The Robot Who Looked Like Me
Encyclopedia
The Robot Who Looked Like Me is a collection of science fiction
short stories
by Robert Sheckley
. It was first published in 1978 by Sphere Books
. It includes the following stories (magazines in which the stories originally appeared given in parentheses):
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...
. It was first published in 1978 by Sphere Books
Sphere Books
-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
. It includes the following stories (magazines in which the stories originally appeared given in parentheses):
- "The Robot Who Looked Like Me" (Cosmopolitan, 1973) A man builds a robot version of himself to free-up extra spare time.
- "Slaves of Time" (Nova 4, 1974)
- "Voices" (PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, Oct 1973) - "A Supplicant in Space" (GalaxyGalaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
, Nov 1973, as "A Suppliant in Space".) - "Zirn Left Unguarded, The Jenghik Palace in Flames, Jon Westerly Dead" (Nova 2, 1972) A status report from a military outpost in space.
- "Sneak Previews" (PenthousePenthouse (magazine)Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
, Aug 1977) - "Welcome to the Standard Nightmare" (Nova 3, 1973)
- "End City" (Galaxy, May 1974, with a different ending.)
- "The Never-Ending Western Movie" (Science Fiction Discoveries, 1976) A day in the life of a television star who has been featured in a western for the last 20+ years.
- "What is Life?" (PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, Dec 1976) - "I See a Man Sitting on a Chair, and the Chair is Biting His Leg" (F&SFThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
, Jan 1968; co-authored with Harlan EllisonHarlan EllisonHarlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
, although Ellison is not credited in the book edition) Concerns a man who is chased through a futuristic Las Vegas-like city by inordinate objects with an unnatural affection for him. - "Is That What People Do?" (Anticipations, 1978) A man finds a pair of binoculars and uses them to observe people in nearby highrise buildings.
- "Silversmith Wishes" (Playboy, May 1977)