Not Just Robots and Spaceships Quiz

Answer: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

The story is set in 1992 after World War Terminus when radiation poisoning covers most of the Earth. Rick Deckard is hunting six escaped androids, but is plagued with a moral dilemma of whether or not even androids should be killed. J. R. Isidore, genetically damaged and with a low IQ, befriends the androids.

This novel, published in 1966, tells of a world after a nuclear war. Dick also imagined flying cars, mood altering devices, and human-appearing androids.

Answer: This Is Not a Game

This riveting 2009 novel, is the first of a series created around Dagmar. There are a couple of sci-fi elements that are just not that far fetched. Dagmar uses social networking to escape Jakarta, programs a scenario into a game to have players help find a killer, and there are bots (software to run generally small repetitive tasks) that are released onto the internet that self-replicate and are causing financial crises throughout the world.

Answer: You've Got Murder

This novel, published in 2002, is the first of a series with sleuth Turing Hopper, and it details her growth as a sentient. In this story she recruits secretary Maude Graham and programmer Tim Pincoski to help with her sleuthing. Together they even manage to make Turing mobile for a period and uncover a plot which would have culminated in Turing's destruction.

Answer: Kiln People

This Brin novel, published in 2002, brings us Albert Morris as he attempts to catch Beta and stop him from making illegal copies of people. The people of the future, including Morris, create clay copies of themselves and as a twist, occasionally the original people impersonate their own golems.

Answer: The Silk Code

This novel starts with the original short story "The Mendelian Lamp Case" and then goes back in time to a fictional 750 A.D. where the Neanderthals are introduced. The last segment of the novel returns to current time and Phil D'Amato is trying to unravel the clues and figure out why people are dying.

Answer: Illegal Alien

Published in 1997, this story deals with alien and human relations, and the fact that the aliens' ultimate goal was to destroy humankind. The question is also posed as to whether or not aliens can be tried by the same value system as humans. Ultimately, Hask betrays his confederates to the humans.

Answer: A Talent for War

Published in 1989, this is the first of a series of novels with Alex Benedict as protagonist. Benedict begins trying to unravel the clues to figure out and complete the project that his uncle had been working on.

This story introduces the humanoid Ashiyyur, an alien race that finds the humans to be untrustworthy, and uses telepathy rather than sounds to communicate.

Answer: Caves of Steel

Incredibly, this book was published in 1954. Many stories tell that Asimov wrote it as a proof that a science fiction story could also be a mystery.

When the story starts Elijah Baley hasn't had much exposure to robots, but he has been taught to mistrust them. As they begin to work the case together he learns to appreciate their abilities.

Some of the many futuristic ideas that Asimov wrote about in this book were 24-hour contact lenses, the amassing of populations in the cities, population control, and traveling by moving sidewalks.

Answer: Dream Park

The first of the series, this book was published in 1981. Though Alex Griffin joins the gamers to find a murderer he quickly gets involved in the game. The players are pawns in the clash between the Game Master and Lore Master.

The story includes the use of holograms for the game park and ultra-high speed trains.

Answer: The Demolished Man

In this fabulous tale, people with telepathic ability, ESPers, have the means to develop their ability and are called peepers. Powell, an ESPer of the highest ability, is able to determine that Reich committed the murder of his rival not by telepathy, but by something Reich says. Reich refuses to surrender and a contest of wills ensues.