What do you think?
Agents Mia and Derec reveal a conspiracy after robot bodyguards fail to protect key leaders from an assassination attempt during a conference uniting the Spacers, Settlers, and Earth representatives.
452 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Mark W. Tiedemann
68 books88 followersAlso credited as Mark Tiedemann and M. William Tiedemann.
Mark W. Tiedemann has published twelve novels---three in the Asimov's Robot Universe series, /Mirage, Chimera /and/ Aurora/---three in his own Secantis Sequence, /Compass Reach, Metal of Night, /and /Peace & Memory/---as well as stand-alones /Realtime, Hour of the Wolf/ (a Terminator novel), and /Remains/, plus /Of Stars & Shadows/, one of the Yard Dog Doubledog series, Logic of Departure, and the historical novel Granger's Crossing. As well, he has published over seventy-five short stories, all this between 1990 and 2023. /Compass Reach/ was shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award in 2002 and /Remains /was shortlisted for the James Tiptree Jr. Award in 2006.
For five years he served as president of the Missouri Center for the Book (http://books.missouri.org) from which position he has recently stepped down. He is now concentrating on writing new novels, a few short stories, and stirring a little chaos in the blogosphere at DangerousIntersection.org and his own blog at MarkTiedemann.com
Oh, he still does a little photography and has started dabbling in art again after a long hiatus.
Mark W. Tiedemann has published twelve novels---three in the Asimov's Robot Universe series, /Mirage, Chimera /and/ Aurora/---three in his own Secantis Sequence, /Compass Reach, Metal of Night, /and /Peace & Memory/---as well as stand-alones /Realtime, Hour of the Wolf/ (a Terminator novel), and /Remains/, plus /Of Stars & Shadows/, one of the Yard Dog Doubledog series, Logic of Departure, and the historical novel Granger's Crossing. As well, he has published over seventy-five short stories, all this between 1990 and 2023. /Compass Reach/ was shortlisted for the Philip K. Dick Award in 2002 and /Remains /was shortlisted for the James Tiptree Jr. Award in 2006.
For five years he served as president of the Missouri Center for the Book (http://books.missouri.org) from which position he has recently stepped down. He is now concentrating on writing new novels, a few short stories, and stirring a little chaos in the blogosphere at DangerousIntersection.org and his own blog at MarkTiedemann.com
Oh, he still does a little photography and has started dabbling in art again after a long hiatus.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 22, 2015
It was just OK, I was not particularly impressed. Maybe it's because I am nostalgic of Asimov's originals. The point is that I had the feeling that robotics take back seat in this book. It's all supposed to be about robots and they get mentioned in every page but the essence is simply not there. All in all a nice detective novel but not much more.
November 29, 2014
DNF. Tedious Tiedemann doesn't reach Asimov's socks, or the knees of any of the contributors to the Robot City or Caliban series.
July 20, 2018
I vaguely remember the 'Robot City' books, so I though I'd give this one a shot... sadly, the best part is the back cover.
While Tiedemann does, in fact, appear to explore the 3 laws... it's really mostly just pretend science babble... Bogard, the bodyguard robot, has a way to 'forget' if he does something contrary to the 3 laws instead of shutting down... that's not really an analysis as much as an excuse to ignore them.
It doesn't come out as bad as that sounds, but it's not great, either. The 'mystery' doesn't actually have a resolution, instead we're give a group of suspects that kinda sorta are responsible, but it's never exactly clear who they are.
Then there's Bogard, the robot of the story, who is kinda fun, but is so much more advanced than any other Asimov-ian robot ever than every other scene he's in made me check to see if I was reading the right book. The human characters were all pretty dull and there was really no exploring of the hinted at interpersonal relationships.
All that would have been fine if it was a good story, but instead we just got a grocery list of suspects, each of which visited in turn, and either crossed off or added to 'the list'. There were twists, but they were so sudden and unexpected they felt forced and annoying instead of surprising. While I have a vague desire to see what the point was, no way I'm slogging through two more of these to find out.
While Tiedemann does, in fact, appear to explore the 3 laws... it's really mostly just pretend science babble... Bogard, the bodyguard robot, has a way to 'forget' if he does something contrary to the 3 laws instead of shutting down... that's not really an analysis as much as an excuse to ignore them.
It doesn't come out as bad as that sounds, but it's not great, either. The 'mystery' doesn't actually have a resolution, instead we're give a group of suspects that kinda sorta are responsible, but it's never exactly clear who they are.
Then there's Bogard, the robot of the story, who is kinda fun, but is so much more advanced than any other Asimov-ian robot ever than every other scene he's in made me check to see if I was reading the right book. The human characters were all pretty dull and there was really no exploring of the hinted at interpersonal relationships.
All that would have been fine if it was a good story, but instead we just got a grocery list of suspects, each of which visited in turn, and either crossed off or added to 'the list'. There were twists, but they were so sudden and unexpected they felt forced and annoying instead of surprising. While I have a vague desire to see what the point was, no way I'm slogging through two more of these to find out.
November 30, 2021
Anyone familiar with Isaac Asimov’s future history cycle knows that it begins in the near future (as seen from the 1940s and 1950s, anyway) with I, Robot and other robot stories. It progresses to a time when most humans on Earth live in covered cities and have a major phobia against two things: robots and being outdoors. A handful, though, have left the mother world and settled fifty nearby planets, and these are known as the Spacers. Their two main worlds are Aurora and Solaria. This period is covered by the novels that feature policeman Lije Baley and robot R. Daneel Olivaw.
Eventually Earth is largely evacuated and memory of it is lost, but human civilization spreads throughout the galaxy. This is recounted in the “Galactic Empire” series (The Stars Like Dust, The Currents of Space, and Pebble in the Sky). These books refer obliquely to the rise of the planet Trantor as the capital of a growing interstellar Empire, and that’s where the famous series of Foundation books begins.
After Asimov’s death, a number of writers got permission to write stories set in this milieu. I have reviewed some of these elsewhere, and suffice it to say I didn’t care for most of them and some just should not have been written. This book is another that is set in the timeline—it takes place after the Robot series, at a time when Spacers occupy their fifty worlds and another group of humans called Settlers, who are the descendants of those first led into space by the son of Lije Baley, occupy a number of worlds as well. Earth is still a bustling, vibrant place but is beginning to be eclipsed by its children who went to the stars. Unlike most of the post-Asimov Second Foundation books, I found this murder mystery/action thriller to be quite enjoyable.
In an attempt to improve relations between Earth and the Spacers—each of whom has trade items the other wants, animosities aside—a conference is arranged to broker a treaty that will benefit everyone. Everyone, that is, except for groups on Earth who fear the treaty would mean more robots coming to Earth with the increased traffic from space. The conference is sabotaged, and this sparks a thrilling whodunit in which a Terran security officer, an Auroran diplomat, and a robotics expert have to figure out who staged the attack—and how they did it—as well as avert a possible war, all while being hunted themselves.
This is the first book I’ve read by Mark Tiedemann, and I was pleasantly surprised. He gives his characters depth, and he’s as good at writing dialog as he is at vividly describing scenes. He writes action well. The plot gets a little complicated at the end when he’s tying all the threads together, but it’s still a well crafted story that saves a nice twist for the very end.
Tiedemann also shows that he understands the Three Laws of Robotics and builds his story around them, very slightly subverting them in a clever way that I found much more beguiling than the introduction of the clumsy Zeroth Law in the Second Foundation books.
I gather that this is actually a sequel to a couple of books in a series called Robot City, but I haven’t read those and I didn’t find it necessary in order to thoroughly enjoy this one.
Eventually Earth is largely evacuated and memory of it is lost, but human civilization spreads throughout the galaxy. This is recounted in the “Galactic Empire” series (The Stars Like Dust, The Currents of Space, and Pebble in the Sky). These books refer obliquely to the rise of the planet Trantor as the capital of a growing interstellar Empire, and that’s where the famous series of Foundation books begins.
After Asimov’s death, a number of writers got permission to write stories set in this milieu. I have reviewed some of these elsewhere, and suffice it to say I didn’t care for most of them and some just should not have been written. This book is another that is set in the timeline—it takes place after the Robot series, at a time when Spacers occupy their fifty worlds and another group of humans called Settlers, who are the descendants of those first led into space by the son of Lije Baley, occupy a number of worlds as well. Earth is still a bustling, vibrant place but is beginning to be eclipsed by its children who went to the stars. Unlike most of the post-Asimov Second Foundation books, I found this murder mystery/action thriller to be quite enjoyable.
In an attempt to improve relations between Earth and the Spacers—each of whom has trade items the other wants, animosities aside—a conference is arranged to broker a treaty that will benefit everyone. Everyone, that is, except for groups on Earth who fear the treaty would mean more robots coming to Earth with the increased traffic from space. The conference is sabotaged, and this sparks a thrilling whodunit in which a Terran security officer, an Auroran diplomat, and a robotics expert have to figure out who staged the attack—and how they did it—as well as avert a possible war, all while being hunted themselves.
This is the first book I’ve read by Mark Tiedemann, and I was pleasantly surprised. He gives his characters depth, and he’s as good at writing dialog as he is at vividly describing scenes. He writes action well. The plot gets a little complicated at the end when he’s tying all the threads together, but it’s still a well crafted story that saves a nice twist for the very end.
Tiedemann also shows that he understands the Three Laws of Robotics and builds his story around them, very slightly subverting them in a clever way that I found much more beguiling than the introduction of the clumsy Zeroth Law in the Second Foundation books.
I gather that this is actually a sequel to a couple of books in a series called Robot City, but I haven’t read those and I didn’t find it necessary in order to thoroughly enjoy this one.
August 20, 2020
Prologue. A group of industrialists or politicians, some bigwigs that have greed on their minds, want to sabotage the conference between Earth and Spacers that would curtail their black market profits. Chapter one a massacre of the delegates occurs, including the two leaders that are most likely to make the treaty work. The disaster happened in the one place on Earth run by a positronic brain, and it didn't stop the killings.
Derec's company is supposed to have a contract to handle anything to do with the RI (Resident Intelligence) but is kicked out by Special Services. Ariel, in the Auroran embassy (becomes Ambassador after the deaths), has her hands full trying to keep all the Aurorans from fleeing Earth. Mia Daventri was assigned to protect Clar Eliton, and she was the only survivor. She was injured, but with Bogard's help they apprehended three of the assassins. Mia is taken to the hospital and her room is bombed that night. She is presumed dead and would be except for Bogard.
The three investigate events and start piecing things together. They also run into more and more stumbling blocks. How deep does this conspiracy run?
This is the first book of an Asimov's Robot Mystery trilogy. It has an ending, but the epilogue let's us know there is still some threat out there. Derec and Ariel were the main characters in they Asimov's Robot City books. I'm going to have to re-shelve this book and put it with Asimov robots rather than author last name. A lot of dialog kept the pages turning. Good mystery, although there seemed to be a bigger, wider ranging--even into law enforcement, conspiracy than was hinted at in the prologue. 4 of 5 stars. It keeps integrity with the constraints of it being in Asimov's robot universe.
Derec's company is supposed to have a contract to handle anything to do with the RI (Resident Intelligence) but is kicked out by Special Services. Ariel, in the Auroran embassy (becomes Ambassador after the deaths), has her hands full trying to keep all the Aurorans from fleeing Earth. Mia Daventri was assigned to protect Clar Eliton, and she was the only survivor. She was injured, but with Bogard's help they apprehended three of the assassins. Mia is taken to the hospital and her room is bombed that night. She is presumed dead and would be except for Bogard.
The three investigate events and start piecing things together. They also run into more and more stumbling blocks. How deep does this conspiracy run?
This is the first book of an Asimov's Robot Mystery trilogy. It has an ending, but the epilogue let's us know there is still some threat out there. Derec and Ariel were the main characters in they Asimov's Robot City books. I'm going to have to re-shelve this book and put it with Asimov robots rather than author last name. A lot of dialog kept the pages turning. Good mystery, although there seemed to be a bigger, wider ranging--even into law enforcement, conspiracy than was hinted at in the prologue. 4 of 5 stars. It keeps integrity with the constraints of it being in Asimov's robot universe.
Read
July 13, 2019Isaac new Asimov's Robot Mysteries, by Mark W. Tiedemann:
Mirage - Mark W. Tiedemann (2000) Chimera - Mark W. Tiedemann (2001) Aurora - Mark W. Tiedemann (2002) Have Robot, Will Travel - Alexander C. Irvine (2004)About this book:
At a conference uniting the Spacers, the Settlers, and representatives of Earth, the senator of Earth and senior space ambassador of Aurora are advocating the restoration of positronic robots on Earth, repudiating years of fear and resentment. It is a dangerous stance to take.
May 13, 2024
Evidently, this is the first in a series of Robot books. It takes place after Aurora and Solaria and several other worlds have been colonized, but before Solaria becomes isolationist and Aurora becomes the head of the Spacer worlds in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. It kept my interest, and I didn't have any trouble reading for large segments of time. There is some anxiety, but perhaps not as much as there should have been, given the situations depicted. My main problem was the lack of complete resolution of the crime at the end of the book. For so many murders, there should have been more arrests of the colluding criminals. However, that might impinge on the "series" concept. I like characters continuing into other books but not so much the bad guys. I prefer that those guys reap what they sow. Immediately.
February 5, 2026
Mirage is a fast paced science fiction thriller that blends political conspiracy, futuristic technology, and high stakes action.
When robot bodyguards fail to stop an assassination attempt during a critical interplanetary conference, Agents Mia and Derec uncover a deeper conspiracy threatening fragile peace between Spacers, Settlers, and Earth. The mystery unfolds with tension and momentum, keeping the stakes high as trust unravels and hidden agendas surface.
The story excels in its world building and tech driven plot, offering a believable future shaped by politics, security systems, and power struggles. Mia and Derec make a strong investigative duo, balancing intelligence, urgency, and moral pressure.
A gripping read for fans of sci-fi thrillers, political intrigue, and futuristic espionage smart, engaging, and full of twists.
When robot bodyguards fail to stop an assassination attempt during a critical interplanetary conference, Agents Mia and Derec uncover a deeper conspiracy threatening fragile peace between Spacers, Settlers, and Earth. The mystery unfolds with tension and momentum, keeping the stakes high as trust unravels and hidden agendas surface.
The story excels in its world building and tech driven plot, offering a believable future shaped by politics, security systems, and power struggles. Mia and Derec make a strong investigative duo, balancing intelligence, urgency, and moral pressure.
A gripping read for fans of sci-fi thrillers, political intrigue, and futuristic espionage smart, engaging, and full of twists.
January 2, 2023
Nice action-oriented divertiment. Nothing profound, the main characters are likable. For a work in a borrowed world, there's notable in-depth detail behind some of the ideas in the book. Four and a half stars. Eager to read the trilogy.
December 22, 2024
It is so hard to write a satisfying denouement. This book is proof
May 13, 2025
An interesting expansion on Asimov's robot ideas. Characters were good, and story was good, but the end got into some really unbelievable technologies and felt rushed. Still, a fun read.
March 17, 2013
Tiedemann's novel is set in Asimov's Robot/Foundation universe, at a time after the era of Susan Calvin. There is plenty of fascinating material to be explored in this space, and the Robot stories are some of Asimov's most satisfying work.
This story is the first part of a 3-part trilogy. More on that later.
Tiedemann doesn't try to slavishly copy Asimov's style or approach - he does better at characterization, and allows his robots to go in directions that Asimov might not have. He also uses the opportunity to flesh out some aspects of the universe.
The best part of the book is the intricate detective-like puzzle - effectively a locked-room type mystery to explain how something impossible has happened. This serves as a good foundation for some action and a gripping read in a familiar setting.
I enjoyed the read right up to the last pages, where it became clear that this was part of a trilogy (a fact I'd not noticed). The main story was tied up, but all the interesting long term consequences and side-threads are left hanging. After reading this I feel like this is more of a 3-volume set than an actual trilogy. I went right out and bought the other 2 volumes so that I can get some actual completion.
Good book in a fun existing universe. Nothing radical or amazing, but an enjoyable read.
This story is the first part of a 3-part trilogy. More on that later.
Tiedemann doesn't try to slavishly copy Asimov's style or approach - he does better at characterization, and allows his robots to go in directions that Asimov might not have. He also uses the opportunity to flesh out some aspects of the universe.
The best part of the book is the intricate detective-like puzzle - effectively a locked-room type mystery to explain how something impossible has happened. This serves as a good foundation for some action and a gripping read in a familiar setting.
I enjoyed the read right up to the last pages, where it became clear that this was part of a trilogy (a fact I'd not noticed). The main story was tied up, but all the interesting long term consequences and side-threads are left hanging. After reading this I feel like this is more of a 3-volume set than an actual trilogy. I went right out and bought the other 2 volumes so that I can get some actual completion.
Good book in a fun existing universe. Nothing radical or amazing, but an enjoyable read.
April 20, 2012
The novel is set in Asimov's universe - in the gap between the end of Robotic series and beginning of the Empire series, when the spacers are getting isolated and settlers have started to move out to colonize new planets without the help of robots. With such a perfect setting, it is sad now Tiedermann makes a mess of the whole thing. The plot is unnecessarily complicated and ridden with unnecessary techno-babble. There is also an obvious continuity break w.r.t Asimov (In Robots and Empire, Solaria has already severed ties with the other worlds while this novel set a few centuries after that has Solaria featuring in it). Robot Bogard is also a bad copy of R.Daneel Olivaw and overall the book left me unsatisfied.
April 2, 2013
2.5 stars really.
The story was somewhat interesting, but the writing wasn't fantastic.
There is page after page of the characters using made up techo-jargon trying to explain what is happening inside the robots. None of this was necessary since the technology is non-existent. It added nothing to the story and succeeded only in making me cringe.
It was a quick read thankfully. Hopefully the later books in the trilogy will be better.
The story was somewhat interesting, but the writing wasn't fantastic.
There is page after page of the characters using made up techo-jargon trying to explain what is happening inside the robots. None of this was necessary since the technology is non-existent. It added nothing to the story and succeeded only in making me cringe.
It was a quick read thankfully. Hopefully the later books in the trilogy will be better.
January 27, 2017
This is a pretty good rendition of Isaac Asimov's robot whodunnits, but don't expect it to be near as good as the originals. The plot is more complex that Asimov to add difficulties in figuring out who did it and how. It is also a lot less plausible than the superb Asimov as the situations between earth, spacers and settlers is hard to believe. The characters are however well developed and it is a fair read. I will probably read another in the series but it is not riviting.
February 6, 2016
Asimov wannabe. Good start, but then tried to be a bit too clever.
October 11, 2011
Excellent book
December 12, 2015
It was ok, completely unnecessary to the series before it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews