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Roderick or the Education of a Young Machine

John Sladek

First published November 1980
Type Novel
Series Roderick #1

<b> From the back cover of the Timescape paperback:</b> "In a small, top-secret laboratory at the University of Minnetonka... A NASA-funded project has created... Roderick the Robot - brainchild of Dr. Lee Wong - a real, complete, functioning, artificial boy. <p>Now after long, lonely hours in front of the television, Roderick has learned English, and the ways of the world. Now he is ready to meet Ma and Pa Wood, his elderly adoptive parents - and embark on the kind of adventures that would make any red-blooded kid sit up and take notice. <p>Soon Roderick is warming a barstool of Larry's Grill, playing doctor with a precocious nymphet, getting beaten up in the schoolyard, and banished to Holy Trinity to learn catechism - and some manners... <p>But what more can a blue-eye space robot expect in a world where nothing makes any more sense than prime time TV!"


US Timescape/Pocket version is about 2/3 of original UK version. US Carroll & Graf edition is complete.

YearAwardCategoryStatus
1983 Ditmar Award / Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award Best International Long Fiction Nominee/Finalist
1983 Locus Poll Award Best SF Novel Nominee/Finalist
1983 Philip K. Dick Award Philip K. Dick Award Nominee/Finalist

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
November 1980 Cover Roderick or The Education of a Young Machine Granada Novel
1982 Cover Roderick Granada Novel
April 1982 Cover Roderick or The Education of a Young Machine Timescape / Pocket Books Novel
August 1982 Cover Roderick oder Die Erziehung einer Maschine Droemer Knaur Novel 7
July 1987 Cover Roderick Carroll & Graf Novel 11
1989 Roderick Livros do Brasil Novel
April 1992 Cover Robot Roderick: Kindheit und Jugend einer begabten Maschine Heyne Omnibus 7
October 2001 Cover The Complete Roderick Gollancz / Orion Omnibus 1
October 2004 Cover The Complete Roderick The Overlook Press Omnibus
September 2011 Cover Roderick Gateway / Orion Novel
8888 Roderick Gollancz Novel