Robot Fiction

He sought to flee his tragic past, but when Thomas Usher hears a clockwork voice on the phone, and sees ever-more disturbing visions in a derelict warehouse, Usher realises that he has to return home - for the sake of his own sanity. Meanwhile, a deadly figure from Usher's past threatens to undermine the very fabric of reality. Gary McMahon’s short fiction has appeared in numerous acclaimed magazines and anthologies in the UK and US and has been reprinted in yearly “Best of” collections.

It is 2050. The USA has just been sold to the highest bidders. Detective Pete Shah is a Memory Association Specialist with the NYPD - he reads the last thoughts of murder victims. When he himself is arrested for murder, though, the secrets he brings to light threaten to bring the city to its knees. No one here gets out alive.

The planet had fallen off the map. Lost on an unknown and forgotten planet, scientist Karl Allman discovers himself hunted by an ancient race. The descendants of earlier colonists have reverted to a savage tribal culture of sacrifice, pillage and violence. When Karl falls in love with an outcast girl, he has only one goal: Escape. But escape is a distant dream on this nightmare planet.

A serial killer stalks Chicago. A gorgeous cop is on his trail. And someone else is watching, someone who will decide who lives...and who dies. The Angel of Death for Chicago makes sure all his souls meet a fitting end. But when a gruesome serial killer strikes, the Angel must make a startling choice. He falls in love with the cop on the killer's trail, and has to choose between divinity and humanity. But to do that he must face the biggest terror of all - who he really is.

Monty is an inventor and aspiring astronaut, but at twelve years old, he hasn’t even left his hometown. This all changes when Monty, his sister Ivory, and their robot sidekick, Echo, stumble upon an abandoned spaceship deep in the woods after school one day… Soon, they find themselves in a countdown to liftoff…and they can’t stop it! Join Monty and his crew as they blast off into space, explore Mars, and discover a hidden secret in The Iron Heart of Mars.

Smart and strong is the new pretty. In this funny, action-packed story about STEM for kids, the talented AZ fights gender stereotypes and learns tough lessons on leadership. With the help of her quirky friends, Li and 10, the team builds a feisty robot named Ada. Together, they work hard, solve puzzles, grow in confidence, and learn the importance of friendship and collaboration.

Everything in New Braintree was efficient, comfortable, and convenient, but tightly controlled by PACE, a technology provider with dark ambitions of global dominance. And their proposed justice robot, MAX, is more of a politician than a judge, and lacks even simulated ethics. Railas, now fully operational, is the only alternative. He cannot be intimidated or bribed, and he was created to work against tyranny. His team has high hopes to restore justice and defeat PACE. But while Railas and his team investigate MAX and his motives, he finds something worse.

She thought she was dead. When she woke up in hospital, she could barely remember getting on the flight, let alone the terrorist bomb from which she was the only survivor. But she can hear the voices in her head, for they are the spirits of the dead passengers. They cannot rest until they have delivered their terrifying message: The terrorists know she survived, and are coming for her.

When a group of imaginative kids comes together to build a robot, they never expected it to take on a life of its own. What starts as a thrilling experiment quickly turns into a wild rollercoaster ride as their creation unleashes havoc on the town. The group of young inventors realizes they must find a way to rein in their unruly robot. With determination and teamwork, they embark on a hilarious quest to bring the robot under control and restore peace to the town.

Mina’s dream has come true. Mina and her best friend, Vanessa, set out for the ultimate summer adventure, but Count Dracula is worried that the evil robot SILVIA is still on the loose and looking for revenge! At camp, Mina and Vanessa discover that something is horribly wrong with the animals at the zoo. Will Mina’s dream vacation become a nightmare?

Ich bin Andro, KI-Androide 3.0-m, ein Roboter. Es ist exakt drei Tage her, dass meine Erbauer – korrigiere, meine Eltern – mich aktiviert haben. Mein Auftrag: Undercover in die Schule gehen und nicht auffallen! Du lieber Mensch! Kopfrechnen, Hausaufgaben, Freundschaften schließen! Hochgradig kompliziert bei diesen seltsamen Wesen, für die es keine Bedienungsanleitung gibt. Zumal meine Eltern veraltete Technik in mir verbaut haben. Nicht nur Lehrer Lembke, auch das weibliche Wesen Lilli kommt mir langsam auf die Schliche.

Akku voll und los! Meine Undercover-Mission bei der komplizierten Spezies namens "Mensch" geht weiter: die Konrad-Zuse-Schule besuchen, Informationen sammeln und Freundschaften schließen. Doch eine Eigenart dieser Menschen bleibt mir ein Rätsel: ihre unlogischen Gefühle. Ein heimlich eingebautes Emotionsmodul muss her. Kabelbruch und Stromausfall – mich erreichen kribbelige Stromschläge. Mein Modul funktioniert! Es funktioniert sogar sehr gut – Piep! – zu gut! Ich empfange zahlreiche Signale, meine Programmierung gerät völlig durcheinander.

Chonrad, Lord of Barle, comes to the fortified temple of Heartwood for the Congressus peace talks, which Heartwood’s holy knights have called in an attempt to stave off war in Anguis. But the Arbor, Heartwood’s holy tree, is failing, and because the land and its people are one, it is imperative the nations try to make peace.

This is a collection of seven contemporary robot tales written by some of today's most acclaimed science fiction authors. A sentient war machine combs a beach for trinkets to create memorials for its fallen comrades in the Hugo Award-winning story, "Tideline", by Elizabeth Bear. In "Balancing Accounts", by James Cambias, a small-time independent robotic space tug is hired by a mysterious client for a voyage between two of Saturn's moons.

Seduta in vetrina sotto i raggi gentili del Sole, Klara osserva il mondo di fuori e aspetta di essere acquistata e portata a casa. Promette di dedicare tutti i suoi straordinari talenti di androide B2 al piccolo amico che la sceglierà. Gli terrà compagnia, lo proteggerà dalla malattia e dalla tristezza, e affronterà per lui l'insidia più grande: imparare tutte le mille stanze del suo cuore umano. Dalla vetrina del suo negozio, Klara osserva trepidante il fuori e le meraviglie che contiene: il disegno del Sole sulle cose e l'alto Palazzo RPO dietro cui ogni sera lo vede sparire.

Stevie is a kiler. But she brings her victims back to life again, to demand, "What Do You See?" Now she's about to find out for herself. After an accident in which her mother dies, Stevie has a near-death experience, and finds herself in a room full of people - everyone she's ever annoyed. They clutch at her, scratch and tear at her. But she finds herself drawn back to this place, again and again, determined to unlock its secrets. Which means she has to die, again and again. And Stevie starts to wonder whether other people see the same room...when they die.

The two magicians came to take Vegas. Now it’s taking them back. When two college freshmen decide to use Spring Break making magic on the gambling tables of Las Vegas, little do they imagine that Vegas harbours a dark magical secret of its own…the whole place is run by magic, and an undead Harry Houdini is in charge. Matt Forbeck has worked full-time on fiction and games since 1989. His work has been published in at least a dozen different languages.

Marvo is a stage magician. His magic is real. Marvo grows up without knowing his parents, without knowing his heritage, without knowing much about life. The magicians have always been with us, since the beginning of civilisation. They fill our heads with the mist, keeping us from witnessing the stark reality of existence. But are things so bad that Marvo will bring it down on all of us, forever? Marvo begins to understand those around him, and his place in the world; he discovers that his remarkable powers can be put to good, or to evil.

Thomas Usher has a terrible gift. Following a car crash in which his wife and daughter are killed, he can see the recently departed, and it's not usually a pretty sight. When he is called to investigate the violent death of the daughter of a prominent local gangster, Usher's world is torn apart once more. For the barriers between this world and the next are not as immutable as once he believed.

Botanica is an island, but almost all of the island is taken up by the Tree. Lillah has come of age and is now ready to leave her community and walk the tree for five years, learning all Botanica has to teach her. Can Lillah keep the huge secret she has been entrusted with, or will she have to resort to breaking the oldest taboo on Botanica?