We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
By: Dennis E. Taylor
Bob Johansson has just sold his software company for a small fortune and is looking forward to a life of leisure. The first item on his to-do list: spending his newfound windfall. On an urge to splurge, he signs up to have his head cryogenically preserved in case of death. Then he gets himself killed crossing the street. Waking up 117 years later, Bob discovers his mind has been uploaded into a sentient space probe with the ability to replicate itself. Bob and his clones are on a mission to find new homes for humanity and boldly go where no Bob has gone before.
ThsFung's Takeaway
Bob's software company has taken off, and the first thing he does as a millionaire? He signs up to be cryogenically frozen at the time of his death. Which turns out to be the best purchase he's ever made because he gets hit by a car IMMEDIATELY after leaving the building.
He is resurrected 600 years later as an AI replicant based on the brain scan of the original Bob. Being the pop culture loving, overachieving techie that his is, he's pretty happy to find himself as the piloting AI of a self-replicating interstellar von Neumann probe. But life as an interstellar spaceship isn't all just fun and games. He has to find colony worlds for humanity while fighting off rival ships and dealing with potential alien life. The episodic structure of the book lets you follow each Bob's adventure as they spread out across the galaxy.
This book is just pure fun. If you liked The Martian, then you're sure to like this one. It has the same sarcastic tone and geek humor throughout the book. Combined with a great concept and interesting characters, it is one of the best scifi books I've read this year. The only downside was that it was way too short at only 369 pages for such an epic story. But I guess that's what sequels are for. :p See you in the next one!