Author: Jerrod Comstock
Copyright: 1984
Date Reviewed:   10/14/84
Rating: 5.0

 

Synopsis: Aleria Farrell, along with her bailiff Jemall has been asked to serve as judge in a very unusual case on Magadis. Magadis is run by a totalitarian technocratic government where robots have even more rights than the non-techs. One robot has been accused of killing three men in a space station. The trial is important because Magadis is on the edge of a revolution and a decision either way can trigger the revolt. The trial is held but before the judge can pronounce the robot not-guilty, the revolution happens and the judge barely gets away.

Review: "The Love Machine" is a forgettable trivial little science fiction. I read a review about it on Netnews that said it was almost pornography. I was curious about that. Well it was true. The first half of the book was little more than a description of one sexual experience after another. "The Love Machine" is written as a comedy but it's not done well at all. The comedy is not funny. When the trial begins, so does the story. The trial was at least somewhat interesting but certainly not worth the wait. I gave the book and additional 1/2 a point for the Three Ancient Laws.