A Literary Robots Reading List

Sentient AI are nothing new in literature, and this chronological reading list takes you on a tour of some of the evolving practical and philosophical issues surrounding artificial intelligence.


1907: Ozma of Oz

Dorothy discovers the copper-and-clockwork Tic-Tok abandoned in a cave.

1909: The Machine Stops

E.M. Forster’s dark futuristic vision paints a world where technology has completely replaced experiences.

1950: “There Will Come Soft Rains”

A fully automated house outlives its human occupants.

1950: I, Robot

Almost all our modern-day AI fiction comes from Asimov’s original vision.

1968: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 

In Philip Dick’s futuristic dystopia, artificial intelligence has become so sophisticated that it’s hard to tell robot from reality.

1989: Hyperion

Think Canterbury tales, but with pilgrims focused on the uneasy alliance between man and machine in a sci-fi future.

1996: Excession

Iain Banks’ Culture series explores the question of what it means to be human in a post-scarcity world run by hyper-intelligent AI.

2012: Cinder

The first of the Lunar Chronicles features a cyborg mechanic who gets caught up in dangerous political intrigue.

2013: Ancillary Justice

Ann Leckie’s collective-individual AI is a fascinating, gender-exploding twist on the traditional robot genre.

2014: House of Robots

In this middle grades sci-fi comedy, Sammy’s mother’s robot inventions do everything from tutoring Sammy to handling the housework.

2015: Speak

Louisa Hall’s novel follows generations of people involved in AI development from the 17th century to the future.

2016: The Wild Robot

A surprisingly tender middle grades fairy tale about a lost robot stranded on an island focuses on the ways we construct identity.


Amy Sharony

Amy Sharony is the founder and editor-in-chief of home | school | life magazine. She's a pretty nice person until someone starts pluralizing things with apostrophes, but then all bets are off.

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