Sad Robot Stories by Mason Johnson Published by CCLaP on August 12, 2013
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 128
Read synopsis on Goodreads
I received this book for free from CCLaP.
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)
When Rebecca at Love at First Book first recommended this book, I was a little bit wary because I’m not big into robots. I haven’t watched all of Wall-E and I fell asleep during iRobot. The only robots I like are the Brave Little Toaster and, of course, Rosie from The Jetsons. But, Rebecca rarely steers me wrong and the other reviews I had seen were overwhelmingly positive, so I bit the bullet.
Trust me, no one is more surprised by how much I loved this book than I am. Sad Robot Stories is a charming novella by the young Mason Johnson about a single robot, Robot. From his first day on the assembly line to his days working alongside humans, Robot knew that he was different. He was a little bit too interested in how humans interacted and began to pay attention to them. After being welcomed into the home of a human family, Robot knew he was forever changed.
Following the death of civilization, Robot is left to wander and contemplate the loss of his only friend, a human named Michael. Seen as “different” for his positive opinions of the human race, he’s considered a bit eccentric and is often chastised by the other bots. But Robot is filled with a steely resolve that even he can’t explain and continues marching to his own beat and making new friends along the way.
Not only is Johnson’s novella endearing, but the author does an incredible job of personifying Robot without compromising his digital integrity. Sad Robot Stories strikes the perfect balance between robot and human, leaving the reader continuously surprised by their ability to identify with Robot. Whether you’re a fan of robots or not, this is an excellent novella that I highly recommend.
