Yet another "Does anybody know this book?" post..

[Aran]

Hi everyone,

I've tried about seventy-five Google searches, and I can't discover the name of this book that I read nearly 10 years ago (And I'm 20 now..)

All I remember of it (Which is quite a lot, for the time that's passed since then) is that it starts with a robot landing on a planet, sent there to assist the humans in the area, but without much data beyond that, and it gets damaged in the landing, and loses just about everything it knows except the three Laws of Robotics (Naturally.) and that it's there to help the humans.

The trick with this robot though, is it's basically an amorphic blob (T1000 style) that can imitate any form to suit its purpose.

And the first intelligent creatures it meets are wolf-like but highly intelligent, and it decides they must be humans, and takes on their form, and joins the pack (However, it is to be noted that they didn't immediately welcome it, and it was still silvery-robotic looking) and eventually ends up going up against the human settlement, fighting all sorts of Hunter-Robots and Seeker-Robots, before eventually being invited in by the actual humans, and ... that's where the first book ends.

I believe it was a trilogy, and it MIGHT have been an Asimov, but I can't find it in the many online lists of every major and minor story he's written. I think the title is something along the lines of The Changeling, or at least one of the sequels is.. I'm not sure.

It was an "old" book when I read it back in the mid-90s, although it could have just been beaten up by the patrons at the local library in the town I grew up in... I'd go back and look for it, or call, but I wouldn't know precisely how to ask for it, as they had a pretty decently large Science Fiction section, and the "library ladies" as I called them were all rather elderly, and mostly avoided it (It was an unorganized section, mostly) unless someone asked for a hand with finding something.

The only thing I remember about the cover I could be imagining - I THINK it was red, and post-apocalyptically designed (You know what I mean, no? The dreary-skies, etc.) with a semi-saurian robot on the right side of the front cover.


I hope that's enough for someone's memory to spark, or for someone with more patience/luck than me to discover what it is/was, but I'd love to read it again with an 'adult' mind. I've been reading large novels since I was about 4-5, but this is the only one I can remember enough to look for again.

Thanks for reading through all that... I get rather long-winded at times.

- Rick

 

[Void Dragon]

I've got an idea!
What if you just write what you told in a full-size story, and send it to some editors. If this story already existed, you will get a letter telling that they won't edit your story because of plagiarizing issues.

No good idea?

 

[Aran]

That's such a terrible idea it'd probably work

 

[Alia]

Aran, no... I don't know what book you are looking for ~ sorry!

Void.. that's a horrible idea!

 

[BookStop]

Doesn't sound familiar to me. I think abesbooks has a bookslueth section. You might try posting there as well.

 

[j d worthington]

I'm thinking this is tongue-in-cheek. I hope so. If anyone takes this seriously, one of the problems with this is that, should that person actually have hopes of being a writer, the idea they're a plagiarist would stick to them long after, damaging their chances of even getting a fair trial. It might well help them find the book, or it might land them in court. As I said, I'm assuming this was in jest, but some might take it seriously; I've seen the most outrageous things taken at face value too many times for that not to concern me.

Now, as to the book... There was a book titled The Changeling, that came out in the early '80s, that was part of a proposed trilogy; I never read it but vaguely remember the description being quite different. However, having never read it, I couldn't swear to that. The second book came out, but I don't think the third did. I know of someone I can contact here -- IF I can contact him, he's rather difficult to get hold of -- who might well know, as he seems to have an almost unlimited knowledge of the sf field (not to mention a large chunk of the fantasy and mystery fields) as well. If I can get hold of him, maybe he can supply the missing author's name, and you could at least find out if this is the book you're searching for, no?

 

[Quokka]

It's Asimov's Robots and Aliens 1

In Robot City, the late science fiction genius Isaac Asimov challenged a talented group of science fiction writers to resolve the conundrums he set for them in the context of his famous Three Laws of Robotics. In Robots and Aliens, a new challenge was put forth: What would happen if the robots of Asimov?s universe were to meet alien races? Would the Three Laws that protect both humans and robots still apply when dealing with a species that is neither . . . ?

The first story is called The changeling (by Stephen Leigh) and the cover matches up well, here's the rundown...

In Changeling, Derec must answer the call of a besieged city on an alien planet. His new challenge is to protect a fantastic metropolis of robots from wolf-like beings that stalk the perimeters and threaten its destruction! In Renegade, Ariel finds herself the sole human on a planet of positronic robots and an alien race of shocking intelligence. Can Derec and Ariel solve the mysteries of the robots and the aliens in time to stop an all-out-war?

 

[Aran]

Are you sure? The synopsis seems to be focused almost entirely on the humans, whereas I can almost guarantee the book I'm referring to focused on the robot/wolves without branching off into the humans' POV until near the very end..

Oh well. Either way, I'll have to pick up a copy and read it.

Thanks for the lead

 

[Quokka]

You would know better than me but there's quite a few stories that make up the Robot City series all based in the same fictional universe so I'd be suprised if your book wasn't one of them? Btw there's also mention of shape-changing robots but i don't know if its just in The Changeling or a recurring theme.