Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

This is our discussion of the short story....

"The Executor" by Daniel H. Wilson

From the scifi anthology The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, part of our discussion of The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination anthology.

An interesting, more serious treatment of the subject matter in which the mandatory "mad scientist" is actually an AI appointed executor of a will with the contingency that only one of the deceased's descendants can inherit a staggering wad of cash, and that by passing a test (which turns out to be a riddle!) The AI apparently isn't totally mad, and is still constrained by its programming.

If you think about it too much, the premise gets a little strained. Failing to pass the test rules out a second try, but doesn't prevent you from blabbing the riddle to everyone else (and since you're not allowed a second try, why wouldn't you sell that information?)

Anyway, without thinking too hard about it, I thought it was an okay story. It's angling for an emotional attachment I didn't entirely feel. (And how much effort does it take to invoke sympathy for a baby?)

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Wilson really enjoys writing about artificial intelligence.

His novel Robopocalypse will be our Contemporary sci-fi novel discussion topic for next week!

I found the solution to the riddle too sentimental. I didn't get the sense that the mad scientist would have that as a solution, it seemed a bit forced. And I was a bit disturbed that the baby kept getting shoved into capsules and it didn't seem to mind...

I didn't particularly enjoy this one. It was different but didn't quite live up to the theme.

Andrea wrote: "I found the solution to the riddle too sentimental. I didn't get the sense that the mad scientist would have that as a solution, it seemed a bit forced. And I was a bit disturbed that the baby kept..."

Yeah, I didn't find the Riddle all that interesting, but then I'm not a riddle person.

I thought the idea of the baby capsule was amusing. I particularly enjoyed the baby storage locker — just punch in your credit card, specify the baby's favorite entertainment, lock the cabinet and take the key. Just like an airport luggage storage locker. I can imagine putting them in movie theaters, gyms, bars,... great franchise opportunity, too. :)