A remarkable collection, Robots through the Ages includes stories from some of the best writers of science fiction, both old and new.
This anthology, with an introduction by Robert Silverberg, offers a sweeping survey of robots as depicted throughout literature. Since the Iliad--in which we are shown golden statues built by Hephaestus "with minds and wisdoms"--humans have been fascinated by the idea of artificial life. From the Argonautica to the medieval Jewish legend of the Golem and Ambrose Bierce's tale of a chess-playing robot, the idea of what robots are--and who creates them--can be drastically different.
This book collects a broad selection of short stories from celebrated authors such as Philip K. Dick, Seanan McGuire, Roger Zelazny, Connie Willis, and many more. Robots through the Ages not only celebrates the history of robots and the genre of science fiction, but the dauntless nature of human ingenuity.
Robert Silverberg's career stretches back to the pulps and his output is amazing by any standard. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and was named a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 2004 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He has attended every Hugo Awards ceremony since the inaugural event in 1953. He's authored numerous novels, short stories, and nonfiction books in various genres and categories. He's also a frequent guest at conventions and a regular columnist for Asimov's Science Fiction. His major works include Dying Inside, The Book of Skulls, The Alien Years, The World Inside, Nightfall and The Positronic Man with Isaac Asimov, Nightwings, and the seven Majipoor Cycle books. Anthologies he's edited include The Science Fiction Hall of Fame (two volumes), the Alpha and New Dimensions series (both multiple volumes), Universe 1-3 with Karen Haber, Legends I and Legends II, two Nebula Awards anthologies, The Fantasy Hall of Fame (two volumes, the first with Martin H. Greenberg, the second solo), Tales From Super-Science Fiction, Far Horizons, Earthmen and Strangers, and Mutants. The present volume is his forty-eighth anthology as editor.
Bryan Thomas Schmidt is the Hugo-nominated and #1 bestselling editor of twenty-two anthologies and numerous novels, including the worldwide bestseller The Martian by Andy Weir, and books by Frank Herbert, Alan Dean Foster, and Angie Fox, among others. His books have been published by St. Martin's Press, Baen Books, Titan Books, IDW, Blackstone Publishing, and many more. His novel series include the Saga of Davi Rhii and the John Simon Thrillers. His debut novel, The Worker Prince, received Honorable Mention on Barnes and Noble's Year's Best Science Fiction of 2011. His latest novel, Shortcut, a hard science fiction thriller, should be released in 2023 and a movie is in development. He has written numerous short stories, including official entries for the Joe Ledger, Monster Hunter International, Predator, Aliens vs. Predators, and The X-Files series, as well as originals. As editor, his anthologies include the bestselling Monster Hunter Files with Larry Correia, two Joe Ledger anthologies with Jonathan Maberry, two anthologies in the Predator movie tie-in series, Aliens vs. Predators: Ultimate Prey with Jonathan Maberry, two Infinite Stars volumes, and many more. He lives in Ottawa, Kansas, with his two dogs and three very naughty cats. He can be found online at BryanThomasSchmidt.net and as @BryanThomasS on Twitter and Facebook.
Mira Grant--pseudonym of Seanan McGuire--is the winner of a 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. She is the author of Deadline, Blackout, Feed, and Countdown, all part of the Newsflesh series.
Ambrose Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist.
Jack Williamson (1908-2006) published his first short story in 1928. The second person named Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, he was always in the forefront of the field, being the first to write fiction about genetic engineering (he invented the term), antimatter, and other cutting-edge science.
