We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
{4.5/5} “There would have to be rules. Some standards, so that things wouldn’t descend into chaos. First, each copy would have to come up with a new name, to emphasize the fact that they were not me. Second, the most senior Bob in any system would be in charge. I stared into space for a few milliseconds, trying to think of any more items. Nothing came to mind.”
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor, published in 2016
Bob earned a bunch of money when his company was bought out. He spent some of it on arranging to freeze his head when he died. The he got hit by a car. A hundred years later he wakes up to find his personality has been uploaded into a computer. They’re testing his ability to control multiple machines at once, and if he’s successful they’ll send him on a probe to look for habitable planets.
The prose might not be quite as polished as your favourite author, but the terrific story makes this worth reading. It has a nice sense of humour.
It’s about living as a machine, exploring the galaxy, and getting people off the planet.
It comes to a semi-conclusion, but there’s obviously more to the story.
This is the 1st book by Taylor I’ve read.