The Robot's Twilight Companion

by Tony Daniel

This collection of award-winning science fiction includes a story that was a finalist for the Hugo Awards and one that was voted one of the 10 greatest science fiction stories to appear during the 1990s. In the title piece, a geologist has downloaded the memories of his deceased mentor into a robot’s electronic brain. Together, they bore through the crust and mantle to the very core of the planet Earth. Their work is complicated by a mysterious intelligence deep within the Earth and by the robot’s own emergent humanity. The remaining stories comprise a variety of tales including a story about climbing in the Chilean Andes in which the protagonist is haunted by a ghost, and a tale about a battle-weary veteran who returns from a high-tech future to face his most sinister challenge at home.
Contents:

ii •  The Robot's Twilight Companion (frontispiece) • interior artwork by J. K. Potter
1 •  The Robot's Twilight Companion • interior artwork by J. K. Potter
3 • Life on the Moon • (1995) • shortstory by Tony Daniel
22 • A Dry, Quiet War • (1996) • novelette by Tony Daniel
44 • Radio Praha • (1998) • shortstory by Tony Daniel
62 • Aconcagua • (1993) • novelette by Tony Daniel
93 • Black Canoes • (1997) • shortstory by Tony Daniel
110 • Death of Reason • (1992) • novella by Tony Daniel
166 • Mystery Box • (1999) • novelette by Tony Daniel
199 • Grist • (1998) • novella by Tony Daniel
258 • The Robot's Twilight Companion • (1996) • novella by Tony Daniel

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Robots, Ebooks

325 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Tony Daniel is an author of science fiction novels, short stories, and radio dramas.

For the comic book author, see Tony S. Daniel.

Reviews

[Kalin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich, versatile, imaginative. The melancholy tenor of most stories is saved by a fierce undercurrent of romanticism, trust in our inherent goodness, and genuine sympathy for the characters' turmoils of the heart (even when there is no heart to speak of).

Some memorable moments:

https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

5.0 stars. I have only read one story from this collection so the rating is really for that one story which was A Dry, Quiet War. As a read additional selections from this collection, I will update my review.

A Dry, Quiet War (5.0 stars):

WOW, this is a terrific science fiction short story that I had never heard of until I stumbled across the audiobook on audible.com. It concerns a soldier returning to his home planet after fighting in a mysterious galaxy spanning war during which he was given significant genetic modifications in order to become a superior fighter. The story explores themes reminiscent of Fritz Leiber's The Big Time and Joe Haldeman's The Forever War with a little Cordwainer Smith and Clifford Simak thrown in for good measure. A terrific piece of science fiction that will leave you thinking at the end. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

[Andrew Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

All kinds of good stuff in here...
Future sorts of hardboiled detective
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Weird/Lost World
Space Opera
New old wave. And terribly hard to find, but you should try!

[Sara]

Life on the moon
hold a dream with our eyes
green leaf think about home
about breaking feeling
hold a dream far to moon
to beald home there
to make our love lamp to that road
to moon
my heart
mustnt live y minut
how must feel without gathring with y
i love ya more than my soul
make a stars jeoulus from our love
from our dream
from tircoas home
from hope rainbow
how cant we bild home at moon
yr be was my life
that my breath
hold tight ma dream
my free bird
my beuty lover
hold tight our home at moon

[Lord Humungus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of some superb short stories, some of which I'd already read in Year's Best SF. Really loved some of the stories in here. I was quite disheartened when I read Daniel's novels; they were missing some of the magic and momentum I found in his stories...maybe he should have stuck to stories and novellas???

[Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories. It's alright for what it is, but I prefer novels. There are quite a few good ideas in here though that get you thinking of what a novel could be like based on some of these.