Robots are a staple of science fiction literature. They have been heroes, villains, sidekicks, dei ex machina and the metaphorical children of humanity. They have also appeared in modern classics such as Star Wars , Star Trek , Bounty Hunter , and many others.
Robots have appeared in every medium that humans have created, but in literature you will find the greatest treasure trove of automaton characters with depth and complexity. Whether you're a fan of mysteries, hard science, or fantasy, there are a number of books featuring robot characters to keep you on the page. Here are some to get you started.
The term "robot" generally means an artificial being with a physical form. They generally have autonomy of movement, if not of reason. It's happening:robots may be the creative artists of the future. It's happening:robots may be the creative artists of the future. No machine or piece of software can emulate the passion of an artist, right? ? Wrong, kind of Human creativity is important, but, sorry, robots are coming for you too. Read More
This is far from a new concept. In book 18 of The Iliad , The god Hephaestus appears supported by some of his creations, female creatures made of gold who have intelligence and prodigious blacksmith skills. The word “robot” is believed to come from a Czech work by Karel Capek called Rossum's Universal Robots . The Czech translated means “slave” or “slave.”
Therefore, robots have been around for a long time. A Timeline of Robots in Movies A Timeline of Robots in Movies Read More Therefore, there is no way this article can be a complete list of all the great robot characters in literature. So instead, take this as a primer of some of the best out there. Also, the characters listed here are limited to physical beings with the ability to move, so I'm not including supercomputers. I feel sorry for those of you who were hoping to see HAL on this list.
I almost feel compelled to start with Marvin, one of Douglas Adams' many creations, as he almost resists comparison to any other robot character in history. Marvin the paranoid android is a mainstay of the Hitchhiker universe...literally. If you need another reason why you should be reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , Marvin the paranoid Android should be the character that pushes you to go out and buy the Ultimate volume.
Marvin was a prototypical creation of the brilliant minds at Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, who have their own special definition of a robot as "Your plastic friend who's fun to be around." It is the forerunner of their Genuine People Personalities, an emotion chip that makes all other virtual intelligences in the universe perky and cheerful. Marvin, on the other hand, is not. Marvin makes Eeyore seem more cheerful.
Without revealing too much, poor Marvin spends most of Adams' novels in a series of unfortunate circumstances that would break even the happiest person. In fact, I think only Marvin's words can give you the right picture:
Isaac Asimov, who wrote The Robot Trilogy Among many other glorious tomes, he is famous for his invention of the Three Laws of Robotics, which have since provided a blueprint for how robots can operate in fiction.
There are so many robots in Asimov's fiction that this entire list could have consisted of them and would have been appropriate. Of all of them, I chose R. Daneel Olivaw for selfish reasons:I'm a fan of mysteries, and Olivaw is a detective. But besides that, I think the Robot Trilogy It's a good read for anyone who loves robots and science fiction.
It's the future, Natch. Earth is overpopulated and humans are crowded into small towns where resources are carefully rationed. Meanwhile, a faction of humanity called The Spacers have been living on various planets with abundant resources and small populations for years, relying on robots for all their needs.
When various conflicts arise between the humans of Earth and the spacers or their robots, Elijah Baley must step in to investigate. In the first book, he is assigned a humanitarian partner of robots. 5 Advanced Humanoid Robots You Must See To Believe. 5 Advanced Humanoid Robots You Must See To Believe. Here we count down some of the most impressive humanoid robots ever created. The future of robotics is drawing near and it's rarer than ever. Read More
Throughout the series, Lije and Daneel solve mysteries in societies with very different views on the roles robots play in human lives. 8 Skilled Jobs That May Soon Be Replaced By Robots 8 Skilled Jobs That May Soon Be Replaced By Robots Are machines coming for your job? You would be surprised. Recent advances in AI are putting white-collar jobs at risk. Read More The books also explore the implications of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and the supposed superiority of artificial life.
You may have come across this Ray Bradbury story as an episode of The Twilight Zone . Ray Bradbury wrote the script for the episode, so if, for whatever reason, you can't track down your short story 5 Fantastic Short Stories You Can Read Online For Free 5 Fantastic Short Stories You Can Read Online Short stories are finally becoming a proper look, thanks to some of the best in the business. May is story month. Celebrate by immersing yourself in the genius of these great authors. Read More
A little girl, Agatha, who is grieving for her dead mother, is supplied with a robot created to be a loving figure of her grandmother. Agatha initially rejects Grandma because she is convinced that Grandma will leave her like her mother did. When Grandma bears the brunt of a car accident that saved Agatha, she proves her own love and immortality to the girl.
Nearly every other story on this list (along with the vast majority of robotics fiction in general) deals with philosophical ideas of what it means to be human and the intricacies of machine programming versus the irrational thinking of Microsoft, Artificial Intelligence and the Microsoft Robot Apocalypse. Artificial Intelligence, and The Robot Apocalypse Microsoft is taking a serious look at a line of autonomous robots. Is this the beginning of the end for humans, or just another step forward in the push for secure artificial intelligence? Read more . But the programming of Electric Grandmother's machine is fundamentally based on irrationality:it is full of love and feeling, and there is no indication that her love is different from that of Agatha's mother. Which makes this a rare and quite intriguing story..
Technically speaking, it makes a "robot." Does it have to be a metal and wire creature that lives in the future? Or can it just be an artificial non-human creature with sentience and is it going to exist alongside humans in some form? If it can be the latter, then the golems of World of Records in the afternoon, the great Terry Pratchett certainly qualifies.
Golems are ceramic drones that work with magic. Chems inserted into their heads that force them to obey and prevent them from hurting people. See Asimov, above. Dorfl is the golem of the City Guard, who eventually becomes the first golem released. Unfortunately, at the same time, some murders are suspected to be the work of a golem.
One of the roots of robotic fiction is that of Mary Shelley. Frankenstein , and Dorfl fits the profile of this archetype. Golems in general also obey a version of Asimov's laws. The number of classic fictional robot screams in Feet of Clay Just make them robots by literary osmosis if nothing else..
Have you read a book with a great robot character that you didn't see on this list? There are a lot of automatons we don't cover:Freya from Children of Saturn , Rachael Rosen from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? , and the titular character of “Robbie.” Please tell us everything you remember in the comments section below.
