Robots Through the Ages: A Science Fiction Anthology

Robots Through the Ages is a new science-fiction anthology published by Blackstone Publishing. This collection of seventeen short stories all about robots and androids is edited and curated by Robert Silverberg and Bryan Thomas Schmidt. Just as the title suggests, this book contains tales written and published as early as 1899, with three original submissions to this publication. Silverberg and Schmit present gems from the whos-who of science-fiction writers. Stories from Jack Williamson, Lester del Rey, Philip K Dick, Karen Haber, Suzanne Palmer, and Silverberg grace the pages. Though none of Isaac Asimov’s many robot stories were added, he does make a guest appearance as a character.

Sci-fi nerds and robotics geeks will find joy in this collection. The anthology includes a wide variety of robot tales. Silverberg and Schmit do a great job of showing trends and attitudes toward the subject through history. They have selected stories about the fear of new technology as well as incorporating robots and AI into our daily lives. There is even a tribute play to Capek’s R.U.R. Silverberg pens the foreword, and Schmit introduces each story. There is also a list of stories for further reading. Though nowhere near complete, this is an in-depth look at Robots Through the Ages.