Sad Robot Stories


Book Description

Robot is one of millions of androids on an Earth that recently saw the extinction of human life. While Robot's mechanical brothers and sisters seem happy, Robot finds himself lost and missing the only friend he had, a human named Mike whose family accepted Robot as a piece of their personal puzzle. Without both the mistakes and the capacity for miracles that define human civilization, is civilization even worth having? Explore this question in the hilarious yet heartbreaking full-length debut of popular Chicago performer Mason Johnson. A Kurt Vonnegut for the 21st century, his answers are simultaneously droll, surprising and touching, and will make you rethink the limits of what a storyteller can accomplish within science fiction.




The Saddest Little Robot


Book Description

On an asteroid at the end of the universe, a curious Drudgebot dares to question Father Screen and discovers that there is light and life beyond Dome City.




The Wild Robot


Book Description

Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants.




The Wild Robot Escapes


Book Description

The sequel to thebestselling The Wild Robot, by award-winning author Peter Brown Shipwrecked on a remote, wild island, Robot Roz learned from the unwelcoming animal inhabitants and adapted to her surroundings--but can she survive the challenges of the civilized world and find her way home to Brightbill and the island? From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed sequel to his New York Times bestselling The Wild Robot,about what happens when nature and technology collide.




Norby the Mixed-Up Robot


Book Description

A Space Academy student and his time-travelling robot stop an evil villain from taking over the Solar System in this children’s sci-fi classic. Fourteen-year-old Jeff Wells, a cadet at the Space Academy on Mars, is in danger of being kicked out unless he can improve his grades. With a little help from the academy’s commandant, Jeff finds a robot named Norby to help him study. But Norby’s no ordinary robot. He has the only mini-anti-gravity device in existence. Norby’s special abilities suddenly come in handy when a villain named Ing targets Jeff’s older brother in his quest to conquer the Solar System. When Ing takes over Manhattan Island, renaming it “the Kingdom of Ing,” Norby and Jeff put studying aside to teach Ing a lesson!




Robot Dreams


Book Description

A graphic novel classic — and now an Oscar-nominated animated feature! After best friends Robot and Dog spend a happy day at the beach, Robot's joints freeze up—they've become rusted through by the water. Dog is powerless to help Robot, who can't move an inch and is too heavy for Dog to carry. Eventually, Dog makes the difficult decision to leave Robot there, and return alone to the life they shared. The memory of their friendship lingers, and as the seasons pass, Dog makes (and loses) new friends, from a melting snowman to epicurean anteaters. But Robot, lying rusting on the beach, finds solace in dreams. A masterwork in wordless cartooning, Sara Varon's Robot Dreams is a whimsical and poignant meditation on the power and fragility of relationships.




Super Sad True Love Story


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deliciously dark tale of America’s dysfunctional coming years—and the timeless and tender feelings that just might bring us back from the brink. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • San Francisco Chronicle • The Seattle Times • O: The Oprah Magazine • Maureen Corrigan, NPR • Salon • Slate • Minneapolis Star Tribune • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Kansas City Star • Charlotte Observer • The Globe and Mail • Vancouver Sun • Montreal Gazette • Kirkus Reviews In the near future, America is crushed by a financial crisis and our patient Chinese creditors may just be ready to foreclose on the whole mess. Then Lenny Abramov, son of an Russian immigrant janitor and ardent fan of “printed, bound media artifacts” (aka books), meets Eunice Park, an impossibly cute Korean American woman with a major in Images and a minor in Assertiveness. Could falling in love redeem a planet falling apart?




Overclocked


Book Description

"Cory Doctorow straps on his miner's helmet and takes you deep into the caverns and underground rivers of pop culture, here filtered through SF-colored glasses. Enjoy."-Neil Gaiman New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow has been hailed as one of the freshest voices in science fiction, and this collection of intriguing novellas is yet another reason why. Have you ever wondered what it's like to live through a bioweapon attack or to have every aspect of your life governed by invisible ants? In Cory Doctorow's collection of novellas, he wields his formidable experience in technology and computing to give us mind-bending sci-fi tales that explore the possibilities of information technology-and its various uses-run amok. "Anda's Game" is a spin on the bizarre new phenomenon of "cyber sweatshops," in which people are paid very low wages to play online games all day in order to generate in-game wealth, which can be converted into actual money. Another tale tells of the heroic exploits of "sysadmins"-systems administrators-as they defend the cyberworld, and hence the world at large, from worms and bioweapons. And yes, there's a story about zombies, too. "He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow." -Bruce Sterling, award-winning author of Schismatrix Plus and The Difference Engine




Rusty the Squeaky Robot


Book Description

Rusty is a friendly robot, but not a very happy one; he's feeling down about the way that he sounds. The other robots on Planet Robotone - Belle, Twango, Hoot and Boom-Bot - show Rusty that being a little bit different is the best way to be, and together make a raucous song and dance that celebrates their differences. This charming story about friendship, self-discovery and the strength of pooling everyone's talents together has a strong, empowering message of acceptance and embracing individuality. With wonderful, contemporary illustrations that will appeal to young children and parents alike, the story will provoke thought - and conversation - about being different, and how we should all embrace our characteristics and be comfortable and confident in ourselves.




The Best of Alastair Reynolds


Book Description

This is an amazing collection of some of the best short fiction ever written in the SF genre, by an author acclaimed as 'the mastersinger of space opera' THE TIMES. With an introduction by noted SF critic Johnathan Strahan, this collection of twenty short stories, novellettes and novellas includes MINLA'S FLOWERS, SIGNAL TO NOISE, TROIKA, and seven previous uncollected stories, including TRAUMA POD, THE WATER THIEF and IN BABELSBERG. Alastair Reynolds has won the Sidewise Award and been nominated for The Hugo Awards for his short fiction. One of the most thought-provoking and accomplished short-fiction writers of our time, this collection is a delight for all SF readers