Sunset on Maior Pales
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Cletus is a near-sentient robot on the planet Maior Pales. Humans on Earth sent Cletus and other robots to the planet Maior Pales twelve lightyears from Earth in order to prepare the planet for human colonization a century later. Cletus is a blacksmith and works in a theme-park Western town similar to that in the television series Westworld. All robots are programmed with the ability to become completely sentient in their hundredth year of existence. This will allow the machines to interact naturally with the arriving human colonists. But full sentience is not guaranteed, and those robots who do not obtain it are decommissioned. The hundred year mark is approaching, and Cletus is becoming more and more anxious about whether he will become completely sentient. Cletus believes this anxiety is manifesting itself in the tongs he uses during his duties: the tool is talking to him. Seeking to determine the cause of this strange phenomenon, Cletus reasons through his own machine logic. However, he soon realizes the talking tool is something beyond himself.
This tale is an excellent combination of the scientific and the spiritual, the future and the past. Much of the narrative takes place within Cletus' thoughts as a near-sentient machine. Cletus despairs at and questions the logical and creative sides of his artificial mind. He methodically reasons through what his senses reveal, and what he can determine the creative side of his mind knows and can manifest. Through this process he discovers the truth. In the end, he does become sentient, he finds a soul, but this soul is against everything he was designed to be. Wretlind's juxtaposing of the future and the past is reflected in the setting, the plot, and the climax of the story. At its best, the tale is a meditation on how humans create meaning in their lives, and what human motives are the most powerful: work and service to others, or bitterness, anger, and rage.
In summary, this tale is a chilling read worth your while.