Unwise Child

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Randall Garrett’s Unwise Child is a science fiction novel that is about 50 years ahead of its time.  Published in 1962, the narrative involves artificial intelligence and the concerns of its human creators about controlling it.  Rather than call it artificial intelligence, though, Garrett portrayed it as a robot called Snookums.

Despite the 1960s-era cute name, the plot closely aligns with apprehensions voiced by many today about the need for control and restrictions on AI. Throw in a mystery about a possible murder plot, and Unwise Child has the ingredients of a fun and exciting read. 

Garrett is effective in the way he keeps up the pace of the narrative, bogging down only when he introduces an unnecessary romantic element.  And he doesn’t gloss over his descriptions of the mechanics and operation of spaceships and other futuristic elements. Instead, he provides creative explanations that, if not entirely true to the laws of physics, at least are grounded in a basic logic.

Garrett’s resolutions are unusual and, in one case, even a little amusing. That said, the social mores of the 1960s permeate the book, and do not travel well to the 21^st century.  The depiction of female characters is typical of that age.

One interesting sidenote:  the characters far in the future still read physical books.  There’s no mention of anything resembling an e-book or digital media.

For those interested in seeing a vintage perspective of AI—and if you can overlook the seriously dated attitudes—Unwise Child is an enjoyable and thought-provoking sci-fi novel.

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