The Strange: Scifi Mars robots meet real-world bounded rationality

Even with the addition of a strange mineral, robots still obey the principle of bounded rationality in artificial intelligence set forth by Herb Simon. I cover bounded rationality in my Science Robotics review (image courtesy of @SciRobotics) but I am adding some more details here. Did you like the Western True Grit? If yes to any or all of the above, The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud is for you! First off, let's talk about the book. The Strange is set in a counterfactual Confederate States of America colony on Mars circa 1930s, evocative of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles.