The word "robot" was coined a little over a century ago, but humankind has always told stories of constructed lifeforms. From the earliest myths to the latest blockbuster, stories of artificial life have always held our attention. But what do the stories we tell about the machines we make reveal about how we see ourselves?

One person risks everything for one good shot. Absolution is dispensed at the push of a button. A brother and sister disagree about a strange benefactor's true motivations. A mechanical mind discovers artistic beauty. A kitchen appliance takes charge.

Join the writers of the Imaginative Fiction Writers Association on a journey through worlds both familiar and unknown as they explore humanity's drive to create life (or something like it) in their own image. These are the machines that make us.

Featuring stories by: R.E. Baird; Renée Bennett; Adriaan Brae; Ed Buchan; Ellen A. Easton; Robert W. Easton; Ron S. Friedman; Michael Gillett; Fernando Girotto; Dan M. Hampton; Dale McShannock; Brent Nichols; Al Onia; Celeste A. Peters; Mark Phillip Ross; Robert J. Sawyer; Jim Sheasby; Marc Watson; Kevin Weir; and David Worsick.