"Soul
of a Robot", Bayley B J, Quartet Books, London 1977. ISBN: 0-7043-1290-5.
The story of Jasperodus, a robot given the gift of consciousness by his
human creators. "Robots have no soul, everybody knows that, but Jasperodus
cannot accept it: either he is a human at heart or there's a disasterous
fault in his programming...".
"The Rod
of Light", Bayley B J, Methuen, London 1985. ISBN: 0-413-58160-8. Sequel
to the above, and IMHO just as good, focussing more on the consciousness
aspect. A group of robots is trying to discover the secret of consciousness,
not knowing that Jasperodus already has it, and is sworn to secrecy about
it.
"Weapon",
Robert Mason, Corgi, London 1989. ISBN 0-552-13510-0. The story of an intelligent
military robot who refuses to kill on command. I read it by accident, and
really enjoyed it.
"Machines
that Think", Isaac Asimov, Warrick P S and Greenberg M H editors, Penguin,
Moddlesex 1983. ISBN 0-14-007194-6. A series of short stories, some of
which are quite good.
"Adam
Link, Robot", Eando Binder, Warner Paperback Library, New York 1965.
ISBN: 0-446-75460-9. A classic novel, exploring the emotional aspects of
being a robot.
Here is one written for children:
"Robot
Revolt", Nicholas Fisk, Puffin Books, Middlesex England, 1981. ISBN:
0-14-031551-9. "Max is the best robot in town, the very latest model from
Robomart. He can do anything. So it's natural for Abi to enlist his help
when she begins to plot against her hated father. But Max has a much more
sinister motive for joining her scheme..." Pleasant story; for the very
young at heart.
There is also the newsgroup alt.robotics
, and this reference to interesting
devices on the net . Nostalgia here.
"The Tripods
Trilogy", John Christopher, Puffin Books, Aylesbury England 1984. "The
White Mountains" originally published 1967. The other two stories of
the trilogy are "The City of Gold" and "The Pool of Fire".
ISBN: 0-14-031722-8. This set of stories blew my mind as a teenager. "Massive,
alien machines, the Tripods had ruled Earth for hundreds of years and enslaved
the minds and bodies of most adults through the silvery caps they made
them wear. Determined to escape the ritual Capping ceremony, Will Parker
runs away, heading for the distant White Mountains and the small
rebel camp there, hoping to join their desperate affempts to overthrow
the rule of the Tripods. The journey is long, the missions dangerous and
the hope of survival very slim." Highly recommended for the young at heart.
My
favourite movies on this subject are the Back to the Future series (see
this
link from the Internet Movie Database,
and these
images).
I
have read a novella called "Timer Travellers Never Die" by Jack
McDevitt; I found it in the May 1996 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction
magazine. This story placed second in the 1994 UPC International Contest
for Best Novella. It will also be featured in his short story collection,
Standard
Candles, due out from Tachyon Publications soon. I could not put it
down.
"I
will Fear No Evil", Heinlein Robert A, New English Library, Kent 1971.
ISBN: 0-450-02948-4. About a rich tycoon who has his brain transplanted
into a beautiful woman. Her "soul" is still there when he wakes up, and
they decide to keep this fact a secret. Eventually, a third soul joins
them... The book is overlong, and the concept is hardly novel, but I still
found it fascinating. Worth a read if you like the idea.
One
of my favourite TV series: UFO
(see also this
link from the Internet Movie Database).
But I have not seen much about my childhood favourite, Search,
with Burgess Meredith as the controller. I have not seen reruns in the
last 15 years.
Another favourite is Quantum Leap, which includes the idea of time travel, with some interesting twists.
See also JJ's Science Fiction and Fantasy page: all the latest info on science fiction on TV (free to air and all cable) in Australia, and lots more!
"The Oxford
Book of Science Fiction Stories", edited by Tom Shippey, Oxford University
Press, Oxford. ISBN: 0-19-214204-6 (hard cover). This is a collection of
"classic" stories from 1903 to 1990. My favourite stories so far: "Who
can replace a man" (1958), "The Monster" (1948), "Second Dawn" (1951),
"Cloak of Anarchy" (1972). Recommended.
"Mortal
Fire", presented by Terry Dowling & Van Ikin, Coronet Books (Hodder
& Stoughton Australia), Rydalmere 1993. Subtitled "Best Australian
SF". ISBN: 0-340-60854-4. Unusually for an anthology, half of the stories
so far have been dynamite! Best stories so far: "Axiomatic", "The colours
of the Masters", "Creator". "Coming Back" was unpleasant, but also very
good, and also involves time. Highly recommended.
"Anthonology",
Anthony Piers, Grafton Books, Glasgow 1985. ISBN: 0-586-06973-9. Favourite
stories: "In the Barn" (warning: riské), "Hurdle" (about a fusion
car; literally very racy), "Getting Through University". "On the Uses of
Torture" was surprisingly absorbing. Anthony's dynamight best; his style
is between hard Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Highly recommended.
See also "Machines that think" and "Time
Travellers Never Die" above.
"Surely
You're Joking, Mr Feynman!", Leighton Ralph, Unwin Paperbacks, London
1985. ISBN: 0-04-530023-2. Engrossing and humourous stories of the Nobel
Prize winning physicist. Difficult to put down. 
"What
do You Care What Other People Think?", Leighton Ralph, Unwin Paperbacks,
London 1988. ISBN: 0-04-440528-6. More of the same, with half of the book
devoted to Richard Feynman's involvement in the investigation of the Challenger
disaster.
Last updated: 17th December 2000: Removed links to larger cover pictures; run into 10M limit for my pages!