The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion

Our short story this month is "Bots of the Lost Arc" by Suzanne Palmer which can be found here:
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm...

Note: Some members requested the first story in this series so for clarity, the stories are listed below in order:
1. "The Secret Life of Bots" (2017)
2. "Bots of the lost Arc" (2021)
The link for the second story is above, and the link for the first one is below, message #8. You can read the second one or both!

A third part has been added, now in the May 2023 issue of Clarksworld. So here are the links:
2nd part: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm...
3rd part: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm...
Enjoy!

Natalie wrote: "Our short story this month is "Bots of the Lost Arc" by Suzanne Palmer which can be found here:
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm..."

And it's a GREAT story. Won a major award?
Pretty sure I have a review posted. I'll look later.
Good pick, Natalie!

Great to hear! Ed helped me pick this one

Should be a lively discussion. Is this the first or the second of her Bot #xx stories?
Her masterworks so far!

Looks like this one is a sequel to "The Secret Life of Bots" Clarksworld #132

Peter wrote: "Should be a lively discussion. Is this the first or the second of her Bot #xx stories?
Her masterworks so far!"

1st I guess

Natalie: maybe you would want to pair them? Both short, quick, linked reads. At least post the link to the other one?

It looks like the second one is rather long but here is the first one to those who are interested:
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm...

Natalie wrote: "It looks like the second one is rather long but here is the first one to those who are interested:
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm..."

Thanks! I'll likely reread them both. We're lucky to have them online!
From the recent news: author was paid the princely sum of 12c/word! Her paycheck is left as an exercise to the reader.
See https://wordcounter.net/

I can't resist a bot-story, and dumped the old admiral I was reading about, and just read it. Wonderful! Thanks so much for finding that one.

Sorry I read the wrong one! The one I read was 'Bots of the lost arc"
No problems, I'll read the other one too.

Spad53 wrote: "Sorry I read the wrong one! The one I read was 'Bots of the lost arc"
No problems, I'll read the other one too."

Both are good

Both stories are solid. For such a short novelette this one sets the stage very well, and though the bot is just a bot it's a pretty compelling character even so. It's interesting the way the bots banded together to impersonate people so they could have power and identity. Also interesting the way the aliens treated the AI. I wonder how people's views of AI will evolve as they improve and eventually are able to make decisions independent of their makers and users. What a time to be alive.

Spad53 wrote: "Sorry I read the wrong one! The one I read was 'Bots of the lost arc"
No problems, I'll read the other one too."

That was the "correct" one. I selected "Bots of the lost arc" which is story 2. But if you want to read story 1, "Secret life of bots", feel free to do so. Read either one, or both. I think they work fine alone.

I've partially read story 2, but plan to go back and read the whole thing.

Well I'm so mixed up that I wrote the wrong title in that post! I needed to read both, before I understood which is which.
So I read them in the correct order, which I would recommend. I've written a review of the one I just read here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But I don't know how to do this properly when it's a story in a collection. I'd be thankful for some help.
In any case both the stories are little jewels.

Peter wrote: "Natalie: maybe you would want to pair them? Both short, quick, linked reads. At least post the link to the other one?"

Absolutely, read both.

Spad53 wrote: "...I don't know how to do this properly when it's a story in a collection..."

You made a review for the magazine, which is what other people also tend to do. So I think that was a proper as anyone else!

Goodreads does not allow entries for single stories unless they are published separately as a book.

I liked the first one the most, but both are fun, I've read them a few weeks back, liked them very much. funny sci fi!

Ed wrote: "Goodreads does not allow entries for single stories unless they are published separately as a book."

Which is a spectacularly dumb rule, in my opinion, and that of many other short-fiction fans. But our collective efforts to change that rule have come to nought. As have so many other efforts to change GR for the better! Sigh.

Peter wrote: "Ed wrote: "Goodreads does not allow ."

Which is a spectacularly dumb rule,"

I guess this is because Amazon owns it and it doesn't need entries that doesn't lead to the store :'(

Another dumb rule - problems with adding new books and magazines. Just this week, read a few of The Economist magazine - not a most obscure publication - but these issues are absent and I ought to add them via the Librarians group if I bother...

I was surprised by both stories. Bot 9 is logical and unemotional and yet I still felt sympathy for him with the incidental (rat/snake creature). And his ingenuity was a nice touch. In the second one, the bot revolt was hilarious. I like the setting of a run down ship and skeletal crew too.

Bot 9!is hard not to love.

Thomas wrote: "Bot 9!is hard not to love."

Ayup. Remarkable character development, for a non-human (indeed, inorganic) MC!

And surprisingly well equipped with brains in such a tiny body. On the other hand its cute that they are so small, it gives interesting interaction problems with humans.

There is now a 3rd story about Bot-9. You can read it in May 2023 Clarkesworld.

https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm...

(Natalie, maybe edit the first post to mention this.)

Ed wrote: "There is now a 3rd story about Bot-9. You can read it in May 2023 Clarkesworld.

https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palm...

(Natalie, maybe edit the first post to mention this.)"

I've read #3, and liked it a lot. My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
-- with comments on other stories in that issue of Clarkesworld. Good issue! Bot-9 is clearly the star.

Ed wrote: "There is now a 3rd story about Bot-9. You can read it in May 2023 Clarkesworld."

Niiiice!