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Joiner and Rust
An aging robot, on journey to visit a friend, reflects on their adventures together.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2026
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Lavie Tidhar
390 books737 followersLavie Tidhar was raised on a kibbutz in Israel. He has travelled extensively since he was a teenager, living in South Africa, the UK, Laos, and the small island nation of Vanuatu.
Tidhar began publishing with a poetry collection in Hebrew in 1998, but soon moved to fiction, becoming a prolific author of short stories early in the 21st century.
Temporal Spiders, Spatial Webs won the 2003 Clarke-Bradbury competition, sponsored by the European Space Agency, while The Night Train (2010) was a Sturgeon Award finalist.
Linked story collection HebrewPunk (2007) contains stories of Jewish pulp fantasy.
He co-wrote dark fantasy novel The Tel Aviv Dossier (2009) with Nir Yaniv. The Bookman Histories series, combining literary and historical characters with steampunk elements, includes The Bookman (2010), Camera Obscura (2011), and The Great Game (2012).
Standalone novel Osama (2011) combines pulp adventure with a sophisticated look at the impact of terrorism. It won the 2012 World Fantasy Award, and was a finalist for the Campbell Memorial Award, British Science Fiction Award, and a Kitschie.
His latest novels are Martian Sands and The Violent Century.
Much of Tidhar’s best work is done at novella length, including An Occupation of Angels (2005), Cloud Permutations (2010), British Fantasy Award winner Gorel and the Pot-Bellied God (2011), and Jesus & the Eightfold Path (2011).
Tidhar advocates bringing international SF to a wider audience, and has edited The Apex Book of World SF (2009) and The Apex Book of World SF 2 (2012).
He is also editor-in-chief of the World SF Blog , and in 2011 was a finalist for a World Fantasy Award for his work there.
He also edited A Dick and Jane Primer for Adults (2008); wrote Michael Marshall Smith: The Annotated Bibliography (2004); wrote weird picture book Going to The Moon (2012, with artist Paul McCaffery); and scripted one-shot comic Adolf Hitler’s I Dream of Ants! (2012, with artist Neil Struthers).
Tidhar lives with his wife in London.
Tidhar began publishing with a poetry collection in Hebrew in 1998, but soon moved to fiction, becoming a prolific author of short stories early in the 21st century.
Temporal Spiders, Spatial Webs won the 2003 Clarke-Bradbury competition, sponsored by the European Space Agency, while The Night Train (2010) was a Sturgeon Award finalist.
Linked story collection HebrewPunk (2007) contains stories of Jewish pulp fantasy.
He co-wrote dark fantasy novel The Tel Aviv Dossier (2009) with Nir Yaniv. The Bookman Histories series, combining literary and historical characters with steampunk elements, includes The Bookman (2010), Camera Obscura (2011), and The Great Game (2012).
Standalone novel Osama (2011) combines pulp adventure with a sophisticated look at the impact of terrorism. It won the 2012 World Fantasy Award, and was a finalist for the Campbell Memorial Award, British Science Fiction Award, and a Kitschie.
His latest novels are Martian Sands and The Violent Century.
Much of Tidhar’s best work is done at novella length, including An Occupation of Angels (2005), Cloud Permutations (2010), British Fantasy Award winner Gorel and the Pot-Bellied God (2011), and Jesus & the Eightfold Path (2011).
Tidhar advocates bringing international SF to a wider audience, and has edited The Apex Book of World SF (2009) and The Apex Book of World SF 2 (2012).
He is also editor-in-chief of the World SF Blog , and in 2011 was a finalist for a World Fantasy Award for his work there.
He also edited A Dick and Jane Primer for Adults (2008); wrote Michael Marshall Smith: The Annotated Bibliography (2004); wrote weird picture book Going to The Moon (2012, with artist Paul McCaffery); and scripted one-shot comic Adolf Hitler’s I Dream of Ants! (2012, with artist Neil Struthers).
Tidhar lives with his wife in London.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 17, 2026
4.5 stars. A wonderful, affecting, and quietly melancholic vision of the future, told through the eyes of two grieving robots with a long perspective on humanity. The world Tidhar presents is deeply intriguing, imagining a myriad of fascinating meldings of human and artificial life.
January 19, 2026
A Robot, a Cat, a Strigoi and a Manshonyagger: a quest in a far-future Qijiang.
‘I’m looking for an old friend,’ the robot said. ‘Should be living around here somewhere.’
‘Yeah?’ the cat said. It yawned again. ‘Then what’s the problem?’
‘Can’t find them,’ the robot said.
‘Not much of a friend, then,’ the cat said.
———————
‘Got any cat food?’
‘Why would I have any cat food?’ the robot said.
‘I don’t know,’ the cat said. ‘I thought it was worth asking.’
———————
[The cat] went to the river bank and began to lap at the water. Ghostly forms rose out of the sludge, extending translucent arms. The cat sucked on their forms until they vanished.
‘What are you doing?’ the robot said in some alarm.
‘Feeding,’ the cat said. ‘I like to eat ghosts.’
‘You’re a very strange cat,’ the robot said.
———————
‘Why do you keep following me?’ the robot said.
‘No reason,’ the cat said. ‘Just bored. Not much going on around here. Can I have your watermelon?’
———————
Well. The wonderful start turns to a prosaic space-opera: a search for a lost Exodus ship, in the far outer Solar System. Rust, Joiner and a motley crew of humans find the ancient wreck and prepare to loot her. Doesn’t work out. The humans all die. But robots don’t die, they just grow old.
Back to Qijiang. And a sweet ending.
“The sun set over Qijiang. The two old robots, in companionable silence, sat and watched the children play.”
This story might have worked better without the space-opera salvage stuff. Just the humor & nostalgia in Qijiang. But that’s not what Tidhar wrote; we must deal with actuality. It’s still a good story: 4+ stars for me. But the stuff I loved was magical. And the cover art is lovely.
Direct story link: https://reactormag.com/joiner-and-rus...
‘I’m looking for an old friend,’ the robot said. ‘Should be living around here somewhere.’
‘Yeah?’ the cat said. It yawned again. ‘Then what’s the problem?’
‘Can’t find them,’ the robot said.
‘Not much of a friend, then,’ the cat said.
———————
‘Got any cat food?’
‘Why would I have any cat food?’ the robot said.
‘I don’t know,’ the cat said. ‘I thought it was worth asking.’
———————
[The cat] went to the river bank and began to lap at the water. Ghostly forms rose out of the sludge, extending translucent arms. The cat sucked on their forms until they vanished.
‘What are you doing?’ the robot said in some alarm.
‘Feeding,’ the cat said. ‘I like to eat ghosts.’
‘You’re a very strange cat,’ the robot said.
———————
‘Why do you keep following me?’ the robot said.
‘No reason,’ the cat said. ‘Just bored. Not much going on around here. Can I have your watermelon?’
———————
Well. The wonderful start turns to a prosaic space-opera: a search for a lost Exodus ship, in the far outer Solar System. Rust, Joiner and a motley crew of humans find the ancient wreck and prepare to loot her. Doesn’t work out. The humans all die. But robots don’t die, they just grow old.
Back to Qijiang. And a sweet ending.
“The sun set over Qijiang. The two old robots, in companionable silence, sat and watched the children play.”
This story might have worked better without the space-opera salvage stuff. Just the humor & nostalgia in Qijiang. But that’s not what Tidhar wrote; we must deal with actuality. It’s still a good story: 4+ stars for me. But the stuff I loved was magical. And the cover art is lovely.
Direct story link: https://reactormag.com/joiner-and-rus...
January 15, 2026
I just finished reading this story; I need to re-read it.
I wish, sometimes, I could re-capture the experience of reading something new for the first time - something I would love, consuming words that would resonate.
The only way I know how to do this is to keep reading new stories and actively absorb what I can; and to re-read the stories I can't do without. So, I guess I'll add this to my re-read list. :-)
(and yes, for the record, I do think sentience goes hand-in-hand with irritation.)
I wish, sometimes, I could re-capture the experience of reading something new for the first time - something I would love, consuming words that would resonate.
The only way I know how to do this is to keep reading new stories and actively absorb what I can; and to re-read the stories I can't do without. So, I guess I'll add this to my re-read list. :-)
(and yes, for the record, I do think sentience goes hand-in-hand with irritation.)
January 16, 2026
Great plot
I loved the scenes set in the past when the robots were traveling with the captain. It was a nice touch about the baby. Well written , and well plotted.
I loved the scenes set in the past when the robots were traveling with the captain. It was a nice touch about the baby. Well written , and well plotted.
January 16, 2026
A great read for the start of the year.
January 17, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
Joiner and the Rust by Lavie Tidhar is a sharp, inventive short story that blends weird western elements with post-apocalyptic science fiction. At its heart, it is a meditation on memory, grief, and what it means to build or destroy a world after everything has already been lost. The tone is poignant and quietly powerful, lingering long after the final page. Both Rust and Joiner are compelling figures, and the story leaves you wanting more of their histories and motivations. One can only hope Tidhar returns to this world in future stories.
Joiner and the Rust by Lavie Tidhar is a sharp, inventive short story that blends weird western elements with post-apocalyptic science fiction. At its heart, it is a meditation on memory, grief, and what it means to build or destroy a world after everything has already been lost. The tone is poignant and quietly powerful, lingering long after the final page. Both Rust and Joiner are compelling figures, and the story leaves you wanting more of their histories and motivations. One can only hope Tidhar returns to this world in future stories.
January 28, 2026
Joiner and Rust is a poignant science fiction novelette by Lavie Tidhar, originally published in 2026 by Reactor (Tor.com) with illustrations by James Gilleard and edited by Jonathan Strahan. You can read it here: https://reactormag.com/joiner-and-rus...
The story follows an aging robot (Rust) making a long, quiet journey through space to visit an old friend. As it travels, the robot looks back on the wild days when it and its partner—known together as Joiner and Rust—were an unbeatable duo. They were the go-to team for high-risk jobs in the solar system: slipping onto enemy ships in Jovian space, planting mines, breaching hulls, and handling whatever dirty work came their way in the lawless outer reaches. Think space crabs crawling undetected, then striking hard.
Now, with time and wear taking their toll, the robot reflects on those adventures, the bond they shared, and what friendship means when bodies rust and systems fail. It's a gentle, introspective piece about aging, memory, loyalty, and the echoes of a rough-and-tumble past in a vast, empty cosmos. Tidhar keeps it understated yet touching, blending hard sci-fi details with real emotional weight.
My ongoing quest to read all the Thor short stories.
I love Tidhar's Judge Lee stories, but he also shines in these sci-fi offerings.
4.7 Stars
The story follows an aging robot (Rust) making a long, quiet journey through space to visit an old friend. As it travels, the robot looks back on the wild days when it and its partner—known together as Joiner and Rust—were an unbeatable duo. They were the go-to team for high-risk jobs in the solar system: slipping onto enemy ships in Jovian space, planting mines, breaching hulls, and handling whatever dirty work came their way in the lawless outer reaches. Think space crabs crawling undetected, then striking hard.
Now, with time and wear taking their toll, the robot reflects on those adventures, the bond they shared, and what friendship means when bodies rust and systems fail. It's a gentle, introspective piece about aging, memory, loyalty, and the echoes of a rough-and-tumble past in a vast, empty cosmos. Tidhar keeps it understated yet touching, blending hard sci-fi details with real emotional weight.
My ongoing quest to read all the Thor short stories.
I love Tidhar's Judge Lee stories, but he also shines in these sci-fi offerings.
4.7 Stars
January 24, 2026
I guess I am too jaded; I've been reading too much contemporary fiction. I want more by this author, more kinda like this... but at the same time I'm just about done with sentimental robots and also pirates of course. I need to spend more time with other eras, other genres, at least other tropes.
January 15, 2026
a lovely combination of space adventures, character dynamics, and a talking cat
January 18, 2026
This is a lovely Tor/Reactor novella. It is amazing how much and wide-ranging of a tale is packed in this novelette without remotely feeling overstuffed….and I can visualize so much more.
January 22, 2026
A beauteous story, melancholic, expanse, expansive.
February 1, 2026
This was pretty cute, but I kinda wanted more from the story. Maybe should have been worked into a full novella.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews