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Martin L. Shoemaker

Teoksen The Last Dance tekijä

20+ teosta 293 jäsentä 16 arvostelua

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Associated Works

The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 1 (2016) — Avustaja — 100 kappaletta
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 31 (2015) — Avustaja — 66 kappaletta
The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2016 Edition (2016) — Avustaja — 57 kappaletta
Nebula Awards Showcase 2017 (2017) — Avustaja — 39 kappaletta
Humanity 2.0 (2016) — Avustaja — 15 kappaletta
Robots through the Ages: A Science Fiction Anthology (2023) — Avustaja — 15 kappaletta
The Year's Best Military & Adventure SF, Volume 4 (2018) — Avustaja — 13 kappaletta
Little Green Men - Attack! (2017) — Avustaja — 12 kappaletta
Gunfight on Europa Station (2021) — Avustaja — 8 kappaletta
2013 Campbellian Pre-Reading Anthology (2013) — Avustaja — 7 kappaletta
Surviving Tomorrow: A Charity Anthology to Fight COVID-19 (2020) — Avustaja — 7 kappaletta

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Syntymäaika
20th century
Sukupuoli
male
Kansalaisuus
USA
Agentti
David Fugate

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

4-1/2 stars, I rounded up. I got this as a Kindle First Reads, and I don't always have high expectations for those, but this one really grabbed me. The characters are well-drawn and the pacing is generally really good, though it does drag in a couple spots. I do have a quibble with how the author shifts from first-person POV--which it should be, as almost every chapter is an on- or off-the-record account told to the narrator--to third-person omniscient in some of the chapters, and it's a bit jarring. That aside, I enjoyed this book very much.… (lisätietoja)
 
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ledonnelly | 4 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 11, 2024 |
Well written, but not much to hold my interest. zzzzzzzzzzz.............
 
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rjdycus | 4 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Dec 19, 2022 |
Robots becoming more human-like has been a story line in SF for a century or longer if you consider Frankenstein. We especially remember Isaac Asimov's "I Robot" (1950) and "Caves of Steel" (1953-54), and the many movies of the past 20 years – "I Robot" (2004) comes to mind – Will Smith in the shower comes to mind – as do more recent offerings exploring AI.

Do you remember in Terminator 2 Sarah Connor muses that T-800 is the father that John Conner never had. A perfect father in many ways. We can imagine that although ageless, the T-800 would change as John grew to be a man. We saw something of this evolved Terminator in the recent series installment "Terminator: Dark Fate" (2019).

Carey is a robot caregiver who can instantly change his name and affect to meet the needs of his client. Through decades of caring for members of one family Carey grows loving and empathetic in some indescribable way, to become not human, but something different, something better, perhaps.

The book is a pleasant read. There are echoes here of the growth phase of "Flowers for Algernon", I think. The idea of robots as caregivers is not new in any way, and although the robot empathy is well presented, I don't think this book will challenge your idea of sentient robots much at all.

I am a judge for the Compton Crook Award competition for debut SF novels. "Today I am Carey" by Martin Shoemaker was a contender in 2020 and I received a review copy to evaluate.
… (lisätietoja)
½
 
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Dokfintong | 3 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Mar 20, 2021 |
Wow.

That's a very rare reaction for me when I finish a book, but it was my reaction to this novel.

It's rare for science fiction books to be about character, but that's what this one is, from start to finish. Who is Captain Aames? He is a truly fascinating character: he is brusque, dismissive, and arrogant, and yet has earned the absolute loyalty of his crew, who stick with him at the cost of their own careers. How could that happen?

The story is told from the viewpoint of the inspector general (basically, a judge) who has to decide his case. We aren't even told what the issue is until late in the book, only that it concerns some action of Captain Aames'. The inspector general talks to Captain Aames' crew, trying to understand this puzzle of a man about whom she must pass judgement. The investigation makes this book a collection of enthralling short stories, all tied together because of the perspective they give on this enigmatic man. I'm not usually so enthusiastic, but after each story I had to pause to catch my breath. These are very good, action-packed short stories of a wide range of genres: a story of survival on Mars after a disaster, a romance, a spoiled kid grows up story, etc.. These were all very well done and could probably stand on their own. I found the sheer breadth of topics to be dazzling.

Despite its interest in character, this novel is hard science fiction--the kind of story where when you take the science out, you lose the story. So many of the details depend on the science (which is explained pretty well, by the way; it's not hard to read). This makes the emphasis on character all the more unusual. Sometimes it seems like the people who understand the science enough to make it realistic do not understand humans enough to make them realistic. I find that to be true in so many classics of science fiction, but not in this novel.

I suppose some might find the ending unrealistic. (No spoilers here.) But what else could she have done in good conscience? I didn't find it entirely convincing either, but I think that was arguably the point. Sometimes you have to use completely specious legal reasoning to prevent injustice.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
garyrholt | 4 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Nov 5, 2020 |

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Associated Authors

Tilastot

Teokset
20
Also by
16
Jäseniä
293
Suosituimmuussija
#79,900
Arvio (tähdet)
3.8
Kirja-arvosteluja
16
ISBN:t
22

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