The Velvet Glove

In a near-future New York, robots have won legal equality on paper, but prejudice, poverty, and exploitation still shape their lives. Harry Harrison's sharp, ironic tale follows Jon Venex, a free robot struggling with self-repair, unemployment, and curfew in a society that treats mechanical citizens as disposable even while praising progress. When Jon meets fellow robot Alec Diger and the crumbling specialist Dik Dryer, the brutal gap between law and reality becomes impossible to ignore. A promising job lead sends Jon toward a moment of hope, only to plunge him into danger after a false accusation nearly gets him arrested. A sympathetic truck driver rescues him and slips him a forbidden pamphlet defending robot rights, hinting at a hidden resistance. Jon's next interview seems to fail, but a secret message points him toward a far more dangerous opportunity. Meanwhile, the mysterious Wil Counter is revealed as an undercover detective working a heroin-smuggling case, and Jon's quick thinking earns him an unexpected offer to join the force. Gritty, suspenseful, and deeply humane, this is a story of labor, dignity, and survival in a world that still refuses to see robots as fully alive. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.