I, Robot Valentine

Alison Paige
Ellora's Cave (2007)
ISBN 9781419908590
Reviewed by Amelia Bibb for Reader Views (2/07)

Ally's a lonely woman with an ex-husband she's thankful to be rid of and a still-burning torch for her high school crush. As luck would have it, this is the year 2104 so all a lonely woman really needs is a well-designed male robot companion. Issamov Enterprises has just what she needs in the form of Thomas. He slices, he dices, and he can even make you moan! But wait! There's more…

Now fate steps in, and it just so happens that the genius creator of these pleasure robots and multimillionaire owner of Issamov Enterprises is Ally's crush; so of course, they are designed to look like him in every way. Interesting, ne c'est pas?

Ally's not quite sure what to make of this fun-bot, but quickly learns, he's better at the business than anything or anyone she's ever known. There's something about him that makes her feel more than just sexually satisfied. She's noticing he's saying things, doing things, and even feeling things that a robot just doesn't. Ally must be losing her mind if she's falling for a robot, or maybe she's not crazy at all.

The story line is fun and imaginative, and I especially appreciated the writer's descriptiveness of each sexual encounter. Well paced and enjoyably detailed. Gone was the attempt to come up with a thousand different names for the male body part, and that is a relief! The only thing I was truly disappointed in was the lack of the same descriptiveness in the character's surroundings. The only indication of sci-fi to the reader was the fact that he's a robot, and quite honestly, I was a bit let down. There are more than a few movies and stories that run on the premise of a robot companion and many are set in our day and age, so if there had been more detail in the little things like the surroundings or perhaps an event or even the weather; something to remind us that it's 2104, it would have been more pleasing for those who seek out sci-fi erotica.

“I, Robot Valentine” was a quick read, and the story line was very creative. I enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it to a friend who's not specifically looking for a sci-fi kind of good time.

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