XR_935 is very proud to be part of Earth’s Robot revolution. He has been with his Family Unit for just over 12 years, working 18 hours a day installing solar panels, then returning home to Parent_1 and Parent_2 to plug in and recharge his batteries at night. Each day he works with co-workers, Ceeron and SkD.

Ceeron is a tall, strong robot who carries the day’s solar panels to their worksite in his large back compartment. SkD is an installation robot, specialising in wiring the solar panels. XR and Ceeron communicate with normal speech, and SkD uses emoticons that past humans enjoyed using in their own communications.

Every day they see a live feed from PRES1DENT, who reminds them how bad it was for Earth when humans were alive. This was the reason humans were wiped out by robots thirty years before, in order to protect the planet they all shared. Every robot, including XR and his fellow workers, believe this whole heartedly – if they had a heart.

When suddenly faced with a small, 12 year old human being, they are unsure what to do. Call the hunterbots to round it up? Alert the roaming security drones? It is a threat to robotkind. Isn’t it?

They soon learn the name of this human. M-uh. Mmma. Emma! Scanning inner wired protocols, and what they know and have learnt since their initial plug ins, they struggle with the thought of dispatching this human. Surely she didn’t wreck the planet? She wasn’t even born. She is a paradox.

XR and his co-workers; who Emma shows him are actually his friends, have to make a quick decision. Save or Report? This decision will decide not only their future but those of everyone who still calls Earth their home.

This tween novel is a wonderful mix of technology, dystopian and environmental themes, with likeable characters second-guessing everything they know. Major decisions must be made, and quickly, in order to save a life.

This life of one small human changes their beliefs and everything that unpins their way of life. These beliefs were intriguing and thought provoking – eg. why did humans have nail salons when the world was crumbling around them? Why did humans require so much stuff? 

The book chapter markers are in binary numbers, which is what the man character falls back on every time he is overwhelmed with what is happening around him.

Working out SkD’s emoticon (illustrations) were fun and XR’s almost rigid robotness, mixed with his sentience (human-like feelings) were cleverly portrayed. Great read!

Author – Lee Bacon

Age – 9+

(2019, Templar Books, Robots, Technology, Future, Sentient, Sentience, Dystopian, Secret, Quest, Map, Discovery, Earth, Environment, Paradox, Binary, Choices, Decision making, Humour, Amusing)