Literature/Book Club Novels With Realistic robots: Perfect Holiday Gift Books

Are you looking for a novel that deals with robotics but you hate scifi?  Or you are looking for holiday gift book? You may have missed these four that have been featured in the journal Science Robotics (in alphabetical order):

• Annie Bot by Sierra Greer: Domestic noir but with the controlling boyfriend/husband using machine learning to transform his "cuddlebot" into a real girlfriend. See Science Robotics article "Machine learning, robots, and abuse of power"

• Little Eyes by Samantha Sweblin: Absolutely plausible, technically and socially- my fear is that some start-up company will read this and build these robots. See Science Robotics article "Roboticists should never look at their creations in the same way again"

• Piano Player by Kurt Vonnegut: Who knew Vonnegut's first novel was about factory automation based on his job after WWII at General Electric? It holds up very well- people haven't changed much. See Science Robotics article "The novel, Piano Player, started the familiar discordant tune on the rise of automation"

• The Warehouse by Rob Hart: Drone delivery, factory automation, and the misapplication of Fitts Law. Welcome to working with real robots in real warehouses. See Science Robotics article "Co-bots get the good jobs while workers get a human-robot interaction nightmare"

There are certainly other mainstream fiction novels with robots:

• Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: Grr, the inconsistencies drove me crazy. See Science Robotics article "By the time we build robots that care for us, will we be able to care for them?"

• Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan: Great counterfactual history of AI with wonderful namedropping but none of the characters, human or robot were likable 

• Mockingbird: ditto on the lack of likable characters as Tevis tried to make a Big Point that society is getting dumber, more Brave New World style and plot. See my review here.

• tWhoever You Are, Honey by Olive Gatwood. Centers on a young human woman and the various forms of her relationships with other women: mother, lovers, mentors, friends, etc. - including the woman next door who might be a fembot (but unrealistically so).

Please check out my other reviews and lists here.