All Hail Our Robot Conquerors!

by Patricia Bray (Editor), Joshua Palmatier (Editor), Julie E. Czerneda (Contributor)

RRRAWRRR!!! ZZZZZZTTTTT!!! ZZZZAAAAPPPPP!!!

The robots of the 50s and 60s science fiction movies and novels captured our hearts and our imaginations. Their clunky, bulbous bodies with their clear domed heads, whirling antennae, and randomly flashing lights staggered ponderously across the screen and page and into our souls — whether as a constant companion or as the invading army threatening to exterminate our world. We can never return to that innocent time, where the robot overlords could be identified by their burning red eyes or our trusty robot sidekick would warn us instantly of danger —

Or can we?

With a touch of nostalgia and a little tongue-in-cheek humor, here are fifteen stories from today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors that take us back to the time of evil robot overlords, invading armies, and not-quite-trustworthy mechanical companions. Join Julie E. Czerneda, Brandon Daubs, Tanya Huff, Brian Trent, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Jason Palmatier, Jez Patterson, Gini Koch, Lauren Fox, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Philip Brian Hall, Rosemary Edghill, R. Overwater, Helen French, and Seanan McGuire as we step into the future with a nod to the past. Hold on to those stun guns. You may need them!

Content:
- Introduction by Patricia Bray
- "Road Rage" by Julie E. Czerneda
- "A Vague Inclination to Please" by Brandon Daubs
- "Oh, the Humanity" by Tanya Huff
- "Director X and the Thrilling Wonders of Outer Space" by Brian Trent
- "Gold and Glory" by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
- "Zorlar the Terrible" by Jason Palmatier
- "Box, Set" by Jez Patterson
- "A Kitty-Bot's Tale" by Gini Koch
- "Rosie Cleans House" by Lauren Fox
- "The Dawn's Early Light" by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
- "Iron Hail" by Philip Brian Hall
- "Schematic Diagram of a Murder-Bot" by R. Overwater
- "Pensacola Wagner and the Robot Invasion" by Rosemary Edghill
- "The Headspace Database" by Helen French
- "Heroes Never Die" by Seanan McGuire

Cover art by Justin Adams

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction

218 pages, ebook

First published August 31, 2017

About the author

Patricia Bray is the author of a dozen novels, including Devlin’s Luck, which won the 2003 Compton Crook Award for the best first novel in the field of science fiction or fantasy. A multi-genre author whose career spans both epic fantasy and Regency romance, her books have been translated into Russian, German, Portuguese and Hebrew. Patricia Bray has also spent time on the editorial side of the business, as the co-editor of After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar (DAW, March 2011), The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity (DAW, March 2012), and Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens (ZNB, June 2014).

Patricia lives in a New England college town, where she combines her writing with a full-time career as a Systems Analyst, ensuring that she is never more than a few feet away from a keyboard.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy the majority of the stories in this collection. The best is "A Vague Inclination to Please" by Brandon Daubs which is chilling and wonderfully told. The use of voice in this tale is really good. "Director X and the Thrilling Wonders of Outer Space" by Brian Trent was also very good and is a neat inversion of the creator and film.

There are several robots made by mad scientists or as mad scientists in the collection, so if that is your thing.

Read for Mad Scientists and Evil Genius Square

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all anthologies, this one had its share of overlong drags, meh-s, and unforgettable jewels. Let me mention only those, since I would remember this collection only because of them. They were:
1. Brandon Daub's 'A Vague Inclination to Please';
2. Tanya Huff's 'Oh, the Humanity';
3. Brian Trent's 'Director X and the Thrilling Wonders of Outer Space';
4. R. Overwater's 'Schematic Diagram of a Murder-Bot';
5. Rosemary Edghill's 'Pensacola Wagner and the Robot Invasion';
6. Seanan McGuire's 'Heroes Never Die'.
These stories— with their hardboiled cynicism and gentle poignance, dark humour and grim violence— made the saga of the tinmen more humane than human.
The rest don't matter. But you need to read this anthology for these six stories.

[Erin Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Participated in the Kickstarter for this anthology by Zombies Need Brains publishing. The book is now available for general sale at various book selling outlets in both Kindle and paperbook format.

Offering a wide range of styles, All Hail Our Robot Conquerors! tries to create the feel of the old-style pulp robots of the 40s to 60s before we saw androids like Data on Star Trek and fought for jobs with real robots in the assembly line. The retro feel isn't recaptured, unfortunately, meaning the anthology tie of robots is fine but the supercool feeling I was hoping to get from the stories isn't there. The stories in-and-of themselves range from humor to horror, hard sci to fantasy, robots who are benevolent and robots who are not-so-much.

If you like any of the authors, you may want to turn a few pages.

Road Rage by Julie E. Czerneda - Monster trucks and an out-of-control AI. What could go wrong (WCGW)?

A Vague Inclination to Please by Brandon Daubs - As shown in animals, programming an impression into a creature to attach to the first mobile creature it sees isn't always optimal.

Oh the Humanity by Tanya Huff - Military robots used to support a suburban neighborhood. Enjoyed the layers of reasoning behind this - oh, and WCGW?

Director X and the Thrilling Wonders of Outer Space by Brian Trent - Entertainment programming takes on new meanings with Director X. A delightful romp and one of the best at capturing the retro feel.

Gold an Glory by L.E. Modesitt Jr. - War has always been a game.

Zorlar the Terrible by Jason Palmatier - Well, that did not go as expected.

Box, Set by Jez Patterson - One of the most thought provoking pieces, and I loved how the computer "emotions" worked.

A Kitty-Bot's Tale by Gina Koch - Fits into a larger world by the author.

Rosie Cleans House by Lauren Fox - Great thought provoking piece. Basically the computer hit puberty - with the sudden understanding of peer pressure. (I think that they think that I think that they think) recursive processing which makes teenagers such a mess. Changing them from constructive to abstract thinkers. Basically true self-awareness in a housekeeping robot. WCGW? (The best story for my particular tastes.)

The Dawn's Early Light by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller - The team of Lee and Miller create another fantastic science fiction romp starring family dynamics, robots, a space station, and tourists. Their mature writing does a fair job of capturing the retro vibe.

Iron Hail by Philip Brian Hall - Rocks the "All Hail Our Robot Conquers!" vibe to the max.

Schematic Diagram of a Murder-Bot by R. Overwater - A nice detective-noir with an android adopted by the police. A complicated murder mystery and a delightful surprise buried in the anthology.

Pensacola Wagner and the Robot Invasion by Rosemary Edghill - A farce, if you like them, you might love this.

The Headspace Database by Helen French - We are all databases with wireless capability. Yeah, WCGW?

Heroes Never Die by Seanan McGuire - Feels like a high fantasy attack on an isolated tower.

[Michelle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent anthology.

This one is full of extremely varied stories that include robots in some form or another.

I laughed, cried, and was struck with fear while reading the varied stories included.
Overall, very enjoyable.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like most of the stories in this collection. It REALLY didn't do it for me. Also, in the copy I got from the Kickstarter campaign, one of the stories still had editorial comments in it. I can't recommend this.

[Eri · Rating 4 out of 5]

With so many short stories and so many ideas, this felt much longer than it probably was. A quite lovely piece of SF.