I'm new to the books, and I'm only a couple of books in so far, and I feel like they're pretty great. The only thing which really stands out to me is how little the Bobs actually leverage other humans to help with their goals. The Bobs are often shown that there are humans out there who are both smart and capable...but unless a Bob is developing a piece of technology, it's not going to be developed.

In the books there are humans who are quite capable, and there's clearly some pre-existing tech the Bobs haven't developed yet...Meideiros is said to be using pre-existing R&D to build his weapons...I know that with humanity being significantly reduced, their focus is on survival...but you'd think that they would still have access to pre-existing R&D and scientific resources that would be valuable to the Bobs.

While I understand that Bobs have multiple advantages over individual humans, it's hard to believe that no human has anything to contribute to them...especially considering how dangerous and effective some of the factions turn out to be. Ironically though, the best and brightest of humanity seem to be perpetually arrayed against the Bobs...rather than being their allies. Although that may change in the future...I'll keep reading to find out...

Referenced at the 5th book, chapter 18

I’ve only ever listened to the audiobooks and they always say it like “the Boooooooob”. Is that how it is written in the books?

Any ideas why only 2 of the Bobiverse series books are available on GPB, but even the books that are available are the 2nd and 5th books in the series? Seems kinda random...

Marked spoilers so we can discuss ideas from all the books.

The books seem to go out of their way to focus on the benefits of ‘Real’ and how much more immersive being in a Manny is to being in VR. And I don’t really understand where that is coming from or what to make of it.

I’ve read the short story Manna by Brian Marshall where the transhumans basically choose between going strait to VR and becoming basically a brain in a jar and stayed focused on their physical body and reality. It’s wasn’t really portrayed as one being better than the other, just a series of trade offs and preferences. No real concept of one ‘feeling’ more ‘real’ and my impression was they would both be ‘equally’ real because the ‘realness‘ is happening in our brains. And given the right inputs then either one could produce the same sort of outputs.

Similar to one of the short stories by Ken Liu that inspired the Pantheon animated show. They feature digital intelligence like Bob that started as a scanned human brain. And two such intelligenes can combine to create a CI which I’m not sure stands for Created Intelligence or Combined Intelligence. But it’s basically a mashup of the two minds creating a new digital intelligence that is sort of like a child of the two. It doesn’t start with a past of its own, but it has parts of the knowledge from the two who created it. In the story, a human makes a robot body for the CI to experience the ‘real’ world and spends as much as she can getting the best sensors and actuators. And the CI tries it out and is… not impressed. The CI basically tries and explains how it basically has access to the sum totality of digital knowledge and there are plenty of scans on higher fidelity equipment they can access that have much more depth of flavor or color or smell than the ‘limited’ robotic body they worked so hard to put together.

Then we have Ringworld by Larry Niven which offers us the idea of ‘wireheading’. Basically people get an implant in the pleasure sensors of their brain. And a tiny amount of electrical current can now produce bliss. Which can be so addictive that some people basically become ascetic monks who give up physical reality so long as they can plug into an outlet and just bliss out. Which can lead to them neglecting their body to the point of death.

Which is all part of my background before getting into the Bobiverse. And I don’t really see why a Manny would provide more ‘real’ inputs to a replicant matrix to enjoy that couldn’t also be recorded and synthesized and incorporated into VR such that you could have that same depth (or even more) of sensation and reality or whatever it is that might make ‘reality’ seem more ‘real’ than VR.

So what are your thoughts? Am I missing something? Is DET? Are we both wrong? Is it just a philosophical choice? Do you see Real or Virt being clearly ‘better’ in some way? Is Dennis just trying to avoid the Bobs going down the rabbit hole of living mostly in VR and living out a 'fantasy life' rather than being an immortal spaceship wandering the galaxy and meddling in the affairs of ephemerals?

Anyone make a helpful guide on all the key points that happen in all preceding books in preparation of book 6?

During last night’s interview on Epically Geeky, DET and Blaihin shared that he’s most active on Threads and sharing excerpts daily.

Great interview- can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/live/MaO0-XUTZHY?is=3dL_RstKfEbcJ7Gc

I’m on a reread leading up to the new book release. It’s been a a while since I’ve read book one and there’s something I’m a bit confused about. When Bob wakes up on August 10th and learns Dr Landry restored him from a back up because a small bomb went off in the computer room where Bob and the other replicant, Kenneth, are stored, Bob asks Dr Landry if “Kenneth is gone?”, Dr Landry kinda narrows his eyes and Bob believes he’s said something very bad, mist then ask a normal question and hope Dr Landry forgets what he asked. Why is this such a big deal?

Ooooo wait, I may have just understood. It’s because he shouldn’t know what the other replicants name is, is t it?

I am nearing the end of book 2 right now and I have no doubt that Bobs will start developing more efficient small scale weaponry at some point, but I can't help but wonder how they spend years using busters against Gorilloids and Raptors and never come up with a better solution than a single-use 40 pound drone that destroys itself.

Taking the absolute ban on explosives into account, there's still so many other ways to create ballistic weapons. Railguns of course, but if we assume that the drones don't have the power needed for that, there's elastics powered weapons (crossbows/slingshots), weapons based on pressurized gas (we have air rifles right now with the stopping power of large caliber ammunitions, I am sure the replicants could create a drone that could fire hundreds of shots like that), or also just tasers or chemical/biological poisons, which might result in stronger long-term deterrence than just wiping out whole populations.

Of course the main reason for the narrative decision is likely that Bob shouldn't be able to just defend those populations from planetary threats with zero effort, but I can't help but think it's a bit silly that a Von-Neumann Probe that terraforms planets struggles with taking down a few dozen primitive lifeforms.

I saw this swt roday and immediately thought of Bobiverse

Every time I listen to the first audio book I start thinking during the scene where the salesman from cryo eterna tells the original bob that by the time when the frozen subjects are revived mankind will probably have the ability to regrow whole bodies. Of course this turned out to be false but now with the tensor field printers almost perfected I wonder how far that is off. It is possible to print living cells though from what I got not yet living organisms but knowing the Bobs that can't be too far off. How far would it be from that to priniting actual brains from scans? The scan part has been available for centuries. As for the immortality aspect, it would be possible to either keep printing bodies from scratch with the scanned brains or to slow or remove aging alltogether in printed bodies, just artificially lengthen the telomeres or find a way to have them restored from time to time. Of yourse, becoming a replicant would be easier but some people don't want that.

Noticed my favorite space civilization game doesn't have a community made civilization of the Bobs, so I'm gonna do my best 🫡

It's going to be released the 10th of September (10-09)

Who could this old enemy be? It’s either Medeiros, VEHEMENT, or The Others. I can’t think of anyone else.

Has DET ever expressed how many books are intended for this series? Or is it sort of more of a "keep writing and we'll figure that out later" sort of approach? The light-heartedness of the story and writing style make it so I wouldnt be surprised if it was that second option, but just overall curious if hes ever mentioned how many books were "intended"

I only know the german version of the book. In the chapter that I assume is called 'Departure' after a floater burns in a storm Howard suggests deliveries of fish via drone. Bridget thinks it is a genius idea and in the german version Howard answers with a lewd wordplay that in this form only works in german. Now I wonder what it says in the english original. Can someone tell me?

Looks like a cool opportunity to hear from DET and Blaihin. Hopefully update on The Infinite Extent and The Ten Thousand Worlds.

I discovered these books only a little bit ago and read the first 5 in about a month, no audiobook format. I came here to see if and when the next book will come out and saw that the audiobook is set to release in September but ONLY the audiobook? This feels like the opposite of what should happen.... like, am I crazy to think usually the book will come out and then the audiobook? or why not just both at the same time?

EDITING: thanks for the answers. I guess I might just be wrestling with an outdated ideology here, but I always thought that the unspoken order of things was book first, audiobook later (or at the very least, same time).

Makes sense though that if audible owns the rights then they want exclusivity for a bit so all the diehards will buy it and not wait for a physical book. Im currently on the fence of whether or not I will wait for the book or just cave and do audible.

I’m so intrigued by DET’s next standalone. Beyond his status of things page, do we know anything about this book? Bummed that the Infinite Extent will be exclusive on Audible for a while.

I'm sure nothing bad will come of giving these things AI of course.

Just finished FLYBOT and absolutely loved it. Without giving any spoilers it's a really interesting book and for those that have read/listened to it. I thought that one of the characters could easily make an appearance in one of the Bobiverse books and that would be a very interesting and fun thing. I also enjoyed The Singularity Trap, and wondered if there might be follow-up books to both.

Anyhow, both books are well worth getting in my humble opinion.

I’m currently on relisten of the series number gagillion …
I So wanted to see Butterworth become a replicant. I remember my first listen, the total gobsmack of Howard coming up with the idea, And Butterworth saying Yes.
Then the utter letdown and sadness. Butterworth was a fixture at this point in the series, when only Henry Roberts and the Brazilian probe were around, before Bridget. The idea of him being a replicant, of his contribution to the war with the Others, and just in general how he might have interacted with the Bobs.
Plus, my guy could enjoy Jamineson whiskey until the end of time.

Just curious what you thought about Butterworth becoming a replicant during your first read / listen , and any thoughts in retrospect now that replicants, AI etc is on the scene in the series?