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Machines That Think: The Best Science Fiction Stories About Robots and Computers
A collection of twenty-nine science fiction writers probes the scientific, spiritual, and moral facets of computers and robots and speculates on their future
627 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
14 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Ambrose Bierce
2,356 books1,284 followersdied perhaps 1914
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 31, 2022
3.5
I am the very proud owner of a used copy of this anthology, which (based on my experience) is now quite difficult to find. It was first published in 1983, so it's inevitably a bit dated now, but it possesses a fascinating historical value, and pretty much all the stories I've read so far contain one or two intriguingly thought-provoking points. This anthology includes five stories by Asimov, which makes him by far the most represented author. I had already read all of these multiple times and I think this selection is fairly representative of Asimov's robot short fiction (he was one of the editors of this volume, together with Martin Greenberg and Patricia Warrick).
My first special mention goes to John Wyndham's 1932 "The Lost Machine," whose existence I completely ignored (it's so easy to simply think 'catastrophe novel' when Wyndham's name comes up) but which I thought was remarkable, seeing how early it was written and how thoughtfully the robot's point of view is conveyed.
Even more stunning is Robert Moore Williams' "Robot's Return" (1938). First of all, I was surprised to discover that, without a doubt, this must have been a strong, strong influence on the John Scalzi's story that inspired the episode of Netflix's Love, Death & Robots called "Three Robots": three robots travel through space and arrive on Earth, now uninhabited, where they wander around trying to imagine what the race that lived there might have been like. They even express a certain disgust for the inefficiency of organic life forms, which in the Netflix adaptation is one of the main sources of the story's humour. Differently from "Three Robots," however (I'm assuming that the Netflix episode is faithful to Scalzi's story, which sadly I haven't read yet) Williams' robots are not tourists but explorers, on a quest to find out about their ancestors: "In the beginning, how could lifeless, dead metal build itself into the first machine?" Williams is at times more sentimental than necessary, but he manages to give a certain characterization to the three robots (not an easy feat in so short a piece, and unusual if we consider that at the time the literary standards of the genre didn't exactly require even the barest hint of characterization), and even to put in place a not spectacular but functional and, again, surprising symbolism with the motif of dreaming, cast in an evolutionary light. Warmly recommended on my part.
Moving forward, both "A Logic Named Joe" by Murray Leinster (1946) and "Sam Hall" by Poul Anderson (1953) are eerily prescient and compulsively readable. The particular humour of the former (almost absurdist if you ask me) is a nice foil to the utterly tragic nature of the situation. Both stories are absolutely recommended--go check them out now.
"2066: Election Day" (1956) by Michael Shaara, for me, is the first truly unsatisfactory entry of the collection. The inane (and narratively unjustified) patriotism that colours the ending comes out of nowhere, resulting in a story with zero rationale and zero cohesion. Better, but rising only to the level of unremarkability, is Gordon R Dickson's 1951 story "The Monkey Wrench." This one's got a The Twilight Zone-ish vibe, which I personally adore (it's one of my favourite tv series), but, the Liar Paradox? Really? Humanity has known it for thousands of years and it simply makes no sense for a supercomputer to not be equipped to deal with this kind of logical conundrum, so the story is as anticlimactic as it comes.
The last few entries (again, I'm not counting Asimov's "The Bicentennial Man") are all very nice but not astounding. George Zebrowski's "Starcrossed" is for sure the worst of this final batch. And I don't normally get too riled up about this kind of thing when it occurs in reasonably dated texts, but there is a sexist undertone to both Zebrowski's story and Gene Wolfe's "Alien Stones" (where every male crewmember is called by name, whereas the one female officer is always "the girl") that rattled me.
All in all, a fantastic collection, with its strengths and weaknesses like every other anthology, but on average this is definitely better than most. And if you're interested, I also found out recently that you can borrow a digital copy of this from Internet Archive, in its later re-edition with the title War with the Robots, which is identical to the first edition except that it doesn't include Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (I'm not sure why).
I am the very proud owner of a used copy of this anthology, which (based on my experience) is now quite difficult to find. It was first published in 1983, so it's inevitably a bit dated now, but it possesses a fascinating historical value, and pretty much all the stories I've read so far contain one or two intriguingly thought-provoking points. This anthology includes five stories by Asimov, which makes him by far the most represented author. I had already read all of these multiple times and I think this selection is fairly representative of Asimov's robot short fiction (he was one of the editors of this volume, together with Martin Greenberg and Patricia Warrick).
My first special mention goes to John Wyndham's 1932 "The Lost Machine," whose existence I completely ignored (it's so easy to simply think 'catastrophe novel' when Wyndham's name comes up) but which I thought was remarkable, seeing how early it was written and how thoughtfully the robot's point of view is conveyed.
Even more stunning is Robert Moore Williams' "Robot's Return" (1938). First of all, I was surprised to discover that, without a doubt, this must have been a strong, strong influence on the John Scalzi's story that inspired the episode of Netflix's Love, Death & Robots called "Three Robots": three robots travel through space and arrive on Earth, now uninhabited, where they wander around trying to imagine what the race that lived there might have been like. They even express a certain disgust for the inefficiency of organic life forms, which in the Netflix adaptation is one of the main sources of the story's humour. Differently from "Three Robots," however (I'm assuming that the Netflix episode is faithful to Scalzi's story, which sadly I haven't read yet) Williams' robots are not tourists but explorers, on a quest to find out about their ancestors: "In the beginning, how could lifeless, dead metal build itself into the first machine?" Williams is at times more sentimental than necessary, but he manages to give a certain characterization to the three robots (not an easy feat in so short a piece, and unusual if we consider that at the time the literary standards of the genre didn't exactly require even the barest hint of characterization), and even to put in place a not spectacular but functional and, again, surprising symbolism with the motif of dreaming, cast in an evolutionary light. Warmly recommended on my part.
Moving forward, both "A Logic Named Joe" by Murray Leinster (1946) and "Sam Hall" by Poul Anderson (1953) are eerily prescient and compulsively readable. The particular humour of the former (almost absurdist if you ask me) is a nice foil to the utterly tragic nature of the situation. Both stories are absolutely recommended--go check them out now.
"2066: Election Day" (1956) by Michael Shaara, for me, is the first truly unsatisfactory entry of the collection. The inane (and narratively unjustified) patriotism that colours the ending comes out of nowhere, resulting in a story with zero rationale and zero cohesion. Better, but rising only to the level of unremarkability, is Gordon R Dickson's 1951 story "The Monkey Wrench." This one's got a The Twilight Zone-ish vibe, which I personally adore (it's one of my favourite tv series), but, the Liar Paradox? Really? Humanity has known it for thousands of years and it simply makes no sense for a supercomputer to not be equipped to deal with this kind of logical conundrum, so the story is as anticlimactic as it comes.
The last few entries (again, I'm not counting Asimov's "The Bicentennial Man") are all very nice but not astounding. George Zebrowski's "Starcrossed" is for sure the worst of this final batch. And I don't normally get too riled up about this kind of thing when it occurs in reasonably dated texts, but there is a sexist undertone to both Zebrowski's story and Gene Wolfe's "Alien Stones" (where every male crewmember is called by name, whereas the one female officer is always "the girl") that rattled me.
All in all, a fantastic collection, with its strengths and weaknesses like every other anthology, but on average this is definitely better than most. And if you're interested, I also found out recently that you can borrow a digital copy of this from Internet Archive, in its later re-edition with the title War with the Robots, which is identical to the first edition except that it doesn't include Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" (I'm not sure why).
sony-or-android
June 21, 20181 • Introduction: Robots, Computers, and Fear • (1984) • essay by Isaac Asimov
15 • Moxon's Master • (1899) • short story by Ambrose Bierce
29 • The Lost Machine • (1932) • novelette by John Wyndham
50 • Rex • (1934) • short story by Harl Vincent
68 • Robbie • (1940) • short story by Isaac Asimov (variant of Strange Playfellow)
93 • Farewell to the Master • (1940) • novelette by Harry Bates
[track down for the following, as rec'd by Lester del Rey:]
139 • Robot's Return • (1938) • short story by Robert Moore Williams (variant of Robots Return)
153 • Though Dreamers Die • (1944) • novelette by Lester del Rey
[prequel to RR above, already read, good not great]
175 • Fulfillment • (1951) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt
209 • Runaround • [Mike Donovan] • (1942) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
233 • The Evitable Conflict • [Susan Calvin] • (1950) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
261 • A Logic Named Joe • (1946) • short story by Murray Leinster
279 • Sam Hall • [Sam Hall Universe] • (1953) • novelette by Poul Anderson
314 • I Made You • (1954) • short story by Walter M. Miller, Jr. [as by Walter M. Miller]
327 • Triggerman • (1958) • short story by J. F. Bone
339 • War with the Robots • (1962) • short story by Harry Harrison
362 • Evidence • [Susan Calvin] • (1946) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
387 • 2066: Election Day • (1956) • short story by Michael Shaara
404 • If There Were No Benny Cemoli • (1963) • novelette by Philip K. Dick
430 • The Monkey Wrench • (1951) • short story by Gordon R. Dickson
443 • Dial F for Frankenstein • (1965) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke (variant of Dial "F" for Frankenstein)
452 • The Macauley Circuit • (1956) • short story by Robert Silverberg
463 • Judas • (1967) • short story by John Brunner
473 • Answer • (1954) • short story by Fredric Brown
477 • The Electric Ant • (1969) • short story by Philip K. Dick
501 • The Bicentennial Man •• novelette by Isaac Asimov *[already read elsewhere, wonderful]
547 • Long Shot • (1972) • short story by Vernor Vinge
563 • Alien Stones • (1972) • novelette by Gene Wolfe
598 • Starcrossed • (1973) • short story by George Zebrowski
607 • Bibliographies of Additional Reading • essay by uncredited
[I'm sure that I've already read lots of these and will recognize them later, but I've not a good head for short story titles.]
15 • Moxon's Master • (1899) • short story by Ambrose Bierce
29 • The Lost Machine • (1932) • novelette by John Wyndham
50 • Rex • (1934) • short story by Harl Vincent
68 • Robbie • (1940) • short story by Isaac Asimov (variant of Strange Playfellow)
93 • Farewell to the Master • (1940) • novelette by Harry Bates
[track down for the following, as rec'd by Lester del Rey:]
139 • Robot's Return • (1938) • short story by Robert Moore Williams (variant of Robots Return)
153 • Though Dreamers Die • (1944) • novelette by Lester del Rey
[prequel to RR above, already read, good not great]
175 • Fulfillment • (1951) • novelette by A. E. van Vogt
209 • Runaround • [Mike Donovan] • (1942) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
233 • The Evitable Conflict • [Susan Calvin] • (1950) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
261 • A Logic Named Joe • (1946) • short story by Murray Leinster
279 • Sam Hall • [Sam Hall Universe] • (1953) • novelette by Poul Anderson
314 • I Made You • (1954) • short story by Walter M. Miller, Jr. [as by Walter M. Miller]
327 • Triggerman • (1958) • short story by J. F. Bone
339 • War with the Robots • (1962) • short story by Harry Harrison
362 • Evidence • [Susan Calvin] • (1946) • novelette by Isaac Asimov
387 • 2066: Election Day • (1956) • short story by Michael Shaara
404 • If There Were No Benny Cemoli • (1963) • novelette by Philip K. Dick
430 • The Monkey Wrench • (1951) • short story by Gordon R. Dickson
443 • Dial F for Frankenstein • (1965) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke (variant of Dial "F" for Frankenstein)
452 • The Macauley Circuit • (1956) • short story by Robert Silverberg
463 • Judas • (1967) • short story by John Brunner
473 • Answer • (1954) • short story by Fredric Brown
477 • The Electric Ant • (1969) • short story by Philip K. Dick
501 • The Bicentennial Man •• novelette by Isaac Asimov *[already read elsewhere, wonderful]
547 • Long Shot • (1972) • short story by Vernor Vinge
563 • Alien Stones • (1972) • novelette by Gene Wolfe
598 • Starcrossed • (1973) • short story by George Zebrowski
607 • Bibliographies of Additional Reading • essay by uncredited
[I'm sure that I've already read lots of these and will recognize them later, but I've not a good head for short story titles.]
November 23, 2021
Excelente antologia, que infelizmente foi desmembrada em dois ou três volumes de bolso, nas edições brasileiras posteriores, pois alguns contos não tiveram sua licença renovada - o magistral 'Não tenho boca e preciso gritar', de Harlan Ellison inclusive. Podendo, adquiram.
April 9, 2015
This anthology, copyright 1983, contains stories that still stand up. That's because (1) they were written by top-notch authors who thought deeply about our future with intelligent machines, and because (2) we haven't actually made intelligent machines yet, so there's been no chance for the stories to become obsolete. Well, some of the earlier stories refer to vacuum tubes, but other than that...
My favorite stories were "The Lost Machine" by John Wyndham, "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates, "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison, "The Monkey Wrench" by Gordon R. Dickson, and "The Bicentennial Man" by Isaac Asimov.
Everyone younger than 40, and certainly 30, had better start thinking about what life could be like once someone develops thinking robots, because it could happen while you folks are alive. This book contains so much food for thought, such a spectrum of speculative ideas, that it is still useful over 30 years later, in thinking about the possibilities of machines that think.
My favorite stories were "The Lost Machine" by John Wyndham, "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates, "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison, "The Monkey Wrench" by Gordon R. Dickson, and "The Bicentennial Man" by Isaac Asimov.
Everyone younger than 40, and certainly 30, had better start thinking about what life could be like once someone develops thinking robots, because it could happen while you folks are alive. This book contains so much food for thought, such a spectrum of speculative ideas, that it is still useful over 30 years later, in thinking about the possibilities of machines that think.
December 12, 2007
Short story anthology edited by Issac Asimov,
Read it for the best description of robot orgasm.
"He saw a hyper cube collapse into a cube and then into a square which became a line, which stretched itself into an infinite parabola..." ok maybe you just did read it.
Some other stellar stories include
"Evidence" by Issac Asimov
"The Electric Ant" By philip K Dick
"Farewell to the Master" By Harry Bates
Read it for the best description of robot orgasm.
"He saw a hyper cube collapse into a cube and then into a square which became a line, which stretched itself into an infinite parabola..." ok maybe you just did read it.
Some other stellar stories include
"Evidence" by Issac Asimov
"The Electric Ant" By philip K Dick
"Farewell to the Master" By Harry Bates
January 26, 2020
2/5 - Moxon's Master, by Ambrose Bierce
2/5 - The Lost Machine, by John Wyndham
2/5 - Rex, by Harl Vincent
3/5 - Robbie, by Isaac Asimov
3/5 - Farewell to the Master, by Harry Bates
3/5 - Robot's Return, by Robert Moore Williams
3/5 - Though Dreamers Die, by Lester del Rey
4/5 - Fulfillment, by AE Van Vogt
4/5 - Runaround, by Isaac Asimov
1/5 - I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, by Harlan Ellison
2/5 - The Evitable Conflict, by Isaac Asimov
5/5 - A Logic Named Joe, by Murray Leinster
2/5 - Sam Hall, by Poul Anderson
4/5 - I Made You, by Walter M Miller Jr
2/5 - Triggerman, by JF Bone
2/5 - War With the Robots, by Harry Harrison
3/5 - Evidence, by Isaac Asimov
3/5 - 2066: Election Day, by Michael Shaara
2/5 - If There Were No Benny Cemoli, by Philip K Dick
4/5 - The Monkey Wrench, by Gordon R Dickson
4/5 - Dial F For Frankenstein, by Arthur C Clarke
2/5 - The Macauley Circuit, by Robert Silverberg
1/5 - Judas, by John Brunner
3/5 - Answer, by Fredric Brown
5/5 - The Electric Ant, by Philip K Dick
2/5 - The Bicentennial Man, by Isaac Asimov
3/5 - Long Shot, by Vernon Vinge
4/5 - Alien Stones, by Gene Wolfe
2/5 - Starcrossed, by George Zebrowski
2/5 - The Lost Machine, by John Wyndham
2/5 - Rex, by Harl Vincent
3/5 - Robbie, by Isaac Asimov
3/5 - Farewell to the Master, by Harry Bates
3/5 - Robot's Return, by Robert Moore Williams
3/5 - Though Dreamers Die, by Lester del Rey
4/5 - Fulfillment, by AE Van Vogt
4/5 - Runaround, by Isaac Asimov
1/5 - I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, by Harlan Ellison
2/5 - The Evitable Conflict, by Isaac Asimov
5/5 - A Logic Named Joe, by Murray Leinster
2/5 - Sam Hall, by Poul Anderson
4/5 - I Made You, by Walter M Miller Jr
2/5 - Triggerman, by JF Bone
2/5 - War With the Robots, by Harry Harrison
3/5 - Evidence, by Isaac Asimov
3/5 - 2066: Election Day, by Michael Shaara
2/5 - If There Were No Benny Cemoli, by Philip K Dick
4/5 - The Monkey Wrench, by Gordon R Dickson
4/5 - Dial F For Frankenstein, by Arthur C Clarke
2/5 - The Macauley Circuit, by Robert Silverberg
1/5 - Judas, by John Brunner
3/5 - Answer, by Fredric Brown
5/5 - The Electric Ant, by Philip K Dick
2/5 - The Bicentennial Man, by Isaac Asimov
3/5 - Long Shot, by Vernon Vinge
4/5 - Alien Stones, by Gene Wolfe
2/5 - Starcrossed, by George Zebrowski
November 19, 2020
This was a trip down Memory Lane since I'd read many of these stories back in the decade or so after they were first published.
August 22, 2023
Pertinent to today's discussions about AI.
July 25, 2016
Excelente coletânea!
O subtítulo "obras-primas da ficção científica" já é autoexplicativo. Editada por Isaac Asimov, Patricia S. Warrick e Martin H. Greenberg. Note que a edição original é de 1983, com histórias anteriores, algumas bem anteriores. Portanto, podem ter perdido sua atualidade, seu peso como visão do futuro, mas certamente não sua qualidade! A coletânea, mais de trinta anos depois, fica também com um sabor de uma antologia de uma época na ficção científica.
O subtítulo "obras-primas da ficção científica" já é autoexplicativo. Editada por Isaac Asimov, Patricia S. Warrick e Martin H. Greenberg. Note que a edição original é de 1983, com histórias anteriores, algumas bem anteriores. Portanto, podem ter perdido sua atualidade, seu peso como visão do futuro, mas certamente não sua qualidade! A coletânea, mais de trinta anos depois, fica também com um sabor de uma antologia de uma época na ficção científica.
April 28, 2014
This has been my favorite collection of science fiction stories for many years, and I always keep coming back to it. It was also reprinted in 1992 under the title War With the Robots... though that version is missing the Harlen Ellison story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream."
February 14, 2009
A fine collection of classic science fiction stories about machine intelligence.
June 22, 2010
A fantastic collection show-casing early examples of sci-fi that have gone on to shape the way such stories are written today.
October 26, 2010
The absolute best collection of short stories I've ever read. Lots of classics from many of the best authors of the past two centuries.
Want to read
April 13, 2014I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12396032
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12396032
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