The First Completely Electronic Robot and Science Fiction Limerick Book

By Peter Salisbury

Is it possible to tell a tall tale in as few as thirty words? That would require a limerick, a five-line rhyming cartoon in words. In this case fifty-three tiny capsule science fiction stories to make you smile.

A hot little androidal miss
Who jets off her steam with a hiss
Is made out of junk
And is very steam punk
So she's much too risky to kiss.

The book is divided into ten categories: The Boys, The Girls, Medical Advances, Aliens, Space, The Law, Military Robots, Linguistics, Aliens, and Steam Power.

Also included: the first episode in The Old Store SF anthology, and the first chapters from SF novels Passengers to Sentience and Passengers to Zeta Nine by the same author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peter Salisbury
• Release date: Dec 11, 2009
• ISBN: 9781452309897

Peter Salisbury

I am a life-long fan of science fiction, and so when I had an idea for my first story, I wasn't surprised that it was in that genre. The first book took me ten years to complete, but I've got a little quicker since. I am pleased to say that I now have over thirty books published in my name. What next? So far I haven't run short of ideas for new stories, so there are several projects in various stages of completion, and I hope to be publishing the next story before too long, so please subscribe to my alerts. My profile picture is a portrait of the author as a young man, painted by my daughter Charlotte Salisbury who has also contributed to several of my book covers. Professional background In the 1970s I studied Chemistry at university and then spent over thirty years in classrooms across England teaching almost anything but Chemistry, including Photography, Communications Skills, General Science, Computing, and Information and Communications Technology. In the 1990s I spent ten years writing abstracts of chemical patents. This was a most exacting process but very rewarding to be reading about the very latest inventions in the field, and the abstracts were distributed world-wide to research scientists by subscription. Articles of mine have been published in magazines and I have written assignments used for assessing Communications Skills for a major international Examination Board. After retiring early this century I began writing in earnest.

Book preview

The Boys

There was a young robot called Mike

Went off to the moon for a hike.

When crossing the sea

Of tranquillity,

He wished he had taken his trike.

**

There was a young geezer from Readin'

Bought up a cheap android for weddin'

But there's really no doubt

The small print caught him out

When he found he must plug his own head in.

**

An automaton late of Devizes

Had legs of disparate sizes,

His arms were all bent

And his head had a dent

From taking on awful disguises.

**

There was an old robot quite vain

With jealousy almost insane.

It made him so cross

That I was his boss

And firmly in charge of his brain.

**

A wily old robot called Bill

Drew power right up to his fill.

His eyes glowed so bright

He caused some delight

With space captains out in a rille.

**

A silly old robot from Leeds

Munched straight through a packet of seeds

At first he grew rocket

Right out of his sprocket,

But then there was nothing but weeds.

**

A rusty old android called Pete

Had tremendously dexterous feet

When he danced with the band,

He got himself banned

And he never repeated the feat.

**

A strident old robot called Bird

Cried out day and night to be heard.

He wanted to write

But try as he might

His notions were far too absurd.

**

A learned old robot of note

Was wonderfully fond of a quote

It was one he had heard

From his friend