44. Humans, Bow Down, by James Patterson
In this dystopian novel, robots have become sentient and have decided that humans are inferior to them, and therefore must be either treated as slaves, imprisoned, or placed on "Reserves" (think Indian reservations).
The story was entertaining, but left a lot of questions. For example, the robots like to eat (but don't need to), and they need oxygen, but nothing is said about what keeps them running (energy has to come from somewhere). Do they plug themselves in? Do they have solar cells? Also, it's implied that they start out as children and grow up. How do they do that, since they are entirely inorganic? They also show the same signs of aging as humans do, but again, how? Obviously, machines get worn out, but they don't show such signs of aging as wrinkles and changes in color (besides fading and getting burnt). Entertaining, but not terribly well-written, although the story ends with the potential for a sequel, so maybe those questions will be answered there.
45. The Monkey's Paw, by W. W. Jacobs
This is the classic horror tale of a cursed monkey's paw that grants three wishes, but in a horrific fashion, the underlying moral being "Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it." There's a reason why this story is a classic, and that is because the theme speaks to people of all generations.
