Customer Reviews

WHEN HARLIE WAS ONE

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A superb and thoughful book - the "Version 2", which is hard to find is very much better than the "original" which feels a little dated these days.

BTW The name HARLIE is an acronym which changes in the two versions of the book. In version 1 the acronym is for Human Analog Robot Life Input Equivalents. The last reviewer is dead wrong and actually gives away one of the key plot points and "jokes" of the book, so SPOILERS BELOW! You have been warned!

I looked for a long time for "When Harlie Was Two" (a title promised in the book "When Harlie Was One"). Never found it.

There was a good reason! That book was never written.

I finally found it at Worldcon 63 (Noreascon 4) in the huckster's room where I ran across the author himself at a booth selling "When Harlie Was One (Release 2.0)".

It may be out of print, but it is not unavailable. Try his home page.

http://www.gerrold.com/

This is the only book that's ever kept me awake all night, unable to stop reading until I got to the end. I think it was around 3am when I finally finished it. I don't usually re-read novels, but this was one of the rare exceptions, and I think it's due for a third reading some time soon.

If you're at all interested in AI, the mystery of consciousness, and related ethical issues, then you have to read this book.

I LOVE books about intelligent machines, and this is one of the best! I hope to live to see the first intelligent machines like HARLIE, and if you are into this subject too, this book is a MUST-HAVE

I picked up release 2.0 when I was about 10 years old, and proceeded to wear the book out through tens if not hundreds of readings. There are so many explorations in this novel, all of which are absolutely riveting. "What if?" What if we created a computer which acted alive, and WE COULDN'T PROVE IT WASN'T? What if that computer progressed through many stages of development, paralleling human development? What if 'higher ups' were going to destroy that silicon being, which believes it is alive? An extraordinary novel, I heartily recommend it.

When Harlie was One was an enjoyable book, with quite a bit of thought given to "its" character development. Unfortunately, I've looked for "When Harlie Was Two" or "The God Machine" - both titles that were listed as a sequal and have not found either. Were either actually published?

David Gerrold is quite prolific and has done some great TV scripts and a number of series books (Star Wolfe) and (Chtorr). I would also like to see more in these series.

Mr. Gerrold, if you're listening. Please consider the many fans of these series and WRITE MORE PLEASE!

If computer's could think, what would happen if you asked it to create God. Very fictional but yet very realistic. Awsome story line. Props to you Mr. Gerrold, this book ruled!

A computer (Harlie) comes to self-awareness, and his inadvertent creator must juggle helping Harlie grow up along with managing his own burgeoning love life. Meanwhile, the company they're working for is having financial problems. Gerrold delineates Harlie's growing awareness with careful skill and sly humor; his treatment of the moral problems arising from Harlie's teleological abilities outstripping his ethical capabilities is enlightening. This book is a true classic of the "self-aware computer" genre.

Simply one of the best pieces of speculative fiction I've ever read. It has flaws, but it still takes the breath away, the sheer audacity of its vision. Warning, this book will make you think and could change the way you see yourself and others...

Once read, never forgotten. It's a crime it's out of print, track down a copy and see for yourself.

I read the book maybe 25 years ago, and it is one of the few books that have always stuck in my memory. The main reason I am writing this review is that I hope the publisher will consider a reprint! As I found - reading the other reviews - that there are more people like me for whom this book was an unforgettable experience. (And of course I would like to find out if it has retained its magic over the years.)