Books like 'Roderick'
Readers who enjoyed Roderick by John Sladek also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Beyond Broadhall by Keith A. Pearson
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe concluding installment of the acclaimed time-travel novel. To read the first installment, search for 'The '86 Fix' on Amazon. After his miraculous weekend in 1986, Craig Pelling returned to a future he could never have envisaged. Even by his own hapless standards, his plans have spectacularly backfired... -
Sentienced to Death by Barry J. Hutchison
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAccidental space adventurer Cal Carver has had a rough few months. He's fought spider-dragons, battled space clowns, and been repeatedly tortured by the galaxy's oldest assassin. And don't even get him started on the squirrel-tits. Now all that's behind him, Cal just wants to kick back and relax. The universe, however, has other ideas... -
If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIf I built a car, it'd be totally new!Here are a few of the things that I'd do. . . .Young Jack is giving an eye-opening tour of the car he'd like to build. There's a snack bar, a pool, and even a robot named Robert to act as chauffeur... -
Armageddon by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAfter the Renegade mission by the crew of the starship Flying Dutchman, the UN Expeditionary Force thought Earth was safe for hundreds of years, at least. After there was trouble on the Homefront, and the President had to authorize a nuclear strike on an American city. UNEF decided they did need the Merry Band of Pirates again. So, the Flying Dutchman is sent out on a simple recon mission... -
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Captain Caveman by Jerry Boyd
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsBob and the crew are off to deliver a shipload of lost property to its rightful owners. What dangers, seen and unseen, will they find at this lost colony? Will there be new crew members, waiting to be found? Find out in Bob and Nikki’s latest adventure... -
Lost in Transit by Jerry Boyd
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCan Bob handle his biggest challenge yet, a couple days off? Will John ever find true love? What's aboard the colony ship Bob and Nikki found? The answers to these and other burning questions can be found in 'Lost in... -
Valkyrie by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAfter saving the world many times, the Merry Band of Pirates have accepted the inevitable: Earth is doomed. All they can do is try to bring a few thousand people to safety, before vicious aliens arrive to destroy humanity's homeworld. No. There is one other thing they can do: hit the enemy so hard that the aliens will regret they ever heard of humans... -
Terry Pratchett Discworld Collection 7 Books Set (Unseen Academicals, the Colour ofMagic, GoingPostal, Making Money, the Light Fantastic, Equal Rites, Mort) by Terry Pratchett
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTerry Pratchett is the acclaimed creator of the Discworld series, started in 1983 with The Colour of Magic, and which has now reached 37 novels with Unseen Academicals. Worldwide sales of his books are 60 million, and they have been translated into 37 languages. Terry Pratchett was knighted for services to literature in 2009. Titles Included in this set : 1. Unseen Academicals 2... -
Neural Wraith 2 by K.D. Robertson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFinance isn't Nick Waite’s strong suit as a detective, but he’s learning fast as he investigates the cover-up of a murder inside Neo Babylon’s oldest bank. The winds of conspiracy whirl around him, and everyone from the police commissioner to gang lords warn him to step back.Taking the easy way out isn’t in his nature, however... -
Neural Wraith 3 by K.D. Robertson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNeo Babylon's neural implants are iconic, and are now implicated in a mass murder that threatens the foundation of the city. Detective Nick Waite finds himself struggling with the case. He's spent his entire life without a neural implant, excluded from the Altnet, and now needs to investigate a crime steeped in it... -
Zero Hour by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsUnited Nations Special Operations Command sent an elite Expeditionary Force of soldiers and pilots out on a simple recon mission, and somehow along the way they sparked an alien civil war. Now the not-at-all-Merry Band of Pirates is in desperate trouble, again. Their stolen alien starship is falling apart, thousands of lightyears from home... -
Shaved Ape Key by Jerry Boyd
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhat do you do when you can’t give away a space carrier? Learn to be the best captain you can. If one of your most loyal bots has unfinished business, you have to send him out to finish it up, don’t you? Come along as Bob faces his new responsibilities as captain of the B. S. Gene Cernan. And don’t forget to sing along...“There’s room for you, and there’s room for me... -
Starfoot by Jerry Boyd
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsAre Jim and Molly okay? John’s old friend Steve needs help. Can the crew take care of his problem? Can he help with some of their problems? Bob gets caught, loading a saucer. Will it mean big trouble, or a new crew member? Max finds marooned saucers on the Moon... -
Charlie's Planet by Jerry Boyd
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsBob and Nikki decide to take a honeymoon, to celebrate Nikki’s pregnancy... -
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Book Night on Union Station by E.M. Foner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsStart series with first book, Date Night on Union Station The Stryx offer EarthCent help in reaching out to the wide-spread human communities, but as usual, it comes with a catch or two. Kelly see an opportunity to increase her book hoard, just as publishing on Union Station begins to take off and Donna's daughters enter a friendly competition... -
Renegades by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe battle-scarred star carrier Flying Dutchman is finally on her way back to Earth, after an exceptionally successful series of missions that have once again Saved The World. The ship needs a serious refit, and her exhausted crew just wants a break from constant clandestine warfare against a vicious and superior enemy. Wishes come true, right? Not for the Merry Band of Pirates... -
Robots Go Wild! by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn book two of the House of Robots series, it's 'bot brains versus 'bot brawn in an all-out war!Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez and his "bro-bot" E are making new friends every day as E works as his bedridden sister Maddie's school proxy. But disaster strikes when E malfunctions just in time to be upstaged by the super-cool new robot on the block--and loses his ability to help Maddie... -
Black Ops by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe elite crew of the pirate ship UNS Flying Dutchman had a simple mission: determining whether the Thuranin are sending another starship to Earth. Along the way, they became sidetracked by securing a future for the UNEF troops on the planet Paradise. When asked whether Earth was now safe, their ancient alien AI responded 'Not so much'... now they have to deal with the consequences... -
Whammo Ranch by Jerry Boyd
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA saucer comes in damaged, with sick people aboard. A deadly plague threatens Earth. Can Bob and his crew save the day? Will Bob's good nature cost him his life? Julie's boss wants to retire. Can she handle running the restaurant? Can Bob find her the help she needs? Dee has come down with a terrible case of pedestrianism... -
Robot Revolution! by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRobots on strike! Sammy's underappreciated mechanical helpers are causing chaos in book 3 of the bestselling House of Robots series.After a few early glitches in their relationship, Sammy and his "bro-bot" E are now fast friends. In fact, E is such a valued member of the family that the other electronic occupants of the House of Robots are feeling sorely unappreciated... -
The Anything Box by Zenna Henderson
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDon't open The Anything Box unless you're prepared for the unexpected. The Grunder, a thing of horror which, if defeated, restores love... The Noise-Eater, created by a child out of his fevered imagination, gobbles up anything--or anyone--that makes a sound... The Coveti, residents of an alien world poisoned by the intrusion of the stranger from Earth.. -
Compulsory by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsMurderbot—the sardonic, almost-homicidal, media-loving android created by Martha Wells—has proven to be one of the most popular characters in 21 st century science fiction. Everything that makes this protagonist (it would be wrong to call Murderbot a hero) beloved of fans is on display in Compulsory... -
Paradise by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWhile the crew of the starship Flying Dutchman have been trying assure hostile aliens do not have access to Earth, the UN Expeditionary Force has been trapped on the planet they nicknamed 'Paradise'. The Flying Dutchman is headed back out on another mission, and the UN wants the ship to find out the status of the humans on Paradise... -
Mavericks by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThe remnants of the Expeditionary Force stranded on the alien-controlled planet 'Paradise' get a chance to prove themselves, in a simple off-world training mission with a ship full of teenage alien cadets. When the mission goes horribly wrong and the survival of everyone on Paradise is at risk, the Merry Band of Pirates may have to come to the rescue. Unless they get killed first.. -
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The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAutonomous maintenance robots take on a much larger role in saving a spaceship from aliens than the ship's human crew could have ever suspected.A science fiction story first published in Clarkesworld, Issue 132, September 2017... -
Dark Side of the Moon by V.R. Tapscott
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this sequel to Jane Bond, Jane finds some very interesting things in the basement left behind when Kit went away. Among them is a fully operational space ship. Of course, the catch is, how can Jane fly it? Once Jane overcomes that hurdle, she and her friends are on the way again - and a new friend by the name of Olive comes along to pilot the ship - and make pancakes... -
Cog by Greg Van Eekhout
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFive robots. One unforgettable journey. Their programming will never be the same. Cog looks like a normal twelve-year-old boy. But his name is short for “cognitive development,” and he was built to learn.But after an accident leaves him damaged, Cog wakes up in an unknown lab—and Gina, the scientist who created and cared for him, is nowhere to be found... -
Time Travellers Strictly Cash by Spider Robinson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsHuman or otherwise, regardless of race, creed or dimension of origin, if you're looking for a good time in a place where the beer is always flowing, and the stories always out of this world, step up to the bar at Callahan's... -
Holding Wonder by Zenna Henderson
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn this many-dimensioned new collection of speculative fiction, Zena Henderson introduces us to a boy who "calls" his mother, despite the fact that the nearest phone is miles away... -
Mail-Order Brides of Crakair: Scifi Alien Romance Box Set: A Complete, 6 Book Series Plus 2 Bonus Novellas by Ava Ross
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsThey're scaly and green, seven-feet-tall, much too cocky, and they're seeking Earthling brides.The Complete Mail-Order Brides of Crakair Series includes:VorkBrykJorgKralWulfLyelAxilGajePLUS SIX bonus epilogues never before released!Over 14 million page reads in this bestselling series... -
System Collapse by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsThe million-copy, New York Times bestselling Murderbot series is back in another full-length novel adventure!Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits... -
Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories by Naomi Kritzer
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsAcclaimed writer Naomi Kritzer's marvelous tales of science fiction and fantasy are now collected in Cat Pictures and Other Stories. Here are seventeen short stories, including her Hugo Award-winning story "Cat Pictures Please," which is about what would happen if artificial intelligence was born out of our search engine history. Two stories are previously unpublished... -
The Robert Sheckley Megapack: 15 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Robert Sheckley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Robert Sheckley Megapack presents 14 short stories and 1 novel by the author Neil Gaiman called "probably the best short-story writer during the '50s to the mid-1960s working in any field... -
The Fredric Brown MEGAPACK ®: 33 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Fredric Brown
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFredric Brown (1906-1972), one of science fiction's greatest masters from the Golden Age, is famous for his many classic short stories -- quite a few of which are presented here, including "Arena," "Knock," "Earthmen Bearing Gifts," "The Star Mouse," and many more... -
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Doctor Who: The Also People by Ben Aaronovitch
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings'Just how technologically advanced are they?' The Doctor frowned. 'Let me put it this way: they have a non-aggression pact with the Time Lords.'The Doctor has taken his companions to paradise, or at least the closest thing he can find. A sun enclosed by an artificial sphere where there is no want, poverty or violence... -
Semi/Human by Erik Hanberg
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsRobots are in. Humans are out. Can one teenager steal her way to a better future?Pen Davis just lost her internship to a robot. As supercomputers take over all the jobs in the world, the lonely teen doesn’t see a future. Desperate to escape the coming robo-pocalpyse, she devises a plot to steal millions from her former boss... -
Scharlette Doesn't Matter and Goes Time Travelling by Sam Bowring
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEver since Scharlette’s parents gave her a name no one can really pronounce, she’s been stuck in a bit of a rut. She hates her job in airport security, making people take their belts off before they fly away to exotic locations she can only dream about... -
Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRandy likes space, robots, and baseball, but he can't ace everything . . . or can he? Chris Van Dusen knocks one out of the park with a comical ode to ingenuity.Randy Riley loves two things: science and baseball. When it comes to the solar system, the constellations, and all things robot, Randy is a genius. But on the baseball diamond? Not so much. He tries . . . but whiffs every time... -
Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep! by Todd Tarpley
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA playful robot bedtime story, illustrated by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco! Quiet at last. Not a peep. Three little robots are... BEEP! BEEP!When his three rambunctious robots give every possible excuse not to go to sleep, what's a little boy to do? With a fun refrain that will have readers of all ages chanting along, here's a book that kids will be begging to read every night before bed... -
Secret Squirrels by Jerry Boyd
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Squirrels want Bob and the Gene out of their sky. Bob just wants to get along, maybe do a little business. How can he convince them he means no harm? Does he have to show them that they don’t want him for an enemy, just to get their attention? Find out in Secret Squirrels... -
Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOne day, a boy and a robot meet in the woods. They play. They have fun.But when Bot gets switched off, Boy thinks he's sick. The usual remedies—applesauce, reading a story—don't help, so Boy tucks the sick Bot in, then falls asleep.Bot is worried when he powers on and finds his friend powered off. He takes Boy home with him and tries all his remedies: oil, reading an instruction manual... -
Odyssey by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsA man without memory, stranded on an icy asteroid. His only chance for survival is locked within a band of mining robots who are dutifully searching the surface for a mysterious object known as the Key to Perihelion. His name is Derec. His journey will take him to a city different from any he has ever known. A fantastic metropolis beyond his dreams: Robot City... -
The Wrong Unit by Rob Dircks
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HUMANS ARE SO CRANKY ABOUT. Their enclosures are large, they ingest over a thousand calories per day, and they're allowed to mate. Plus, they have me. An Autonomous Servile Unit, housed in a mobile/bipedal chassis. I do my job well: keep the humans healthy and happy."Hey you."Heyoo. That's my name, I suppose. It's easier for the humans to remember than 413s98-itr8... -
I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay by Harlan Ellison
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNumerous attempts had been made to adapt Isaac Asimov's classic story-cycle to the motion picture medium. All efforts failed. In 1977, producers approached the author to take a crack at this impossible project. He accepted, and produced an astonishing screenplay. This book presents that screenplay... -
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Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA STEM-friendly tale of a girl and the doll she upgrades to be her new friend, for fans of The Most Magnificent Thing and Rosie Revere, Engineer.Charlotte's world is fully charged! With her dog at her side, she's always tinkering, coding, clicking, and downloading... -
Robots Have No Tails by Henry Kuttner, F. Paul Wilson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHounded by creditors and heckled by an uncooperative robot, binge-drinking inventor Galloway Gallegher must solve the mystery of his own machines before his dodgy financing and reckless lifestyle catch up with him! This complete collection of Kuttner's five classic "Gallegher" stories presents the author at the height of his imaginative genius... -
Uncanny Magazine Issue 18: September/October 2017 by Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsContentsThe Uncanny Valley / essay by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian ThomasHenosis / short story by N. K. JemisinClearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand / short story by Fran WildeThough She Be But Little / short story by C.S.E. CooneyDown and Out in R'lyeh / novelette by Catherynne M... -
Clink by Kelly DiPucchio
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsClink was a state-of-the-art robot with the dazzling ability to make toast and play music at the same time. But that was many years ago.Now kids want snazzier robots who do things like play baseball and bake cookies. So day after day, Clink sits on a shelf and sadly watches as his friends leave with their new owners... -
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories by Isaac Asimov, C.M. Kornbluth
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsContents:- Introduction: The Science Fiction Blowgun by Isaac Asimov- A Loint of Paw by Isaac Asimov- The Advent on Channel Twelve by C.M. Kornbluth- Plaything by Larry Niven- The misfortune cookie by Charles E. Fritch- I Wish I May, I Wish I Might by Bill Pronzini- FTA by George R.R. Martin- Trace by Jerome Bixby- The Ingenious Patriot by Ambrose Bierce- Zoo by Edward D... -
Timeless Stories for Today and Tomorrow by Ray Bradbury, John Cheever
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnthology...
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