Customer Reviews

Oblivion's Children

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Imagine having one or more efficient robots living in your home. The robots are intelligent, friendly and non-violent. They have learned about human behavior by watching good old Hollywood films and reading fine literature. The robots seem almost human except that they remain free from emotions and other human frailties. And imagine the plight of a couple whose son, Adam, is the last human. (An unexplained phenomenon prevents couples from conceiving children.) As CEO of a company dedicated to improving robots, Adam faces dissent from an organized group, HARP (Humans Against Robotic People), yet he expands the robots' capabilities while humanity is quickly becoming extinct. Have robots evolved sufficiently to possess free will, or are they merely following programs that make them seem to think and act independently? This hard-to-put-down book may read like science fiction, but it poses questions that make us ponder about much in our contemporary lives. Enjoyable. Fun. . .with a serious underside.

Superbly written!! This book explores a question that is at the core of our humanity ... what makes us human? Is it unique, or replaceable ... something that can be mimicked with the right kind of technology and programming? Humans have a tendency to think that we are somehow special, set apart from the rest of the life forms inhabiting Earth as well as from any technological device that can be created by us. As we face our own imminent extinction, perhaps we would scurry, as our instinct direct us, to find a way to carry on our legacy. The struggle, as we watch our last generation of children mature and grow elderly, is heartrending.

This book [lured] me in after the first few paragraphs! It contains some very thought-provoking issues. You will stay up late to finish this one. Will we get a sequel?