If this site had a rating system I would give the story 4 out of 5 stars. Excellent story, I really enjoyed it. The first 2/3 was great, and then it stumbled a bit (from Star Trek experience onward).
One of the most questionable parts was the super cheap price of the companion bot ($3,000?). She is the equivalent of a Ferrari, with a scooter pricetag. The tremendous value she provides as a companion and homemaker would make everyone want to have one (I'd be first in line!), but I only see truly wealthy people being able to afford her model level.
I highly recommend this story to others, and I will be trying the author's other stories.
I just wanted to say how much I love this story. It was the first thing I read from feedbooks, and I was in no way disappointed. I read it pretty much on one sitting. I did have to put it down to take care of something, but I was thinking about it the whole time I was reading it. In fact, you inspired me to finally post my first story. I've been sitting on it, unsure if I wanted to put it "out there". So, thanks!
Again, I truly love the story, it makes me feel optimistic towards the future, and it makes me want to start saving up some money for a robot!
I could not put this down. Very good story line that flowed nicely. I am really hoping that you continue on with the characters into another book in the near future.
And now I would really like to place an order for a robot that can do the household chores for me as well :)
Just wanted to take the time to say how much I loved this book! I thought that it was extremely well written, easy to read and a thoroughly affirming, joyous experience overall. Devoured it in one sitting and have been re-reading some of my favourite bookmarked parts since - highly recommended.
Wes, I thoroughly enjoyed His Robot Girlfriend. As an avid Star Trek fan I especially enjoyed the references when they were in Vegas. And I don't like the Borg either!
I found the world you painted fascinating. A world almost the same as today's, but with subtle differences.
I had an older download, so I noticed the errors :) which I'm sure you've now caught. I downloaded the mobi version and there was a section in chapter 8 where all the quote marks and apostrophes were replaced with symbols and letters.
"His Robot Girlfriend" was thoroughly enjoyable. I found it titillating, but it never decended into the grotesque or vulgar. My wife is a 5th through 7th-grade French and Spanish teacher at a private school here in Fort Worth, Texas, and I laughed out loud at the first few chapters especially, where the classes are described.
I was intrigued at the particular version of near-future reality painted in words, which was nicely subliminal. One picks up that mankind was not able to completely arrest global warming, that certain things like food and clothing are anywhere from 100% to 200% higher, but interestingly, a sophisticated, humanlike robot is a mere $2700. (Forgive any minor inaccuracies. I just got done reading the book over the course of a couple of days). Fascinating!
I, too, was going to sheepishly submit a list of typos, but looks like that isn't necessary.
Looking forward eagerly to reading your others. msm
December 14, 2009:
I just finished posting a new edit of His Robot Girlfriend. Hopefully this has fixed the typoes and a few grammatical errors. Thanks to everyone who lent their hands to this task.
Really enjoyed the story. I can see why some women might object to the bahaviour of Patience in the story. I think like most men the fantasy of having the perfect robot girlfriend is very appealing, if unreallistic. Keep up the good work and I will be looking out for your work.
First of all, thanks for taking the time to read my book. A few answers to some of your comments.
"One of my criticisms are that after the robot girlfriend arrives, most of the story revolves around buying her clothes and having sex. I can't understand why this robot needs so many dresses and shoes. Apparently robots are programmed to be insatiable consumers."
Yes, I can see how that might bother some people. My idea was that having a robot would ultimately be something like having a really big Barbie doll. Check out the Barbie aisle in the toy store-- lots of clothes and shoes. The story was originally very sexually explicit and I rewrote it to be less so, but there is still just as much sex as before, just less graphic.
"My second criticism is that there are some typos, grammatical errors, and things that seem like incorrect technical wording."
I am very sorry. I'm very embarrassed about the typos! Believe me, I have spent many hours editing and have had several others editing for me as well. This is a problem that most self-published authors, without the benefit of professional editors, face. It's hard to edit your own writing, since you tend to skip over words without even realizing it, since you know what is there. I am going to go back again though, and when I find those typos or errors, I will fix them and update the file here.
As for the technical aspect you mentioned-- write-only memory. Yup, that was just a mistake. It should have been read-only. I may go back and fix that, or I might just leave it to confuse the techies.
"Thirdly, I know the girlfriend is a robot, but does she really have to act like the perfect female slave that waits on her man hand-and-foot, takes care of him, and satisfies his every sexual desire?"
Well, the story is essentially a male fantasy play.
"She really doesn't have much personality of her own; she simply behaves exactly as Mike wants her to (except when it comes to exercise, I guess)."
She is a robot.
"The fact that she babies Mike so much makes me dislike him for being such a helpless man."
I can see that. Still, speaking as a man, that is probably the most realistic part of the story.
"Someone reading this from the feminist perspective would have a great time ripping the story to shreds."
While I tried to make a few social comments in the story, I would be the first to say that it's not that thematically deep. I doubt there is much femenist criticism to be done beyond what you have said about Mike above. Still, if someone writes a college paper on my book, send me a copy of it, and I will send you an autographed paperback.
quillaja,
Please stop by my blog at http://amathar.blogspot.com and drop me an email.
Thanks,
Wes Allison
This book was ok. I really was looking only for something short and moderately entertaining (though something more would also have been welcome), and "His Robot Girlfriend" delivered that for free.
One of my criticisms are that after the robot girlfriend arrives, most of the story revolves around buying her clothes and having sex. I can't understand why this robot needs so many dresses and shoes. Apparently robots are programmed to be insatiable consumers.
My second criticism is that there are some typos, grammatical errors, and things that seem like incorrect technical wording. The typos and grammatical mistakes might just be in the feedbooks version, but the technical mistakes are probably not. For example, the robot implies that her experiential memory can't be damaged or erased because it's "write only." If it's write only, how does she access it? Also, though I never heard of "write only" memory, because it can be written to, one could still erase or damage it by writing bad or null data to it.
Thirdly, I know the girlfriend is a robot, but does she really have to act like the perfect female slave that waits on her man hand-and-foot, takes care of him, and satisfies his every sexual desire? She really doesn't have much personality of her own; she simply behaves exactly as Mike wants her to (except when it comes to exercise, I guess). The fact that she babies Mike so much makes me dislike him for being such a helpless man. Someone reading this from the feminist perspective would have a great time ripping the story to shreds.
Anyway, it's a decent quick read if you're looking for some mild entertainment.
I Am An An Incredibly Huge Fan Ive Already Read This Book (his robot Girlfriend) On My iPhone And I'm Working On Your Other Two. I Would Love Any Advice You Can Give About Writing Books. (Im Working ON A Book Of Poems Right now)
on Mar 09, 2010 at 21:53
If this site had a rating system I would give the story 4 out of 5 stars. Excellent story, I really enjoyed it. The first 2/3 was great, and then it stumbled a bit (from Star Trek experience onward).
One of the most questionable parts was the super cheap price of the companion bot ($3,000?). She is the equivalent of a Ferrari, with a scooter pricetag. The tremendous value she provides as a companion and homemaker would make everyone want to have one (I'd be first in line!), but I only see truly wealthy people being able to afford her model level.
I highly recommend this story to others, and I will be trying the author's other stories.
on Feb 23, 2010 at 20:17
I just wanted to say how much I love this story. It was the first thing I read from feedbooks, and I was in no way disappointed. I read it pretty much on one sitting. I did have to put it down to take care of something, but I was thinking about it the whole time I was reading it. In fact, you inspired me to finally post my first story. I've been sitting on it, unsure if I wanted to put it "out there". So, thanks!
Again, I truly love the story, it makes me feel optimistic towards the future, and it makes me want to start saving up some money for a robot!
on Feb 15, 2010 at 04:58
I could not put this down. Very good story line that flowed nicely. I am really hoping that you continue on with the characters into another book in the near future.
And now I would really like to place an order for a robot that can do the household chores for me as well :)
on Feb 06, 2010 at 19:24
Just wanted to take the time to say how much I loved this book! I thought that it was extremely well written, easy to read and a thoroughly affirming, joyous experience overall. Devoured it in one sitting and have been re-reading some of my favourite bookmarked parts since - highly recommended.
on Jan 26, 2010 at 17:35
Wes, I thoroughly enjoyed His Robot Girlfriend. As an avid Star Trek fan I especially enjoyed the references when they were in Vegas. And I don't like the Borg either!
I found the world you painted fascinating. A world almost the same as today's, but with subtle differences.
I had an older download, so I noticed the errors :) which I'm sure you've now caught. I downloaded the mobi version and there was a section in chapter 8 where all the quote marks and apostrophes were replaced with symbols and letters.
on Jan 23, 2010 at 23:18
Okay, maybe NOW all the errors are fixed. Thanks Jason.
on Dec 18, 2009 at 03:34
"His Robot Girlfriend" was thoroughly enjoyable. I found it titillating, but it never decended into the grotesque or vulgar. My wife is a 5th through 7th-grade French and Spanish teacher at a private school here in Fort Worth, Texas, and I laughed out loud at the first few chapters especially, where the classes are described.
I was intrigued at the particular version of near-future reality painted in words, which was nicely subliminal. One picks up that mankind was not able to completely arrest global warming, that certain things like food and clothing are anywhere from 100% to 200% higher, but interestingly, a sophisticated, humanlike robot is a mere $2700. (Forgive any minor inaccuracies. I just got done reading the book over the course of a couple of days). Fascinating!
I, too, was going to sheepishly submit a list of typos, but looks like that isn't necessary.
Looking forward eagerly to reading your others. msm
on Dec 15, 2009 at 06:44
December 14, 2009:
I just finished posting a new edit of His Robot Girlfriend. Hopefully this has fixed the typoes and a few grammatical errors. Thanks to everyone who lent their hands to this task.
on Dec 10, 2009 at 15:18
I loved the book. I guess it appeals to both my male and geeky nature. It was a great read and kept me wanting more. Keep up the good work.
on Nov 10, 2009 at 14:20
Really enjoyed the story. I can see why some women might object to the bahaviour of Patience in the story. I think like most men the fantasy of having the perfect robot girlfriend is very appealing, if unreallistic. Keep up the good work and I will be looking out for your work.
on Nov 06, 2009 at 11:45
Very entertaining story with a thought-provoking plot :) I would really recommend this book for a lazy evening spent with a glass of cocoa :)
on Aug 12, 2009 at 10:51
quillaja,
First of all, thanks for taking the time to read my book. A few answers to some of your comments.
"One of my criticisms are that after the robot girlfriend arrives, most of the story revolves around buying her clothes and having sex. I can't understand why this robot needs so many dresses and shoes. Apparently robots are programmed to be insatiable consumers."
Yes, I can see how that might bother some people. My idea was that having a robot would ultimately be something like having a really big Barbie doll. Check out the Barbie aisle in the toy store-- lots of clothes and shoes. The story was originally very sexually explicit and I rewrote it to be less so, but there is still just as much sex as before, just less graphic.
"My second criticism is that there are some typos, grammatical errors, and things that seem like incorrect technical wording."
I am very sorry. I'm very embarrassed about the typos! Believe me, I have spent many hours editing and have had several others editing for me as well. This is a problem that most self-published authors, without the benefit of professional editors, face. It's hard to edit your own writing, since you tend to skip over words without even realizing it, since you know what is there. I am going to go back again though, and when I find those typos or errors, I will fix them and update the file here.
As for the technical aspect you mentioned-- write-only memory. Yup, that was just a mistake. It should have been read-only. I may go back and fix that, or I might just leave it to confuse the techies.
"Thirdly, I know the girlfriend is a robot, but does she really have to act like the perfect female slave that waits on her man hand-and-foot, takes care of him, and satisfies his every sexual desire?"
Well, the story is essentially a male fantasy play.
"She really doesn't have much personality of her own; she simply behaves exactly as Mike wants her to (except when it comes to exercise, I guess)."
She is a robot.
"The fact that she babies Mike so much makes me dislike him for being such a helpless man."
I can see that. Still, speaking as a man, that is probably the most realistic part of the story.
"Someone reading this from the feminist perspective would have a great time ripping the story to shreds."
While I tried to make a few social comments in the story, I would be the first to say that it's not that thematically deep. I doubt there is much femenist criticism to be done beyond what you have said about Mike above. Still, if someone writes a college paper on my book, send me a copy of it, and I will send you an autographed paperback.
quillaja,
Please stop by my blog at http://amathar.blogspot.com and drop me an email.
Thanks,
Wes Allison
on Aug 10, 2009 at 11:05
This book was ok. I really was looking only for something short and moderately entertaining (though something more would also have been welcome), and "His Robot Girlfriend" delivered that for free.
One of my criticisms are that after the robot girlfriend arrives, most of the story revolves around buying her clothes and having sex. I can't understand why this robot needs so many dresses and shoes. Apparently robots are programmed to be insatiable consumers.
My second criticism is that there are some typos, grammatical errors, and things that seem like incorrect technical wording. The typos and grammatical mistakes might just be in the feedbooks version, but the technical mistakes are probably not. For example, the robot implies that her experiential memory can't be damaged or erased because it's "write only." If it's write only, how does she access it? Also, though I never heard of "write only" memory, because it can be written to, one could still erase or damage it by writing bad or null data to it.
Thirdly, I know the girlfriend is a robot, but does she really have to act like the perfect female slave that waits on her man hand-and-foot, takes care of him, and satisfies his every sexual desire? She really doesn't have much personality of her own; she simply behaves exactly as Mike wants her to (except when it comes to exercise, I guess). The fact that she babies Mike so much makes me dislike him for being such a helpless man. Someone reading this from the feminist perspective would have a great time ripping the story to shreds.
Anyway, it's a decent quick read if you're looking for some mild entertainment.
on Aug 09, 2009 at 11:14
Stop by my blog and drop me a line.
http://amathar.blogspot.com
on Aug 06, 2009 at 10:27
I Am An An Incredibly Huge Fan Ive Already Read This Book (his robot Girlfriend) On My iPhone And I'm Working On Your Other Two. I Would Love Any Advice You Can Give About Writing Books. (Im Working ON A Book Of Poems Right now)
on Jun 06, 2009 at 05:29
His Robot Girlfriend is available in paperback at Amazon, now for $4.95.
on Jun 03, 2009 at 08:42
Find information about "His Robot Girlfriend" and other books by Wesley Allison at http://amathar.blogspot.com