Review of Japanese Robots Love to Dance
Posted: 26 Oct 2023, 17:50
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Japanese Robots Love to Dance" by Margret A Treiber.]
Gary Legal was an attorney who was not in it for the money but rather to help those in need. It would not be surprising to find him representing bots, AI, or otherworldly creatures—even supreme beings—in this advanced civilization. The fact that he is the only thing standing between the less fortunate and incarceration is what keeps him going. "Japanese Robots Love to Dance" is a collection of amusing short stories that tell the stories of Legal and his clients while also revealing more of their adventures outside of the courtroom.
The short length of the stories in this book allowed them to be straightforward and very engaging, showcasing Treiber's writing talent. Every story had a relationship with Gary Legal, and even if he was not the main focus in some of them, he was always important in the end. Just like Legal’s clients, I was always eager to get to the part where Legal would be their savior. His tactics were sometimes devious, and ruling a case involving Gary Legal meant the judge should be prepared for some theatrics—or worse. This made boring court proceedings more interesting as I waited for Legal's next unexpected move.
The characters in this book were well developed. I liked how every one of them was held to a standard that was respected throughout. Because each character's boundaries were clearly defined, there was no room for unexpected, unrealistic twists. This enabled the reader to follow the characters' stories and fully appreciate their interactions. I was especially entertained by 209's interactions with its accomplices. Even though it was only a truck bot, it had a quick wit and could make snide remarks. This was unexpected for a bot, which only added to its appeal.
A character, Al, could have benefited from a better description. I did not realize he was a full-fledged robot until well into the second part. This lack of proper description was also evident in a few other parts of the book; however, contextual clues helped to alleviate the confusion. I only wish they had arrived earlier. I also assumed the book would be about dancing robots, but these were only in one small section of the story. As a result, the title is somewhat misleading.
Despite the aforementioned flaws, this was a really amazing book to read and deserves a 5 out of 5 rating. The drawbacks listed above are all subjective and may differ from one reader to the next. The excellent editing also adds to the appeal of this book, as I found no obvious errors. I was never bored by this quirky story, and the cliffhanger makes me eager to read the next Gary Legal novel. Fans of science fiction with a good sense of humor will enjoy this book.
******
Japanese Robots Love to Dance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Gary Legal was an attorney who was not in it for the money but rather to help those in need. It would not be surprising to find him representing bots, AI, or otherworldly creatures—even supreme beings—in this advanced civilization. The fact that he is the only thing standing between the less fortunate and incarceration is what keeps him going. "Japanese Robots Love to Dance" is a collection of amusing short stories that tell the stories of Legal and his clients while also revealing more of their adventures outside of the courtroom.
The short length of the stories in this book allowed them to be straightforward and very engaging, showcasing Treiber's writing talent. Every story had a relationship with Gary Legal, and even if he was not the main focus in some of them, he was always important in the end. Just like Legal’s clients, I was always eager to get to the part where Legal would be their savior. His tactics were sometimes devious, and ruling a case involving Gary Legal meant the judge should be prepared for some theatrics—or worse. This made boring court proceedings more interesting as I waited for Legal's next unexpected move.
The characters in this book were well developed. I liked how every one of them was held to a standard that was respected throughout. Because each character's boundaries were clearly defined, there was no room for unexpected, unrealistic twists. This enabled the reader to follow the characters' stories and fully appreciate their interactions. I was especially entertained by 209's interactions with its accomplices. Even though it was only a truck bot, it had a quick wit and could make snide remarks. This was unexpected for a bot, which only added to its appeal.
A character, Al, could have benefited from a better description. I did not realize he was a full-fledged robot until well into the second part. This lack of proper description was also evident in a few other parts of the book; however, contextual clues helped to alleviate the confusion. I only wish they had arrived earlier. I also assumed the book would be about dancing robots, but these were only in one small section of the story. As a result, the title is somewhat misleading.
Despite the aforementioned flaws, this was a really amazing book to read and deserves a 5 out of 5 rating. The drawbacks listed above are all subjective and may differ from one reader to the next. The excellent editing also adds to the appeal of this book, as I found no obvious errors. I was never bored by this quirky story, and the cliffhanger makes me eager to read the next Gary Legal novel. Fans of science fiction with a good sense of humor will enjoy this book.
******
Japanese Robots Love to Dance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
That's probably exactly what the author intended with choosing it! I'm not a short story reader, but I found the ideas behind these very enticing! I loved that someone in the future would be legally representing robots! I also very much enjoy an author with a sense of humor, sounds like these stories were well-done, like your review! Thanks so much for sharing this one with us!