bookaneer's review
4.0
Rating only for Suzanne Palmer's Bots of the Lost Ark. Real rating is 3.5 since although it is still cute and delightful, it no longer surprised me or offered anything new compared to its prequel.
nataliya_x's review
5.0
Review is for Bots of the Lost Arc by Suzanne Palmer, the follow-up to wonderful The Secret Life of Bots:
How much have I missed tiny but fierce Bot 9? Let me quote here:
This novelette is sweet and adorable and made me very happy.
And Bot 9 is still my second favorite bot after Murderbot. But it really needs to hurry up and finish that task 944. It’s been years!
5 multibot stars, and I hope to see future installments of Bot 9 and Ship adventures. Someone gotta keep those humans alive, after all.
Read it free here, on Clarkesworld website: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palmer_06_21/
Read the first novelette, The Secret Life of Bots here: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palmer_09_17/
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Recommended by: Peter
How much have I missed tiny but fierce Bot 9? Let me quote here:
“Ah, I have missed the way communicating with you warmed up my logic processors!”A tiny multipurpose Bot 9, armed with Improvisation Module (lacking in the newer bot models) was takes his tasks on the Ship very seriously indeed, leading to continued existence of a whole bunch of humans (you know, the Ship, Earth, Solar system, universe, all that). And it managed to narrowly escape decommissioning despite the fears of a very tiny rogue AI. And now 68 years have passed, and Bot 9 is activated once again.
“I have been activated, therefore I have a purpose, Bot 9 thought. I have a purpose, therefore I serve.
It recited the Mantra Upon Waking, to check that it was running at optimum physical efficiency, then the Mantra of Obedience, the Mantra of Not Improvising Without Clear Oversight and Direction, and the Mantra of Not Organizing Unsanctioned Mass Action Among Other Bots, all of which had been imposed on it by Ship as a condition of its continued existence after the last time it had been activated.”
As always, humans are in danger and there are rogue bots around — but it’s not Bot 9 where the danger lies. No, out tiny hero Bot 9 and its Improvisation Mantra (that yes, it promised to get rid of, but never did, and everyone should be grateful for it) that are the only hope for the Ship and its crew.
“There has been a collective malfunction of Ship’s bot inventory, and they are preventing Ship from accessing many internal systems, including that facility.”And yet, still, even after 68 years, the ratbug infestation is still happening, but something has changed, and our old friend 4340 may have something to do with it.
“What sort of malfunction?”
“The bots believe they are the crew,” Bot 9 said.
This novelette is sweet and adorable and made me very happy.
And Bot 9 is still my second favorite bot after Murderbot. But it really needs to hurry up and finish that task 944. It’s been years!
“Please take optimum care,” 4340 said. “Memories of our prior association are valuable to me.”
5 multibot stars, and I hope to see future installments of Bot 9 and Ship adventures. Someone gotta keep those humans alive, after all.
“ “Ship?” Baraye asked, more urgently than before. “What the ever-loving fuck just happened?”—————
Read it free here, on Clarkesworld website: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palmer_06_21/
Read the first novelette, The Secret Life of Bots here: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/palmer_09_17/
——————
Recommended by: Peter
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