I have to admit, based on the title, I expected this to be more parody. It's one reason I waited this long to start reading. Once I started, though, I plowed through it. I'm sure I'll go back and revisit a few of these stories later (especially To The Monsters, with Love). Beautifully written stories, comparable to collections by Neil Gaiman. Very much recommend.

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This book was the winner of my first Patreon vote on what I should review next!It is a strong collection I would recommend. Lengthy review on my site, Bogi Reads the World:http://www.bogireadstheworld.com/book...

Avg overall rating was 3.73 starsRounded up to 4 starsFavorite stories were:- The Sorcerer's Unattainable Gardens- Under Wine-Bright Seas- BATTERIES FOR YOUR DOOMBOT5000 ARE NOT INCLUDED- Iron Aria- The Gentleman of Chaos

an incredible collection that spans the wide horizon of speculative fiction. rustad captures both human ennui and transhumanist longing in these stories, with a sort of vulnerable tenderness that is not typical of the genre. my personal favorite stories in the collection were “tomorrow when we see the sun,” “the android’s prehistoric menagerie,” and “where monsters dance.” definitely a collection worth the read for trans sci-fi and fantasy fan.

I don't usually rate story collections five stars, because there are always at least a few stories that don't quite achieve that rating. Even though I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection, for instance, there were several that weren’t quite as amazing as the rest. However, So You Want To Be A Robot is more than just the sum of its parts. The stories come together to create an amazing book about humanity, gender, trauma, and recovery. There's a lot of darkness in many of the stories, but...

I love stories that offer new perspectives, and this book can bend your mind--and bend it again with each successive story. I liked the last story best (How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps), but I think I appreciated it more for having bent my mind around the other stories that came before it. Definitely worth reading as a collection.

A fantastic collection of stories, some of which I had the great pleasure of rereading, and others I had the privilege of encountering for the first time.Merc has a gift with prose. Their stories are gorgeous and have real heart. I always look forward to reading more of their work.

Merc is one of the best short story writers I've ever read. These stories were ABSOLUTELY what I've been asking for in speculative fiction regarding queerness, which is to say: that it's there and unexplained and unapologetic and a natural part of the worldbuilding/story/everything. My heart is so full.

Beautiful, moving, queer SFF stories that made me cry in public more than once. These stories touch on some of my favorite themes of found family, queer folks supporting queer folks, and choosing love even when it's difficult. And Merc's writing is vivid, clear, and imaginative, too. There's some great representation of autism, as well.I've read some of Merc's short fiction outside of this collection, and I adored every story, and this collection only solidifies them as one of my very favorite S...

This book was REALLY REALLY GOOD and also REALLY REALLY messed with my head. Based on the title and the first story, I was ready for a book of stories that would be really good and also make me feel...happy. This, in fact, was a book of stories which were extremely good and also made me feel...like curling up in a ball and hiding under the bed forever. Get ready to feel every possible emotion and then a few impossible ones, and then to realize maybe you actually are a robot after all when all yo...

Most of these stories were just not doing it for me, unfortunately. Too much worldbuilding in short spaces and/or stories that felt more YA than my taste typically runs. I did think "Finding Home" and "How to Become a Robot in 12 Easy Steps" were standouts.2.5/5

“This Is Not A Wardrobe Door”: I enjoyed the Monster’s Inc. / Narnia vibes getting twisted around and reimagined. The story was a little too pat overall for me.My favorite story in the collection was “Tomorrow When We See The Sun.” I want 3 novels and a movie and I want to reread it until my eyeballs are bleeding. It is sad and angry and happy and there is so much packed into it.Another of my faves was “The Sorcerer’s Unattainable Gardens”: I loved the two intertwined stories, and this was my fa...

A wonderful collection of (mostly) dark SFF. The themes seem to me to revolve around monstrosity, violence, and the reach for freedom from oppression. There are so many beautiful stories, with such an edge to them. I had read many of these when they appeared originally, but there were lots of news ones for me too, including the (basically) titular story, which closes out the collection and is just a devastating, triumphant read. I went in expecting a slightly...lighter tone than I found, so fair...

Wow, this is some gorgeous writing! I’m adding it to my queer women protagonists lists because some of the characters id that way but this is an excellent for NB/trans rep as well as some lovely, beautifully crafted sf, f and h short stories. Read it for the representation, read it for the stories and read it for the craft. Highly recommended!

I only discovered A. Merc Rustad in January when I read their lovely story, “This is Not a Wardrobe Door,” at Fireside, but I loved that story so much that this collection was at the top of my to-read list as soon as I found out about it. So You Want to be a Robot and Other Stories collects that story and twenty more in a showcase of Rustad’s consistently good ideas and solid execution. Personal favorite stories in the collection include: “The Android’s Prehistoric Menagerie,” “Where Monsters Da...

I haven't been fond of short stories in a long time. I've felt like they were commercial length, when I wanted something with more guts.These short stories are incredible. I laughed. I cried. A lot. They absolutely gutted me and made me feel less alone in the world. I loved all of them.READ THESE STORIES! SHARE THEM WITH THE WORLD!

These speculative SFF stories are devastatingly beautiful and so full of heart! I wanted to simultaneously laugh with delight and also...just cry. These stories are all unique, so there was no slump due to homogeneity that you sometimes find in short story collections. Starting each story was like opening a gift, because I never knew what I was going to find, but I had a feeling it was going to be amazing and unlike anything I'd previously opened. The #ownvoices rep here (queer, ace/aro, ASD) re...

So You Want to Be a Robot was a moving, thought provoking collection of short stories that really highlight the ability of speculative fiction to explore the complexities of human experience and consider it in new ways, from the exciting to the disconcerting. After reading their story “Our Aim Is Not to Die” in A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers, I was curious to read more of Merc Fenn Wolfmoor’s work, requesting their debut collection from

While reading this short story collection, it occurred to me that I would be marking this as a favorite book here on Goodreads. So many of these stories hit close to home in such meaningful ways, exploring gender and trauma and relationships and being human.Or not being human. Which was, honestly, very touching and relatable as someone who, for many reasons (neurodivergency, trauma, gender, etc.), can find solace in relating to non-human entities and characters, and has for a long time.Although