SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

What are some SciFi books that focus on bio-tech, and morality of robotics and AI, and sentient AI life? If this also occurs in space AND space battles, this would be awesome.

Christopher, My own book 'The Understanding'
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.c... may have some of what you are looking for in a minor way. There is the super-computer 'Mundae' modeled on a humain brain, with built in, or aquired 'ego', ethics constraints etc.
There is also the results of human/simian transgenetics which reflect badly on human morality, but show how mankind will always be defeated in attempts to depart from the 'universal script'.
There are battles involving believable technology, and even a bit of 'one on one'. The battles lose nothing for occuring in the 'Earith' dimension of 2048AD.

A classic which involves AI (and also some battles) is Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, if you haven't already read that.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick sounds like a good fit.

Thanks!

Asimov's stuff, obviously: I, Robot, The Caves of Steel, both by Asimov, and City by Clifford Simak. All explore what it means to be sentient, frequently from a robotic AI perspective.

The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton this book was great, as were all of the books Larry Niven.

Robert J. Sawyer's Mindscan is a great one for issues of identity and bio-tech. Unfortunately no space battles, but a great in-depth look into the subject.

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds comes to mind for the robotics AI. This theme becomes more important as the book progresses. Very little actual space battles.

Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton loves bio tech in all his books and this one deals somewhat with sentient AI - Humans have a tentative relationship with a large AI and wonder if it will help them when trouble comes knocking or ignore them. Space battles included.

Christopher wrote: "What are some SciFi books that focus on bio-tech, and morality of robotics and AI, and sentient AI life? If this also occurs in space AND space battles, this would be awesome."

For me the best examples are the Revelation Space books by Alastair Reynolds, and the Culture books by Iain M Banks.

Cheers!

I will second the Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein. Another really good one is Fool's War by Sarah Zettel, which talks about awakening AI.

Another really good one is The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James Hogan where people put a young ai into a space station then attack it to see how it reacts.

Arachne by Lisa Mason is a good book involving robots.

Then you have Crossover by Joel Shepherd, originally published in Australia, but available in US is about a genetic android, which is excellent. A super book about in essence what it means to be human.

For a cozy mystery - Donna Andrews has a series beginning with Delete All Suspects where the sleuth is actually AI

Greg Bear, Peter Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds write predominantly about AI, bio and advanced tech, based in space.

I just finished a book that fits your criteria to a "T". Spin State by Chris Moriarty. Not so much on robotics, but does delve quite a bit into the rights of AI and clones plus most of the non-AI people are enhanced with some sort of biotech.

Cannot believe I forgot that one. A big winnner Jen as was its sequel.

Oh, good. I will be starting the sequel in a few days. Have to wait until my next day off as the first one kept me reading until I finished it, so I met the wrong side of the dawn. Again.

My all-time-favorite short story is "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison is a great AI story.

acts of the apostles by john sundman gives you a lot of that and more, but isn't set in space, although refers to desert battles on earth.

happy reading

You might enjoy some of the Polity books by Neal Asher. They take place in a AI run space. There are battles, golems, robots, bio-tech, etc..

Asher, Neal
Gridlinked

Enjoy

A newer trilogy still being written is Robert J. Sawyer's WWW series, so far he's got WWW:Wake and WWW: Watch published. They are about the rise of an AI/sentience on the Internet and I recommend them.

The storyline is terrestrial based, but the Starfish trilogy by Peter Watts covers the bio/tech and AI prerequisites to a tee. The trilogy is available free of charge at feedbooks.

It's been a long time since I've read Schismatrix but I believe that may also cover what you're looking for.