Help identifying a SF Series

[Norm017]

Many years ago I read a two book (?) series I'd like to track down again.

The setting was a former mining planet with a marginal climate (Atmosphere was breathable without special equipment). When the resource (Which was either a narcotic, or the precursor to a narcotic.) ran out. The company bean counters worked out that it was only economic to ship out the upper management, so the company hires a team to create a society for the remaining personell, imposes this and leaves.

The first novel was about a revolt that overthrows the company imposed society.

The second novel saw one of the characters from the previous novel going to the planets (disused) spaceport, there he discovers a group of men led by a woman (Who I think is in charge.) trying to get the port operational. Later he learns that all but one of the men are in fact robot duplicates of (still living) originals created by aliens that want to take over the planet.

The main character and the real human journey to the alien spacecraft where he discovers that he is also a robot duplicate and under the control of the spacecrafts computer. He is freed when the real human jumps in front of the computer just as the main character fires a laser gun, the shot kills the human, but also destroys the computer and kills the aliens who were totally dependent on the computer.

In the aftermath the robots decide to use the alien spacecraft to find somewhere else to exist. On thing that stuck with me from the second book is that after the destruction of the control computer the one female robot expresses distress that while the male robots were all based on 'real' people, and have those personalities to fall back on, she was created from the fantasies of others and so has nothing to fall back on.

Any information as to author/titles would be greatfully appreciated.

[Jim]

I have no idea & if no one else does, you could try the GR group that specializes in this here:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Make sure you read how to submit your question, but I've been shocked by how fast this group has answered a couple of questions for me.

[[deleted user]]

i got nothin on this one...sorry

[Norm017]

Tried the suggested link. No reply so far

[Brenda]

Can you remember the cover? Rocket ships, spacesuit babes? Roughly the era? Before Nixon? After WW2?

[Norm017]

Brenda wrote: "Can you remember the cover? Rocket ships, spacesuit babes? Roughly the era? Before Nixon? After WW2?"

Cannot remember the covers (Probably generic SF landscapes). 1970's or 1980's for the date. Think (but cannot be sure) that the author may have been English.

[Stef]

Sound a bit like the movie Screamers.

[Jim]

Wasn't 'Screamers' just a short story that the movie was based on?

Nightworld & Vampires of Nightworld by David Bischoff actually sound closer. Bad main computer, but it was a pleasure planet, like a theme park, that went wrong. Still, there are so many similarities, I wonder if Bischoff based these on the books Norm is looking for or perhaps wrote them. He's written a lot of SF. You should check out his other books, Norm.

[Stef]

I checked now and you are right Screamers is based on Philip K Dick's short story Second Variety. Only that the action was moved from Earth to Sirius.

[Jim]

Thanks, Stef. Couldn't recall who wrote the story, but thought it was a famous name.

[Norm017]

Bump

[Noor]

I've never read this, but it sounds really interesting. Hope someone can figure out what it was and let us know because I'd also like to give it a try :)

[Jim]

Norm017 wrote: "Bump"

Did you ever try the "What's the Name of That Book" group?

[Norm017]

Which group?

[Jim]

The one I put in quotes. If you go to all groups & search you could find it easily enough. Here's the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Make sure you read the instructions for how to post your question. It's not that difficult, but if you goof it up, your chances of a decent answer are much less. Make your topic title something like "SF series with robot duplicates as people". Then people with knowledge in that area can see it easily. Is it really a series, duology, or trilogy? That also makes a difference.