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The Robot Who Looked Like Me: Stories
In “The Robot Who Looked Like Me,” a busy man and a busy woman find a way to carve out time to romance each other—by having look-alike robots made to do the job—who then run away together.
The twelve other stories in this collection are “Slaves of Time,” “Voices,” “A Supplicant in Space,” “Sneak Previews,” “Zirn Left Unguarded, the Jenghik Palace in Flames, John Westerly Dead,” “Welcome to the Standard Nightmare,” “The Never-Ending Western Movie,” “What Is Life?”, “I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair Is Biting His Leg,” “Is That What People Do?”, “Silversmith Wishes,” and “End City.”
From the very beginning of his career, Robert Sheckley was recognized by fans, reviewers, and fellow authors as a master storyteller and the wittiest satirist working in the science fiction field. Open Road is proud to republish his acclaimed body of work, with nearly thirty volumes of full-length fiction and short story collections. Rediscover, or discover for the first time, a master of science fiction who, according to the New York Times, was “a precursor to Douglas Adams.”
The twelve other stories in this collection are “Slaves of Time,” “Voices,” “A Supplicant in Space,” “Sneak Previews,” “Zirn Left Unguarded, the Jenghik Palace in Flames, John Westerly Dead,” “Welcome to the Standard Nightmare,” “The Never-Ending Western Movie,” “What Is Life?”, “I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair Is Biting His Leg,” “Is That What People Do?”, “Silversmith Wishes,” and “End City.”
From the very beginning of his career, Robert Sheckley was recognized by fans, reviewers, and fellow authors as a master storyteller and the wittiest satirist working in the science fiction field. Open Road is proud to republish his acclaimed body of work, with nearly thirty volumes of full-length fiction and short story collections. Rediscover, or discover for the first time, a master of science fiction who, according to the New York Times, was “a precursor to Douglas Adams.”
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1978
33 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Robert Sheckley
1,417 books656 followersOne of science fiction's great humorists, Sheckley was a prolific short story writer beginning in 1952 with titles including "Specialist", "Pilgrimage to Earth", "Warm", "The Prize of Peril", and "Seventh Victim", collected in volumes from Untouched by Human Hands (1954) to Is That What People Do? (1984) and a five-volume set of Collected Stories (1991). His first novel, Immortality, Inc. (1958), was followed by The Status Civilization (1960), Journey Beyond Tomorrow (1962), Mindswap (1966), and several others. Sheckley served as fiction editor for Omni magazine from January 1980 through September 1981, and was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 7, 2024
The Robot Who Looked Like Me was the last collection of Sheckley's short fiction to appear in mass market format. It didn't appear in the U.S. until four years after the British first edition. The majority of the stories are from high-market slicks like Penthouse, Cosmopolitan, and Playboy, or from original anthology books like Nova and Science Fiction Discoveries; only a few are from the genre digests, one from F & SF and a couple from Galaxy. They're all from the 1970s except for I see a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair is Biting His Leg, which is from 1968. It's a collaboration with Harlan Ellison, though Ellison is not credited. (I wonder if there were threats of legal proceedings as a result?) They are slickly written, clever stories of satire for the most part, with a strong element of humor. Believe it or not, the aforementioned novelette is not the longest-titled story in the book; that honor falls to another good one, Zirn Left Unguarded, The Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerley Dead. My favorite in the book is The Never-Ending Western Movie, one of the most prescient stories of its time. Sheckley's work was always amusing and entertaining.
February 19, 2024
08/2018
From 1978. The story The Robot Who Looked Like Me is good fun, as is Sneak Previews. Slaves Of Time is an amazing and interesting story about time travel and dimensions. The Neverending Western Movie seems very of the now.
From 1978. The story The Robot Who Looked Like Me is good fun, as is Sneak Previews. Slaves Of Time is an amazing and interesting story about time travel and dimensions. The Neverending Western Movie seems very of the now.
April 5, 2022
"Hey, what do you guys do for kicks around here?"
"We take drugs like Hope-98."
"What is the effect of Hope-98?"
"It makes you think you got a future."
"We take drugs like Hope-98."
"What is the effect of Hope-98?"
"It makes you think you got a future."
April 26, 2018
Between the sexism and the 70's perspective, this is dated. Some clever bits, but nothing worth seeking out. One of the stories reminded me of The Man Who Folded Himself, a few others of Azazel. Also, I do have to warn y'all that this is not for the squeamish or for children.
I'm looking through to see if I can find one to tell you was my 'favorite' and am having trouble remembering them... not a good sign... well, I did like"A Supplicant in Space." And "The Never-Ending Western Movie" both predicts reality TV and is poignant... that one might be worth your time.
I'm looking through to see if I can find one to tell you was my 'favorite' and am having trouble remembering them... not a good sign... well, I did like"A Supplicant in Space." And "The Never-Ending Western Movie" both predicts reality TV and is poignant... that one might be worth your time.
July 21, 2018
“Incredulity is not an appropriate attitude in this age of Heisenbergian physics.”
A better-than-average collection of Sheckley’s short stories and novelettes from the early 70s. The title story is among the better. Some humor. The number co-written with Harlan Eislson is sick, as you’d expect.
“When you come right down to it, life was a disappointment and the best it has to offer was never quit good enough. I realize now that I can’t be happy by owning things.”
A better-than-average collection of Sheckley’s short stories and novelettes from the early 70s. The title story is among the better. Some humor. The number co-written with Harlan Eislson is sick, as you’d expect.
“When you come right down to it, life was a disappointment and the best it has to offer was never quit good enough. I realize now that I can’t be happy by owning things.”
July 26, 2021
Brilliant collection of short stories (Apart from two I wasn't keen on). I have read several of Sheckley's books and was not dissapointed. Great selection of wacky creations, really enjoyed Slaves of Time and I see A Man Sitting On A Chair And The Chair Is Biting His Leg. Both creative, amusing and out there. I would say it's like mixing some of the wacky humour of Douglas Adams with the genius of John Wyndham and making it Sci-fi!
January 23, 2015
I've been a fan of Sheckley since discovering some of his short stories on my Dad's bookshelves as a kid. This particular book contains my favorite Sheckley story of all time: "Zirn Left Unguarded, the Jenghik Palace in Flames, John Westerley Dead."
December 26, 2018
Overall a Good 13 Short Story Collection
Good ones were: The Robot Who Looked Like Me.
Slaves of Time !, A Supplicant in Space !, Zim Left Unguarded !, Welcome to the Standard Nightmare !, The Neverending Western Movie !, Silversmith Wishes.
Good ones were: The Robot Who Looked Like Me.
Slaves of Time !, A Supplicant in Space !, Zim Left Unguarded !, Welcome to the Standard Nightmare !, The Neverending Western Movie !, Silversmith Wishes.
May 29, 2019
A pack of wild stories by the guy who makes Douglas Adams look like an amateur. Really, younger generation, you need to check out Robert Sheckley. Includes "I See a Man Sitting in a Chair, and the Chair is Biting His Leg"--one of my all-time favorites.
January 14, 2023
A nice collection of fairly standard 1970s sci-fi with one real gem. "The Never-Ending Western Movie" is in a class by itself. Just as Dick‘s "Do Androids" predicts social media, "Never-Ending" predicts a type of reality tv.
November 26, 2016
Eine feine Kurzgeschichtensammlung, lesenswert für Liebhaber des Genres.
July 9, 2019
Terrific stories. Funny, too.
August 9, 2023
A wonderful collection of short stories! There are a couple of big misses, but overall, the stories are all quite unique and diversely innovative. As a whole, the collection is fun to read with different approaches to story-telling, but may be best suited for sci-fi fans who enjoy dystopian stories and unexplored universes without much explanation. Here are my individual ratings for each of the 13 stories in the collection:
1.) The Robot Who Looked Like Me: 5/5. A wholesome love story set in a future sci-fi world with a great use of irony that really reminds me of O'Henry.
2.) Slaves of Time: 4/5. A rather confusing tale that plays with the absurdity of time travel and makes several interesting conjectures on the subject. Not a bad read at all, but it can get rather confusing at times.
3.) Voices: 1/5. I don't understand this story. Perhaps the absurdity of it is supposed to be a play at satire, but it poorly delivers on that front.
4.) A Supplicant in Space: 5/5. A brilliant tale about interstellar travel and diplomacy! The strategies and arguments made by Detringer and the military general are well thought out and the ending is well written.
5.) Sneak Previews: 4/5. An interesting take on the future of dating apps before they were even a thing. I'm not a fan of the main character, and the ending leaves a bit to be desired, but overall, it's a pretty fun read.
6.) Zirn Left Unguarded, the Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerley Dead: 2/5. A ridiculous title for a rather disappointing story. This space opera reads as if we're starting from the third act in a story, and the story then decides to give a plot synopsis of the previous act. The premise of the story is interesting enough, but the story is too short to really appreciate the interesting world/universe it tries to describe and build up.
7.) Welcome to the Standard Nightmare: 5/5. An amazing tale of a human explorer making contact with a more intelligent alien society. The story really calls into question the morality of humans and the nature of our psychology and sociology. The story ends in a twist of irony that transforms this otherwise good story into a brilliant one!
8.) The Neverending Western Movie: 4/5. What if John Wayne actually had to kill real people in his movies? How does he retire when the nature of the industry is to kill or be killed? That is essentially the premise of this interesting story. The ending is good as well, though perhaps a little predictable.
9.) What is Life?: 5/5. A short, but fun and thought-provoking tale with an ironic ending. This is a must-read!
10.) I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair is Biting His Leg: 3/5. A bizarre story with an interesting setting and premise. WWIII took place, and humanity is left harvesting goo from the world's oceans for sustenance in an over-populated world. One of the goo-pickers, Joe Pareti, encounters one of the side effects of his occupation, and a series of strange events happen.
11.) Is That What People Do?: 4/5. A short tale of a man encountering a strange pair of binoculars that lets him do some out-of-environment people-watching from the safety of his home. Not much substance to this story, but it's interesting enough.
12.) Silversmith Wishes: 4/5. A cautionary short tale that looks into what happens when one is allowed all the wishes one desires and what constitutes happiness. The ending is a bit odd though; I'm not sure I quite understand it.
13.) End City: 3/5. It's difficult to give this tale a proper rating because it's so short with not much exposition. It's written in second-person point of view, but the setting is very foreign, and "your" stream of consciousness doesn't seem to give voice to any details that can really help us navigate the world in which the story is built. The ending seems to deliver the main takeaway message behind the story, but it seems rather removed from the events that are described in the story. Overall, it leaves more questions than answers, but the story is still rather engaging.
1.) The Robot Who Looked Like Me: 5/5. A wholesome love story set in a future sci-fi world with a great use of irony that really reminds me of O'Henry.
2.) Slaves of Time: 4/5. A rather confusing tale that plays with the absurdity of time travel and makes several interesting conjectures on the subject. Not a bad read at all, but it can get rather confusing at times.
3.) Voices: 1/5. I don't understand this story. Perhaps the absurdity of it is supposed to be a play at satire, but it poorly delivers on that front.
4.) A Supplicant in Space: 5/5. A brilliant tale about interstellar travel and diplomacy! The strategies and arguments made by Detringer and the military general are well thought out and the ending is well written.
5.) Sneak Previews: 4/5. An interesting take on the future of dating apps before they were even a thing. I'm not a fan of the main character, and the ending leaves a bit to be desired, but overall, it's a pretty fun read.
6.) Zirn Left Unguarded, the Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerley Dead: 2/5. A ridiculous title for a rather disappointing story. This space opera reads as if we're starting from the third act in a story, and the story then decides to give a plot synopsis of the previous act. The premise of the story is interesting enough, but the story is too short to really appreciate the interesting world/universe it tries to describe and build up.
7.) Welcome to the Standard Nightmare: 5/5. An amazing tale of a human explorer making contact with a more intelligent alien society. The story really calls into question the morality of humans and the nature of our psychology and sociology. The story ends in a twist of irony that transforms this otherwise good story into a brilliant one!
8.) The Neverending Western Movie: 4/5. What if John Wayne actually had to kill real people in his movies? How does he retire when the nature of the industry is to kill or be killed? That is essentially the premise of this interesting story. The ending is good as well, though perhaps a little predictable.
9.) What is Life?: 5/5. A short, but fun and thought-provoking tale with an ironic ending. This is a must-read!
10.) I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair is Biting His Leg: 3/5. A bizarre story with an interesting setting and premise. WWIII took place, and humanity is left harvesting goo from the world's oceans for sustenance in an over-populated world. One of the goo-pickers, Joe Pareti, encounters one of the side effects of his occupation, and a series of strange events happen.
11.) Is That What People Do?: 4/5. A short tale of a man encountering a strange pair of binoculars that lets him do some out-of-environment people-watching from the safety of his home. Not much substance to this story, but it's interesting enough.
12.) Silversmith Wishes: 4/5. A cautionary short tale that looks into what happens when one is allowed all the wishes one desires and what constitutes happiness. The ending is a bit odd though; I'm not sure I quite understand it.
13.) End City: 3/5. It's difficult to give this tale a proper rating because it's so short with not much exposition. It's written in second-person point of view, but the setting is very foreign, and "your" stream of consciousness doesn't seem to give voice to any details that can really help us navigate the world in which the story is built. The ending seems to deliver the main takeaway message behind the story, but it seems rather removed from the events that are described in the story. Overall, it leaves more questions than answers, but the story is still rather engaging.
September 7, 2018
The first story I ever read by Robert Sheckley was "A Ticket to Tranai" in "The Mammoth Book of Science Fiction. It was most things I want from satiric SF: fun, funny, imaginative, a sense of wonder, and a message that doesn't overwhelm the story. I have since read six books of Sheckley material, short stories and novels. They have their moments but are dated. This collection is later Sheckley, from the 1970s, so it suffers from sexism. The title story is OK, but I guessed the surprise ending (I probably wouldn't have in 1973). "I see a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair is Biting His Leg" is almost as good as its title. "The Never Ending Western Movie" is a passable western parody. Unfortunately, the future rarely ages well.
Want to read
October 22, 2023(4/13 read) (# = read)
13 stories:
# The Robot Who Looked Like Me (1973)
Slaves of Time (1974)
Voices (1973)
A Supplicant in Space (1973)
Sneak Previews (1977)
Zirn Left Unguarded, the Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerley Dead (1972)
Welcome to the Standard Nightmare (1973)
The Never-Ending Western Movie (1976)
# What Is Life? (1976)
I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair Is Biting His Leg (1968) with Harlan Ellison
# Is That What People Do? (1978)
# Silversmith Wishes (1977)
End City (1974)
13 stories:
# The Robot Who Looked Like Me (1973)
Slaves of Time (1974)
Voices (1973)
A Supplicant in Space (1973)
Sneak Previews (1977)
Zirn Left Unguarded, the Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerley Dead (1972)
Welcome to the Standard Nightmare (1973)
The Never-Ending Western Movie (1976)
# What Is Life? (1976)
I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair Is Biting His Leg (1968) with Harlan Ellison
# Is That What People Do? (1978)
# Silversmith Wishes (1977)
End City (1974)
November 17, 2024
The collection began with a bang, as the titular story gave us a brilliant and thought-provoking inversion of Bradbury's classic tale. Then it went downhill with a very boring tale. Afterwards it followed a sine-curve in terms of quality.
I believe that by this time Sheckley had started sermonising at the expense of crisp storytelling. That trait is evident in the narrative-heavy stories. But his humour and serious satire managed to elevate several stories to eminently readable levels.
Overall, a good collection, but not great.
I believe that by this time Sheckley had started sermonising at the expense of crisp storytelling. That trait is evident in the narrative-heavy stories. But his humour and serious satire managed to elevate several stories to eminently readable levels.
Overall, a good collection, but not great.
September 27, 2024
I liked the titular story the most. I know there is a movie but it looks like an episode of "Black Mirror." I can see the logic in making a film like that. Maybe if I cannot sleep I will just imagine my robot double somewhere out in the stars.
"Slaves of Time" reminded me of David Gerrolds "the Man who folded Himself."
"Slaves of Time" reminded me of David Gerrolds "the Man who folded Himself."
April 30, 2022
Qualità mista, per questa raccolta di racconti leggeri: accanto ad alcune piccole perle divertenti (Il Robot che sembrava me, Schiavi del tempo) ci sono diversi episodi poco convincenti. Al termine del numero c’è un interessante articolo di Asimov.
February 5, 2023
(Audiolibro) uno scenario futuro che abbiamo poi ritrovato in tanti libri e film di fantascienza scritto in anni in cui sembrava un futuro lontano. Non siamo arrivato a questo ma il tema è certamente ormai un classico. Ciò non toglie nulla alla piacevolezza del racconto. Molto gradevole.
August 27, 2023
A wonderful collection of offbeat, mostly humorous stories from the 1970s. Most are science fiction, though one or two would more accurately be called fantasy. But, genres notwithstanding, this is a very entertaining collection!
September 25, 2023
I had forgotten how good Sheckley can be both with humor and understanding of where man is heading and what man really is. A couple stories were a bit crass in their attitudes and a couple were less than first rate but the best stories like the title and Standard Nightmare make up for it.
October 21, 2024
a collection of good sci-fi stories from the 70s. Sheckley's great, love him, i'd pick him anytime over Clarke or Lem, similar adventure style but with a more witty punch.
in this collection, a bit of criticism on love and marriage.
in this collection, a bit of criticism on love and marriage.
July 31, 2025
Another very solid group of short stories from one of the greats. The standouts on here are "Welcome to the Standard Nightmare", "Sneak Preview", and "Slaves of Time". Easy reading, but still complex in thought and ideas. Check it out.
July 1, 2019
Deludente
April 24, 2020
Another solid collection from Sheckley and Open Road Media-- my only complaint is that is too short. 'Zirn left ungaurded...' is the definite stand out here.
May 22, 2020
The edition I read had the slightly different title "The robot who looked like me".
July 7, 2020
An up-and-down collection of sometimes fun other times inexplicable stories.
June 23, 2023
Good but uneven collection of stories. Some were excellent though.
Read
August 10, 2023DNF
June 23, 2024
Decent collection of 14 Sheckley short stories published in 1978. Interesting to see what he was writing in the 70s, at least nine of these stories I've only found in this collection.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews