science fiction.
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I, Robot Soldier
View: on Bookshelves |
I, Robot Soldier is a wonderful science fiction character study written by Joel R. Dennstedt. This short novel tells the tale of One Shot, a good robot programmed to serve humans, and an orphaned little girl, Amy, as they journey through a war-torn world in search of surviving humans. One Shot selflessly serves Amy and raises her from a small child through early adolescence. These two characters grow and mature as the story slowly unfolds.
There's some action in the tale - Amy and One Shot battle wildlife and enemy robots - but what the author does with the characters is a lot more interesting than the plot progression, in my opinion. I thought it was a wonderful thought experiment: what would a child raised solely in the care of a robot grow into? How would a robot whose sole purpose is caring for and raising a small child change and adapt to that task? I thought it was a beautiful book.
I was very moved by Amy's relationship with her pets and also how she came to see One Shot as a father. Watching her grow into a leader was very empowering. It's beautifully written, and while I would definitely describe it as a slow burner, getting to know these two characters kept the pages turning. I would rate this book five out of five stars. It's a lovely but slow read that definitely made me think about the nature of humanity and our relationship with technology and how that relationship could change in the future.
Amy asks what makes One Shot a robot and what makes her a human; as our own reliance on machine intelligence increases, I think this is a really good question. The book made me reflect on the potential future of human-robot relationships and how they might evolve. I would recommend this book to any fan of science fiction.
******
I, Robot Soldier
View: on Bookshelves |
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