The Lastling

The Lastling by Victor Kelleher (Eagle Books) RRP: $16.99 ISBN 9780648815488

Reviewed by Rebecca Fung

The topic of artificial intelligence intrigues us all nowadays. We've had stories about robots, cyborgs and androids for many years and The Lastling is a contribution by Victor Kelleher to the literature. With so many ruminations on a topic that is ever-increasingly becoming relevant to us, where does it stand?

This is the story of Guido, an android, and a human being called Verne. While reading it, I was reminded of other books that explore a robot's journey such as Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. The book also references (it's irresistible in books about robots interacting with humans!) the famous laws of robotics laid down by Isaac Asimov.

Guido is an android whose job is to guide humans through a wilderness park. His actions trigger an event that affects Verne years later, and they both set out on a quest. It is a book for children who enjoy adventure but it also introduces them to important science fiction and artificial intelligence concepts.

We have a robot interacting both with humans and a wild and natural environment: thus, while it may appeal to those who've enjoyed The Wild Robot, Guido is also a very quiet and gentle character and we see how the android interacts and grows with Verne, a human. The language brings out this aspect very beautifully.

At times it's not clear where the line is drawn between a robot and a human. It's certainly something for readers to discuss as Guido comes across close to a person. While he says he is not programmed in certain ways, he shows human sensitivities and refers to his "mind" and "senses". With the advances of artificial intelligence nowadays and some of them being able to mimic humans in ways we wouldn't expect (and falling short in ways that are unexpected, too), this may be all too real for some young readers.

This book has the elements of a good quest novel -- action, adventure, tension, and an unlikely partnership. There aren't too many twists and turns in the basic plot. What it does make us think about is whether a robot character actually makes the partnership that much different from a human one. The scary part is if the answer is that it doesn't, not that much.