Notice...

The purpose of this blog is to have a little fun. It is NOT to start arguments. I don't profess to be an expert on Sci-fi, nor do I aspire to become an expert. You are welcome to comment on any and all content you find here. If my opinion differs from yours, as far as I am concerned, it's all okay. I will never say that you are wrong because you disagree with me, and I expect the same from those that comment here. Also, my audience on the blog will include some young people. Please govern your language when posting comments.

Posts will hopefully be regular based on the movies I see, the television shows I watch, and the books I read as well as what ever strikes me as noteworthy.


***SPOILER ALERT***
Spoilers will appear here and are welcome.

Autograph Collecting

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Basia And The Bots By Robert Collins - A Young Woman Searches For Her Purpose

Basia and the Bots by Robert Collins

This, the latest release from Robert, is a sci-fi story about artificial intelligence becoming sentient. It is also a young adult, coming of age story of a brilliant young woman who has reached a crossroads in her life. I enjoy Robert's style of crafting tales that are not overly long with action that is always in motion. His stories are never overloaded with info-dump (however, there is a character in this one named Infodump), and the characters are usually people who a reader can care about. Here, there are a few bots that one can care about as well.

This volume would be appropriate for middle school and early high school students.

There is a lot of ground covered in this book with philosophical considerations, political ideas, and human relations all covered efficiently, and without the author's personal bias attached. It is left up to the reader what to think of the ideas presented.

Basia Zahn, a sixteen-year-old high school student, is a hard-working, intelligent young woman who is looking forward to graduating at the end of her next semester in school. One day, a teacher asks her to remain after class for a brief discussion. It isn't that she is in trouble, but she has never given any thought to what she is going to do with her future. Her teacher points this out to her, and they discuss possible scenarios, and it gives Basia a lot to think about.

Basia's dad, Ramon, is a single parent raising his daughter to adulthood. He has instilled an excellent work ethic in her that has allowed her to excel in school, however, she has difficulty with social interaction. Not that she is anti-social, the problem is she has had no practice at it.

While on his way home from a business trip, one of the planet's robotic residents approaches Ramon asking if Basia could go to where they live and work on them for a time. Ramon presents this offer to Basia who accepts, seeing it as an opportunity for self-improvement and doing something positive.

While she stays with the bots, she learns more than she ever would in the school setting. She learns the most valuable lesson any person can - she learns about herself.

While Basia is the principle and point of view character in this tale, the sentient robots are also instrumental.

The bots live in a house some long distance from the community Basia lives in. Children are warned all their lives to avoid any contact with the bot residents of the planet. Sometime in the past, there was some trouble with the beings when they achieved sentience. The bots come in all shapes and types. There are humanoid shapes, and many others depending on the function they were built for. The bots think, feel, and have goals like any other sentient beings would.

My favorite point of plot in this story is how the story is not like most of the other AI stories I've read in the recent past. Usually, the plot has something to do with AI taking over the world, intending to enslave humanity. I'm not saying that that trope is a bad thing, but it is mostly what seems to be out there currently.

In Basia and the Bots, the AI is only interested in surviving and living their lives. That makes this story unique in my reading experience.

My takeaway from Basia and the Bots is, many times when change is needed, it doesn't necessarily take a movement. Change can start with one person who has the power to set aside popular beliefs and explore the facts.

I recommend Basia and the Bots as a good, easy to read, relaxing, fun story. It is a book that might even help young readers to work through some of their own internal dilemmas. It is a thoughtful story, and the length makes it easily accessible to young readers, but adults might also find it a nice, short piece to pick up between more intense sci-fi works.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Robert Collins is the author of the science-fiction novels Monitor, Lisa's Way, and Expert Assistance. He's also author of the fantasy novels Cassia and The Opposite of Absolute, and the young adult novel True Friends. He has several short story collections available, including The Frigate Victory Omnibus Collection and The Case Files of Gwen Connor.

To learn more, to follow him on social media, and to keep up with his writing, visit his website, One Kansas Author.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

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