Den of Geek Book Club discussion

AUTONOMOUS is the story of a future where human-equivalent robots are a part of society. They are one of the many narrative tools Newitz uses to explore questions of people, property, labor, and freedom under capitalism.

What are some of your favorite examples of stories about human-equivalent robots in books, TV, film, comic books, etc.? Why?

I like Humans, the AMC/Channel 4 co-production. It is set in an alternate presence where the subjugation of human-equivalent robots is completely normalized. Most homes in the U.K. have them, especially for domestic duties. This creates an interesting gendered division in how people respond to them. Women, who are most often expected to do domestic duties, feel both liberated and threatened by their "replacement." One of the many interesting aspects of this show!

In Autonomous, I found Paladin's insatiable exploration of their own identity incredibly relatable. “He was a user of his own consciousness, but he did not have owner privileges. As a result, Paladin felt many things without knowing why.” Like so many "other" science fiction characters, Paladin allows us to reflect upon our own formations, assumptions, and expectations regarding our own identity in new ways.

I Robot is by far my favorite novel about robots and their role in human society.

I Robot is great. Other movies I enjoyed are Wall-E and Iron Giant. Both had great stories to tell and gave the robot POV.

I Robot is obviously very classic, as are the robot novels (Caves of Steel etc.) by Asimov. Ex Machina was very good in the movie line.

It has to be Terminator movies. Terminators have evolved as the needs dictate, and the movies and the stories that drive them are continually interesting. They become superhuman when the needs dicatate, companionable and subservient when necessary, and finally self-sacrificing in the face of humanity's need.

I consider the Matrix software entities in the real world robotic simulacra, so Mr. Smith's self in the "real" world is interesting and paradoxical (for hating it so much).

Wolf wrote: "It has to be Terminator movies. Terminators have evolved as the needs dictate, and the movies and the stories that drive them are continually interesting. They become superhuman when the needs dica..."

The Terminator films are some of my favorite, but I may like The Sarah Connor Chronicles even more. Is that sacrilege?

Kayti wrote: "Wolf wrote: "It has to be Terminator movies. Terminators have evolved as the needs dictate, and the movies and the stories that drive them are continually interesting. They become superhuman when t..."

Sorry to say I gave up on that series early. I haven't even been back at any time since to see what I missed.

I really like the Philip K. Dick novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is the book that the movie Bladerunner was based off of. It made parallels between humans and robots that pointed out a lot of the fake things that humans live for. It really made you think about how your actions could be perceived as robotic or pointless at times. Very thought-provoking.

For me, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is on the list along with the Asimov Robot Detective Novels. Though a soft spot will always exist for Marvin from Hitchhikers. Marvin is not perfect, he is reluctantly helpful, and yet they keep him around.

A.I. The movie. Has a weak ending but if you delete the last 10 mins its superb.

I also have a soft spot for I, Robot but its dated considerably since Asimov wrote it.

I read all of Issac's robot books (There are more than just I Robot) and loved them. The Cinder series is very good. I have a soft spot for the robot in Aliens, the second film in the series.

This question made me think of a book I read recently . . . The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke. The thing is, I didn't really like the book that much--it was OK--but I really liked the android himself. The book was really about the daughter (per the title, duh!) but she was too self-centered and passive for me.

The parts about the androids' rights organization and the politics surrounding the androids were the most interesting things in the book, but were relegated to the background. I'd love to read a book by this author with an android main character and androids' rights center stage.

The best robot human book I ever read was defy the stars by claudia gray. The second, only because I'm not sure it's technically a human even though it does pretend to be one, is Illuminae by amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

Battlestar Galactica comes to mind. Like many robot stories, one could say it's all about the definition of "human". (The ending didn't happen. just saying)

The Clockwork Dynasty features a race of humanoid mechanical "avtomats" given life by ancient technology, who live hidden among humans throughout the centuries of recent history. The novel is fantastic---more of the fast-paced, pulse-pounding goodness we loved in the author's Robopocalypse---but in this case, the robots have so much more humanity.

Came for the Hive promo - stayed for the robots. Started early with Heinlein and Asimov and have to go with the OG Robots/foundation timeline especially as it gets more relevant. Terminator/Sarah Connors definitely in there as well.
Matrix - missed opportunity there for the AI. wouldn’t it make more sense if humans were used for neural networking and processing power instead of battery/power source? Humans are a net loss for energy generation vs resources required. Also makes the rogue AI - Smith plot line a little more feasible. We’re a glitch in the code not the power supply.
Marvin from Hitchhikers - what happens when a super computer has too much time to think?

Sooo many choices