Robots Through The Ages |

Editors: Robert Silverberg & Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Series: None
Cover Artist: Alex Cruz
Released: July 2023
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
ISBN: 978-1665109659 (hardcover) / B0BY3SLXN9 (ebook) / B0BV39Z6CC (audio)

“ROBOTS THROUGH THE AGES is pure science fiction gold. Classic and new stories filled with weird science, adventure, wild twists, and awesome fun! Silverberg and Schmidt have a winner here!” —Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of CAVE 13 and THE SLEEPERS WAR

“Robert Silverberg and Bryan Thomas Schmidt’s anthology is an indispensable collection of stories about Robots through the Ages. The reader receives a terrific overview of the history of robot tales from such stories as Jack Williamson’s ‘With Folded Hands,’ which grows more chilling and prophetic by the day; Robert Silverberg’s masterful Nebula-Award winning tale of robots and ‘Good News from the Vatican’; and Connie Willis’s amusing mystery that presents an intriguing ‘Dilemma’ to Isaac Asimov and a coterie of robots. At the same time, this book offers the joy of discovering never-before-published gems by writers like Seanan McGuire and Ken Scholes. This is a delightful and informative book for anyone interested in robotics, AI, or science fiction.” —Sheila Williams, Hugo-winning editor of ASIMOV’S SCIENCE FICTION magazine.

“…a fascinating survey of how 17 legendary authors—among them Philip K. Dick, Fritz Leiber, Seanan McGuire, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny—have used robots in their storytelling. These imaginative warnings about the unintended consequences of robot technology are sure to delight any sci-fi lover.”—Publisher’s Weekly

“Robots through the Ages ponders questions that arise in the face of evolving innovation, including how technology has changed over time.” —NPR’s Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson

“You might know the reveal, but how it all comes together is fascinating.” —The RetroRockets Podcast

Buy:

A remarkable collection, Robots through the Ages includes stories from some of the best writers of science fiction, both old and new.

This anthology, with an introduction by Robert Silverberg, offers a sweeping survey of robots as depicted throughout literature. Since The Iliad–in which we are shown golden statues built by Hephaestus “with minds and wisdoms”–humans have been fascinated by the idea of artificial life. From the Argonautica to the medieval Jewish legend of the Golem and Ambrose Bierce’s tale of a chess-playing robot, the idea of what robots are–and who creates them–can be drastically different.

This book collects a broad selection of short stories from celebrated authors such as Philip K. Dick, Seanan McGuire, Roger Zelazny, Connie Willis, and many more. Robots through the Ages not only celebrates the history of robots and the genre of science fiction, but the dauntless nature of human ingenuity.

Audio readers: Leonard Nimoy, Bronson Pinchot, Stefan Rudnicki, Tim Campbell, Jesse Vilinsky, Jim Meskimen, Peter Ganim, James Anderson Foster, Neil Hellegers, John Pirhalla, Matt Godfrey, Noah Michael Levin, Dan Bittner, Scott Aiello, Natasha Soudek.

Contents:
DEDICATION
INTRODUCTION by Robert Silverberg
PERFECTION by Seanan McGuire
MOXON’S MASTER by Ambrose Bierce
WITH FOLDED HANDS by Jack Williamson
GOOD NIGHT, MR. JAMES by Clifford D. Simak
INSTINCT by Lester del Rey
A BAD DAY FOR SALES by Fritz Leiber
SECOND VARIETY by Philip K. Dick
THE GOLEM by Avram Davidson
FOR A BREATH I TARRY by Roger Zelazny
GOOD NEWS FROM THE VATICAN by Robert Silverberg
DILEMMA by Connie Willis
THE ROBOT’S GIRL by Brenda Cooper
THAT MUST BE THEM NOW by Karen Haber
R.U.R.-8? by Suzanne Palmer
ROBINSON CALCULATOR by Paul Levinson
OF HOMEWARD DREAMS AND FALLEN SEEDS AND MELODIES BY MOONLIGHT by Ken Scholes
TODAY, I KNOW by Martin L. Shoemaker
AFTERWARD & RECOMMENDED READING by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS