Robota [Hardcover]

Doug Chiang (Author), Orson Scott Card (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Academy awardwinning artist Doug Chiang and best-selling sci-fi author Orson Scott Card join forces for an extraordinary publishing adventure: Robota. An original illustrated science fiction novel, Robota follows the fortunes of a strangely powerful amnesiac named Caps as he navigates an ancient, decaying world in which a dwindling human population battles a society of merciless robot warriors. Aided by talking animals and stalked by terrifying hunter robots, Caps slowly rises to fulfill an awesome destiny. Integrating word and image, Card's masterful storytelling is interwoven with 75 pieces of Chiang's wildly imagined, meticulously rendered art. Packaged in a dramatic metallic case, this unusual and powerful collaboration is tailor-made to thrill.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is not an ordinary sf novel, nor a graphic novel, nor a conventional illustrated novel. Chiang, design director for the most recent Star Wars films, paints like a scion of N. C. Wyeth, Vincent Di Fate, Maxfield Parrish, and Arthur Rackham. Muscular heroes and monsters, dramatic angles and deep foci, glowing color, and wraithlike figures of malevolence are everywhere in his visual complements to a story that he invented and then asked Card, one of the best and most honored contemporary sf and fantasy authors, to write down. That story--of a world that alien robots, once allies of the planet's human natives, are striving to purge of all carbon-based life, only to be thwarted by a "reborn" human champion--resembles the Star Wars saga in being a myth of restoration, of getting an old dream (liberty and cooperation?) back on track. Also like Star Wars, it succeeds by being neat looking more than interesting. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Doug Chiang has received an Academy Award, two British Academy Awards, a Clio Award for his work in film and television, and the Prix du Rendu at the 2003 Imagina CG Film Festival for his Robota teaser. A veteran of Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic, he served as design director for the Star Wars prequels. His paintings are exhibited nationally and in a variety of publications, including limited edition prints. He lives in Northern California. Read an interview with Doug Chiang!

Orson Scott Card is a preeminent sci-fi author with over 100 titles to his credit. He won the Hugo and Nebula awards for Ender s Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811840417
• ISBN-13: 978-0811840415
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robota, October 21, 2003

By 

Mary Berry (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robota (Hardcover)

Incredible and thought provoking.

Robota is a very refreshing take on some common sci-fi themes. At first, I thought I had already read this story - after all how many different variations can you do on a killer robot theme? But I was pleasantly surprised. This is a love story, albeit a strange love story, and a tale of revenge.

Chiang's beautiful paintings perfectly compliment the text. These paintings remind me of Hiyao Miyazaki's work and really elevates the book far beyond a mere graphic novel.

The story, crafted by Chiang and written by Card, flows off the pages. Each page left me wanting more. The story starts out rather conventionally with a hero without memory trying to recover his past, but from there the plot takes some interesting turns. The introduction of bizarre 'smart' dinosaurs about mid-way into the book was especially tantalizing. And the really neat part about Robota is that the robots are not dumb carbon copied machines but robots with distinct personalities. How cool. In fact, most of the characters are atypical and well portrayed. The tortured past of the hunter warrior named Juomes, is very sad and even the villain Kaantur is sympathetic - that's a testament to Card's writing skills that he can redeem a vile character like Kaantur.

To the casual reader these characters may at first seem like cookie cutter types but the story uncovers hidden motives and dark secrets that make them interesting and real. Be forewarned though that there is a lot of information in this book so a second read may be necessary (and well worth it). The only fault, if it can even be considered one, is that this book should have been twice as long!

This is an exceptional book - pure eye candy for the mind and thought provoking for readers who want more depth in what they read. Check it out!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Adventure, September 15, 2003

By 

"skipowitz" (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robota (Hardcover)

Robota is an awesome sci-fi adventure in the world of, you guessed it, Robota. This book is most definitely not a Star Wars, Enders Game, Dune, Star Trek, Tolkien rip off. The book just felt original.

Robota is about an amnesiac, Caps, and his quest to find Font Prime, the ruler of the merciless robots who are searching out the remnants of biological life. However, humans are not the only biological species on Robota. Hunter Beasts (large, evolved, Monky/human hybrid creatures), monkeys, Jodphors (dinosaur creatures), and other fantastic creatures are all sentient. Even some of the robots are sentient. I thought this was very cool. There is a war going on between the biological and mechanical species of the planet. It makes for a really good story with plenty of twists.

My only problem with the book is the lack of depth at times. Robota often created more questions than answers. Why didnt they explain cubing more fully? What is the jewel? Tell me more about Beryls sister, Juomess family, the last human city, etc. However, I feel that this is one of the writer's intents. My imagination ran wild. I just wish Chiang and Card would explain a few more things. Hopefully, there will be a sequel because Robota ended too soon.

The book instantly grabs you with the awesome cover art. As you begin to flip the thick pages, you realize that you are holding an incredibly original story. Furthermore, you are sure to be amazed by the great pictures drawn by Chiang. The material quality of the book itself makes the purchase that much easier. This may sounds stupid to some, but I love the thick pages and large hardback binding. It made the book feel different and special.

I highly recommend it for fans of science fiction, art, and fantasy. Orson Scott Card is one of the only science fiction writers whose work I read. Frank Herbert is the other. I consider both to be masterful writers. Trust me, Robota is incredible.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome story and fantastic art!, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Robota (Hardcover)

This book is totally incredible and unique! I've never read a book like this before. Chiang's artwork is unbelievable and Card's prose is a joy to read. It's quick-paced, never boring and filled with fresh twists and turns that are not contrived.

I'm not generally a fan of this genre, but when a friend showed me the book I was totally won over! The artwork and story really captivated me and, as Robert Zemekis said on the back-cover quote: "...Robota transported me to places I could never go in real life." I especially loved the interesting creatures and personalitites. They aren't your usual rubber-stamped variety, but wonderfully rich. Juomes the hunter beast and Beryl were especially intriguing. This book left me wanting more!
I'm glad to hear that Chiang and Card are developing the story in other media. If those projects turn out as great as this, I'll be the first in line! I strongly recommend this book!