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The Robot Galaxy #1
Crazy Foolish Robots
What would you do if you were kidnapped by alien robots?
Ruby Palmer finds herself on an entire planet surrounded by the things she hates the most: robots. Besides taking everything she says way too literally, the robots have problems of their own. A myriad of technical glitches are, on the cosmological scale, quickly destroying them. Ruby has the programming knowledge and skills that matter to them, but can she overcome her fears and find it within herself to help? Her survival, along with the survival of all of humanity and robot kind, depends on it.
If you adore all the charming and delightful robots in sci-fi from R2D2 to Wall-E to Bender to Marvin to Johnny 5, you'll love The Robot Galaxy Series!
Ruby Palmer finds herself on an entire planet surrounded by the things she hates the most: robots. Besides taking everything she says way too literally, the robots have problems of their own. A myriad of technical glitches are, on the cosmological scale, quickly destroying them. Ruby has the programming knowledge and skills that matter to them, but can she overcome her fears and find it within herself to help? Her survival, along with the survival of all of humanity and robot kind, depends on it.
If you adore all the charming and delightful robots in sci-fi from R2D2 to Wall-E to Bender to Marvin to Johnny 5, you'll love The Robot Galaxy Series!
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2021
324 people are currently reading
3165 people want to read
About the author
Adeena Mignogna
11 books77 followersAdeena Mignogna is a physicist and astronomer (by degree) working in aerospace as a software engineer and manager. More importantly, she’s a long-time science fiction geek with a strong desire to inspire others through writing about robots, aliens, artificial intelligence, computers, longevity, exoplanets, virtual reality, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 30, 2023
This was a really enjoyable novel and I shall certainly be following the series and reading the next episode as soon as I can .
Ruby Palmer orphaned at a young age, has spent most of her life living in the space colony Astroll 2 with her two uncles. An expert programmer she cannot wait to get out into the real world and eventually she decides to borrow her own spaceship/rocket and head to Titan where she thinks she can help pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.
Unfortunately for her, a robot with the name of Swell Driver was on a mission to capture one of the biological life forms and happens to come across Ruby on her way to Titan.
At that point Ruby's adventures begin. She's whisked off to the Robot's home world and is immediately caught in the middle of various factions on the robot home world.
A well written, enjoyable and witty novel that moves along at a real pace.
Ruby Palmer orphaned at a young age, has spent most of her life living in the space colony Astroll 2 with her two uncles. An expert programmer she cannot wait to get out into the real world and eventually she decides to borrow her own spaceship/rocket and head to Titan where she thinks she can help pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.
Unfortunately for her, a robot with the name of Swell Driver was on a mission to capture one of the biological life forms and happens to come across Ruby on her way to Titan.
At that point Ruby's adventures begin. She's whisked off to the Robot's home world and is immediately caught in the middle of various factions on the robot home world.
A well written, enjoyable and witty novel that moves along at a real pace.
July 25, 2021
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A girl who lives in a spacestation doesn't like robots. She feels they are taking over everything. Running away, she is abducted by an extraterrestrial robot, and taken to the robot world, where everything is not sunshine and roses.
It was a bit odd to read about a robot revolution, but there you have it.
A girl who lives in a spacestation doesn't like robots. She feels they are taking over everything. Running away, she is abducted by an extraterrestrial robot, and taken to the robot world, where everything is not sunshine and roses.
It was a bit odd to read about a robot revolution, but there you have it.
September 2, 2024
This was SO FUN until the end.
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-Fears around AI. This feels so relevant. How much do we trust AI and things that run on it?
-First contact. I love first contact stories where humans are not the ones running the show. I don't think we're the smartest or best at greetings, so having us see our place in the pecking order is liberating to me.
-Cool solutions. This is right on the edge of accessible and ultra techy. I enjoyed that I could understand the issues (to an extent) and appreciate the solutions.
Detractors:
-A bit handwavy. There's definitely some continuity things and a few areas hurried for pacing over plot.
-The end. IT'S NOT EVEN A CLIFFHANGER. It just stops and that's wildly inappropriate to me. I get that there's a sequel, but things do have to end, even if it's just temporarily. This is a book afterall, not an ongoing saga in our friend's life. Authors get to pick how to terminate a book, and this author chose "mid-scene." That's criminal to me but ymmv.
I am unlikely to pick up the next book because I feel cheated, but that aside, this would have been a 4 star read.
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-Fears around AI. This feels so relevant. How much do we trust AI and things that run on it?
-First contact. I love first contact stories where humans are not the ones running the show. I don't think we're the smartest or best at greetings, so having us see our place in the pecking order is liberating to me.
-Cool solutions. This is right on the edge of accessible and ultra techy. I enjoyed that I could understand the issues (to an extent) and appreciate the solutions.
Detractors:
-A bit handwavy. There's definitely some continuity things and a few areas hurried for pacing over plot.
-The end. IT'S NOT EVEN A CLIFFHANGER. It just stops and that's wildly inappropriate to me. I get that there's a sequel, but things do have to end, even if it's just temporarily. This is a book afterall, not an ongoing saga in our friend's life. Authors get to pick how to terminate a book, and this author chose "mid-scene." That's criminal to me but ymmv.
I am unlikely to pick up the next book because I feel cheated, but that aside, this would have been a 4 star read.
June 3, 2024
A nicely written story about a young girl meeting alien lifeform that is not the one you would typically think off when thinking of aliens. A planet full of robots is not a place the protagonist would like to be at, but it all works out in this novel. Fun, but not that funny, a bit cozy sci-fi, enjoyed it more than i would suspect at first.
August 21, 2022
Cute, left off satisfactorily
June 24, 2021
(( I was given an electronic copy of the novel from the author in exchange for a honest review))
Crazy Foolish Robots is a great fun work of art by Adeena Mignogna. The story focuses around Ruby Palmer. Ruby lives on the space station Astroll 2 with her two uncles. Eager to take part in the Titan expedition, but not meeting the age requirement of 21, Ruby takes matters into her own hands and embarks on her own journey to Titan. On her journey to Titan things go awry and Ruby ends up going up against her greatest fear, robots. Not just a few, but a planet’s worth.
What I enjoyed
I was hesitant about reading this novel. I am a fan of science fiction books. Just as equal as a fan of comedies, but I didn’t think the two mix well together in book form, but Mignogna proved me wrong. Mignogna uses situational comedy and doesn’t force the jokes. The comedy elements of the book don’t overtake seriousness elements and vice versa.
Being a huge fan of science fiction, it’s the little things that count. Instead of using a cellphone, for example, Ruby uses a device called communicuff. It’s one of those small little things that I enjoy in science fiction and Mignogna touches on those small but very important details throughout her book.
Ruby was a character I was invested in. She is someone I was able to really get behind and cheer for. She was the heart and soul of this novel.
What I didn’t enjoy
My only thing that I didn’t enjoy was that it really took awhile for things to really pick up. I was seven chapters in before things took off. Other than that, I have no complaints.
Overall
Crazy Foolish Robots is a great mixture of science fiction and comedy. Serious when it needs to be, but can have a fun light hearted tone. Mignogna pays attention to those small little details throughout her book which is really refreshing and lets the reader know she is a genuine fan of science fiction and has done her homework. The character of Ruby is a great breath of fresh air and gives the reader a character to be invested in. My only negative is that it takes a bit for the story to get going, but once it gets going, it gets going. Mignogna has truly made me a fan of this blend of science fiction and comedy. I have heard of this genre but thought I wouldn’t enjoy it. I would definitely consider reading more of this interesting mixture by Mignogna.
Crazy Foolish Robots is a great fun work of art by Adeena Mignogna. The story focuses around Ruby Palmer. Ruby lives on the space station Astroll 2 with her two uncles. Eager to take part in the Titan expedition, but not meeting the age requirement of 21, Ruby takes matters into her own hands and embarks on her own journey to Titan. On her journey to Titan things go awry and Ruby ends up going up against her greatest fear, robots. Not just a few, but a planet’s worth.
What I enjoyed
I was hesitant about reading this novel. I am a fan of science fiction books. Just as equal as a fan of comedies, but I didn’t think the two mix well together in book form, but Mignogna proved me wrong. Mignogna uses situational comedy and doesn’t force the jokes. The comedy elements of the book don’t overtake seriousness elements and vice versa.
Being a huge fan of science fiction, it’s the little things that count. Instead of using a cellphone, for example, Ruby uses a device called communicuff. It’s one of those small little things that I enjoy in science fiction and Mignogna touches on those small but very important details throughout her book.
Ruby was a character I was invested in. She is someone I was able to really get behind and cheer for. She was the heart and soul of this novel.
What I didn’t enjoy
My only thing that I didn’t enjoy was that it really took awhile for things to really pick up. I was seven chapters in before things took off. Other than that, I have no complaints.
Overall
Crazy Foolish Robots is a great mixture of science fiction and comedy. Serious when it needs to be, but can have a fun light hearted tone. Mignogna pays attention to those small little details throughout her book which is really refreshing and lets the reader know she is a genuine fan of science fiction and has done her homework. The character of Ruby is a great breath of fresh air and gives the reader a character to be invested in. My only negative is that it takes a bit for the story to get going, but once it gets going, it gets going. Mignogna has truly made me a fan of this blend of science fiction and comedy. I have heard of this genre but thought I wouldn’t enjoy it. I would definitely consider reading more of this interesting mixture by Mignogna.
September 5, 2021
“Crazy Foolish Robots” is a fun, optimistic, sci-fi adventure full of space-faring humans, sentient robots, whimsy, humor, and most of all, a sense of hope.
Although it’s not meant as a Young Adult book, it will definitely appeal to that audience. The protagonist, nineteen-year-old Ruby Palmer, is scrappy and adventurous while completely avoiding the tired “boy-crazy” or “mean-girl” tropes that YA so frequently falls into. I like that she’s competent and smart (both a pilot and a computer programmer) but still makes the kind of mistakes a teen would make as her emotions cloud her logic. It makes Ruby not only realistic, but also very endearing as a character.
“Crazy Foolish Robots” sets the stage for a larger story, leaving mysteries to be solved and concepts to be explored. And I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes! Kind and uplifting, but not without conflict, Mignona’s universe is a joy to experience and explore.
Although it’s not meant as a Young Adult book, it will definitely appeal to that audience. The protagonist, nineteen-year-old Ruby Palmer, is scrappy and adventurous while completely avoiding the tired “boy-crazy” or “mean-girl” tropes that YA so frequently falls into. I like that she’s competent and smart (both a pilot and a computer programmer) but still makes the kind of mistakes a teen would make as her emotions cloud her logic. It makes Ruby not only realistic, but also very endearing as a character.
“Crazy Foolish Robots” sets the stage for a larger story, leaving mysteries to be solved and concepts to be explored. And I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes! Kind and uplifting, but not without conflict, Mignona’s universe is a joy to experience and explore.
June 23, 2021
This light and playful science fiction book brings a young programmer girl into a world of robots needing her skills to evolve. It has a similar whimsy vibe as "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and mixes in a dose of programming. The story is entertaining, easy to read, and immersive to the point that I did not put it down from the moment I picked it up! Every bit of this book is worthy of a download to your personal memory space.
July 12, 2021
Enjoyable sci fi adventure
But I was confused by the ending until I saw there will be a sequel. The world building is good, the characters are fun, but I have more questions than answers. Even though I'm not computer savvy, I enjoyed the book.
But I was confused by the ending until I saw there will be a sequel. The world building is good, the characters are fun, but I have more questions than answers. Even though I'm not computer savvy, I enjoyed the book.
July 18, 2021
I was given an ebook of this book from a goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed this read. It’s like light science fiction but I found it to be very creative and fun to read. My only complaint is that I have to wait for the next one.
March 11, 2023
Okay. Starts out trying to mimic Douglas Adam's style of writing, but doesn't quite succeed. Still a decent read though.
For my clean readers: 2 swear words, running away, kidnapping, and minor violence.
For my clean readers: 2 swear words, running away, kidnapping, and minor violence.
May 17, 2025
Ruby has lived on a space station in the asteroid belt with her uncles since her mother died during a routine operation under robot control. Ever since, Ruby has had a distrust of AI and robots, which makes it all the more ironic when she's kidnapped while running away and finds herself on a planet of robots where they all want her precious bodily fluids (okay, they want to do a DNA test).
So, the first thing I considered about this book is that it really sounds like Ruby went through a pretty traumatic experience after her mother's death and needed lots of therapy, not being left to try to work things out on her own, even if her uncles are loving people. Secondly, I'm not entirely sure I buy Ruby being a computing genius. She's never had formal training and at the grand age of nineteen, she just knocked together a compression algorithm off the top of her head? This, not the sentient robots, or FTL, is what broke my suspension of disbelief.
And then the book just sort of tails off and stops. It's not even a cliffhanger. Ruby is talking about staying with the robots for a while, after the immediate crisis is over, and then the book just stops. I found that a bit disappointing.
While I'm intrigued by the overarching mystery of the robots, there were enough issues that I don't think I care enough to go on to the sequel.
So, the first thing I considered about this book is that it really sounds like Ruby went through a pretty traumatic experience after her mother's death and needed lots of therapy, not being left to try to work things out on her own, even if her uncles are loving people. Secondly, I'm not entirely sure I buy Ruby being a computing genius. She's never had formal training and at the grand age of nineteen, she just knocked together a compression algorithm off the top of her head? This, not the sentient robots, or FTL, is what broke my suspension of disbelief.
And then the book just sort of tails off and stops. It's not even a cliffhanger. Ruby is talking about staying with the robots for a while, after the immediate crisis is over, and then the book just stops. I found that a bit disappointing.
While I'm intrigued by the overarching mystery of the robots, there were enough issues that I don't think I care enough to go on to the sequel.
July 9, 2021
What a fun sci-fi read! It has everything I look for in a science fiction novel-humor, clean, not just space battles, imaginative. It's a fun read that also makes you think a bit, too. As the main character is only 16, it is probably aimed at a younger audience (I'm 76), but whether it is or not, it is well worth your checking it out-especially since it is available free through Kindle Unlimited. I did find one major problem with it, though. As soon as I finished it, I went on Amazon to find the next book of the series.....except there isn't one yet! Adeena Mignogna, please get busy on book 2!
April 16, 2024
Fun and cozy new-adult sci-fi!
Ruby is a computer programmer with a disdain for AI. When her life on a small mining colony is pushed in a direction she doesn't want to go, she runs away – straight into the arms of a robot.
Ruby is a computer programmer with a disdain for AI. When her life on a small mining colony is pushed in a direction she doesn't want to go, she runs away – straight into the arms of a robot.
June 1, 2024
Fun read!
I really enjoyed this book. The concept was super refreshing and the heroine grows and learns about her own bias and stereotypes throughout the book. It’s definitely a YA read, but I enjoyed the world building and the plot development. Looking forward to the next book!
I really enjoyed this book. The concept was super refreshing and the heroine grows and learns about her own bias and stereotypes throughout the book. It’s definitely a YA read, but I enjoyed the world building and the plot development. Looking forward to the next book!
Read
September 11, 2023Read as part of SPSFC 3
July 23, 2021
I admit I'm slightly biased because this book was written by a coworker, but I really enjoyed it. A story about a girl who tries to run away and instead finds herself on a planet of robots. I guess you could call it kind of a first contact story, but it's clear that more is going on. The vibe and humor reminded me of the Bobiverse books, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Read
July 8, 2021A good read
February 2, 2022
A light and fun read about sentient robots and humans interacting.
April 26, 2023
I really enjoyed Crazy Foolish Robots.
It comes across as YA, however Adeena has cleverly filled it with software engineering concepts. Compression algorithms. Data storage. Programming languages. Comms protocols. As a software engineer myself, I love the idea of using fiction to impart this kind of technical knowledge on the masses.
This story reminds me a little of the old TV series, Lost in Space. It's an enjoyable romp through space, meeting aliens (in this case robots), and solving mysteries. And crazy robots.
Lots of them.
It comes across as YA, however Adeena has cleverly filled it with software engineering concepts. Compression algorithms. Data storage. Programming languages. Comms protocols. As a software engineer myself, I love the idea of using fiction to impart this kind of technical knowledge on the masses.
This story reminds me a little of the old TV series, Lost in Space. It's an enjoyable romp through space, meeting aliens (in this case robots), and solving mysteries. And crazy robots.
Lots of them.
March 20, 2023
Data recording continue. Contact with human. It is green, tentacled, and not terribly animated.
I finished this short book/long novella yesterday in essentially one sitting, but I'm still arguing with myself how to classify it. Don't get me wrong: even though it is not my style, which should become clear in the following run-on and unnecessarily inflated paragraphs, Adeena Mignogna's first chapter in the "Robot Galaxy Series" aka "Crazy Foolish Robots" is still a comfortably readable story. I'll also note the irony of one of the definitions of 'readable' being "(of data or a storage medium or device) capable of being processed or interpreted by a computer or other electronic device." Because it definitely applies in this case! Both definitions I mean…
Ruby began to convince herself that in addition to killing her, the strange alien would also serve her up as an appetizer to the other aliens.
No, my problem lies simply in the fact that I'm very very oh gods so very close to 60 years old and this book could be argued to be either Young Adult or even middle school suitable. I could also then turn around and argue with myself (something people my age are wont to do) that it - the book I mean (please keep up) - is perfectly fine to be consumed by any age, manner, or inclination of readers that are interested in first contact, robotics or the general - and modern day ever-more relevant - argument about the place and/or suitability of Artificial Intelligence in society as a whole. Just realize though that, in this case, when I say society I am in fact referring to apparently the entire Universe, noting humans are just at that stage here where they're spreading out (+/-) into our own solar system and are with the exception of young Ruby unaware of any other lifeforms 'out there'. Yeah, things get a bit complicated rather quickly.
The set of instructions that made up his current program to find the robot’s long-lost storage data was failing to execute as predicted. He was, by robot standards, stressed out.
I think I've settled on convincing myself at least that the author has done a fine job of anthropomorphizing our computers or perhaps even more accurately said the art of programming ANY technological device to do what we ask of it. Despite perhaps even their own insistence to the contrary, the robotic 'elements' of this story have very distinct personalities and are driven to not only learn more about other life-forms but also strive to improve their own lot in their (non-)lives. The story does get a bit bogged down in parts with the obvious tie-in with technological processes - noting my own expertise stops at being fairly adept with Excel and PowerPoint, that is, beyond knowing how to hack into, um, I mean, temporarily borrow and access the WiFi from my neighbors' homes. The prose is, for lack of a better word, rather 'cute' in sections the way the different 'bots zip around and perform their tasks, assigned or even - gasp - not! Careful where you stick those chargers by the way…
Your strength? Is that also something you left on your ship?
Mignogna (whew, I didn't spell it Mignola this time!) surely doesn't waste time though with too many detailed descriptives, at least not yet, and has set up a number of open plot-lines to address in coming installments. At one point we're talking and generally kidnapping our young protagonist - one that I noted all-too-quickly has way too many connections to this story-line to call it a mere coincidence. But oh look now we're "approximately 54 light-years around the plane of the galaxy from (our) star system" so don't worry about those niggling thoughts about just how (un)random her being involved will wind up being. I mean, literally do NOT blink or you'll miss the FTL bit which of course doesn't come with any kind of reality-bending, gateway crashing or other explanations at all. We're here, we're there, we're getting on with it! Come with us and see how Intergalactic ZIP file technology gets invented and don't think twice about how an advanced robotic society couldn't do this on their own (cue ominous music suitable for foreshadowing here, please)…
Suppose I told everyone your lower innards are 99 percent full, with a fairly certain chance of imminent off-gassing?
So like I said, the book certainly is written well enough and has a certain amount of charm (I personally would not call it humo/ur but that's again just me). If my 19 1/2-year-old daughter were interested in scifi, I wouldn't hesitate to zap it over to her Kindle to try out. For myself, well, I'm much more of the kind of fan that enjoys xenomorphs bursting out of everyone's chests while all around us various soldiers fight with amazing and decidedly destructive weaponry. While trying to survive the dystopian and apocalyptic landscape, they certainly don't bother wondering why an advanced species still hasn't figured out how to get along with others yet. But again, if you're someone that doesn't mind stepping away from space opera and might enjoy giving, well, "space pop songs" a go, this could be for you! I'm going to check it off my list and move on to something a little more my speed. Speaking of which, who is that guy up there with the wild fish face that's hunting everyone and collecting their skulls…? And what about this red dot on my chest...?
I finished this short book/long novella yesterday in essentially one sitting, but I'm still arguing with myself how to classify it. Don't get me wrong: even though it is not my style, which should become clear in the following run-on and unnecessarily inflated paragraphs, Adeena Mignogna's first chapter in the "Robot Galaxy Series" aka "Crazy Foolish Robots" is still a comfortably readable story. I'll also note the irony of one of the definitions of 'readable' being "(of data or a storage medium or device) capable of being processed or interpreted by a computer or other electronic device." Because it definitely applies in this case! Both definitions I mean…
Ruby began to convince herself that in addition to killing her, the strange alien would also serve her up as an appetizer to the other aliens.
No, my problem lies simply in the fact that I'm very very oh gods so very close to 60 years old and this book could be argued to be either Young Adult or even middle school suitable. I could also then turn around and argue with myself (something people my age are wont to do) that it - the book I mean (please keep up) - is perfectly fine to be consumed by any age, manner, or inclination of readers that are interested in first contact, robotics or the general - and modern day ever-more relevant - argument about the place and/or suitability of Artificial Intelligence in society as a whole. Just realize though that, in this case, when I say society I am in fact referring to apparently the entire Universe, noting humans are just at that stage here where they're spreading out (+/-) into our own solar system and are with the exception of young Ruby unaware of any other lifeforms 'out there'. Yeah, things get a bit complicated rather quickly.
The set of instructions that made up his current program to find the robot’s long-lost storage data was failing to execute as predicted. He was, by robot standards, stressed out.
I think I've settled on convincing myself at least that the author has done a fine job of anthropomorphizing our computers or perhaps even more accurately said the art of programming ANY technological device to do what we ask of it. Despite perhaps even their own insistence to the contrary, the robotic 'elements' of this story have very distinct personalities and are driven to not only learn more about other life-forms but also strive to improve their own lot in their (non-)lives. The story does get a bit bogged down in parts with the obvious tie-in with technological processes - noting my own expertise stops at being fairly adept with Excel and PowerPoint, that is, beyond knowing how to hack into, um, I mean, temporarily borrow and access the WiFi from my neighbors' homes. The prose is, for lack of a better word, rather 'cute' in sections the way the different 'bots zip around and perform their tasks, assigned or even - gasp - not! Careful where you stick those chargers by the way…
Your strength? Is that also something you left on your ship?
Mignogna (whew, I didn't spell it Mignola this time!) surely doesn't waste time though with too many detailed descriptives, at least not yet, and has set up a number of open plot-lines to address in coming installments. At one point we're talking and generally kidnapping our young protagonist - one that I noted all-too-quickly has way too many connections to this story-line to call it a mere coincidence. But oh look now we're "approximately 54 light-years around the plane of the galaxy from (our) star system" so don't worry about those niggling thoughts about just how (un)random her being involved will wind up being. I mean, literally do NOT blink or you'll miss the FTL bit which of course doesn't come with any kind of reality-bending, gateway crashing or other explanations at all. We're here, we're there, we're getting on with it! Come with us and see how Intergalactic ZIP file technology gets invented and don't think twice about how an advanced robotic society couldn't do this on their own (cue ominous music suitable for foreshadowing here, please)…
Suppose I told everyone your lower innards are 99 percent full, with a fairly certain chance of imminent off-gassing?
So like I said, the book certainly is written well enough and has a certain amount of charm (I personally would not call it humo/ur but that's again just me). If my 19 1/2-year-old daughter were interested in scifi, I wouldn't hesitate to zap it over to her Kindle to try out. For myself, well, I'm much more of the kind of fan that enjoys xenomorphs bursting out of everyone's chests while all around us various soldiers fight with amazing and decidedly destructive weaponry. While trying to survive the dystopian and apocalyptic landscape, they certainly don't bother wondering why an advanced species still hasn't figured out how to get along with others yet. But again, if you're someone that doesn't mind stepping away from space opera and might enjoy giving, well, "space pop songs" a go, this could be for you! I'm going to check it off my list and move on to something a little more my speed. Speaking of which, who is that guy up there with the wild fish face that's hunting everyone and collecting their skulls…? And what about this red dot on my chest...?
February 20, 2023
Fun and interesting robots
What better way to explore the human condition than to put one on a world with intelligent robots? Really enjoyed Ruby's story.
Looking forward to reading the next one.
What better way to explore the human condition than to put one on a world with intelligent robots? Really enjoyed Ruby's story.
Looking forward to reading the next one.
March 14, 2023
Good fun and a mystery as icing on top.
Teen age angst is painful a times but is necessary for the plot to make silly stupid childish jumps to get her into the required pickle. We the reader remembers when I to made stupid decisions.
Teen age angst is painful a times but is necessary for the plot to make silly stupid childish jumps to get her into the required pickle. We the reader remembers when I to made stupid decisions.
August 24, 2021
A nifty and chuckle-inducing sci-fi fable, sure to delight fans of Douglas Adams, and the Martha Wells “Murderbot” series.
Nineteen year old Ruby is smart, ambitious, and has a thing about robots. That is to say, she hates them, actually, despises them with every cell of her being, blaming them for her mothers untimely death and most of the ills that have plagued her young world.
Which is not exactly a good position to be in when the year is 2192 and you live on a planetary space station, light years away but still tied to the excesses of a technologically advanced Mother Earth.
In a world where Earth is crawling with robots, most of them driven by advanced AI, Ruby longs for a life free and clear of the influence, control and reach of AI technology and she is prepared to take extreme measures to get there.
All of this changes abruptly when Ruby is introduced to “Swell Driver 587”, a three-foot-tall robot who looks like a colorful snowman and, as his name implies, is good at driving spaceships.
Now nicknamed SD, Ruby’s somewhat harsh introduction to the robot and the adventures that follow are entertaining, clever, insightful and cheekily fun. SD and his robot world are fun to explore, with details expanding to a level that allows the author to draw clever and thought-provoking robot-human parallels on a whole host of interesting themes, some of which include:
- How different really are pre-programmed machine-based algorithms and the human DNA core?
- What does this mean to the illusion of “free will” ?
- Is flawed human genetic coding nothing other “data corruption” leading to compromised behavior?
- How are belief systems imprinted and propagated? What does this imply with respect to the fierceness with which organized religions must defend them? ( I enjoyed and chucked at the very ingenious “Church of Blockchain” reference).
- Is the meaning of creation really resolvable within the frame of reference of the “created” themselves?
Throughout it all, the biggest revelations of all for Ruby may be the surprising ideas she cannot help but consider as her understanding of the robot life evolves.
- Can robots really be evil (as she had been formerly convinced) or are they just doing the bidding of their coding and thus their creator?
I highly recommend this inventive and delightful tale, which I understand is the first in a planned series by the author.
A big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
Nineteen year old Ruby is smart, ambitious, and has a thing about robots. That is to say, she hates them, actually, despises them with every cell of her being, blaming them for her mothers untimely death and most of the ills that have plagued her young world.
Which is not exactly a good position to be in when the year is 2192 and you live on a planetary space station, light years away but still tied to the excesses of a technologically advanced Mother Earth.
In a world where Earth is crawling with robots, most of them driven by advanced AI, Ruby longs for a life free and clear of the influence, control and reach of AI technology and she is prepared to take extreme measures to get there.
All of this changes abruptly when Ruby is introduced to “Swell Driver 587”, a three-foot-tall robot who looks like a colorful snowman and, as his name implies, is good at driving spaceships.
Now nicknamed SD, Ruby’s somewhat harsh introduction to the robot and the adventures that follow are entertaining, clever, insightful and cheekily fun. SD and his robot world are fun to explore, with details expanding to a level that allows the author to draw clever and thought-provoking robot-human parallels on a whole host of interesting themes, some of which include:
- How different really are pre-programmed machine-based algorithms and the human DNA core?
- What does this mean to the illusion of “free will” ?
- Is flawed human genetic coding nothing other “data corruption” leading to compromised behavior?
- How are belief systems imprinted and propagated? What does this imply with respect to the fierceness with which organized religions must defend them? ( I enjoyed and chucked at the very ingenious “Church of Blockchain” reference).
- Is the meaning of creation really resolvable within the frame of reference of the “created” themselves?
Throughout it all, the biggest revelations of all for Ruby may be the surprising ideas she cannot help but consider as her understanding of the robot life evolves.
- Can robots really be evil (as she had been formerly convinced) or are they just doing the bidding of their coding and thus their creator?
I highly recommend this inventive and delightful tale, which I understand is the first in a planned series by the author.
A big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
May 3, 2023
A delightful romp of a book that glances at, and leaves the reader to ponder, some rather hefty philosophical questions.
This isn't quite the sort of book I usually read; my science fiction reading tends to be political/social/human-focused and not very hard, and I am nearly as leery of robots and AI as Ruby, our bright muddled conflicted resilient human heroine. But I heard the author read an excerpt from this book--told by Swell Driver, a robot with an uncommonly philosophical bent--and I knew I wanted the rest of the story.
The book didn't disappoint. There's plenty of plot-level action and intrigue as Ruby tries to avoid being sent back to an overly AI-ridden Earth only to end up in a space populated entirely by robots who are almost as baffling to her as she is to them, and then as she tries to understand what is threatening the storage capacity, autonomy, and long-term existence of her unlikely new friends. I don't understand programming, but Mignogna made the challenges involved interesting and generally comprehensible even to this technophobe. And all the while the questions about how much robots or humans understand their own algorithms and purposes--and who might be interested in blocking that understanding--grow sharper and clearer.
I enjoyed this introduction to Mignogna's world, and I'm glad that the adventures of Ruby and the robots continue for at least three more books.
This isn't quite the sort of book I usually read; my science fiction reading tends to be political/social/human-focused and not very hard, and I am nearly as leery of robots and AI as Ruby, our bright muddled conflicted resilient human heroine. But I heard the author read an excerpt from this book--told by Swell Driver, a robot with an uncommonly philosophical bent--and I knew I wanted the rest of the story.
The book didn't disappoint. There's plenty of plot-level action and intrigue as Ruby tries to avoid being sent back to an overly AI-ridden Earth only to end up in a space populated entirely by robots who are almost as baffling to her as she is to them, and then as she tries to understand what is threatening the storage capacity, autonomy, and long-term existence of her unlikely new friends. I don't understand programming, but Mignogna made the challenges involved interesting and generally comprehensible even to this technophobe. And all the while the questions about how much robots or humans understand their own algorithms and purposes--and who might be interested in blocking that understanding--grow sharper and clearer.
I enjoyed this introduction to Mignogna's world, and I'm glad that the adventures of Ruby and the robots continue for at least three more books.
December 17, 2022
The distant future is filled with advanced AI tech, but for Ruby Palmer, each new technological advancement fills her with dread. She doesn’t trust the robots, plain and simple, and when faced with a life-altering situation, Ruby decides to run away from home, hijacking a spaceship and heading for a distant planet. Instead, when her course is diverted by an alien ship, she’ll find herself lightyears away from home, on a planet surrounded by robots. Ruby will have to learn to set her fears aside and use her wits and intelligence to find her way home. Along the way, she might just find that some of these robots aren’t as bad as she once thought, and she might have a lot to offer some new, unlikely friends.
“Crazy Foolish Robots” is the first in the sci-fi series from Adeena Mignogna. It was a fun and quirky read filled with a cast of colorful characters and several moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity. But oftentimes the story can also be quite insightful and the growth of the protagonist an enjoyable journey to follow. The advanced sci-fi tech really immerses you into the world of the future and it was easy to lose myself in the story while reading. I would love to check out future books in this series, and hopefully soon, I will.
“Crazy Foolish Robots” is the first in the sci-fi series from Adeena Mignogna. It was a fun and quirky read filled with a cast of colorful characters and several moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity. But oftentimes the story can also be quite insightful and the growth of the protagonist an enjoyable journey to follow. The advanced sci-fi tech really immerses you into the world of the future and it was easy to lose myself in the story while reading. I would love to check out future books in this series, and hopefully soon, I will.
December 16, 2023
This takes place at a time when there is a space station in the asteroid belt. Ruby, a young woman with a major intelligence, wants to go to Titan and work with others doing research there.
Only that's not really possible under normal procedures. She has her own spaceship, though, and decides to just go there without permission.
Should be easy but she doesn't count on her spaceship ending up in the belly of a much bigger spaceship. She also doesn't count on being taken to a planet where robots are the dominant group.
So, all she has to do is determine where she will get food, how to communicate with the robots, how to determine what is going on with the robot society, what does the number 88 on the back of some robots mean, how to avoid political problems and how to help some of the robots.
Oh, yes, and how to deal with an underground robot group that has its own agenda.
The names of the robots are interesting such as Clever Educator, Fearless Communicator and Greedy Scavenger.
The book does a really good job describing what happens and how this robotic society is set up and what it's effects on her will be. It's sort of a science fiction alien political mystery type of book. I've already gotten the second book in the series, having liked this one a lot.
Only that's not really possible under normal procedures. She has her own spaceship, though, and decides to just go there without permission.
Should be easy but she doesn't count on her spaceship ending up in the belly of a much bigger spaceship. She also doesn't count on being taken to a planet where robots are the dominant group.
So, all she has to do is determine where she will get food, how to communicate with the robots, how to determine what is going on with the robot society, what does the number 88 on the back of some robots mean, how to avoid political problems and how to help some of the robots.
Oh, yes, and how to deal with an underground robot group that has its own agenda.
The names of the robots are interesting such as Clever Educator, Fearless Communicator and Greedy Scavenger.
The book does a really good job describing what happens and how this robotic society is set up and what it's effects on her will be. It's sort of a science fiction alien political mystery type of book. I've already gotten the second book in the series, having liked this one a lot.
July 14, 2023
This was a fun, quick read and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. The naming scheme for the robots made me laugh every single page and is one of the cleverest, funniest "world building" things I've ever read. That element alone made this story a pure joy to read. When I heard an author reading from this book, I had thought it was for adults, but the main character, despite being 19 years old, felt/read younger to me (12-15) and overall the book felt more geared for younger YA (this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story, at all; it's just to say that my expectations about the target market for this book going into it were incorrect) than New Adult. The story didn't quite feel concluded at the end - it felt a bit more like a cliffhanger as none of the problems set up in the story, Ruby's personal problems and the Robots' societal ones, are solved, so this definitely feels like part of a duology/triology rather than a stand alone story (again, not a criticism, per se, just a statement about expectations and what one will get with this story).
July 26, 2023
Ruby Palmer hates robots. She has spent most of her 19 years on Astroll 2, a space station in the asteroid belt. She has no interest in going back to Earth, where her mother was killed by a robot, but if Uncle Logan’s job is taken by the new AI, she might have to. She’s too young to officially join the mission on Titan, but hatches a plan to steal a ship and fly herself there. She didn’t reckon on being collected by a robot from the other side of the galaxy, but when she arrives on the robot’s planet, she discovers that robots are as varied and mixed-up as humans.
Ruby is a fun guide for this kind of story. She’s young enough to be enthusiastic and impulsive, but she’s not a kid. She has skills and knowledge that can help the robots, and her interactions with them help her opinions about them develop and mature, to the point where she considers some robots friends and is all in on solving their mysteries, even as she tries to get home. I liked how the robots, while technologically advanced, lacked some tech we take for granted, like wireless communications and data compression. The story explores the differences and similarities between human and robot intelligence in entertaining fashion.
A fun kickoff to an engaging series of short books.
Ruby is a fun guide for this kind of story. She’s young enough to be enthusiastic and impulsive, but she’s not a kid. She has skills and knowledge that can help the robots, and her interactions with them help her opinions about them develop and mature, to the point where she considers some robots friends and is all in on solving their mysteries, even as she tries to get home. I liked how the robots, while technologically advanced, lacked some tech we take for granted, like wireless communications and data compression. The story explores the differences and similarities between human and robot intelligence in entertaining fashion.
A fun kickoff to an engaging series of short books.
January 10, 2023
This was a quick read of an Amazon Prime Reading Kindle ebook.
I am not the target audience. This is written more for the Young Adult. It just did not strike the right chord with me. I never got a feel for the conflict as one crosses between teen to adult from this character. Nor was there sufficient story telling regarding her mother's death via a poorly developed AI decision. There could have been a better and more emotional backstory for our hero.
This is a start of a series, so there is a lot of loose ends within this tale. There is plenty of room to expand and develop more nefarious inter-workings from our newly discovered AI society. I am more interested in where that concept could take this storyline. But ultimately, I am looking for more complex societies and storylines. I will not be continuing this series, but you should give it a try. You might like it more than I.
Have a GoodReads.
I am not the target audience. This is written more for the Young Adult. It just did not strike the right chord with me. I never got a feel for the conflict as one crosses between teen to adult from this character. Nor was there sufficient story telling regarding her mother's death via a poorly developed AI decision. There could have been a better and more emotional backstory for our hero.
This is a start of a series, so there is a lot of loose ends within this tale. There is plenty of room to expand and develop more nefarious inter-workings from our newly discovered AI society. I am more interested in where that concept could take this storyline. But ultimately, I am looking for more complex societies and storylines. I will not be continuing this series, but you should give it a try. You might like it more than I.
Have a GoodReads.
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