On the HahaFiction shelf

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

by Dennis E. Taylor

Bobiverse · Book 1

Bob Johansson expected cryonic preservation to buy him a future. Instead, he wakes as government property: an artificial intelligence assigned to search for habitable planets. His spacecraft can replicate itself, so the expedition soon has more Bobs to share the work.

Science fiction Space opera Dry wit

From the publisher’s blurb

“We are Bob. We are legion. And we never intended on this.”

Read the full description at Saga Press, publisher description

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What makes it funny?

Bob's copies choose names such as Riker and Homer and develop personalities of their own. Geek culture jokes accompany their adventures. Readers in science fiction discussions single out the little humorous moments woven among the science.

The comedy at work

Copying the explorer gives him more people to work with, all descended from himself. Their differing personalities give the story room for disagreement and company while the snarky voice keeps space exploration conversational.

Try this if…

Space exploration and practical problem-solving come with a heavy dose of pop culture. This suits readers who want engineering-minded science fiction with a narrator who makes jokes along the way.

Good to know

Bob's new life begins under an extremist government that can switch him off, with global war threatening Earth. The BiblioSanctum reviewer found the opening slow and preferred the story after the copies appeared.

From book groups

Questions readers ask

Has anyone read We Are Legion (We Are Bob)?: Readers describe mostly lighthearted science fiction with humorous moments and some serious drama. Some found the premise repetitive after the first book or thought the fourth book was slower.