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Letters to Our Robot Son

ebook
0 of 3 copies available
Wait time: About 6 weeks
0 of 3 copies available
Wait time: About 6 weeks

'impressively ambitious' —The Guardian
An unexpected story of life, family, hope, and redemption—at the end of the world (maybe).

Arto wakes up in a desolate world devoid of humanity—he's a robot, he knows that much—but he has no memory of how he got here. With a mysterious letter and a cheeky kitten as his only companion, he embarks on a quest to understand his existence.

As Arto navigates this unfamiliar landscape, he stumbles upon a cantankerous robot who claims to be his sister.

And that's a problem, because she might be the reason there are no more people.
PRAISE FOR LETTERS TO OUR ROBOT SON:

'Bell is a mercurial genius, a fearless imagineer, whose bold ideas fizz off the page with spry wit and distinct rhythm. Letters to Our Robot Son is a superb work that summons the speculative spirit of Philip K. Dick, HG Wells and Charlie Brooker. Told with warmth, tenderness and courage, it's an unmissable journey that will move, challenge and inspire.' —Craig Silvey, author of Honeybee and Jasper Jones

'Epic in every possible way. Big ideas. Big adventures. Big heart. Big questions. Cadance Bell reminds us why stories matter – particularly the ones we tell ourselves. She is a tale teller; a world conjurer; a narrative alchemist. Letters to Our Robot Son is as playful as it is prescient, and an intergalactic love letter to found families.'Beejay Silcox, author and literary critic

'Cadance Bell has pulled off an extraordinary feat in Letters to Our Robot Son: a terrifying, funny, profound and ultimately hopeful story of what makes us human – and why we must question that. A rollicking adventure with a heart-busting character at its core that tussles with some of the biggest and most important questions of our time.' —Kate Mildenhall, author of The Mother Fault and The Hummingbird Effect

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    • Books+Publishing

      March 11, 2025
      Letters to Our Robot Son is the fiction debut of memoirist Cadance Bell (The All of It: A Bogan Rhapsody), a mercurial science fiction novel about a robot who awakens without memories and wanders into the world with nothing but an endless supply of optimism and curiosity to sustain him. Set in a post-human (but importantly, not post-apocalyptic) New South Wales, the story follows Arto, the primary character, as he explores his surroundings, searching for his history and purpose. While Arto is piecing together his story, readers – who possess more context than this robot – will also be seeking answers about what happened in the world. The novel begins in Arto’s first-person point-of-view, but a shocking event midway through shifts both the reader’s understanding of the world (and its future) and the narration itself. With arch commentary on corporate greed and humanity’s drive for hierarchy, Letters to Our Robot Son will likely appeal to literary fiction readers wanting to engage with science fiction conceits rather than keen science fiction fans, who might find the pacing slow and details sparse. Readers who enjoyed the delicate use of horror in Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under the Sea or the speculative fiction elements of Laura Jean McKay’s The Animals in That Country would be ideal readers for this novel.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

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