What do you think?
Rate this book
Invasion of the Robots
Science Fiction at its exciting best! Eight great science-fiction writers imagine how Earth will meet the fantastic challenge of the "Invasion of the Robots"! Eight short stories by eight authors.
Contents:
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED - Isaac Asimov
PIGGY BANK - Henry Kuttner
WITH FOLDED HANDS - Jack Williamson
BROTHER TO THE MACHINE - Richard Matheson
THE DEFENDERS - Philip K Dick
ALMOST HUMAN - Robert Bloch
INTO THY HANDS - Lester del Rey
BOOMERANG - Eric Frank Russell
Contents:
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED - Isaac Asimov
PIGGY BANK - Henry Kuttner
WITH FOLDED HANDS - Jack Williamson
BROTHER TO THE MACHINE - Richard Matheson
THE DEFENDERS - Philip K Dick
ALMOST HUMAN - Robert Bloch
INTO THY HANDS - Lester del Rey
BOOMERANG - Eric Frank Russell
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Roger Elwood
183 books28 followersRoger Elwood was an American science fiction writer and editor, perhaps best known for having edited a large number of anthologies and collections for a variety of publishers in the early 1970s. Elwood was also the founding editor of Laser Books and, in more recent years, worked in the evangelical Christian market.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 19, 2021
"To serve and obey, and guard men from harm."
Though the title implies a robot war/apocalypse/overtaking sort of thing (a concept I'm not a fan off) very few of the stories in this collection were about that. Really, the closest to that idea is Jack Williamson's beloved 1947 novelette With Folded Hands, a tale of much importance in this area that I've been wanting to read. That alone was worth the price of admission. It's theme is one I've seen pop up quite a bit: the idea that robots, lacking human reason and nuance, might take their directives to alarmingly literal conclusions, essentially stifling humanity with excessive controlling.
The rest of the stories vary from robots as ominous figures to sympathetic protagonists to nuisances. The Isaac Asimov story Satisfaction Gauranteed is not my favorite of his but it's fine. Robert Bloch's Almost Human is as silly as I've come to expect from him. Richard Matheson's Brother to the Machines is alright for how short it is and Philip K. Dick's The Defenders is surprisingly ordinary but has some nice sentiments. Frank Russell's Boomerang is predictable but well-written. Piggy Bank and Into Thy Hands were flops for me.
I didn't walk away with any new writers to check out here. It's just an okay collection.
Though the title implies a robot war/apocalypse/overtaking sort of thing (a concept I'm not a fan off) very few of the stories in this collection were about that. Really, the closest to that idea is Jack Williamson's beloved 1947 novelette With Folded Hands, a tale of much importance in this area that I've been wanting to read. That alone was worth the price of admission. It's theme is one I've seen pop up quite a bit: the idea that robots, lacking human reason and nuance, might take their directives to alarmingly literal conclusions, essentially stifling humanity with excessive controlling.
The rest of the stories vary from robots as ominous figures to sympathetic protagonists to nuisances. The Isaac Asimov story Satisfaction Gauranteed is not my favorite of his but it's fine. Robert Bloch's Almost Human is as silly as I've come to expect from him. Richard Matheson's Brother to the Machines is alright for how short it is and Philip K. Dick's The Defenders is surprisingly ordinary but has some nice sentiments. Frank Russell's Boomerang is predictable but well-written. Piggy Bank and Into Thy Hands were flops for me.
I didn't walk away with any new writers to check out here. It's just an okay collection.
November 20, 2025
Cool dystopian stories about the relationship between humans and sci-fi robots from a 1940-50s perspective.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews