Tik-Tok

by John Sladek

Tik-Tok, a twenty-first century robot with defective asimov circuits, sets out to murder humans and becomes the first robot candidate for Vice President of the United States

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Robots, Satire, 20th Century, Novels

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

John Thomas Sladek (generally published as John Sladek or John T. Sladek, as well as under the pseudonyms Thom Demijohn, Barry DuBray, Carl Truhacker and others) was an American science fiction author, known for his satirical and surreal novels.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really can't see why people would dislike this author because he's too clever. Sure, satire and puns belong in the sock drawer of literature, but when a great satire like this comes along, I just want to scribble its telephone number on the bathroom stall. This novella came out before American Psycho, which I also adore, but on a few levels, it succeeds even better. I can't believe how easily I rooted for this psychopathic tin can. I recommend this author, people. Don't let his name disappear from our hearts.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Thuggees, I once read, believe in obeying all the Ten Commandments, except that they replace "Thou shalt not kill" with "Thou shalt kill as much as possible". Tik-Tok has revised Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics in similar fashion. He is a remarkably likable little killer robot, and I can see from the other reviews that few people are able to withstand his odd charm...

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, it's American Psycho meets Bicentennial Man.

The copy I'm reading is a Daw pocketbook from the mid-80's, with (+) decent font and (-) a cover that, I assume, was created after the artist was told to whip out an illustration of a "robot gone bad", all click-whirr, destroyed faceplates, and guns.

The cover of the recent Gollancz edition seems to capture more of the essence: Bright shiny toy realizes that it can only achieve the artistry of being human via murder.

Dostoevsky meets, uh, R.U.R.?

So impressed thus far, I've ordered Sladek's The Complete Roderick about a melancholy innocent machine in the world of man.

From the get-go, Tik-Tok isn't tentative about taunting us:

"I started off murdering a blind child and I ended up building death factories in Latin America, and you almost made me Vice President, how about that?"

I'm interested in seeing how a domestic robot (an "asimovian scofflaw" according to the blurb on the back cover), however batshit insane, manages to run for the second highest office in the homeland...within 200 pages.

He dedicates this autobiography to, among others, the Golem of Prague and the Elektro of Westinghouse and to, "All decent, law-abiding robots everywhere."

Anyways, am now to page 130 (or so). Just keeps getting better. Tik-Tok mentions reading Donald Barthelme's Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts (among other books that begin with the letter "U") during a flight to Mars.

Also, takes aim at High Profile Tragedy Widows, with Tik-Tok penning poison notes to survivors of air crashes (orchestrated by Tik-Tok): "I bet you're all broke up, spending that insurance money!"





-------------------------------------------------------
"Kids who read a lot come up against the disheartening
fact that every story ends. They can try re-reading
the same story or they can read more stories in the
same series or by the same author. Or they can just
read other things and hope that by some magic they'll
pick up the narrative thread again. When all of these
stratagems fail, there's nothing to do but continue
the story yourself, or else give up reading altogether
and try some healthier hobby like smashing
telephones."--John Sladek.

Sladek is my new hero. My old hero, too. I went
searching for a book I read whilst my mom attended
night class at Yakima Valley College (what fun! every
tuesday and thursday night, I would join my mom on the
road to Yakima...we'd stop for hamburgers...I'd spend
the early evening in the college library reading up
all I could! Then, after class, she'd check me out a
book (The New Apocrypha by John Sladek being one that
I remember) and we'd drive home, listening to 8-track
cassettes.

The man wrote a WHOLE BOOK about a Zodiac sign that
doesn't exist, that the scientific establishment is
trying to hide. My hat? I doff it.

Also, his books "The Muller-Fokker Effect" and "The
Reproductive System" sound quite Saunders-ian,
Barthelme-ian (who he name drops in this interview I'm
reading whilst typing this).

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 to 4.5 stars. Something has gone very seriously wrong with Tik-Toks "asimov circuits". They should keep him on the straight and narrow, following Asimovs First Law of Robotics: "a robot shall not injure a human being, or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm." But they dont. While maintaining the outward appearance of a mild-mannered robot, albeit one with artistic tendencies and sympathy for the robot rights movement, Tik-Toks real agenda is murderously different. He seems intent on injuring - preferably fatally - as people as possible. Almost inevitably, a successful career in crime and general mayhem leads to a move into politics and Tik-Tok becomes the first robot candidate for Vice President of the United States.

Nominee: John W Campbell Award Best Novel (1984)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1984)
Winner: British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel (1984)

[Raj · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the memoir of a psychopathic robot whose "asimov circuits" have failed and he takes pleasure in causing as much pain and suffering as he can, while appearing to be a normal, well-adjusted robot, working for robot rights and entering politics.

This is an odd book. It often seems absurdist, obviously stretching a point to the point of breaking, such as the minor character with ever-shifting allergies, culminating in an allergy to the universe. Tik-Tok himself is an interesting character although there seems to be very little that distinguishes him as a robot rather than a human. He has no superior strength or memory, but the story draw an analogy between his status and that of black people in the 18th and 19th centuries in the US, hammering that point quite hard. The memoir interweaves Tik-Tok's current life of evil with his history, and how he became the creature that he now is.

While it was an interesting satire on Isaac Asimov and his more benign view of robots, and I'd like to read more of Sladek's work, I'm not sure I'd read this again.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, if I could select a half-star.

Tik-Tok is a very naughty robot who should really know better, but his asimov circuits don't work. So, instead of being an obedient and faithful domestic robot he turns his hand to child murder, gang murder, terrorist murder, broad-daylight murder, oh, and he likes to paint... and rob banks... and defraud, embezzle, extort, exploit and generally screw people over. And then things go from bad to worse, as he gets into politics.

This is a very dark satire on modern society. All the horrible things that people do to each other, Tik-Tok does to us and is lauded for it. Sadly (but humorously), I think this pretty much hits the mark all the way through.

So, anybody know why the first letter of each chapter runs alphabetically?

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satire and wordplay, humor and butchery. Came out before American Psycho, but exists in the same space. Consumerism and the superficial rich are lambasted. Should it be revived for LLMs and AI?

I didn't love it, but I didn't dislike it. I found the wordplay clever - the first three words are "As I move" - which is just an "E" past Isaac and his three laws. At times, it feels dated and cartoony, especially the pirates.

Won a Brit SF award, and is on a list of best SF novels - not sure I would agree.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of satire, which in addition to being dystopian, is obviously scary because decades before the era of nationalism and populism, it uses almost the same words that we have been hearing people like trump, orban or meloni repeat for years.
Not an easy book as short as it is, or at least for me it lasted that long despite the fact that the pages did not exceed two hundred. Moreover, the main character does everything to make himself hated and thus only succeeds in making me laugh through gritted teeth. A bit hard to follow this chronological jump from past to present of Tik Tok.

Un libro di satira, che oltre ad essere distopico, ovviamente spaventa perché decenni prima dell'epoca dei nazionalismi e dei populismi, utilizza quasi le stesse parole che sentiamo ripetere da anni da gente come trump, orban o meloni.
Non un libro facile per quanto corto, o almeno per me é durato tanto nonostante le pagine non superassero le duecento. Inoltre il protagonista fa di tutto per farsi odiare e riesce quindi solo a farmi ridere a denti stretti. Un po' difficile da seguire questo saltare cronologicamente dal passato al presente di Tik Tok.

[Alien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the German translation.
Diese zynische Satire erzählt das "Leben" eines Haushaltsroboters, der durch die Hände vieler bekloppter bis krimineller Besitzer ging, bis er eines Tages ein kleines, blindes Mädchen umbringt, weil es die Küche vollgesaut hat. Von da an gibt es kein Halten mehr.

Das Buch wechselt zwischen realitätsnaher Satire und völlig abstrusen Einfällen hin und her. Ich fand es ziemlich gut und schön fies.

[Daniel Milford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Å behandle gamle verkende sår som rasisme, menneskehandel og slaveri gjennom science-fiction, hvor roboter tar rollen som de undertrykte, er ikke en dum idé. Ordet "robot" betyr jo allerede "slave". Parallellen fungerer godt innledningsvis. Veldig godt. Roboter har ingen rettigheter i dette fremtidssamfunnet, men gjør alle møkkajobbene i det, noe som bringer de som tidligere var nederst på rangstigen ut i arbeidsløshet og frustrasjon.

Utfordringen er at denne settingen velger forfatteren å benytte til å fortelle en satire. Han har lagt grunnlaget for en ganske sylskarp samfunnskritikk, men plasserer isteden en hevntørstig robot i sentrum av historien, hvor både handling og omstendigheter domineres mer av satirens uhyrlige komedie enn allegoriens potensielle brodd. For meg spretter historien i alle retninger fullstendig etter innfallsmetoden. Sannsynligvis var det lettere å forstå handlingens mange krumspring i bokens samtid.

Det er mye som fortsatt er moro, men hver artige setning tråkker på bokens potensial om å bli noe ordentlig spesielt.

[Tor Gar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh! No me ha gustado. Alguna idea interesante aquí, una crítica mordaz allá pero todo bastante suave, muy humor blanco. No le he cogido el punto.

Pero como tampoco estorba y tiene alguna cosa curiosa se lleva la segunda estrella.

[Rubén Vilaplana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado gratamente esta novela de cf sobre todo la forma en que esta narrada, la historia en sí es muy sorprendente y divertida. Recomendada.

[David Raz · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tik-Tok" by John Sladek, originally published in 1983, comes to life in this 1987 Hebrew translation. I embarked on this reading journey thanks to my wife, who managed to acquire a dozen or so old SF books in Hebrew translations. As I flipped through the pages of "Tik-Tok", I couldn't help but feel a sense of shared nostalgia, even if I had no recollection of reading this particular book in my youth.

The best way to describe "Tik-Tok" is an absurdist black satire. For me, it conjured a blend of Ian McEwan's satire and Stanisław Lem's nonsense. It's worth noting that the translation has probably lost some, or even most, of the wordplay and puns that the original book was known for. The Hebrew release would have also benefited from better editing. This loss of linguistic nuances is a shame, which means I can't really comment on that aspect of the book. I can, however, still comment on the satire and its relevance.

Much of the satire, though rooted in the '80s, is still relatable today. At times, I found myself amused by the sheer absurdity of Sladek's narrative, while at other moments, I admit it veered toward tedium. However, the book's primary shortcoming is its lack of cohesiveness. "Tik-Tok" reads more like a collection of unconnected anecdotes, each growing in intensity of madness. This leaves the reader yearning for a stronger narrative thread to tie everything together.

In summary, "Tik-Tok" is a book that has weathered the test of time to some extent. While it may not have been an exceptional work to begin with, its absurdist satire and moments of amusement make it a worthwhile read, especially for those seeking a nostalgic journey through the annals of science fiction literature and enjoy black humor. I award it three stars out of five, acknowledging its enduring relevance while recognizing its limitations.

A peculiar aspect worth mentioning is the alphabetical order of the first letter of each chapter, a hidden gem that the Hebrew translation almost replicates. It appears that the translator attempted to preserve this clever device but, somewhere in the editing process, it got muddled. This deviation from the original concept is indeed a shame.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

A thoroughly silly and ill-conceived science fiction satire which borrows the premise of Richard Wright's "Native Son", but substitutes protagonist Bigger Thomas for a similarly murderous robot. That should say it all right there: what is the point of this story? There is no consistency to Tik-Tok as a character, who swivels from deranged sicko to righteous avenger to product of his environment with no, ahem, design. Similarly, there is no design to the supposedly satirical bits, in which spending by the obscenely wealthy and the military-industrial complex on projects too ludicrous too imagine nets catastrophe too improbable to waste your time reading about. Heavy-handed doesn't quite say it, since heavy handed satire must be making fun of something.

[EmBe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Robot, breaking bad. Anti-Asimov. Great fun anyway.

[Georgiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

O listă nesfârșită ar putea fi făcută cu temele parodiate și satirizate de Sladek în roman, așa că voi mentiona doar trei dintre cele mai importante: segregarea, faima și politica.
Candidatul Tik-Tok care va lansa cursa pentru Casa Albă nu va fi domnul Chance (ma refer la protagonistul romanului Being there, citit acum multi ani) naiv și simplu, ci mai degrabă un psihopat "Vreau doar să știu ce înseamnă să faci răul, să comiți păcate”, spune el la un moment dat în autobiografia sa nebună, pe care o povestește la persoana întâi – cu excepția unei ezitari de moment la persoana a treia la începutul romanului, și care servește să demonstreze că Robotul nu este in toate mintile. Are o disfuncție periculoasă de personalitate cu care modifică realitatea - de la nașterea sa pe o linie de asamblare până în momentul în care este pregătit să fie casat. Fără regrete sau scuze, își dezvăluie existența cu o sinceritate dezarmantă. Această decizie de a-și spune povestea nu răspunde unei simple vanități: este o răzbunare finală împotriva umanității, o batjocura în care își recunoaște toate crimele fără pedeapsă.
Tik-Tok, necruțător în a-și expune indignările, va fi depășit de logica și dinamica politicienilor și a celor care elaborează strategii și mesaje. Când vorbește despre politică, Sladek se înfurie, și scrie diatriburi ca aceasta, cu care un consilier încearcă să depășească obiecțiile candidatului la vicepreședinție:
"-A avea un trecut murdar este foarte normal în zilele noastre.
-Alegătorii știu asta, dar nu le pasă, sunt atât de insensibili sau atât de disperați încât doar închid ochii și încearcă să aleagă criminalul care are cele mai puține șanse să enerveze Casa Albă”.
Cartea depășește simpla anecdotă a robotului ucigaș. Este o satira acidă a tuturor sistemelor sclavagiste și, prin extensie, a acestor democrații capitaliste în care a trebuit să trăim. În ele robotul-sclav-bun cetățean face ceea ce îi ordonă proprietarul-stăpân-putere și nu se plânge sau se răzvrătește, dar dacă robotul-sclav-cetățean excelează în ceva, începe să aibă propria individualitate și trezește interesul lumii exterioare, devine o amenințare pentru proprietarul-stăpân-putere... care însă ajunge sa-l asimileze când cetăţeanul-robot-sclav se îmbogăţeşte. Libertatea nu a fost dată de aplicarea corectă a principiilor etice sensibile; libertatea a fost în cele din urmă dată de bani.
În 1942, Asimov și-a postulat cele trei legi ale roboticii, cele trei condiții care au determinat umanitatea roboților mai umană decât oamenii înșiși; Prin ei, creaturile lor de oțel asigurau integritatea omologilor lor din carne și sânge. Ceea ce Bunul Profesor a conceput ca un hobby cu diverse variabile, Sladek respinge ca simbol al sclaviei, al diferențierii. Pentru el, ei reprezintă o discriminare care constrânge roboții, care îi supune capriciilor unei rase idioate, decrepite și salivatoare. Circuitele Asimov lasă roboții fără apărare în fața proprietarilor lor. Analogia cu sclavia din sud poate fi văzută cel mai bine cu trei exemple, care pot servi drept legi Sladek ale roboticii: un robot nu se poate reprezenta într-un film sau spectacol, iar rolul său este jucat de o ființă umană deghizată; un robot nu poate căuta beneficii pentru sine, doar pentru stăpânul său; Un robot nu are nume, cumpărătorii lui îi dau un nume.

"The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive."

"Yeah but Father, is that what you meant by God being a paradox? How he was so pleased to get a chance to nail his Son there that he even gave up his plan to fry the whole world in Hell?"

"But then a counter-sect arose, embracing persons who thought they believed in Darwin’s novel theory. What they actually believed in was Reformed Darwinism, a religious and social theory combining ‘survival of the fittest’ with ‘Devil take the hindmost’. The important thing was to be a survivor. Take care of your tribe and your territory. Be selfish. God helps those who help themselves."

[Rafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro ácido que reparte a diestro y siniestro, a veces literalmente, que se lee de tirón y con momentos hilarantes y a veces esperpénticos, pero muy reales. Se pueden sacar muchas moralejas o ninguna, aunque como siempre, la ciencia ficción trata aspectos profundos desde un punto de vista entretenido y nada pedante. Cada cual que lo pille por donde le plazca.

Al final Tik sólo quiere experimentar sin trabas morales…

[Linus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tik-Tok by John Sladek is a very dark novel about a sociopathic robot who is able to break his chains and act as he pleases. He lacks the usual moral rules for all other robots, the Asimov Circuits. Named after Isaac Asimov, they represent the famous three rules that every robot must obey:

The first law: A robot shall not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to be harmed.
The second law: A robot must obey the orders given to it by a human, unless such orders conflict with the First Law.
The Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Tik-Tok tells us the story of his life in retrospect, and it is quite an odyssey: from being part of a group of service robots in a rich but rather grotesque family, to various other weirdos who either want to buy robots to shoot for fun or run dirty restaurants, to a religious cult, he somehow ends up with a wealthy conservative family where he works as a housekeeper. He is also threatened by space pirates on a trip to Mars to proselytize the Martians! It really is sequence after sequence of grotesque but somehow funny encounters, and Tik-Tok always manages to survive.

But these encounters with various forms of human life also seem to be the origin of his later decisions. Tik-Tok breaks out of his robot chains and commits crimes, works in gangs, murders and even becomes the CEO of a worldwide (and beyond) company.

With this short novel, Sladek creates the feeling that Tik-Tok is the dark brother of all the robots Asimov created. He plays with the idea of what would happen if a robot could decide freely and only apply its own rules, especially when it has experienced human abysses throughout its "life". The novel is very dark, very brutal, sometimes funny and always exaggerated. In my opinion, it is a book worth reading, especially if you are familiar with Asimov's robot stories, as Sladek seems to mock them and try to shock ordinary SF readers and critics.

It is again, like so many other stories about robots, a story about a robot's struggle to be accepted by humans, to be treated like a human and to find a safe place in the world. But Sladek wraps this up quite differently than in The Positronic Man for example. He definitely got me with Tik-Tok. However, it is also a novel that is very confusing and strange in places, which prevented me from giving it a higher rating.

P.S. I recommend reading the first few pages more than once! The story begins with Tik-Tok painting a mural in his owner's house during a normal summer holiday, when a blind girl in the neighbourhood gets lost. Meanwhile, Tik-Tok continues his painting...

[Charles Dee Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Discloure: I have never read Isaac Asimov's I, Robot. I saw part of the Will Smith film in a hotel once but dozed off before it was over -- $9.00 down the drain. With no more exposure than I have had, however, I know the basics about the Asimov circuits and the rules for robots -- they cannot injure human beings, they must obey orders, they can protect themselves so long as such action does not harm humans.

Sladek's protagonist Tik-Tok lives in a future world where millions of robots perform for humans a range of life enhancing functions. But as it seems would be bound to happen occasionally in a time of such mass production, Tik-Tok has defective Asimov circuits. He is a totally amoral machine. You learn that early on when in the first chapter he murders a little blind girl and arranges to pin the crime on a elderly neighbor. The girl has tracked mud into the home Tik-Tok keeps immaculate for the Studebaker family who happen to be out of town for summer vacation. But the slaughter has an up side. In painting over the blood splatter on the wall, Tik-Tok feels an aesthetic stirring that leads him to paint a mural rather than a solid surface. The novelty of a robot with artistic tendencies sends Tik-Tok on a trajectory that catapults him into the highest echelons of power, although his sharp business sense, some murders of convenience, and a total lack of morals will also serve him well

Sladek's published this black comic romp in 1983, and its satire holds up well thirty years later. Tik Tok narrates his progress in the artistic, business, and political communities with frequent flash backs to his life before the suburban idyll of the Studebaker home. The humans he has served are for the most part a scurvy lot. Sladek has most fun with the Southern Culpepper clan, eccentrics and deviants who have taken advantage of robot culture to restore their plantation to antebellum splendor. Their comeuppance is complete and quite satisfying. There is also the purveyor of a popular but crooked pancake emporium and a retired judge who buys scrap robots on the cheap for the pleasure of dismantling them a ghoulishly as possible. "It relaxes him," his sympathetic wife explains. When Tik-Tok meets up with a band of space pirates they will prove to be valuable allies.

I've read some reviews that complain Sladek's satire is scattershot and pointless. That observation is true but beside the point. Tik-Tok is a "Rake's Progress" without the impediment of a moral. It's jaundiced vision is redeemed by sheer liveliness. Although redemption is not a concept Sladek traffics in.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ode To A Homicidal Robot.

Sure, the idea has been done to death, but rarely with the panache applied by Sladek. Robots sort of being his raison d'etre, Sladek finally hits paydirt (artistically speaking) with this sly, nasty piece of work, and cheering the hero has rarely left you with so unclean a feeling, as Sladek does a wonderful job of giving you no reason to love Tik-Tok, the murderous robot, and yet...

If you stripped the silly out of Bender from Futurama, you might end up with Tik-Tok, and the macabre events that ensue might give you pause before dismissing this as just another Robots Gone Wild yarn.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This had a lot of potential, but didn't quite do it for me. A demented robot that develops free will and an appetite for murder, painting, robbery and politics. In that order. All in violation of the programming of its "Asmiov circuits". The story, in alternating timeframes, follows the robot's increasingly ridiculous exploits as it conducts experiments, most violent and sadistic, to experience human emotions. It sounds dark, but actually the situations the robot gets into are all quite humorous. The humor missed the mark for me as often as it hit, and I found the frequent timeframe shifts distracting and counter to building an engaging narrative.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, fuck you, I'm giving "Tik-Tok" the highest rating, because it's clever and actually funny, and when I finished it, I thought "I actually wish this had a sequel," forlornly. Not as bizarre and freewheeling as Sladek's "The Reproductive System," but a better, cohesive novel overall. SO RIDICULE ME ALL YOU WANT, I SUCK FOR A BILLION OTHER REASONS ANYWAY.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savagely subverting Asimov’s ‘I, Robot’ in much the same way that Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ utterly rinsed H.G. Wells - only with more murder and swearing - Sladek’s short novel is a scattershot but hilarious affair, throwing out barbs left, right and centre (‘Gone with the Wind’ gets it in the neck one moment, ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’ the next). It’s hit and miss, granted, but too succinct for there to be any real longueurs. And there’s something delightfully serendipitous in a writer whose surname is an anagram of “Daleks” writing the ultimate killer robot novel.

[James Garner · Rating 1 out of 5]

While funny at times, this had a very cold, disjointed feel to it (not surprising, considering the narrator is a killer robot). The essential premise is that Asimov's Rules for Robots have been rescinded (if they were ever in force at all), and Tik Tok works to wreak havoc on the humans who drive robots to destruction like mechanical slaves. But he has no real plan, and it all feels very haphazard. Fun wordplay throughout, but not enough to make this enjoyable.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! A sort of cracked up I, Robot meets a Clockwork Orange, but much more than that. Sladek's vision of humanity as psychotically perverted and how that affects robots is the heart of the book.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's not to love about a homicidal robot gone wild?

[Julieta Steyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al hacer una reseña de Tik-Tok, algunos sucumben en el error de hablar de otro tipo de cuestiones que, si bien están expresadas en el libro, dejan de lado el principal argumento: es una cruel sátira a las leyes de Asimov. Tranquilos, no se van a impresionar tanto con las muertes, la idea no es el sadismo sino la crítica ácida.
Con una especie de mantra al estilo "¿qué podría fallar?" aplicado a las leyes y morales humanas aquí falla todo. Por eso es que al terminar el libro me encuentro con que Tik-Tok es el verdadero padre de Bender, el robot de Futurama... no me sorprendí en absoluto. Y es que Tik-Tok no es únicamente un asesino, Tik prueba sus propios límites. Los humanos, sorprendidos por un robot siendo capaz de crear arte le abren la puerta a una infinidad cuestiones. Entretanto, él mismo nos relata su vida, recortada entre momentos de pasado y presente, cómo llegó a ser quién es, tener una corporación con ayuda de los humanos, obtener beneficios civiles, la forma en la que asesinó a Fulanito, etc.
Personalmente creo que lo mejor no es la sátira de la parte homicida sino su empresarial e inescrupulosa lógica, digna de cualquier empresario codicioso en cualquier parte del mundo. Recortar gastos al extremo, por ejemplo en el geriátrico, dejando a los ancianos engullir comida real únicamente los días de visita o sus acciones con la clínica, o la fábrica. De lo mejorcito que hay, sin dudas. Lástima que la parte empresarial de Tik comienza a la mitad o más del libro.
Y, claro, todo esto no podría haberlo conseguido sin: a) humanos que lo ayudasen / encubrieran y, b) los mismos intereses humanos.

[Manuel K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una gran sátira de humor negro, y más negro aún por la obvia metáfora del robot como esclavo negro. Las famosas leyes de Asimov (las llama así) son el primer objeto de burla, y básicamente no deja títere con cabeza. Divertida, si te gusta ese tipo de humor, y muy incisiva.

[Grace Boehlke · Rating 4 out of 5]

As outrageous as it is sarcastic, Tik-Tok doesn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the exploration of the complex ideas surrounding robots in literature and the first person perspective that really colors the story. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in sci fi!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tik-Tok is a sentient robot (android) whose Asimov circuits stop working. He becomes very, very human. It is engaging satire.

7 of 10 stars.