Artificial life forms have come a long way from when moviegoers first encountered Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet (1959). Sentient robots, androids, and other artificial life forms have been a part of our literature long before they began to be a part of our films and more recently, be discussed in our everyday culture.
Iconic science fiction writer Isaac Asimov published a book of short stories called I, Robot in 1950. In one story, Asimov lays out the Three Laws of Robotics, which start with this: “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” This Law formed the basis for our understanding of artificial intelligence, in a nutshell. “Good” robots would not harm humans. “Bad” robots (or androids, or computers, or cyborgs) would seek harm – usually of the entire human race, or the planet Earth. Modern androids are more nuanced, seeking self-discovery of their own humanity over world dominance. Usually. Below you will find some of the most well-regarded robot stories through the years.
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (1968) features androids so realistic they blend in with humans, but they are outlawed on Earth and bounty hunters seek them out for “retirement”. Movie tie-in: Blade Runner (1982)
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979) is not mainly about robots, but does include Marvin the Paranoid Android, who could not be left off of this list. Tie-ins: Radio plays, BBC TV show, movie
- Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (2011) tells the classic story of humans battling for survival against an AI computer gone rogue.
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer (2012), the first book in the Lunar Chronicles, introduces Linh Cinder, a gifted mechanic and a cyborg, in this re-imagining of the Cinderella story.
- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (2013) is a multiple award-winning story about a human soldier who was linked to her ship through AI. Now the ship is destroyed, and she is all that is left.
- The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells (2017-) follows a self-aware security robot as it struggles with autonomy and its relationship with people. TV tie-in: The Murderbot Diaries on Apple TV+.
- Machines Like Me (2019) details an alternate London in which synthetic humans are just being released. Miranda and Charlie co-design Adam’s personality, which leads to an exploration of what makes us human.
- Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) is the story of an Artificial Friend, through whose eyes we view the world and explore what it means to love.
Personally, I just want a happy medium where a non-sentient housebot will wash my dishes…
New at the Library
Fiction
- The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
- The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
Nonfiction
- The How Not to Age Cookbook by Michael Greger
- How Can I Help?: Saving Nature with Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy
- The 5-Minute Gardener: Year-Round Garden Habits for Busy People by Nicole Johnsey Burke
Children
- Elena Camps by Juana Medina
- Ray: How Light Works by Emily Kate Moon
- The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner
