A Chatbot Reviews My Iron Dragon Trilogy

 

 

So out of idle curiosity I asked a Chatbot to write an essay on my Iron Dragon trilogy. The results below are hilarious if you know my work. (If you don't, reading The Iron Dragon's Daughter and either "The Dog Said Bow-Wow" or one of my Darger & Surplus novels will bring you up to speed.)

Oh, and I should mention that the final paragraph seems to be boilerplate whenever the chatbot is summing up a fantasy/sf novel.

 Here it is, straight from the mouth of the machine:

The Iron Dragon novels by Michael Swanwick are a series of fantasy books that follow the adventures of a young boy named Darger and his loyal sidekick, Surplus, as they journey through a world filled with incredible technology and ancient magic.

The first book in the series, The Dragons of Babel, introduces us to Darger and Surplus as they are forced to flee their home in search of a better life. Along the way, they encounter a wide range of fascinating characters, including a powerful dragon named Babd Catha, who becomes their unlikely ally.

As they journey through this strange new world, Darger and Surplus must rely on their wits and cunning to survive. They are constantly confronted with danger and adversity, but they never give up hope and always find a way to overcome the odds.

Throughout the series, we see Darger and Surplus grow and mature, as they learn to harness their unique abilities and work together to overcome the challenges they face. In the end, they emerge as true heroes, ready to take on any challenge that comes their way.

The Iron Dragon novels are a thrilling and exciting read, full of adventure, magic, and a cast of memorable characters. Michael Swanwick's writing is sharp and engaging, and he has created a truly unique and captivating world for readers to explore. If you enjoy fantasy novels with a touch of technology and a lot of heart, then the Iron Dragon series is definitely worth checking out.

 

And the lesson we should learn from this is . . .

 Laughing  at the Chatbot is almost as much fun as marveling at all the AI programs that are industriously at work putting illustrators out of business. But they're just at the dawn of their powers and there are programmers working feverishly to improve them. Writers--including unpublished writers who are working hard to make the leap--should give some serious thought to how to respond to artificial fiction.

There isn't much time, though. So think fast.

 

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