Android Girl: And Other Sentient Speculations

Android Girl is the perfect title for this collection of poetry. Like an android, this collection balances humanity and machine with an adequate dose of horror. Michael expresses himself in a variety of forms, utilizing both rhyme and free verse to offer wry warnings and submerged truths.
One of my favorites is “Song of The Romantic Luddite Gnome.” For me, it sums up the challenge of the science fiction poet and writer. Balancing science—”an albino devoid of the colors of life”—with the wanton freedom of artistic expression is a challenge faced by all of us. In Android Girl, Michael accomplishes this with grace.
His work is rich with esoteric visions of technology, but he doesn’t drown the work with sterilized verse. Instead, Michael brings his creation out into the world to walk among us in a strange landscape we, ourselves, have created.
A collection that expresses wit and humor along with the meandering thoughts from a wandering wise man, Android Girl is a collection to chew slowly, savoring every bite under the stars on a summer night… wondering.
-- Angela Yuriko Smith, Author, Poet, and Editor


ANDROID GIRL is a deliciously varied collection from the industrious pen of Michael H. Hanson, wherein you may find your own truths in his winsome verses. A section titled “Phased Transitions” is mostly dedicated to big names in SF, with lines such as “The box is closed, terrors mildew/the master of our world is mute” (for Richard Matheson). With some nostalgic, some amusing, even a few profound, Hanson offers us a mix we can’t refuse. Buy a copy for your shelves and share!

-- Marge Simon, Winner of the Elgin Poetry Award for WAR (with Alessandro Manzetti) 2019
“From sharp, poignant titles to carefully selected, energetic word choices, Michael H. Hanson’s Android Girl is a knockout collection. Within, you’ll find pieces celebrating the voices of genre greats who have left behind the influences we see in Hanson’s work, but you’ll also find a collection that uses each section to celebrate speculative poetry in a dynamic and unique way. Every piece offers a distinct story, yet we clearly feel the connections weaved between the narratives. The poems cast a spell, lure you into fantastical worlds, and also offer an extraordinary amount of heart.”

- Sara Tantlinger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil’s Dreamland