Roderick

These are notes for the Roderick novels by John Sladek. Telling the picaresque story of a well-meaning but naive artificial intelligence finding his way in a ridiculous human world, they were first published separately as Roderick, or the Education of a Young Machine (1980) and Roderick at Random, or the Further Education of a Young Machine (1983), before being reissued together (as Sladek originally intended) as The Complete Roderick (2001).

• Part 1 (Roderick)
  • Book One
  • Book Two
• Part 2 (Roderick at Random)

These notes are still very incomplete; check back later or follow the "recent changes" feed if you're curious.

Major characters

• Roderick: learning system.
• Dan Sonnenschein: young computer science genius.
• Lee Fong: head of the Roderick project.
• Ben Franklin: researcher on the Roderick project.
• Leo Bunsky: researcher on the Roderick project, presumed dead.
• Allbright: alcoholic poet, friend of Dan.
• Dora: student, friend of Allbright.
• Avrel Stonecraft: corrupt NASA official.
• Helen Boag: Dean of Persons at Minnetonka University.
• Professor Rogers: sociologist and committee manipulator.
• Jane Hannah: anthropologist with an encyclopedic knowledge of mythology.
• Aikin, Dollsly, Fethers, Tarr: pseudoscience scholars competing with Fong for funding.
• Mister O'Smith: bionic cowboy assassin.
• Ma and Pa Wood: elderly meta-hippies in Nebraska, sometime performance artists and inventors.
• Indica Dinks: former dancer, Ben's ex-wife.
• Bax Logan: Indica's lover.
• Hank Dinks: Indica's second husband, friend of Allbright, freelance journalist.

Other reading

• Wikipedia
• a somewhat negative but interesting [review http://www.sfandfantasymasterworks.co.uk/2010/05/john-sladek-complete-roderick-1980-1983.html] by Andrew Spong