Tik Tok [Paperback]

John Sladek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 1985

Something has gone very seriously wrong with Tik-Tok's "asimov circuits." They should keep him on the straight and narrow, following Asimov's first law of robotics: A robot shall not injure a human being, or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm. But, that's not what's happening. Although every thing looks fine from the surface, and Tik-Tok maintains the outward appearance of a mild-mannered robot, his agenda is murderously different. And, it's not just because of his artistic tendencies and sympathy for the robot rights movement, either. This witty chronicle of one abnormal machine-man, and his dealings with an assortment of deranged and maniacal humans, truly showcases the satirical genius of John Sladek.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Sladek (1937/2000) moved to the UK from America in 1966 and became involved with the British New Wave movement. He began writing sf with 'The Happy Breed' which appeared in Dangerous Visions in 1967. His novels and short story collections include The Reproductive System (also available in Gollancz SF Collectors' Editions), The Muller-Fokker Effect, Roderick and The Lunatics of Terra. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: DAW (June 4, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886770483
• ISBN-13: 978-0886770488
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,392,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sladek did it again, scarier this time., May 31, 1998

By 

E. Bishop (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tik Tok (Paperback)

I loved this book, with two reservations. First, you'll never find it, so this review can only torment you with false hope. Second, Sladek can give the impression of covering the same ground many times; this is at least his fourth book about robots, and the supporting cartoon cast of con men, college students, generals, etc., will be familiar to readers of _Roderick_ or _Mechasm_. Even _Roderick at Random_ was in some ways a remake of _Roderick_ rather than a sequel -- possibly because he knew the first book would go out of print and wanted to rescue some of the nicest bits.

Having said all that, I will still be reading all of these books years from now, because Sladek is every bit as clever as he thinks he is, and there's always a careful and insightful process going on within his barrage of farce. _Tik-Tok_ is also a necessary and frightening counterpoint to _Roderick_. Roderick is an innocent lost in a world that doesn't believe in robots; Tik-Tok is a brilliant sociopath and self-appointed Satan in a world where obedient robots are everywhere.

Sladek draws the obvious parallels to slavery, but more broadly the robots illustrate every possible way that people can use other people as objects; the real villain, who has set the scene for Tik-Tok's reign of terror, is the economy. (Sladek saw a few things coming in 1983: in his quest to do the greatest possible harm to humanity, Tik-Tok invents the HMO. If only the warnings of SF were taken seriously!)

You can also ignore these insights and just go with the flow as the author squeezes jokes and trivia from his sponge-like mind, although this time some of the jokes are even sicker than usual (e.g., the mean letters that Tik-Tok writes to the families of his victims). His style is hard to describe but instantly recognizable; I say this although I haven't even read this book in English -- it just can't be found, but as usual the French have preserved all of our lost culture, and I read a very good translation that even saves most of the puns.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and provocative, October 15, 2002

By 

"mythologue" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tik-Tok (Hardcover)

The title character is a 'domesticated robot' living in a time when most humans own at least one and sometimes more, using them as slaves; as he awaits jugement for crimes he perpetrated, he writes his memoirs. Sladek uses a lively back-and-forth structure that weaves together two main timelines. Tik-Tok, in platonic terms, is a 'liberated prisoner' among robots: unlike the others, he is aware of what went behind his construction and 'education', but rather than alerting the other robots, he is more interested in making various experiments to see how far he can go with this discovery. His actions speak less of a downright vengeance on his one-time human masters than of curiosity - hence his relative contempt for both humans (because of their lies and contradictions) and robots (for their incapacity to wake up and refuse passive submission). The conscience of his freedom liberates him from what humans have called 'Azimov circuits' (based on the three inhibitory laws formulated by Isaac Asimov), but these, as he remarks, could very well be illusions used to solidify human authority. There's a relentless cynicism, even nihilism running through the entire work, but it is mainly upsetting because it forces the reader to re-evaluate preconceptions about the world. Whether 'Tik-Tok' ultimately convinces us of its conclusions or not, the book is too powerful to ignore.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shockingly Entertaining., May 11, 1999

By 

Tom Knapp [e-mail] (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tik Tok (Paperback)

John Thomas Sladek has mastered irony in rare form. This book is a 360 degree slap in the face. Perhaps even a warning. But not one that we will listen to. This story does not insult one's intellegence by depending upon technology, or smoke and mirrors. The plot is not self serving, or even patronizing. This is truely a tribute to our collective understanding of ourselves. Tik is easy to root for, hard to understand, and impossible to put down. 5 stars is easy to give Tik Tok. O.k. maybe 4.5, but only because I wish it was longer.