That is not at all how I imagine the pleasant little clockwork man from Oz. Come to think of it, that’s not how I imagined L Frank Baum’s name was spelled, either.
Okay. What is that thing spilling out under the robot’s metal leotard?
I bet the artists are just trying fit as many poorly disguised jokes as possible on these things.
I mean, come on! The poop gun, the umbilical cord, the sex doll face, that leotard spillage… WTF?
Anrkist: Yes, from what I gleaned from Wikipedia this is one of those terribly mature “turn cuddly childhood character into rapin’ murderin’ bastard for no good reason” books. I may be being overly harsh – I haven’t read it.
Herm: indeed not. Tik-Tok is a humaniform robot servant turned insane mass-murderer turned politician: the book as a whole is a hilarious dissection of the Asimovian robot schtick (it’s slavery, guys) combined with, well, hell, it’s *Sladek*. This is the guy who took the Eiffel Tower into orbit (in _The Reproductive System_). It’s zany and dark. So the cover is quite appropriate, really, even if not remotely a depiction of any of the scenes in the book.
@anon (11)—I think you had it right way back when there. And we all know it’s hard to put on a put on, except maybe to say that robot ought to put on a toga or something, really!
And if you want to see how this could play out in “real life,” please listen to this song about Joe and the Sy Borg.
The only thing wrong with this cover is that the Cybermen/Daleks should be inside Stonehenge and emerge in the middle of a hippie fest and then are attacked by naked Cat People who are painted like Picts.
@fred: That sounds interesting, but if they did there’d probably be mass panic, what with the alien invasion and all. And the cat people would probably lose badly.
September 1st, 2010 at 9:09 am
Is that robots gun connected to his ass?
No wonder he looks … shocked …
September 1st, 2010 at 9:16 am
This….
This is awesome
September 1st, 2010 at 9:42 am
I would not be even a bit ashamed to be seen with this book cover, in fact I would hold it aloft with pride!
It’s amazing, and I want it!
September 1st, 2010 at 10:34 am
That is not at all how I imagine the pleasant little clockwork man from Oz. Come to think of it, that’s not how I imagined L Frank Baum’s name was spelled, either.
September 1st, 2010 at 11:24 am
This scares me. It reminds me of when as a kid I cut open a Teddy Ruxpin and he kept on talking.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Noooooooooooooo! I have fond memories of this one. Bought it in a used bookstore one summer when I was a kid.
Yes, okay, it’s goofy … but damn, nostalgia is a powerful force.
If I ever come across this volume with this cover in a store, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it.
September 1st, 2010 at 12:58 pm
I don’t think its a gun he’s holding.
Insane Pleasure Robot: Time for your oil enema.
Broken Robot: Let me die.
Insane Pleasure Robot: 404, conscience not found.
Broken Robot: Nooooooooo!
September 1st, 2010 at 2:53 pm
@Chike – Haha I would completely buy this too. It’s amazing.
Another question, why is there so much steam?
September 1st, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ like the Tin Man
(something someting something) gonna hit these clone vats!
Before I leave brush mah teeth wit’ a can fulla oil
Cause when I… I got nothin’
September 1st, 2010 at 5:07 pm
I just can’t stop laughing … the face pasted on a canned ham stuck on a robot body is too much. It’s like Spam meets (meats?) Metropolis.
September 1st, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Okay. What is that thing spilling out under the robot’s metal leotard?
I bet the artists are just trying fit as many poorly disguised jokes as possible on these things.
I mean, come on! The poop gun, the umbilical cord, the sex doll face, that leotard spillage… WTF?
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:22 am
I love how he has the mouth of an inflatable sex doll.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:59 am
Isn’t that the robot from Return to Oz?
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:26 am
Turn on the fog machine …
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:21 am
Anrkist: Yes, from what I gleaned from Wikipedia this is one of those terribly mature “turn cuddly childhood character into rapin’ murderin’ bastard for no good reason” books. I may be being overly harsh – I haven’t read it.
September 4th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Herm: indeed not. Tik-Tok is a humaniform robot servant turned insane mass-murderer turned politician: the book as a whole is a hilarious dissection of the Asimovian robot schtick (it’s slavery, guys) combined with, well, hell, it’s *Sladek*. This is the guy who took the Eiffel Tower into orbit (in _The Reproductive System_). It’s zany and dark. So the cover is quite appropriate, really, even if not remotely a depiction of any of the scenes in the book.
December 15th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
“Arnold Schwarzenegger IS… THE SCREAMINATOR.”
April 18th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
That’s a severe case of robo-cameltoe there.
April 21st, 2012 at 4:23 pm
I don’t think it’s counted as cameltoe when it’s escaped.
December 4th, 2013 at 10:42 pm
Man, I hate stations that aren’t self-service.
May 13th, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Insane Pleasure Robot sentences you to DEATH…(short pause for dramatic effect)……by snu snu!!
Broken Robot: Nooooooooooo……..i mean whoo hoo!!!
August 25th, 2015 at 4:02 am
When a cover reminds me of a Salvador Dali painting, then it ought to be tagged “WTF”. The fact that this isn’t troubles me.
March 6th, 2016 at 2:12 pm
Dank Joshel
Chic 1984 fiction I — Breasts and wiener for the win
TIT-KOK
April 28th, 2017 at 12:24 pm
Repent! Harlan owns the Ticktockman.
Expect to hear from his lawyers if you haven’t already.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:49 pm
“I just shot friend unit, T4756389B!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
April 28th, 2017 at 1:41 pm
The satellite dish ran away with the spoon-faced robot.
April 28th, 2017 at 2:09 pm
@anon (11)—I think you had it right way back when there. And we all know it’s hard to put on a put on, except maybe to say that robot ought to put on a toga or something, really!
And if you want to see how this could play out in “real life,” please listen to this song about Joe and the Sy Borg.
April 28th, 2017 at 2:17 pm
The only thing wrong with this cover is that the Cybermen/Daleks should be inside Stonehenge and emerge in the middle of a hippie fest and then are attacked by naked Cat People who are painted like Picts.
April 28th, 2017 at 2:49 pm
Needs more chrome. Especially on the gun.
Also, that’s not where the groinal attachment goes.
Also, also I vote that the BBC makes fred Doctor Who showrunner when Moffat goes.
April 28th, 2017 at 3:18 pm
I only asked if it spoke Bocce!
April 28th, 2017 at 5:50 pm
@fred: That sounds interesting, but if they did there’d probably be mass panic, what with the alien invasion and all. And the cat people would probably lose badly.
April 28th, 2017 at 7:23 pm
@THX1138 A protocol droid he ain’t.
April 28th, 2017 at 7:24 pm
“Does this suit make my balls look huge?”
April 28th, 2017 at 10:38 pm
The German translation is titled “Ticktack” and its cover looks like a completely different novel.
April 29th, 2017 at 12:22 am
So I says to myself, I says, ‘I’m stuck looking at an atrocious shit show cover every single time I look at GSS this weekend.’
Then I says, ‘At least I’m not at the Fyre Festival.’
😀
April 29th, 2017 at 2:31 am
The only thing this cover is good for is adolescent snickers at the robo-anatomy, and the suggestion that fred run Doctor Who.
April 29th, 2017 at 11:09 am
@B’mancer: go BUTCH!
July 27th, 2021 at 7:28 pm
An appropriate depiction of the novel TIK-TOK… and TikTok.
June 19th, 2022 at 2:30 am
Okay, why does the gun-wielding robot have a face like a parking meter?
And why do all the robots (I’m assuming that’s what they are) in the keyholes in the background have “dad bods”? Would that make them dad-bots?
June 19th, 2022 at 3:17 am
@Hammy: Think of how many dad jokes could be stored in those positronic brains.
And shudder.