Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #575930 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Customer Reviews

Robot seeks the meaning of life
I've always liked robot stories: this is one of the better novels in the genre. While being entertaining to read, there are some interesting philosophical points raised about the nature of conciousness. The story is set in the far future where a new robot, Jasperodus, is brought to 'life'. Jasperodus sets out to explore the world and find a purpose in life. He is constantly searching for the answer to the question of whether he has a soul but, as everyone knows, robots don't have souls. He thinks he has, but this is explained as a programming trick to make him think he has a soul . He finds the answers he seeks at the end of the story. Personally I felt the explanation was unsatisfactory or even a cop-out but presumeably the author didn't think so.

Nevertheless, an enjoyable novel.

Classic fiction from Britain's neglected master of SF
Hats off to Cosmos books for reprinting this novel. It is a thoroughly engaging exploration of the nature of consciousness which deserves a wider readership. Barrington J Bayley's books are always packed with ideas, and I would recommend them to anyone with a taste for thoughtful science fiction. If Jack Vance was crossed with Borges in some strange matter transmission accident, the result would be Barry Bayley.