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Black Ocean #11
You, Robot
He knows the three laws, but they’re really more what you’d call "guidelines."
Two and a half million terras worth of contraband won’t do Carl Ramsey any good unless he can find a buyer. But when dealing with that kind of money, any deal is liable to turn sour when it’s time to make the exchange. So when things go smoothly, Carl knows his luck can’t be that good. When the double-cross is revealed, the Mobius crew sets out on a chase to track down their stolen merchandise.
But once they find out who took them for fools, everything turns on its head. Instead of a foe, they might have stumbled onto a powerful new a robot who hates the Harmony Bay corporation even more than they do. Now they just need to find a way to stop Mort from killing it as an abomination.
You, Robot is the 11th mission of Black Ocean, a science fantasy series set in the 26th century. Do you wish there had been a second season of Firefly? Do you love the irreverent fun of Guardians of the Galaxy? Have you ever wondered how Star Wars would have turned out if Luke and Obi-wan had ditched the rebellion to become smugglers with Han and Chewie? Then Black Ocean is the series for you!
Pick up your copy of You, Robot, and aim to misbehave with the crew of the Mobius.
Two and a half million terras worth of contraband won’t do Carl Ramsey any good unless he can find a buyer. But when dealing with that kind of money, any deal is liable to turn sour when it’s time to make the exchange. So when things go smoothly, Carl knows his luck can’t be that good. When the double-cross is revealed, the Mobius crew sets out on a chase to track down their stolen merchandise.
But once they find out who took them for fools, everything turns on its head. Instead of a foe, they might have stumbled onto a powerful new a robot who hates the Harmony Bay corporation even more than they do. Now they just need to find a way to stop Mort from killing it as an abomination.
You, Robot is the 11th mission of Black Ocean, a science fantasy series set in the 26th century. Do you wish there had been a second season of Firefly? Do you love the irreverent fun of Guardians of the Galaxy? Have you ever wondered how Star Wars would have turned out if Luke and Obi-wan had ditched the rebellion to become smugglers with Han and Chewie? Then Black Ocean is the series for you!
Pick up your copy of You, Robot, and aim to misbehave with the crew of the Mobius.
109 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2016
About the author
J.S. Morin
196 books634 followersI am a creator of worlds and a destroyer of words. As a fantasy writer, my works range from traditional epics to futuristic fantasy with starships. I have worked as an unpaid Little League pitcher, a cashier, a student library aide, a factory grunt, a cubicle drone, and an engineer--there is some overlap in the last two.
Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.
I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.
My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.
I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.
My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 10, 2018
I think this series peaked at Alien Racer and Siege of Mortania. I still like the series.
May 23, 2019
I'm worried this series is already past its prime.
The past 3? 4? installments have been pretty lackluster in the overall story arc, it's a rather weak story in comparison to Siege of Mortania / Alien Racer - while there are new characters and relationship dynamics to explore - this book only feels more like a premise to an actual story.
I'm hoping all this build up alludes to something.
2.12 / 5
The past 3? 4? installments have been pretty lackluster in the overall story arc, it's a rather weak story in comparison to Siege of Mortania / Alien Racer - while there are new characters and relationship dynamics to explore - this book only feels more like a premise to an actual story.
I'm hoping all this build up alludes to something.
2.12 / 5
January 7, 2020
Light, fun adventure That ultimately is simply a transition piece, one assumes, to a bigger story down the road. If you already are fond of the characters then you'll enjoy it as frivolous entertainment, which is what the whole series is anyway.
June 21, 2020
After having chased thieves and starships across half the Black Ocean, Carl and the crew of the Mobius FINALLY have an opportunity to realize a fortune on their latest acquisition. Some primal ooze from a backwater planet that Harmony Bay will pay millions for. The only problem...how to exchange ooze for credits. And even THAT transaction falls under Murphy's Rule.
But...things aren't always doom and gloom. Say hello to Archie the robot...or...is he? And can they find out the truth about Archie before Mort decides to disincorporate him into stellar dust...and if HE doesn't what does that tell his son Cedric?
And don't think the business side of the Black Ocean is the only issue...Suddenly (well maybe NOT so suddenly) Amy seems to have an issue with Carl and life just keeps getting better.
Jeff Morin keeps writing and the BLACK OCEAN keeps getting bigger and more dangerous. Morin's universe is so well thought out constructed that, even when something completely off the wall and unforeseeable happens, the reader goes..."Sure...why the heck not!"
Book 11 and while the projected end of THIS series is now only a handful of books away, the adventure continues and the fun never ends.
As this current story arc is now running into the 4th chapter, new readers may want to slip back and pick up earlier books in the series to familiarize them selves with the characters. Background story lines and interwoven threads for several characters and plots tend to continue from book to book but that only adds to the richness of the complete story itself.
But...things aren't always doom and gloom. Say hello to Archie the robot...or...is he? And can they find out the truth about Archie before Mort decides to disincorporate him into stellar dust...and if HE doesn't what does that tell his son Cedric?
And don't think the business side of the Black Ocean is the only issue...Suddenly (well maybe NOT so suddenly) Amy seems to have an issue with Carl and life just keeps getting better.
Jeff Morin keeps writing and the BLACK OCEAN keeps getting bigger and more dangerous. Morin's universe is so well thought out constructed that, even when something completely off the wall and unforeseeable happens, the reader goes..."Sure...why the heck not!"
Book 11 and while the projected end of THIS series is now only a handful of books away, the adventure continues and the fun never ends.
As this current story arc is now running into the 4th chapter, new readers may want to slip back and pick up earlier books in the series to familiarize them selves with the characters. Background story lines and interwoven threads for several characters and plots tend to continue from book to book but that only adds to the richness of the complete story itself.
August 6, 2019
Series is losing its mojo.
March 9, 2018
So what happens when you find a 106yr old Wizard trapped in the body of a Robot as a bad experiment gone wrong by Harmony Bay?
The crew keep getting thwarted by someone who constantly steals the bio-goop that they so cleverly stole, but have not been able to hang on to. Eventually getting hold of it again, and then finding a buyer, Carl is not only ripped off by the buyer, but also beaten up, looking like a total idiot for the crew, and he wants some serious revenge. Thankfully Niang and Mort were one step ahead of him and planted tracking devices (magical and technical) on the case, and eventually they locate who took it, but it is not what they expect.
What they find is none other than a robot, who is actually a human Wizard, who has been trapped in robot form, Archimedes Perseus Antonopoulos (Like seriously the best Wizardly name ever!), another victim of the thugs at Harmony Bay.
Funnily enough, he actually knows the Brown family, having known Mort’s Dad, although Archimedes is a ‘Harvard’ man himself, so looks down a bit on the Brown’s who went to hhmmmpppfff (sneer) ‘Oxford’.
In the middle of all of this, Esper, who has been desperately cultivating a plan to get Mort back into the good books with the Convocation, has been secretly speaking with one of their agents, having finally completed her work on the ‘Tome of Bleeding Thoughts’, the book that got Mort into all this mess in the first place.
However, when the identity of this ‘Agent’ is revealed, it sets in motion a new series of events that not even Mort can control and is the sort of chaotic mayhem that we have come to expect from Morin, making this just an absolute brilliant read, full of family history for Mort, some fascinating background on the Tome itself, and some very interesting reading about the Convocation.
Wrapped around all of this of course, is the story of poor Archimedes, and this leads to some new high-jinks for the crew as they plan revenge on Harmony Bay, not just for this poor Wizard, but for the Galaxy as a whole.
Morin continues to create magical masterpiece after masterpiece in his Black Ocean universe, and they continue to not only entertain, but intrigue, these are some of the best stories out there, and shouldn’t be missed by any Sci-Fi fan regardless of your specific genre. Pure Genius!!
The crew keep getting thwarted by someone who constantly steals the bio-goop that they so cleverly stole, but have not been able to hang on to. Eventually getting hold of it again, and then finding a buyer, Carl is not only ripped off by the buyer, but also beaten up, looking like a total idiot for the crew, and he wants some serious revenge. Thankfully Niang and Mort were one step ahead of him and planted tracking devices (magical and technical) on the case, and eventually they locate who took it, but it is not what they expect.
What they find is none other than a robot, who is actually a human Wizard, who has been trapped in robot form, Archimedes Perseus Antonopoulos (Like seriously the best Wizardly name ever!), another victim of the thugs at Harmony Bay.
Funnily enough, he actually knows the Brown family, having known Mort’s Dad, although Archimedes is a ‘Harvard’ man himself, so looks down a bit on the Brown’s who went to hhmmmpppfff (sneer) ‘Oxford’.
In the middle of all of this, Esper, who has been desperately cultivating a plan to get Mort back into the good books with the Convocation, has been secretly speaking with one of their agents, having finally completed her work on the ‘Tome of Bleeding Thoughts’, the book that got Mort into all this mess in the first place.
However, when the identity of this ‘Agent’ is revealed, it sets in motion a new series of events that not even Mort can control and is the sort of chaotic mayhem that we have come to expect from Morin, making this just an absolute brilliant read, full of family history for Mort, some fascinating background on the Tome itself, and some very interesting reading about the Convocation.
Wrapped around all of this of course, is the story of poor Archimedes, and this leads to some new high-jinks for the crew as they plan revenge on Harmony Bay, not just for this poor Wizard, but for the Galaxy as a whole.
Morin continues to create magical masterpiece after masterpiece in his Black Ocean universe, and they continue to not only entertain, but intrigue, these are some of the best stories out there, and shouldn’t be missed by any Sci-Fi fan regardless of your specific genre. Pure Genius!!
April 21, 2026
My Slightly Sarcastic But Ultimately Honest Book Rating System:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 Stars): This book achieved legendary status in my personal library. I will likely reread it until the pages fall out (or my e-reader spontaneously combusts). Consider this my enthusiastic endorsement – you should probably read it unless you actively dislike joy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 Stars): A truly excellent read! I enjoyed it immensely and would heartily recommend it to fellow bookworms. You might even catch me subtly pushing it into their hands.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 Stars): Yep, it was a book I read. I turned the pages, absorbed the words, and emerged...unchanged. It was a pleasant enough journey, like a scenic detour that you wouldn't necessarily take again, but didn't regret.
⭐️⭐️ (2 Stars): This book existed. I finished it. That's about the highest praise I can offer. If you're looking for something truly captivating, maybe keep scrolling. This one's more of an "it filled the silence" kind of experience.
⭐️ (1 Star): Oh dear. This book and I did not get along. It was a literary tumbleweed in the vast desert of good books. Consider this a strong "do not recommend," unless you're conducting research on what not to do in storytelling.
Disclaimer: My enjoyment of the narrator is based on my listening speed. I only leave 5 stars for books I've read/listened to or will read/listen to multiple times. If you like this review please consider giving it a Helpful Vote below.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 Stars): This book achieved legendary status in my personal library. I will likely reread it until the pages fall out (or my e-reader spontaneously combusts). Consider this my enthusiastic endorsement – you should probably read it unless you actively dislike joy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 Stars): A truly excellent read! I enjoyed it immensely and would heartily recommend it to fellow bookworms. You might even catch me subtly pushing it into their hands.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 Stars): Yep, it was a book I read. I turned the pages, absorbed the words, and emerged...unchanged. It was a pleasant enough journey, like a scenic detour that you wouldn't necessarily take again, but didn't regret.
⭐️⭐️ (2 Stars): This book existed. I finished it. That's about the highest praise I can offer. If you're looking for something truly captivating, maybe keep scrolling. This one's more of an "it filled the silence" kind of experience.
⭐️ (1 Star): Oh dear. This book and I did not get along. It was a literary tumbleweed in the vast desert of good books. Consider this a strong "do not recommend," unless you're conducting research on what not to do in storytelling.
Disclaimer: My enjoyment of the narrator is based on my listening speed. I only leave 5 stars for books I've read/listened to or will read/listen to multiple times. If you like this review please consider giving it a Helpful Vote below.
February 20, 2019
The first really enjoyable and well structured volume in this series features Ramsay and the crew of the Mobius getting conned out of several million by a robot who actually turns out to be a displaced former professor whose consciousness has been unwillingly inserted into a robot's body. He is desperate to exact revenge on the mega-corporation that caused his transformation (and who Ramsay et al. are also keen on stealing from) so the Mobius gains another crewmember. This works.
The other major subplot is the appearance of Mort's estranged son who brings a message from the convocation that has been hunting Mort for 20+ years.
All in all, the most tightly plotted and enjoyable of the Black Ocean novellas.
The other major subplot is the appearance of Mort's estranged son who brings a message from the convocation that has been hunting Mort for 20+ years.
All in all, the most tightly plotted and enjoyable of the Black Ocean novellas.
September 20, 2026
I enjoyed this book a little better than the past few, but overall it still feels very transitional. Which I feel like we've been having for a while now, I can't really give you clearcut places where the last three or four 'missions' have all started and ended, really since the Siege of Mortania, which was phenomenal. I am still liking some of the character development, but I don't love that it came at the cost of losing Tanni, M'Rie, and Kubu (unsure on spelling of all three of those since I'm an audio listener.)
I did like the scene of Mort meeting his son, but everything else in this story was just really mid. I'm really hoping it picks back up again soon.
I did like the scene of Mort meeting his son, but everything else in this story was just really mid. I'm really hoping it picks back up again soon.
April 11, 2021
This one almost got barely 3 stars for the stupidity of Carl to travel in public tram to a meet over 2.2 million terras. He damned well was going to get screwed over (if not by the buyer... which he did) by the local wildlife (gangs or individual ruffians). Just freaking overtly STUPID. And that led to further plot for the rest of the novel. At least the rest had redeeming qualities. So 4 stars.
February 6, 2018
Another great story, in which Carl realises that running off on a mission and leaving daddy dear planetside might have been less of a brilliant idea than he imagined, an interesting buyer turns up, followed by an unexpected guest.
January 10, 2019
Well our intrepid crew is surprisingly not the same crew as we started out with. The turnover rate is high on the Moebius. Our hero... or anti-hero, Captain Carl, is back to his roots at the helm of a starship and not trying to run a large crime syndicate... and so I shall read on.
May 14, 2019
Pulling back up - again a bit of a cliffhanger, but not quite as bad as before at all. I enjoyed this one as we are opening the idea of Mort and his kids, as well as a few other things. I think the series is finding its feet again.
February 27, 2021
Carl and crew are still looking for the big score, as they look to off-load there cargo, but again nothing ever goes to plan!! This time Carl becomes the conned and a chase begins. More family problems also arise, this time for Mort.
November 1, 2019
read this in the omnibus version (audible)
May 5, 2021
Should have stopped a couple of stories ago.
May 19, 2023
This one was fun. Not great, but still fun and enjoyable.
January 19, 2024
2.75 stars.
June 7, 2025
Fun new characters added to the story.
October 19, 2023
3.5 stars rounded down to 3
Carl has to find a buyer for that primordial goo that he got his hands on, but that is proving to be more difficult than he imagined. He finds a buyer and for some inexplicable reason decides he should go it alone. Well, it doesn't go well, and now they have to chase the buyer down only to make a very interesting discovery about their identity.
There are some interesting characters and relationship building going on in this story. I actually quite liked this one, but once again it is only a piece of a larger story. There really was little reason to divide this from the following volume other than to keep the novella length.
Carl has to find a buyer for that primordial goo that he got his hands on, but that is proving to be more difficult than he imagined. He finds a buyer and for some inexplicable reason decides he should go it alone. Well, it doesn't go well, and now they have to chase the buyer down only to make a very interesting discovery about their identity.
There are some interesting characters and relationship building going on in this story. I actually quite liked this one, but once again it is only a piece of a larger story. There really was little reason to divide this from the following volume other than to keep the novella length.
December 4, 2017
Good story. Fast read. Strange ending.
June 3, 2024
This one was too much filler. J.S. is trying too hard to find interesting characters to replace others that haven't worked out so well and this plot line was almost non-existent as a result.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews