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Reluctant Android
Andy Bolton, an eccentric software engineer in Seattle, is horrified to discover he’s a robot. His boss, Lucy, tries to capture him. On the run, Andy finds his creator in Honolulu and learns he is a synthetic sentience, neither fully human nor mindless machine. Reluctantly, he calls himself a Newcomer. This is the first in the Newcomer series.
Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2018
About the author
William X. Adams
12 books15 followersI am a cognitive psychologist who left the university classroom for the information technology industry to find out if the mind is like a computer. I write psychological science fiction ("psi-fi") to dramatize what I learned. Contact me at www.psifibooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 26, 2018
The theme of a sentient robot on the run from mistrustful humans is not especially new in books and films, with examples from Short Circuit (cute) to Blade Runner (very dark). However, the author is aware and plays with those tropes wonderfully. Star Trek fans should recognize the toaster references. So this book is funny and thoughtful, as well as an exploration into what makes us human. It's enjoyable to watch Andy's efforts to understand human foibles, and seeing the twists and turns along his voyage of self-discovery. A fun and surprisingly educational read.
September 20, 2018
Reluctant Android is one of those rare books that manages to be both cerebral and very entertaining. In a fast-paced novel filled with suspense, Adams explores a range of issues connected to artificial intelligence. I can’t count the number of times I paused in my reading to ponder troubling questions about what, exactly, separates humans from machines, the nature of the ‘self’, and the direction of artificial intelligence research. Adams’ book provides a complete and in-depth lesson in the field of consciousness studies, and what’s more, it’s extremely entertaining. I was surprised and drawn in by the subtle humor woven throughout—humor that makes this a stand-out among both the sci-fi novels I’ve read and, well, works related to consciousness studies. I was also impressed by how Adams manages to make his reluctant android both believable as an artificial intelligence experiment, and sympathetic as a being with needs that aren’t, perhaps, entirely different than our own. Ultimately Adams presented a very compassionate view of a misunderstood machine, and he tells a great story, too. This book should please sci-fi fans and especially anyone interested in AI.
March 23, 2019
We are proud to announce that RELUCTANT ANDROID by William X. Adams is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews