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Review - Riotous Robots - Mike Goldsmith

Like many children's popular science books, this is really a cross between a popular science book and a text book - it doesn't have the end-to-end readable flow of a true popular science book, tending to operate more as a set of mini-articles. But this isn't too much of a problem, and the writing is enjoyable without being condescending.

In covering robots, Mike Goldsmith starts us off with fictional robots, looks at their applications in work and at home, then in the wider reaches of space and the sea, before heading off into future possibilities. There's plenty of good material in here, though not many of the people around the robots emerge as personalities - the machines win every time.

He's at his weakest when dealing with fiction. At least thee of the facts are wrong - he confuses the film of Frankenstein with the book, saying that in the book Frankenstein's monster is matey "until it discovers... its somewhat terrifying appearance" - in fact, in the book the monster is very attractive in appearance, and it goes to pieces agonising over its soul or lack of one. He also refers to Daleks as robots, though later slightly redeems himself by classing them as cyborgs, and says the robot in Metropolis has no name, when it is clearly called the robot Maria.

That fictional hiccups aren't too bad though, and once he gets onto the real things, Goldsmith goes great guns. In fact it's a shame that more TV fiction writers (got this, Joss Whedon of Buffy fame?) couldn't take a leaf out of Goldsmith's book in realizing just how hard it is to make a robot that's anything like a real person. Our favourite robot? The slug powered bot that crawls around the garden catching pests and eating them.

Reviewed by Jo Reed

Review by Josie, year 6 (age 11):

Riotous Robots was great, it had so many fun and exciting facts. I liked the time line best; it showed all the different robots from 1499 to 2003, it was so interesting. If I had to choose a robot I would choose... Aibo. He is a robot pet; he's a dog. The first version of him was built in 1999.

I have learned lots of things about robots, space and under the water. I liked the spacebots chapter as it had lots of information on robots that had gone to the moon (or failed to go to the moon). My favourite seabot was Jason Junior as he was an underwater explorer and I like the sea.

I give this book four stars - very good to excellent - because I learned lots of things. Although I enjoyed this book I would not read lots of these as I find it difficult to remember all the facts.

I enjoyed how the book was written as Dr Mike Goldsmith added in lots of funny illustrations that had humorous speech. It made it easier to read as the pictures broke up the writing.

Only in paperback

* Our age range recommendation is an estimated guide, but individual readers outside the range could still enjoy the book!

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