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| Plot Summary of When Harlie Was One |
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"HARILE is an artificial intelligence developed not in a scientist's lab (mad or otherwise) but in Silicon Valley. He can pass a Turing test, but can he convince a short-sighted board of directors of his fiscal viability? With his continued existence in jeopardy and his personality still evolving, HARLIE divides his attention between an ongoing Socratic dialogue with his creator, David Auberson, the invention of GOD (the Graphic Omniscine Device, a supercomputer add-on that will give him almost infinite power), and hacking into his company's computer system (as well as top secret government installations) to blackmail the executive who plans to shut him down and sell him for parts.
This is David Gerrold at his best, creating a cracking good science fiction story as an excuse to explore philosophical and social ideas. "
Darren Zieger, Resident Scholar
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"HARLIE (Human Analogue Robot, Life Input Equivalents), is a computer into which all human knowledge is being fed. He's supposed to be self-monitoring as well as reproducing the human brain's capacity and creativity to the nth power, but of late HARLIE's been inducing his own non-rational states -- "tripping" electronically -- and composing poetry. He may be able to out-think everyone, but he has the emotional matority of an 8-year-old, or perhaps a barely post-pubescent teen. Research psychologist David Auberson and hardware specialist Don Handley have to figure out what HARLIE's up to, as well as justify the project to the corporate Board of Directors, who don't see any profit value and are poised to shut it down. Meanwhile, HARLIE tries his hand at matchmaking David with executive secretary Annie Stimson, as well as discussing the nature of intelligence and human love with Auberson. This 1972 Gerrold novel is delightfully thought-provoking."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of When Harlie Was One |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book
- very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Coming of age
Yes
Romance
Yes
Spying & Investigations
Yes
What is main char. doing?
- unraveling a conspiracy
Robots, Computers, VR
Yes
Robot, PC, VR Plotlets:
- good computer AI
Inner Struggle
Yes
Plotlet:
- search for identity/new understanding
- coping with mental/magical powers
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture
Yes
Culture clash-
- feelings as an alien growing up among humans
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- scientist
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th century
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- a moderate amount of scientific explanation
- a significant amount of technical jargon
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- actual description of sex
- description of breasts
How much dialogue?
- mostly dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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