Robota

I received a free copy of Robota for my honest opinion.


Not a graphic novel, but not a novel; Robota is such an interesting book and I have never read a book with a layout like it.

Robota is based on concept art from Doug Chinag (the concept artist for the Star Wars prequel trilogy + Star Wars The force Awakens, and he is the production designer for Star Wars: Rogue One) with the accompanying story from Orson Scott Card.

The concept art that accompanied Robota was indescribable. If you enjoy looking at concept art for science fiction movies, then the concept art in here is along the same line. At times, I would just look at the concept art and have my breath taken away.

The storyline was surprisingly complex for what I expected. It takes unexpected turns that worked well. At times, thing did seem a little far-fetched but the explanations offered gave a reasonable explanation.

Such a unique book which I throughly enjoyed and would be interested to see more like it, as well as this one be made into a feature film.

Absolutely stunning book! Definitely frame-worthy art; and it's Orson Scott Card - need I say more?

Robota is a story with extraordinary artwork accompanying the narrative. The prologue introduces the reader to a world that has been conquered by robots from the stars.

Recommended for ages 14+: Robota is a feast for the eyes and may be a science fiction/fantasy that appeals to more reluctant readers.

This is something different. The artwork is amazing but it doesn't overtake the story at all. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Just from names alone, you can tell that this will be an artistic experience. The partnership produces a series of imaginative drawings and a story that has twist after twist in the second half of the story. Robota tells the story of an almost post-apocalyptic world where robots, after a peaceful partnership crumbles, are hunting humans and other biological creatures. It examines the current world and how it came to be by following the epic style quest of a band of warriors who are set on change. Their stories are just pieces of the puzzle, as they uncover details about the humans and robots you wouldn’t imagine.
Plot wise, the amount of twists and turns you will not see coming, mostly because they are totally surprising and also because they all happen at the end. They turn what you think or assume on its head and by the end, anything could really happen. The characters resist the clear distinction between good and evil, instead complicating our villains and our heroes till the very end. The entire story is told like an oral legend about the ‘heroes’ and from the beginning we wonder, to whom are these heroes? As one character aptly says, the winners decide the story, so the main question revolves around who wins in this battle for the world?
I would like to summarize some pros and cons of the story. The images, while heavily stylistic of Star Wars, were interesting and wonderfully colored. The story features characters who complicate our understanding of typical stories and fables, while always presenting us with twist upon twist. However, the pacing was very rushed at the end and there was a lack of diversity within the humans (although the actual cast is made up of animals, humans, and robots). Additionally, I am not settled on the story and way the ‘villain’ is portrayed, so someone please talk to me about this!

Outstanding illustrations and a very good story. Good for middle school and up.

Robota is… well uhm… WOW!
Graphic artist Doug Chiang (Star Wars, Forrest Gump, Polar Express and much more) started working on Robota in 1993 as a graphic concept, later on Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game) came on board to tell the story. So is it a graphic novel, an illustrated story you might ask. It is neither of both! It is a coming together of 2 creative minds and a collective achievement of art and writing.

Chiang’s graphic art, which is over a wide range of techniques from sketches and (digital) paintings, is wonderful! Since he worked on this project since 1993 there’s a development noticeable in skills and techniques. The images have, sometimes, a dated feeling over them which is off course explainable by the time span used to finish this project. Overall this is no problem, every artist has it’s development over the years.

Scott Card contributed with a great story which is entertaining and caring.

Together they’ve created a wonderful masterpiece which shows what can happen when 2 talented people put their hands and minds together.

Doug Chiang has taken his fantastic concept art and with the help of Orson Scott Card crafted a story for it. Robota is the story of a planet in decay. Robots and hmans used to work in union for the greater good before the robots decided to try and wipe out humanity. Now hundreds of years later a ragtag team of heroes tries to stop the robots from ending humankind completely.

Netgalley was kind enough to send me a copy of this book as a PDF. The artwork is amazing, unfortunately, the print is unreadable. I have requested a copy from the library. I will update my review when I read the library copy.

The story and the artwork in this book are fabulous!!! Orson Scott Card has written an engaging story about a world taken over by the very robots humans help build. The robots are trying to kill all human life. Written like a graphic novel the action flows along with the incredible artwork at a fast pace. As a print book this will be stunning; as an epub the pictures do not flow as well since often you see only one page of a two page layout at a time. The forward and afterwords allude to a movie being made of the story - this would be truly spectacular.The talent and craftsmanship of the artist involved is unbelievably exquisite.
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful story.

This book was reminiscent of an illuminated manuscript from the Renaissance period. A fantastic blend of "history" and pictures. The story was very engaging and I loved the world.

Doug Chiang has worked on some great movies as an artist and production designer, most notably some of the Star Wars movies. His book Robota features his original art, paired with a story by Orson Scott Card. The art ranges from stunning and beautiful to interesting. Among the larger format concept paintings, he included pen-and-ink sketches and concept art.

None of the art in Robota is from Chiang's Star Wars work. The similarities in style are unmistakable; at times you might think, "Did I see that in The Phantom Menace? The story takes place on the planet Robota, which was developed by a robot race before conflict with the humans led society into disarray. Now the robots hunt humans and animals, and enhanced, sentient animals work with the humans.

Card's story is decent, but is really second-rate, compared to his major works and compared to the first-rate illustrations. My recommendation is to soak in the art, but don't worry about the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!