What do you think?
Rate this book
BOTS #1
Emergent Behavior
A robotics genius, Edmond West has developed a plan to create the world's first Artificial Intelligence truly indistinguishable from a human being. His Bots will eradicate global slavery and allow humanity to channel its darkest impulses safely, harming only these soulless machines. His greatest success, however, may also be his undoing. He's finally created the perfect humanoid robot; perfectly intuitive, perfectly emotive… and perfectly unpredictable.
BOTS is a six-book series from EPIC Press.
BOTS is a six-book series from EPIC Press.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2015
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Nicole M. Taylor
23 books8 followersNicole M. Taylor was an only child, born deep in the corn-ears of rural Michigan where she honed her talents for being supercilious, eating pop-tarts and making up strange fictional situations.
Today, she lives in San Jose with her husband and a small fetal alien named Magoo. She writes speculative fiction about witches, ghosts, robots, reptoid aliens and pianists. She also works occasionally as a ghostwriter, collaborating on everything from historical memoirs to medical thrillers.
Her first YA book series, Bots, is available from Epic Press in August, 2015.
Today, she lives in San Jose with her husband and a small fetal alien named Magoo. She writes speculative fiction about witches, ghosts, robots, reptoid aliens and pianists. She also works occasionally as a ghostwriter, collaborating on everything from historical memoirs to medical thrillers.
Her first YA book series, Bots, is available from Epic Press in August, 2015.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 24, 2018
Personal Response: In my opinion this book was incredible, and I was glad there are more books to follow. Edmond did not like slavery so he decided to do something about it. He made his own robot slave to trade out for human slaves. I also liked this book because a younger kid at the time decided to try to help people and tried to use his intelligence for good.
Plot: Edmond West grew up with his mom in California. He was always intelligent and liked to build robotics. One day at a convention, Edmond brought his robot. This robot could learn human interactions quickly. Once it had spent some time to learn the full emotion and interaction the human had, then it could apply it to how it interacted with people. A military general caught interest and wanted Edmond to come to their base to work with robotics there. There at the military base, he was fully funded by the government for any project he constructed. His job was constructing robots at the base that would be soldiers. It took quite a long time, but in about ten years he had a mass production of robots that could fight and think for themselves. Edmond knew he had a better purpose; he felt he had to build something better since the start. It took him just over ten years to finish a robot that could feel pain, have emotions like humans, and have working organs.
Edmond worked in his lab one night and he had fallen asleep. When he woke up, he saw a girl curled up in the corner, naked and shivering. He noticed that it was the bot he had been working on for so many years. The robot felt something new. She felt how cold the room was. After that Edmond took care of Hart for weeks and actually introduced her to his mom. Once they got back from their trip from Edmond’s house, Edmond promised Janelle (lab partner) that he would introduce Hart to the board committee.
After being introduced, Edmond did not want Hart to be part of any experiment the government wanted her part of. They planned to escape the base for about a week. Everything they planned they kept to themselves. The plan was for Edmond to destroy any piece of work that would help build another Hart. After that they would set mini bombs to destroy the computer and stem cells. They would try to get as far as they can before they went off then.
When they started to initiate their plan, they were almost out of the building when Hart said she had to go back for something. They went back and right when they did both the computer and stem cell bombs went off. They tried escaping after that and successfully did. On their way out, they killed three soldiers and Hart was severely wounded. Janelle did not think that Edmond would destroy his work with a bomb but she told General Liao that she would start building robots like Hart did within in three weeks.
Characterization: Edmond West, happens to be the main character in Bots: Emergent Behavior. He stays between the ages of eighteen and thirty throughout the story. He is very intelligent and is also very selfish. Edmond likes to work alone and likes to keep the routine things going. Edmond shows in the end of the book that he does really care for the work he does because he ran away from the military base with his own robot he built called Hart.
Hart is a robot that Edmond had made about three quarters of the way through the book. She is related to humans because she has emotions, organs, and can feel pain. The government wanted to change her for combat but Edmond did not like that. Hart brought out the softer side in Edmond. She also saves Edmond because she helped escape.
Impact of setting: The setting took place in California. It started at his house, at home with his mom. He spent a year in high school in the beginning of the book. After ten years, Edmond spends his time at a military base trying to build new robots for the military and for people at home. After Edmond and Hart escaped the base, they drove away to run from the military. The time period takes place in 2032. After Edmond worked for so many years with the military, the book ends in the year 2043.
Recommendation: I recommended this book to readers who look for an adventurous futuristic series. I also recommended this book to children over the age of fourteen, because it mentioned sex slaves and other inappropriate things. The reading level is easier for anyone around eleven years of age. Any gender can read this book as well, because it contains both genders for main characters. I also rated this book four stars because the book made me want to read the whole series.
Plot: Edmond West grew up with his mom in California. He was always intelligent and liked to build robotics. One day at a convention, Edmond brought his robot. This robot could learn human interactions quickly. Once it had spent some time to learn the full emotion and interaction the human had, then it could apply it to how it interacted with people. A military general caught interest and wanted Edmond to come to their base to work with robotics there. There at the military base, he was fully funded by the government for any project he constructed. His job was constructing robots at the base that would be soldiers. It took quite a long time, but in about ten years he had a mass production of robots that could fight and think for themselves. Edmond knew he had a better purpose; he felt he had to build something better since the start. It took him just over ten years to finish a robot that could feel pain, have emotions like humans, and have working organs.
Edmond worked in his lab one night and he had fallen asleep. When he woke up, he saw a girl curled up in the corner, naked and shivering. He noticed that it was the bot he had been working on for so many years. The robot felt something new. She felt how cold the room was. After that Edmond took care of Hart for weeks and actually introduced her to his mom. Once they got back from their trip from Edmond’s house, Edmond promised Janelle (lab partner) that he would introduce Hart to the board committee.
After being introduced, Edmond did not want Hart to be part of any experiment the government wanted her part of. They planned to escape the base for about a week. Everything they planned they kept to themselves. The plan was for Edmond to destroy any piece of work that would help build another Hart. After that they would set mini bombs to destroy the computer and stem cells. They would try to get as far as they can before they went off then.
When they started to initiate their plan, they were almost out of the building when Hart said she had to go back for something. They went back and right when they did both the computer and stem cell bombs went off. They tried escaping after that and successfully did. On their way out, they killed three soldiers and Hart was severely wounded. Janelle did not think that Edmond would destroy his work with a bomb but she told General Liao that she would start building robots like Hart did within in three weeks.
Characterization: Edmond West, happens to be the main character in Bots: Emergent Behavior. He stays between the ages of eighteen and thirty throughout the story. He is very intelligent and is also very selfish. Edmond likes to work alone and likes to keep the routine things going. Edmond shows in the end of the book that he does really care for the work he does because he ran away from the military base with his own robot he built called Hart.
Hart is a robot that Edmond had made about three quarters of the way through the book. She is related to humans because she has emotions, organs, and can feel pain. The government wanted to change her for combat but Edmond did not like that. Hart brought out the softer side in Edmond. She also saves Edmond because she helped escape.
Impact of setting: The setting took place in California. It started at his house, at home with his mom. He spent a year in high school in the beginning of the book. After ten years, Edmond spends his time at a military base trying to build new robots for the military and for people at home. After Edmond and Hart escaped the base, they drove away to run from the military. The time period takes place in 2032. After Edmond worked for so many years with the military, the book ends in the year 2043.
Recommendation: I recommended this book to readers who look for an adventurous futuristic series. I also recommended this book to children over the age of fourteen, because it mentioned sex slaves and other inappropriate things. The reading level is easier for anyone around eleven years of age. Any gender can read this book as well, because it contains both genders for main characters. I also rated this book four stars because the book made me want to read the whole series.
December 15, 2018
Name: Josh Halat
Book title: Emergent Behavior
Personal Response:
I feel that Emergent Behavioris a great book and a very good start to a book series. The author shows great detail for the reader to understand. The book is a great book for being fiction.
Plot Summary
Edmond West is a great thinker/inventor but he doesn't have all the resources that he needs. Edmond started off his career by making a robot that is a mirror image of whatever anyone is doing. The robot was the first of its kind, which opened a door for Edmond. He was offered a job by the government to make bots that could become soldiers. He took the job and started making bots but he was also making a special robot that would function on its own. Edmond never told anyone what he was doing, and when he finished with the robot he presented it to general Lieo. Lieo did not approve of this and did not like secrets being kept from him. He locked Edmond in his workspace but Edmond was planning on that so he used his coworker's combination to get out, and he took his work with him.
Recommendations- I recommend this book to anyone who likes robot books, or a good series. The book shows great detail for the reader to picture in their mind. Anyone who is into teck stuff will like this book along with ones who like runaways.
Book title: Emergent Behavior
Personal Response:
I feel that Emergent Behavioris a great book and a very good start to a book series. The author shows great detail for the reader to understand. The book is a great book for being fiction.
Plot Summary
Edmond West is a great thinker/inventor but he doesn't have all the resources that he needs. Edmond started off his career by making a robot that is a mirror image of whatever anyone is doing. The robot was the first of its kind, which opened a door for Edmond. He was offered a job by the government to make bots that could become soldiers. He took the job and started making bots but he was also making a special robot that would function on its own. Edmond never told anyone what he was doing, and when he finished with the robot he presented it to general Lieo. Lieo did not approve of this and did not like secrets being kept from him. He locked Edmond in his workspace but Edmond was planning on that so he used his coworker's combination to get out, and he took his work with him.
Recommendations- I recommend this book to anyone who likes robot books, or a good series. The book shows great detail for the reader to picture in their mind. Anyone who is into teck stuff will like this book along with ones who like runaways.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2015
Pros: quick, easy read, engaging, thought-provoking
Cons: limited world-building
For Parents: some swearing, mentions of prostitution and sex slavery
Edmond West is inspired by a story of human cruelty to create a new form of slave - robots. But his single-minded focus has blinded him to the potential consequences of creating robots with fully human characteristics.
This is the first of a six book series. It’s a quick read (only took me a few hours to whip through it) that introduces the protagonist and the plot scenario for the following books. There’s a lot of character development as Edmond works on his project through the years, with some great thought-provoking moments as he confronts the realities of his magnum opus. The ending of this book is fast paced and leaves you wanting more.
Edmond is highly intelligent and often abrasive, though his social skills are good enough that he avoids being unpleasant. While I didn’t love him as a character, I didn’t hate him either. The author did a great job making him aware enough of his faults to redeem him.
The book is highly focused on Edmond and his purpose, so there’s little world-building or other distractions. You get to know his co-worker well enough, and hear how Edward’s work is utilized by his employers, but there’s no in depth exploration of the process of building the robots or of the world in general of this future. Hart is the only other character who you really get a good feel for, and that’s entirely through Edmond’s eyes.
The moment Edmond brings his creation to life, and the epiphany he undergoes because of it, were wonderful to read.
It’s a great start and I’m curious to see where the series goes.
Cons: limited world-building
For Parents: some swearing, mentions of prostitution and sex slavery
Edmond West is inspired by a story of human cruelty to create a new form of slave - robots. But his single-minded focus has blinded him to the potential consequences of creating robots with fully human characteristics.
This is the first of a six book series. It’s a quick read (only took me a few hours to whip through it) that introduces the protagonist and the plot scenario for the following books. There’s a lot of character development as Edmond works on his project through the years, with some great thought-provoking moments as he confronts the realities of his magnum opus. The ending of this book is fast paced and leaves you wanting more.
Edmond is highly intelligent and often abrasive, though his social skills are good enough that he avoids being unpleasant. While I didn’t love him as a character, I didn’t hate him either. The author did a great job making him aware enough of his faults to redeem him.
The book is highly focused on Edmond and his purpose, so there’s little world-building or other distractions. You get to know his co-worker well enough, and hear how Edward’s work is utilized by his employers, but there’s no in depth exploration of the process of building the robots or of the world in general of this future. Hart is the only other character who you really get a good feel for, and that’s entirely through Edmond’s eyes.
The moment Edmond brings his creation to life, and the epiphany he undergoes because of it, were wonderful to read.
It’s a great start and I’m curious to see where the series goes.
April 30, 2019
The book called BOTS: Emergent Behavior is by the author Nicole M. Taylor in which it takes place around the not-so-distant future of 2035 and onward. The reason why I chose this book was because I wanted a change of scenery from fantasy to sci-fi. I adore these two subjects in stories because it gives the reader ideas of what it might be like in the far flung future or if dragons and magic were in our world. And within a story, anything is possible to be your playground to write.
In this story series it talks a young man named Edmond West who is drawn to design and make his own robot. In the coming months he creates a simple robot to take to an technological convention expo. There he meets a man named Liao and offers him a job in the U.S Army's Technology division, in which Edmond accepts and meets his partner Janelle. But in his own time, his purpose was to try and make a robot that is just as real as human. Only when he does, Edmond realizes the mistake he made but doesn't know if it's good or bad. This is an interesting turn events because it not only focuses on human nature and what it means to be human but also shows how far people are willing to go in order to obtain what they desire.
My opinion on the book is actually quite good. The story was slightly slow at the beginning, however it began to pick up the pace later on. And it was a good switch from fantasy to sci-fi for a brief moment. A few questions confused me though they were minor problems. It seems Edmond has a lot of conflict on where he fits in the world, but soon enough he will find out that there is much more than his own life. Overall, I enjoyed this book thoroughly but some things could have been fixed. I'd recommend those who are into futuristic eras though be wary because the book does contain both moderately bad language and other things, so people who are at least 18+ should read. Aside from that, I firmly rate a solid 4 out of 5 stars for the book.
October 2, 2018
Personal Response
In this book, Bots: Emergent Behavior, Edmund built a robot and got it to think for itself. The robot is very intelligent and can do things on it's own. I thought this was a good book because he likes to tinker and so do I. I like this book because it has a lot of action and creativity.
Plot
Edmond West grew up with his mom in California. He was always intelligent and liked to build robotics. One day at a convention, Edmond brought his robot. This robot learned human interactions quickly. The robot had spent some time to learn the full emotion of humans.
Impacts of the Setting
The book took place in California. He spent a year in high school at the beginning of the book. After some time Edmund spent 10 years in a military base. In this military base he was trying to build robots for the military and for people at home. After Edmund and Hart escaped the base, they ran away from the military.
Recommendations
I think Bots: Emergent Behavior was a good book because it's full of action. This was a good book because the kid is very smart and wants to create something to help people. Bots: Emergent Behavior is a good book for a freshman because it's full of action and it has a lot to offer to young creative people.
In this book, Bots: Emergent Behavior, Edmund built a robot and got it to think for itself. The robot is very intelligent and can do things on it's own. I thought this was a good book because he likes to tinker and so do I. I like this book because it has a lot of action and creativity.
Plot
Edmond West grew up with his mom in California. He was always intelligent and liked to build robotics. One day at a convention, Edmond brought his robot. This robot learned human interactions quickly. The robot had spent some time to learn the full emotion of humans.
Impacts of the Setting
The book took place in California. He spent a year in high school at the beginning of the book. After some time Edmund spent 10 years in a military base. In this military base he was trying to build robots for the military and for people at home. After Edmund and Hart escaped the base, they ran away from the military.
Recommendations
I think Bots: Emergent Behavior was a good book because it's full of action. This was a good book because the kid is very smart and wants to create something to help people. Bots: Emergent Behavior is a good book for a freshman because it's full of action and it has a lot to offer to young creative people.
May 31, 2017
I was really torn with this book. I love sci-fi robotics novels. BUT this one fell short a lot. Minimal dialogue, the time line was SO FAST. And then BAM it's over. It came across as super juvenile and then would randomly throw in a seriously adult idea (robots for "fucking")... aaaand then nothing was followed up on or finished. This author probably should have just combined all the separate books into one I'm going to guess. Won't be reading the next one because it wasn't really that great.
December 25, 2017
Raises some uncomfortable issues
January 6, 2018
Personal Response:
Bots: Emergent Behavior is a book that has a cliffhanger as a plotline. The characters and events really draw in a reader. I read the book in two days just because I didn't want to put it down. I could really relate to the main character, Edmond West. Much like hom, I don't talk in class(unless its in Mr.Scherwinski's class). I leave the useless chat to the other kids. Being antisocial is just a part of my and Edmond's life. Bots: Emergent Behavior is the type of book that draws the imagination of youth back out.
Plot Summary:
Edmond West is a normal nineteen year old boy. He lives with his mother, works on robots, and works at a gas station. Edmond is searching through his attic workshop and finds the robotic arm he made for robotics club in high school. He spends countless hours making a robot to put in the next robot expo. When the expo arrives, Edmond's robot catches the eye of a military general, and Edmond gets swept into a military job. In the beginning of his career, Edmond meets a girl named Jennette and works with her on developing a line of robots called SoldierBots. These robots made such a success that there comes a demand for robots to do everything. In this new era of robotics, Edmond is working on the next generation. A robot so human-like it is indistinguishable. When his creation is finished, Edmond names the bot Hart and helps her develop actual human qualities. Edmond presents Hart to the board of military generals, but to make more of her is denied...until Edmond tries to escape the lab. Hart kills over seven marines, Putting Edmond's life in danger and causing the military to go after him.
Characterization:
Edmond West: Edmond is a bit cocky and arrogant in the beginning of Bots: Emergent Behavior. As the book goes on, Edmond becomes a bit more humble and caring. Especially when it comes down to his robot, Hart.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for anyone in middle school to high school. There is little to no violence until Edmond attempts an escape. No gore.
Bots: Emergent Behavior is a book that has a cliffhanger as a plotline. The characters and events really draw in a reader. I read the book in two days just because I didn't want to put it down. I could really relate to the main character, Edmond West. Much like hom, I don't talk in class(unless its in Mr.Scherwinski's class). I leave the useless chat to the other kids. Being antisocial is just a part of my and Edmond's life. Bots: Emergent Behavior is the type of book that draws the imagination of youth back out.
Plot Summary:
Edmond West is a normal nineteen year old boy. He lives with his mother, works on robots, and works at a gas station. Edmond is searching through his attic workshop and finds the robotic arm he made for robotics club in high school. He spends countless hours making a robot to put in the next robot expo. When the expo arrives, Edmond's robot catches the eye of a military general, and Edmond gets swept into a military job. In the beginning of his career, Edmond meets a girl named Jennette and works with her on developing a line of robots called SoldierBots. These robots made such a success that there comes a demand for robots to do everything. In this new era of robotics, Edmond is working on the next generation. A robot so human-like it is indistinguishable. When his creation is finished, Edmond names the bot Hart and helps her develop actual human qualities. Edmond presents Hart to the board of military generals, but to make more of her is denied...until Edmond tries to escape the lab. Hart kills over seven marines, Putting Edmond's life in danger and causing the military to go after him.
Characterization:
Edmond West: Edmond is a bit cocky and arrogant in the beginning of Bots: Emergent Behavior. As the book goes on, Edmond becomes a bit more humble and caring. Especially when it comes down to his robot, Hart.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for anyone in middle school to high school. There is little to no violence until Edmond attempts an escape. No gore.
February 8, 2017
On page 105, the author writes, "'People want to fuck robots,' Edmond dead-panned." Up until page 105, I was questioning whether this book was too mature for middle school students. Now there is no doubt, I will not be adding this book to the middle school library. I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because up to this point I found this book well written and interesting but I did not read the entire book. I jumped to the end and read the epilogue. It seems to have an appropriate ending. It was a hard to decide to not read the book in its entirety. I have many more books to read for work and some I would even like to read for pleasure.
November 27, 2015
Robotics prodigy Edmond West creates the first Artificial Intelligent being that people can not tell the difference between man and machine. But after hiding her for so long the government finally finds out and wants Edmond to mass produce more like her, however, Edmond knows this will just lead to the AI's enslavery, and that is when the action starts. This I believe might be a book before its time, I am hoping it is not to advanced in the science part (especially for this opening book) for teens, because I think the idea and background for the book is awesome and so much can be done, so I guess we will just have to see where the author goes from here.
February 2, 2016
Lightweight.
Unlike King and Koontz who use way too many words, this one could have use a few more. The idea is reasonable - develop an AI and of course no one wants to use it like it's creator does, so they go on the lam. But that is all we're given - no character development, no world they inhabit, nothing else. Just the story of how inventor A got to create invention B, and just an overview of that.
This is a story proposal.
Unlike King and Koontz who use way too many words, this one could have use a few more. The idea is reasonable - develop an AI and of course no one wants to use it like it's creator does, so they go on the lam. But that is all we're given - no character development, no world they inhabit, nothing else. Just the story of how inventor A got to create invention B, and just an overview of that.
This is a story proposal.
February 8, 2016
I just finished reading this book and all I can say is WOW! It took me a bit to get into the story, the beginning seemed a bit contrived. Now I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series. This is the perfect read for anyone who is a fan of the Terminator movies, Battlestar Gallactica, or Asimov. The questions raised in this story are the cornerstone to any good science fiction story.
July 17, 2016
Enjoyable book, imaginative plot set in the United States in the near future where BOTS (robots) play an increasingly important role in everyday day military life. The story gets really interesting when the Bots start to think for themselves. I have just start reading Book 2, Hazardous Motion.
August 15, 2016
High/Low. Better than I expected it to be. Higher end vocab for high/low. Protagonist is hard to relate to. packaging for all of this publisher's YA fic shows startling lack of awareness as to what teenagers actually want. It would be a hard sell, but there is an audience for this series.
April 10, 2017
pretty predictable but brought up some really good ethical questions. NOT middle school appropriate...
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews