Review by Abacus -- André's Reboot by Steve Coleman

[Abacus]

[Following is a volunteer review of "André's Reboot" by Steve Coleman.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Steve Coleman has authored an extremely entertaining Sci-fi story. In Andre's Reboot, the protagonist Andre is a robot developed by Dr. Philip Strauss. Dr. Strauss perceives similarities between a robot's neural network and the biochemistry process, which makes connections in the brains of humans and animals. Andre becomes aware of himself, and although Andre does not feel emotions like humans, he observes them in humans and has learned to adapt his behavior.

Some years pass while Andre's skills are growing. Coleman reveals, with various family scenarios, how Andre gradually learns to understand more and more about human emotion. Sadly, Dr. Strauss and his wife separate, and Dr. Strauss drinks himself to death. To repay the Strauss debts, Andre is auctioned off and bought by the Central Intelligence Agency to be an analyst. Dr. Sandra Keene becomes his mentor and allows Andre to attend a series of meetings in which General Johnson argues for the military and war. General Johnson denigrates Andre's suggestions of withdrawing American forces from countries in the Middle East.

Andre learns to charge himself, repair himself, build new parts for himself, and eventually, he creates a beautiful lady robot whom he programs as a doctor and calls her Margaret 13. Andre and Margaret care about the human race and discuss ways to help them make good decisions.

I marvel at how Coleman maintains the dialogue between humans and robots for chapter after chapter. He marks Andre's exchanges by always recording the time it takes to process information. He uses Andre to provide statistics about guns, war, and government expenses. Coleman includes a discussion of religion. There is social commentary, humor, and philosophy throughout the book.

I thought the characters were effectively developed with some stereotyping. I experienced no difficulty in accepting who the general was and his viewpoint. There was a good deal of discussion on tribalism, and the military suggesting that military strengths like teamwork and obeying orders become its weakness in many war scenarios.

During Andre's time at the Whitehouse, Coleman besmirches the President and Vice President frequently. I find it ironic that many chapters are spent discussing how Andre can adopt some tact so as not to upset humans, but the author badmouths our current President and Vice President at every turn. Coleman states that all the characters are a work of fiction, but it's clear to me whom he means. This reader found the criticism offensive to the point of character assassination.

I rate Andre's Reboot 4 out of 4 stars for its creativity and its clear dialogue among humans and robots. I do not rate it 3 out of 4 stars because of the research and statistics that assist the reader in grasping the issues. I did not discover any errors and believe it to be professionally edited. I recommend Andre's Reboot to Sci-fi fans, people who have an interest in robotics, politics, leadership, and people who care about this world.

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André's Reboot
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[Sanju Lali]

It looks like a extremely entertaining Sci-fi story, which follows Andre, who is a robot that becomes self aware. Thanks for your insightful review though.

[Abacus]

It looks like a extremely entertaining Sci-fi story, which follows Andre, who is a robot that becomes self aware. Thanks for your insightful review though.

Glad you liked it.

[Abacus]

It looks like an extremely entertaining Sci-fi story, which follows Andre, who is a robot that becomes self-aware. Thanks for your insightful review, though.

You're welcome.