Short Description
Andy reviews robots. He lazes around and drafts reports whilst they sort his apartment. His boss sends an unmarked box: Dorothea's illegal, a droid with military AI. He's got three days to assess, erase, dispose.
Dorothea trusts Andy. When she enthuses about the future, he's evasive and stressed. A problem? She is smart, she will find the solution.
Tagline: One guy, one droid, three days to beat the system.
Droid Classification - the AZ Directive: Class 1 droids can go anywhere, but can only carry out direct orders. Class 2 droids must be licensed, can use initiative and artificial intelligence to make decisions, but are strictly limited to a specific place such as a factory, hospital or home. Class 3 droids use high powered AI and can work independently for long periods of time but are strictly forbidden except for approved military, civil defence and surveillance operations.
Key Protagonists. Andy, the reviewer, is a reclusive, workshy technophobe. The droid, Dorothea, is Class 3 and sees Andy as her friend. Naive and insecure, she's passionate about life and looks forwards to playing her part in what a fascinating new world. Andy struggles with having to reveal to Dorothea that she's to be erazed as soon as the assessment is over. This odd duo, Romeo and Juliet in a technologically saturated world, are thrown together and struggle to find a way to survive, as heartless commercial powers determine their fate. Hannah is Andy's control-freak boss. She's tough, astute, and can charm or threaten as suits the situation. Landed with a risky Class 3 droid assessment, she and will do everything in her power to protect herself and her reputation.
Period / Setting: The story takes place in a near-future, technologically advanced world. Android robots do all the mundane chores leaving humans to more 'cerebral' occupations that often involve entertaining themselves in virtual worlds. Androids have taken on many practical roles in society from domestoids in the home, medidroids in healthcare and totedroids delivering goods, but there is a huge gap in the market, not because of technological limitations, but because of AI deployment limitations set out in the AZ directive. Many of the population have opted to become cyborg, using brain implants to connect directly into virtworlds. Vizars, high tech goggles, are a less invasive option, relaying images and sound to create augmented-reality scenarios. Only the very wealth or big corporations can create environments to their chosen design. Floor seven of Techdomestic (Andy works in Floor 1 or at home), is a typical tropical island environ. CEOs and upper management traverse boardwalks and dunes to their offices where they can look out to sea from beneath canvas verandas and call upon beachdroids for refreshments.
Age Suitability: Adult and young adult.
Language: English (UK)
Extent: full length novel, 92000 words.
