In We, Robots, Avery is an AV-1 robot assigned to care for Dal and Chit’s daughter Angelina by accompanying her to and from school. In preparation for the Singularity, the moment when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, all robots have a Pain Interpreter implanted which enables the robot to feel the pain of everyday life. This novella follows Avery as it adapts to the new experience of pain and evolves emotionally.
I liked this book. In just over 100 pages, I fell in love with Sue Lange’s style and way of writing about robots. I am not an avid science fiction reader and prior to starting this story I did not have high hopes for a realistic story about robots developing emotions, but I was willing to give it a try. I’m glad I did. The reason for why the robots developed emotions was great, and I enjoyed reading how pain led to feelings of not just fear and sadness, but of joy and happiness. The explanations for why and how everything was done, and the consequences were easy to understand and very deep. The descriptions of pain and hurt were better than I could have done. Pain is very hard to explain without personal experience, but Sue Lange did an excellent job of showing how a robot reacts to experiencing pain for the first time. I thought she realistically portrayed what a robot would think and act both before the pain interpreter was installed and afterwards.
The contrast from the world simply being ‘logical’ and ‘illogical’ to Avery’s interpretation of the world with emotions was very noticeable and the transition well done. Avery gave humorous yet meaningful observations about human life in general and about his interactions with Dal, Chit, and Angelina that I enjoyed greatly. The other part I liked about this book that I wasn’t expecting was what the humans did. As much of a near-certainty the Singularity is, I think self-mutation is another possibility.
Towards the end of the novella removing the ability to feel pain, ending migraines, monthly cramps, and the aches of getting older, becomes popular among the humans in their society. This also was well done because it showed both the process of this new idea and the effects it had on the society, and the difference between the robots who have come to love experiencing life, and the humans who gave it up for an easier existence. I found We, Robots to be both a funny story and a thought-provoking one.
- Author Website: http://www.suelangetheauthor.com/
- Publisher: Book View Cafe
- Publication Date: March 18, 2010
