The First Robot President

The First Robot President is science fiction with a healthy dose of political satire, making fun of Democrats and Republicans in equal measure. The novel centers around Thomas Jenkins, a lobbyist and Green-party activist, and his robot wife whose political ambitions land her on the Green party’s 2520 Presidential ticket. In Part I, Wife and Mother, Thomas receives delivery of Esmeralda, his robowife, and marries her in a small ceremony with close friends and family members. In Part II, The Path to the White House, Esmeralda runs for Congress and, against all odds, wins the election. When she reports for duty in Congress, she experiences a rough start as the chairman of her committee attempts to marginalize her. CPAN’s audience quadruples as billions of people throughout the world tune in to watch the robot in action. At the end of the year, Time magazine includes Esmeralda in its list of the world’s one hundred most influential and admired women. In January 2520, the Green Party’s steering committee includes Esmeralda on its short list of possible running mates for Senator Samuel Hoffenberger, its candidate in the Presidential election. After interviewing all the candidates, the Senator chooses Esmeralda. As the November election approaches, Esmeralda must face off against her Republican and Democratic opponents in a formal debate, which gives the author a venue for some of the sharpest political satire in the novel. For the first time in American history, the Green party prevails in the Presidential election, and Senator Hoffenberger is inaugurated as President. However, within hours of the Inauguration, he is assassinated, and Esmeralda becomes President. Part III, The Oval Office, begins with Esmeralda taking charge. She makes an address to the Nation in which she acknowledges that many Americans are concerned about having a robot as President and attempts to reassure them. The last four chapters detail Esmeralda’s challenges and accomplishments as President; and Chapter 14, “Murphy’s Law,” provides an exciting conclusion. Author Robert Carlyle Taylor has also written an Epilogue and Afterword, which are included in the audiobook. As of the date of this description, the book version has already received two awards, including a gold prize for humor in the 2021 Readers View Reviewer’s Choice Awards and a silver prize in the 2020 Nautilus Awards.