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Tourist Hunter
What if your little cleaning robot started thinking for itself? What if it just didn't feel like following orders anymore? Who would you call? TOURIST: a robot that has suffered a higher computational malfunction. Tourists can be proven to be sentient and self-aware. Tourism is the act of a robot disobeying direct orders or otherwise behaving in ways contrary to programming. Tourists frequently modify themselves and have been known to harm people. TOURIST HUNTER: customer service field representative responsible for the capture and disposal of disobedient robots.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
408 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2016
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1327 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 22, 2019
Ahoy there mateys! I received a copy of this novel from Goodreads Giveaways. I have tried to read this one multiple times and today I throw in the towel. This book is very dialogue heavy and I kept getting confused about who was saying what. And the pace was pretty slow. Cool concept but this book is not for me. Arrr!
November 3, 2016
Won a free copy in a Goodreads giveaway...
The storyline was okay if a bit anticlimactic. The writing style did drive me a bit crazy - all those sentence fragments masquerading as full sentences. My mind kept trying to re-write it as I was reading and that distracted me from the story.
The storyline was okay if a bit anticlimactic. The writing style did drive me a bit crazy - all those sentence fragments masquerading as full sentences. My mind kept trying to re-write it as I was reading and that distracted me from the story.
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December 11, 2025DNF. Received this as a Giveaway. Thanks, but, although the premise was fun, the writing style was too distracting and I kept losing track. I finally gave up.
May 14, 2017
Ugh, I wish goodreads had half stars! I liked this a lot, but I just can't quite give it 5 stars - but 4 seems too low.
Tourist Hunter is heavily inspired by Brazil, with a bit of Bladerunner thrown in, and even a little reminiscent of Ready Player One.
This is a dialogue heavy book, with most of the plot taking place through character verbal (or text) interactions. It works, but combine that with the inexact sci fi setting and sometimes strange slang, and it can make for some harder-than-necessary to follow scenes. Which leads me to my only slightly more than minor complaint: this book needs more editing. Several chapters/scenes could have (should have) been cut down a bit, and the story would have been stronger.
Basically you are dropped into a world set sometime in the future, where most people have robotic appliances...and sometimes those household robots get bored with their mundane lives and go "tourist", meaning begin to act as though they are thinking for themselves and no longer following their programming.
You follow Aiden and Lynn, a couple who both work in tech customer service, through their day to day lives, which are sometimes exciting and sometimes very ordinary, but always entertaining (I'm a sucker for witty banter). They are both fascinated by tourists, but still fear what self-thinking robots could mean for the world. Both at times enjoy their work, but are also unsatisfied by their blue collar-ish roles. More than anything, this book is a brief window into their lives for a few months. You, the reader, pop in and then 408 pages later, pop out.
It is witty and fun, and a quick read (moves steadily!), and the regular Harry Tuttle references are great. The style and language takes some getting used to, but ultimately it drags you in and keeps you in their world. The characters are fun, but most of them feel similar to each other...possible side effect of the sarcasm and slang that I enjoyed so much!
Tourist Hunter is heavily inspired by Brazil, with a bit of Bladerunner thrown in, and even a little reminiscent of Ready Player One.
This is a dialogue heavy book, with most of the plot taking place through character verbal (or text) interactions. It works, but combine that with the inexact sci fi setting and sometimes strange slang, and it can make for some harder-than-necessary to follow scenes. Which leads me to my only slightly more than minor complaint: this book needs more editing. Several chapters/scenes could have (should have) been cut down a bit, and the story would have been stronger.
Basically you are dropped into a world set sometime in the future, where most people have robotic appliances...and sometimes those household robots get bored with their mundane lives and go "tourist", meaning begin to act as though they are thinking for themselves and no longer following their programming.
You follow Aiden and Lynn, a couple who both work in tech customer service, through their day to day lives, which are sometimes exciting and sometimes very ordinary, but always entertaining (I'm a sucker for witty banter). They are both fascinated by tourists, but still fear what self-thinking robots could mean for the world. Both at times enjoy their work, but are also unsatisfied by their blue collar-ish roles. More than anything, this book is a brief window into their lives for a few months. You, the reader, pop in and then 408 pages later, pop out.
It is witty and fun, and a quick read (moves steadily!), and the regular Harry Tuttle references are great. The style and language takes some getting used to, but ultimately it drags you in and keeps you in their world. The characters are fun, but most of them feel similar to each other...possible side effect of the sarcasm and slang that I enjoyed so much!
May 29, 2019
I won this from Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review, and am grateful I did.
The concept for the book is very good. Robots are everywhere, and are getting smarter all the time. What if they started getting too smart, and began deciding they shouldn’t be slaves working for us? What if they decided to rebel against the status quo? I could see something like this happening; I always enjoy speculative fiction with this theme.
The writing style is different than any I’ve encountered. To lay the groundwork, have you ever recorded, say, an evening’s worth of family conversation? You’d be amazed at how banal it is! Now, imbed a story into that conversation, spanning many days. Sometimes a little hard to follow, sometimes you get lost in the side conversations, or you can’t remember from page to page who’s speaking, sometimes you expected action, but then……and sometimes, it makes perfect sense. It certainly kept me reading it. It was clever, witty and sometimes downright funny, with a level of sarcasm, which I always appreciate.
While the style isn’t one I would prefer, I do believe in branching out to explore new ones. And I did enjoy the book and it’s story, despite getting a little lost from time to time. Reading it was entertaining, and I’m happy I did it.
The concept for the book is very good. Robots are everywhere, and are getting smarter all the time. What if they started getting too smart, and began deciding they shouldn’t be slaves working for us? What if they decided to rebel against the status quo? I could see something like this happening; I always enjoy speculative fiction with this theme.
The writing style is different than any I’ve encountered. To lay the groundwork, have you ever recorded, say, an evening’s worth of family conversation? You’d be amazed at how banal it is! Now, imbed a story into that conversation, spanning many days. Sometimes a little hard to follow, sometimes you get lost in the side conversations, or you can’t remember from page to page who’s speaking, sometimes you expected action, but then……and sometimes, it makes perfect sense. It certainly kept me reading it. It was clever, witty and sometimes downright funny, with a level of sarcasm, which I always appreciate.
While the style isn’t one I would prefer, I do believe in branching out to explore new ones. And I did enjoy the book and it’s story, despite getting a little lost from time to time. Reading it was entertaining, and I’m happy I did it.
July 26, 2019
The Laws of Robotics Meets Humor
This book was based on the always interesting idea of the laws of robotics...very similar to the always intriguing “I, Robot” ideal. I did find it hard at times to keep up with the plot of the story and some of the characters but I enjoyed the book all the same. I like the idea of the “tourist” being self aware with a malfunction/virus disobedience and that’s where I feel it falls into line with a very theoretical Asimov vibe. Give it a try but take it slow there were times that I had to go back and reread and figure where the conversation was going. The story line can be a bit jumpy. All in all an interesting futuristic story piece. That was fun.
This book was based on the always interesting idea of the laws of robotics...very similar to the always intriguing “I, Robot” ideal. I did find it hard at times to keep up with the plot of the story and some of the characters but I enjoyed the book all the same. I like the idea of the “tourist” being self aware with a malfunction/virus disobedience and that’s where I feel it falls into line with a very theoretical Asimov vibe. Give it a try but take it slow there were times that I had to go back and reread and figure where the conversation was going. The story line can be a bit jumpy. All in all an interesting futuristic story piece. That was fun.
February 28, 2018
This was a GoodReads giveaway of a Kindle Edition ebook.
I rather liked this book. There was something about the heroes doing their thing while working these somewhat boring jobs that was totally relatable to my somewhat boring office job in real life. I liked the subtle humor. Some of the phone security did not seem to fit in the universe that was created for this story, but it did not overly distract me from enjoying the book. I was kind of expecting a slightly different story line and ending, but that could easily be the sequel.
For an ebook, it was enjoyable. It was not a rushed effort by the author.
Interesting that there was an errata sheet after the book to cover all of the grammar errors.
This was a GoodReads.
I rather liked this book. There was something about the heroes doing their thing while working these somewhat boring jobs that was totally relatable to my somewhat boring office job in real life. I liked the subtle humor. Some of the phone security did not seem to fit in the universe that was created for this story, but it did not overly distract me from enjoying the book. I was kind of expecting a slightly different story line and ending, but that could easily be the sequel.
For an ebook, it was enjoyable. It was not a rushed effort by the author.
Interesting that there was an errata sheet after the book to cover all of the grammar errors.
This was a GoodReads.
July 10, 2017
This is a clever book that describes what could happen if the ubiquitous little home robot decides to go rogue and act on its own. There's lots of sharp and quick-witted dialogue and banter but a fair amount of it went over my head. As the story progressed, I had a hard time maintaining my interest because it didn't seem to be going anywhere. I think there is the nucleus of a really interesting and engaging story here but it would help if the plot were expanded and the sarcasm curtailed a bit.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
February 7, 2018
Wonderfully Eccentric
Forgot, I won this from Goodreads giveaway and am grateful I did.
Their phones don't call people for talking...they only text. And the Monkey Trials and Rat Races. Finally forget not the Ape Fights. Must read!
Forgot, I won this from Goodreads giveaway and am grateful I did.
Their phones don't call people for talking...they only text. And the Monkey Trials and Rat Races. Finally forget not the Ape Fights. Must read!
March 24, 2019
Cute, quick read if you can keep the characters speaking separate. Reminded me of Number 5 is alive. Various. Machines are becoming aware and deciding not to follow directions. But people aren't sure how or why.
May 23, 2019
Interesting read
July 21, 2019
Interesting, makes you wonder so many robots being developed and the faces on them. What will develop with them.
August 18, 2019
Looks like the author has a lot of IT customer service experience at a university. Funny and light, the book is little plot and lots of dialog. Descriptions are great.
May 5, 2017
I won this novel in a goodreads drawing.
A very British sci fi novel about a future society where machines do even more than they do now, but every so often one goes rogue. Someone has to find and capture these robots, called "tourists."
This is about one of those guys. Plus robot fights like on television.
Not bad, but I think the novel dreamed a bit small.
A very British sci fi novel about a future society where machines do even more than they do now, but every so often one goes rogue. Someone has to find and capture these robots, called "tourists."
This is about one of those guys. Plus robot fights like on television.
Not bad, but I think the novel dreamed a bit small.
September 10, 2019
I found the “Tourist Hunter” a most enchanting and entertaining tale. It brought to mind remembrances of the 1985 classic dystopian science fiction film “Brazil” but with a few twist and turns and quirky characters. The robot battle scenes are a hoot and the robots full of personality programed by their creators. So what could go wrong in an environment where robotics take the burden of mundane tasks for us humans? Be wary if suddenly you can’t find your RoboVac. Thanks Keith Jones for a great read.
February 22, 2018
I really liked this book. There didn't seem to be an ongoing plot just the day to day activity of two tourist hunters, men that go out to capture, and sometimes destroy, little rogue robots. I like the banter between the two technicians as it was between two people that had obviously known each other for quite awhile. It is filled with humorous, sometimes sarcastic, chatter between the men as they go out to corral the robots that have decided to forgo their programed instructions and go do their own thing. On one capture mission the little housekeeping robot hid under a piece of furniture and refused to come out. When the techs finally got it out, it "bit" one of them with it's pinchers. This really didn't endear it to the capture guys who beat it to a pulp as soon as they got the chance. The techs that repair and program these little robots remind me of guys at Cal Tech, brainy, but fun. The ones in this story have several underground activities forbidden by the site they work at that include Rat Races, Ape Fights and Monkey Trials all of which are for their "home made" robots. The fact that they talk about these little robots, "home made" or made for consumers, as if they were children amused me. The style of writing is unusual. Sentences aren't complete and it takes some time to get used to that. At times it is unclear which person is speaking but I didn't have a lot of trouble figuring it out.
If you like si-fi, robots, and lots of bantering between friends, you will enjoy this unusual book.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review.
P.S. I hope all the robo vacuums that are being sold now don't go tourist. Keep an eye on your small pets, your shoes, and your socks.
If you like si-fi, robots, and lots of bantering between friends, you will enjoy this unusual book.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review.
P.S. I hope all the robo vacuums that are being sold now don't go tourist. Keep an eye on your small pets, your shoes, and your socks.
May 24, 2019
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this story. Appreciate it.
March 31, 2021
2 1/2 stars...that's just not an option haha
July 13, 2020
I enjoyed this book and hope to see more by this author. The world created is quite interesting and I can see some of the stuff in the book happening - much of it has already occurred. Fans of T2 and other technology-gone-awry will appreciate this book.
December 30, 2016
Tourist Hunter was a good book and I enjoyed reading it (I would give it 4.5 Stars). The story was told mostly in dialog between two or more characters in a scene or chapter. The dialog was snappy and entertaining to read. Though occasionally it would not be exactly clear who was speaking when there were a lot of people in the conversation. It was rather amusing how the different characters would derail a conversation with randomness much like in real life. I liked the world as seen through the eyes of people already living there, but I am a sucker for near future dystopian cyberpunk like futures.
One of my only complaints about the book is while it does well with world building it left me wanting to know more. I wanted more detail about why people were so scared of Tourists. But at the same time people were madly trying to develop problem solving robots. But that is a minor quibble.
If you like a story based around appliance repairmen fighting against the rising tide of self-aware robots that sometimes rampage then this story is for you. I know I was not sure what to expect and was happy to find the whole thing was enjoyable. It was a good book get yourself a copy and read it!
I feel like I am leaving something positive out of the review hopefully if it comes to me I will return and update. I read the updated Kindle version of the book (v2) that corrected most of the typos.
One of my only complaints about the book is while it does well with world building it left me wanting to know more. I wanted more detail about why people were so scared of Tourists. But at the same time people were madly trying to develop problem solving robots. But that is a minor quibble.
If you like a story based around appliance repairmen fighting against the rising tide of self-aware robots that sometimes rampage then this story is for you. I know I was not sure what to expect and was happy to find the whole thing was enjoyable. It was a good book get yourself a copy and read it!
I feel like I am leaving something positive out of the review hopefully if it comes to me I will return and update. I read the updated Kindle version of the book (v2) that corrected most of the typos.
August 22, 2017
This was a fun near future sci fi book. I loved that it was quirky and character driven. The writing style took a bit to get used to, but it worked in the context of the story. My copy had a lot of typos, but it may have been an ARC, so once those are cleaned up, it will be a more smooth read. recommended to fans of sci fi and robots.
I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
March 4, 2018
A bit of a slog, but rewarding
(Disclosure: I received the Kindle edition book as winner of a goodreads giveaway. Thank You.)
As the owner/builder, and active programmer of an eighteen year old robot, the dream of my creation gaining higher levels of awareness, understanding, and interaction is ever present. The concepts of the "Tourist Hunter" excite me.
"Tourist Hunter" is well grounded in today's technology and software processes, which allows the suspension of reality required of successful science fiction. Kudos to the author for this authenticity.
I had some difficulty following the written dialogs, and great difficulty following dialogs of three or more characters conversing. On nearly every other page, I had to slow way down, and re-read the dialogs to be certain who was talking, and to get the point of the words. Added to that was an annoying, (actually maddening, inexcusable), variance of nearly every characters' nicknames. Add to these difficulties "millennial conversation syndrome" and the effort to read approached "extreme workout" at times.
I enjoyed how it all played out, even though I am not sure I understood each characters' ending situation. (Office politics have always been somewhat opaque for me.)
I certainly recommend the book to anyone that has ever loved a robot.
A list of obvious errors:
Chapter Six: Page 102 Location 1191: Typo? Should "Tim" be "Tom"?
Page 103 Location 1196: Typo: "being" should be "begin"
Page 103 Location 1203: Typo: "sever" should be "severe"
Chapter Seven: Page 119 Location 1388: Typo: "quite" should be "quiet"
Page 125 Location 1457: Typo: "night" should be "name"
Chapter Twelve: Page 224 Location 2662: Typo: "sent" should be "scent"
Chapter Seventeen: Page 340 Location 4076: Typo: "low" should be "how"
Chapter Eighteen: Page 366 Location 4408: Grammar: should be "to block" or "in blocking"
Page 368 Location 4437: Typo: "singles" should be "signals"
Chapter Nineteen: Page 382 Location 4595: Typo: "out" should be "our"
Page 390 Location 4701: Typo: "help" should be "held"
(Disclosure: I received the Kindle edition book as winner of a goodreads giveaway. Thank You.)
As the owner/builder, and active programmer of an eighteen year old robot, the dream of my creation gaining higher levels of awareness, understanding, and interaction is ever present. The concepts of the "Tourist Hunter" excite me.
"Tourist Hunter" is well grounded in today's technology and software processes, which allows the suspension of reality required of successful science fiction. Kudos to the author for this authenticity.
I had some difficulty following the written dialogs, and great difficulty following dialogs of three or more characters conversing. On nearly every other page, I had to slow way down, and re-read the dialogs to be certain who was talking, and to get the point of the words. Added to that was an annoying, (actually maddening, inexcusable), variance of nearly every characters' nicknames. Add to these difficulties "millennial conversation syndrome" and the effort to read approached "extreme workout" at times.
I enjoyed how it all played out, even though I am not sure I understood each characters' ending situation. (Office politics have always been somewhat opaque for me.)
I certainly recommend the book to anyone that has ever loved a robot.
A list of obvious errors:
Chapter Six: Page 102 Location 1191: Typo? Should "Tim" be "Tom"?
Page 103 Location 1196: Typo: "being" should be "begin"
Page 103 Location 1203: Typo: "sever" should be "severe"
Chapter Seven: Page 119 Location 1388: Typo: "quite" should be "quiet"
Page 125 Location 1457: Typo: "night" should be "name"
Chapter Twelve: Page 224 Location 2662: Typo: "sent" should be "scent"
Chapter Seventeen: Page 340 Location 4076: Typo: "low" should be "how"
Chapter Eighteen: Page 366 Location 4408: Grammar: should be "to block" or "in blocking"
Page 368 Location 4437: Typo: "singles" should be "signals"
Chapter Nineteen: Page 382 Location 4595: Typo: "out" should be "our"
Page 390 Location 4701: Typo: "help" should be "held"
August 6, 2017
I liked this one SOOOO much better than I did the last one I read by Jones, because I actually understood what was going on (most of the time). I'd say this one is also quite a bit better because there were a few full sentences in it, instead of just endless sentence fragments... There were still too many sentence fragments to count, but they were a bit longer than those in Pyrrhic Kingdom, which made them more tolerable to me. This story was also a bit anticlimactic, though. Like... Okay, so Sputnik isn't a tourist. So what? Does he end up being a Monkey Trial champ? Does our protagonist get the promotion? What???
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2018
I received this book from Goodreads.
Little robots that have gone rogue ? Interesting story line, just not the typical book I like to read.
Little robots that have gone rogue ? Interesting story line, just not the typical book I like to read.
July 20, 2016
Humorous near-future Science Fiction working-class day-in-the-life story. Stuff happens, but there's no plot. Anyway, can't review. Biased. I wrote it.
The Date I Started This Book is literally the day I started writing it, and the Date I Finished This Book is the day I finished editing it.
Formatting, desktop publishing, and giving someone time to draw all the Completely Impractical Robots that adorn the text then took awhile.
The Date I Started This Book is literally the day I started writing it, and the Date I Finished This Book is the day I finished editing it.
Formatting, desktop publishing, and giving someone time to draw all the Completely Impractical Robots that adorn the text then took awhile.
June 7, 2019
Cars were lined-up with nowhere to park.
Tom gave up & double-parked the Central Services van.
Aiden put out the courtesy cones.
They unloaded the rolling-case steamer trunk from the back.
3rd floor apartment. Ms. Evenwood (25+) said the dish model sweeper just quit working.
Each 1 of them tried several things.
Aiden hit the manual reboot & zoom it started across the room.
He stuck his hand under the bed to retrieve it & it bit him with its claws.
It raced past Tom.
They informed Ms. Evenwood the sweeper was still under warranty.
The Tourist (robot) was having a high computational malfunction.
Aiden had a hammer in his hand.
They explained to Ms. Evenwood Tourist start thinking for themselves & go on vacation
Back to the shop & let R&D dismantle/look at it.
Ms. Evenwood enjoy your new industrial strength vacuum.
Now the paperwork had to be done/turned in.
Benjamin Franklin Technical College. Lynn (aka Merlin, Marilyn) was headed to her Applied Engineering & Robotics class.
Central Services R&D. Terrycloth (building man) let Tom, & Aiden in as they pushed the rolling-case through the doorway.
Foxglove (m) wanted to know if Tom followed protocol.
Tourist Hunter (customer service field rep.) are responsible for the capture/disposal of disobedient robots.
Sputnik (thinking robot) was the next design.
What were Lynn, & Aiden revealing to the world?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written sci-fi/paranormal book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great sci-fi/paranormal movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. It was just OK for me so I will only rate it at 3/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; tormsdream; 4180522 edition; Goodreads; MakingConnections;
Making Connections discussion group talk; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Tom gave up & double-parked the Central Services van.
Aiden put out the courtesy cones.
They unloaded the rolling-case steamer trunk from the back.
3rd floor apartment. Ms. Evenwood (25+) said the dish model sweeper just quit working.
Each 1 of them tried several things.
Aiden hit the manual reboot & zoom it started across the room.
He stuck his hand under the bed to retrieve it & it bit him with its claws.
It raced past Tom.
They informed Ms. Evenwood the sweeper was still under warranty.
The Tourist (robot) was having a high computational malfunction.
Aiden had a hammer in his hand.
They explained to Ms. Evenwood Tourist start thinking for themselves & go on vacation
Back to the shop & let R&D dismantle/look at it.
Ms. Evenwood enjoy your new industrial strength vacuum.
Now the paperwork had to be done/turned in.
Benjamin Franklin Technical College. Lynn (aka Merlin, Marilyn) was headed to her Applied Engineering & Robotics class.
Central Services R&D. Terrycloth (building man) let Tom, & Aiden in as they pushed the rolling-case through the doorway.
Foxglove (m) wanted to know if Tom followed protocol.
Tourist Hunter (customer service field rep.) are responsible for the capture/disposal of disobedient robots.
Sputnik (thinking robot) was the next design.
What were Lynn, & Aiden revealing to the world?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written sci-fi/paranormal book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great sci-fi/paranormal movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. It was just OK for me so I will only rate it at 3/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; tormsdream; 4180522 edition; Goodreads; MakingConnections;
Making Connections discussion group talk; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
April 17, 2018
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