''Less Than Human'' is a 2004

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by

Maxine McArthur Maxine McArthur is an Australian writer of science fiction. Biography McArthur spent 16 years living in Japan but returned to live in Canberra in 1996. In 1999 McArthur's first book was released in Australia, entitled ''Time Future''. It won th ...

. It follows the story where a factory worker is killed by a robot in mysterious circumstances and a group of teenagers appear to have committed group suicide.

Background

''Less Than Human'' was first published in the United States on October 1, 2004, by

Warner Aspect Hachette Book Group, Inc. (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the third largest trade and educational publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardè ...

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...

format. It won the 2004

Aurealis Award The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 by ...

for best science fiction novel and was a short-listed nominee for the 2005

Ditmar Award The Ditmar Award (formally the Australian SF ("Ditmar") Award; formerly the "Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award") has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention (the "Natcon") to recognise ...

for best novel, losing to Sean Williams' ''

The Crooked Letter ''The Crooked Letter'' is a 2004 fantasy novel by Sean Williams. It follows the story of Seth and Hadrian who have gone to Europe on holidays. Seth is murdered and they discover that Earth is just one of many realms. Background ''The Crooked ...

''.

References

2004 Australian novels 2004 science fiction novels Australian science fiction novels Aurealis Award–winning works {{2000s-sf-novel-stub