The Inevitable, a novel by Daniel Hope, features a charismatic robot grappling with a very human conundrum, the meaning of life and death. Tuck is the last bot in the universe after surviving the Bot Riots on Earth by escaping into space. He is grieving the loss of his family and forced to wander between planets looking for parts of himself that need replacement in order to stay functional, risking exposure even as collectors are hunting him. He alleviates his loneliness by adopting an abandoned AI integrated into a spaceship and naming it David after the boy he took care of on Earth. The two meet Maze, a genetically modified, escaped lab experiment who, like Tuck, has super-human speed and strength. Maze serves as first mate on a ship owned by a billionaire, who offers Tuck the parts he needs in exchange for assistance with her corporate raid against her main rival. Tuck finds renewed purpose in his life through Maze and quickly becomes devoted to her. Together they must survive in a world where they are at once misfits and precious commodities. The Inevitable examines the value of life in a technologically advanced society, the definition of humanity, and the complex relationships that arise in the gray area between AIs and humans. "Hope shows off his worldbuilding chops in this action-packed space romp that grapples with the conundrum of mortality. But between scrappy spaceships, concealed ray guns, and fledgling AIs, Hope doesn't lose sight of what really makes a grand story: character." -Jonah Barnett, author of Moss-Covered Claws and filmmaker
"It's not every day a robot moves me to tears. But that's what Daniel Hope has done in The Inevitable. This is a miraculous novel, part sci-fi, part thriller, and all heart and soul. The Inevitable is destined to be a classic, the kind of gem that readers will talk about for years to come." -Rene Denfeld, bestselling author of The Child Finder
"The first time I read Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun I bawled my face off. Daniel Hope serves up a similar creature, a humanoid robot named Tuck, and quite quickly in the story, Tuck began to remind me more of what matters about the human condition than I learn from most of the humans I know. Love stories are not what we've been told. A humanoid robot named Tuck reminds us how to build connections and be ever-giving in the face of death and loss." -Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Thrus DANIEL HOPE likes writing and science fiction, so it should be no surprise that he combines them. By day, he works with user experience designers to make apps easier to understand. His muted pessimism has been generously characterized as the Voice of Reason by the design team. He lives in Colorado with his family. His nerdy interests have been generously characterized as Super Lame by his kids.
