Title:
HEARTS OF STEEL
Author:
Elizabeth Stewart,
Cassie Walder &
Jennifer Dunne
Publisher:
Ellora's Cave
ISBN:
1-84360-709-3
Copyright Date:
N/A
Format:
Electronic
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Can robots be romantic? You bet! Hearts of Steel is an anthology revolving around Milo O'Shea's Discount Bot Shoppe. Milo's is open nine to nine, seven days a week for all your android needs. The shop stocks "Fembots" and "Himbots" of every size, shape and color to fulfill any preference. Most customers come to Milo's wanting a droid for sex. However, a few lonely customers find the love of a lifetime.
My Darling Clementine - Elizabeth Stewart - Nathaniel Huntington goes to Milo's looking for a companion. He keeps to himself and has unusual hours, but misses having someone to talk to about politics and books. He's almost ready to give up his search for the right fembot when he spots Clementine in a box in the very back of the store. She turns out to be more than he could have asked for.
Batteries Not Included - Cassie Walder - Miranda Mason has lived the isolated life as a rancher since her husband and son were murdered three years ago. She makes the trip into town to replace the antique droid that has been in her family for generations. Milo introduces her to Tim, a new kind of android that is so human like, Miranda doesn't realize what he is until she's already fallen for him.
Illicit Programming - Jennifer Dunne - Koie and Maeko are chosen for a scouting mission to assess whether an uninhabited planet could be colonized. The pair are thought to be good candidates for the job because they are both loners and will be able to tolerate the loneliness of being on the planet with just one other human. Because they are members of a society that has abandoned sexual contact in favor of mind linking, Koie and Maeko are completely unfamiliar with the concept of physical pleasure. They must be shown how to express their newfound love physically by the pair of androids given to them for the mission.
Hearts of Steel is a very enjoyable futuristic anthology that concentrates on romance. The primary theme is of people who have given up on love who find it where they least expect it. The authors do a terrific job of bringing the androids to life. The reader can certainly feel how someone could fall for one.
All three stories are well done. The character that the stories have in common, Milo O'Shea, is written consistently by all three authors. He makes the transitions between segments flow right into one another. That, combined with the authors' style of writing being similar, makes Hearts of Steel read more like a novel than an anthology.
I highly recommend this wonderful anthology. Readers looking for a sensual futuristic romance will find Hearts of Steel just the ticket.
Reviewed by: Shelley
