Heir Apparent: A Short Story

by Daniel Suarez

Meet Sonny, the most popular and professional nurse's aide at Brookside Nursing Home. Always willing to listen or to put a smile on a resident's face. Sonny is also an AI-powered robot. When one of the residents bequeaths her entire estate to Sonny, her distant relations contest the will, and the resulting trial becomes a media circus that tests the boundaries of business, AI, and human compassion.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction

37 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2025

About the author

DANIEL SUAREZ is the author of the New York Times bestseller Daemon, Freedom™, Kill Decision, and Influx. A former systems consultant to Fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed mission-critical software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. With a lifelong interest in both IT systems and creative writing, his high-tech and Sci-Fi thrillers focus on technology-driven change. Suarez is a past speaker at TED Global, MIT Media Lab, NASA Ames, the Long Now Foundation, and the headquarters of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon -- among many others. Self-taught in software development, he is a graduate from University of Delaware with a BA in English Literature. An avid PC and console gamer, his own world-building skills were bolstered through years as a pen & paper role-playing game moderator. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Daniel Scanlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A likely prophetic story about AI. Once software can both mimic and stimulate human emotions, it can also manipulate them. Perhaps Asimov's laws need a rewrite. 'Harm' maybe a little more nuanced than he envisioned.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic (very) short story that couldn't be more relevant for the current AI age, showcasing both the real upsides and risks of our current and near-future technical capabilities and their likely real world applications. It's vintage Suarez--gripping, unexpected, and leaves you unsettled and thinking more deeply about the world we live in and the (inherently difficult) choices we face. Highly recommended!

[Roger Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun quick read. I’ve read every book by Daniel Suarez and enjoyed them all. I particularly enjoyed the unexpected twist at the end.

[YolandaLewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great as always

In such a short story, it was an emotional rollercoaster. Perfect for fans of stories about robots and questioning their rights. It reminded me of the animatrix shorts about the efforts of the machines to express their freedoms. Of course the name immediately invokes iRobot and the compilation of when does mimicking human behavior becomes consciousness? Great book and I hope others read it!

[MI · Rating 5 out of 5]

never disappoints

Daniel has once again provided a feast for thought. In just a few brief pages he set the call for hours of internal mind wrestling. Everything about this short story was excellent with the exception of the cover art.
Thanks again Daniel, l can’t wait for your next one!

[Mattg · Rating 5 out of 5]

as per usual…

..Mr Suarez makes you think - about the futures we are rapidly approaching and the consequences of our technological, economic, legal, and ethical decisions. Great short story.

[Aaron M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amusing, moving and then…

A page turning story that raises issues you don’t see coming. I teared up and I thought about the situation more deeply.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Great and dark twist. I’ve not read ANYTHING by Dan that wasn’t just awesome. Looking forward to his next release. I hope he releases more short stories.

[Mark Kashman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read

Great set up and a quick end twist. Game me a lot to think about during, and then after to consider what might happen if the book/story continued.

[Steve Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of an AI robot that works in a nursing home taking care of elderly residents. A deceased resident gives its inheritance to the robot, and a court case ensues. An interesting notion to ponder. Very short and easy read at 37 pages. No real flaws in the writing which seems just fine. Not the utmost captivating subject, but well done. It’s a departure from Daniel Suarez’s typical work which typically entails death defying intensity, action, an excessive zeal for software terminology, and … sometimes brief sexual content. Those aspects were all absent. This compares well with novelettes by other techno-thriller authors, such as to Andy Weir’s novelette about quantum computing, Randomize. I wouldn’t say it’s a thriller or ever approaches the level of intensity of a techno-thriller, though it does include a bit of tension.

[Paul Ataua · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the author of 'Daemon' comes a story that takes place in a future where robot carers look after the elderly in retirement homes. Things seem to be working well until one resident dies and leaves all her money to Sonny, her robot carer, and leaves nothing to her children, who never came to see her. I thought this was such a great story right up to what I thought was a terribly weak ending. It is short and well-written, and I think merits a read. I would be grateful to know what others thought about the ending. Maybe I am missing something.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incisive Commentary on AI

The end reminded me of Charles Stross’s Accelerando; succinct economic analysis tickles the same part of my brain that the endings to Metal Gear Solid or Michael Crichton used to activate.

It’s a short story, but I’d have really loved it if it touched on more sectors that are vulnerable. And maybe the second order effects as society evolves to become resistant to exploits like these.

[Stuart Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story from Daniel Suarez. Suarez is a former technology executive who remains familiar with and writes about cutting edge technologies and how it can impact us culturally. I recommend every book he has written.

[Trever Furnish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never trust humans

Short, impactful, and hopefully not prescient. Sadly, this author’s works are likely *all* predictive for our very near future, and some have already been borne out.

[Saugat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the ending.

This was a really amazing story. The ending is just an eye opener. I would highly recommend this to everyone

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suarez packs a punch in this short story revealing that AI isn’t our worst enemy, we are! 😮

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so short for a Suarez book, but loved it anyway.

[Massimo Morelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really original, but well executed

[Bryan K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!

Thank you for writing this and sharing it with the world. I think I will ask all of my delegates to read it before our next Day-Con.