Robots Have No Tails

Henry Kuttner's stories starring the whimsical and often tipsy inventor with a poor memory, Gallagher, and his creation, the vain Robot, are among the most sweetly remembered of my adolescence. They hold up wonderfully well. The plots are scrambled mysteries of economic intrigue, and the characters are memorable and a delight to visit with--at any age. The only other character in science fiction for whom I have a similar, sweet fondness is Pohl Anderson's intergallactice trader and sly Santa Clause of a devilish detective, Nicholas Van Riijn. I recommend ROBOTS HAVE NO TALES as highly as possible. This edition included an early, short, memoir by Kuttner's wife and colleague author, C.L. Moore. Note that this edition of the book is published in soft, magazie format. It is very nicely done with excellent cover and interior illustrations. A fine package, and a must-read collection.

Written in the 1940's, and reprinted by Paizo in the style of a 40's magazine (a two column page layout,among other things) this is a wonderful collection of Henry Kuttner's Gallegher tales. Basically, its a collection of 5 short stories, each a noirish mystery set in a dystopian future earth. Some of the descriptions of the future reminded me of Blade Runner; at least in the sense of merely being backdrop, not story. There are hints of philosophy in the tales too, if you take more than a fleeting look. For all that, its a fun read, which is most important of all. Throw in a few introductions and notes for background, and its a fantastic little book.

I read this in high school and was an idiot and didn't save the paperback. The premise has already been described in other reviews so I'll save you from that. I just wanted to make note that this new edition isn't in standard paperback format. It's a trade paperback (roughly 6" by 10"), 117 pages, with double columns (like the original magazine stories, I assume). This may or may not annoy you, just be advised(i would've like the standard paperback format). Beyond that, enjoy some good fun reading with some fun characters (I always envisioned the grampa character as a grizzled Spenser Tracy)

I first encountered Galloway Gallegher decades ago when I was a teenager, and fell in love with the stories. What an odd hero - his scientific genius manifests itself through his subconscious, and the only thing that releases his subconscious is stupendous amounts of alcohol, all kinds of alcohol (though beer is his drink of choice). Like the previous reviewer, I don't agree with the charges that the five stories contained in this book glamorized alcohol consumption. Gallegher definitely pays a price for his drinking, in terms of hangovers, memory loss, and trying to deal with the complicated situations caused by his alter-ego subconscious, which has an eccentric, off-the-wall sense of humor. If you're looking for the stories and can't find a copy of "Robots Have No Tails", try "The Proud Robot", which was released in paperback a number of years ago. They both contain the same stories. Also, look for the books under the names Lewis Padgett and Henry Kuttner -- they were the same person.

"Gallegher was a genius. He'd start with a twist of wire and an odd notion or two, and come up with something never before known - something like a robot that thought that the most beautiful thing in the world was its own innards. Or a machine that ate dirt and sang bawdy songs. The trouble was, Gallegher's genius worked only when he was drunk. Once sober again, he could never figure out just what it was his gadgets were supposed to do; whether it was opening a can of beer - or saving the world." "Henry Kuttner & C.L.Moore formed the most popular writing team in science fiction for twenty years, until Kuttner's untimely death at the age of 43." --------------------------------------- This is a great book. Unusual, funny, I have reread it dozens of times since discovering it eigth grade. Critics say it uses adolescent humor. Most definitely but adult sci fi readers love it too. Critics say it glorifies alcohol abuse. Possibly - Gallegher has to drink to invent but sober, he has massive hangovers and can't remember what problem he was working on, why, who paid him etc. This leads to his adventures and misadventures. A tribute to alcohol abuse? If the alcohol was so great, his memory wouldn't be so bad and his resulting situations would not be so hysterical. A classic for sci fi fans.