Large-scale hard science fiction exploring interstellar exploration, self-replicating probes, and artificial intelligence gained widespread popularity through the Bobiverse series. Canadian novelist Dennis E. Taylor, writing as Dennis Taylor, gained prominence with his debut Bobiverse novel We Are Legion, which follows a digitized human mind managing space travel, first contact, and human survival across light-years.
Career & Background
Born in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Taylor spent many years working as a computer programmer before transitioning into writing. While working in software engineering, he self-published his first novel and began working with an agent to place his second manuscript, We Are Legion (We Are Bob). Although he initially faced difficulties securing traditional publication, the book found major success and launched his career as a full-time author.
Now retired from computer programming, Taylor splits his time between Coquitlam and Whistler, British Columbia, where he lives with his wife, Blaihin. Alongside writing, he is an active snowboarder in the winter and mountain biker in the summer. He has expanded his bibliography beyond his flagship series to include standalone tech-thrillers and sci-fi mysteries such as Flybot.
Writing Style & Themes
Taylor's fiction is rooted in hard science fiction principles, leaning heavily on technological concepts, orbital mechanics, and artificial intelligence development. Drawing directly from his background in software development, his stories frequently examine how synthetic minds, autonomous software, and uploaded human consciousness interact with complex physical environments and human society.
A distinct aspect of Taylor's narrative approach is combining technical accuracy with humor, practical problem-solving, and buddy-scientist dynamics. His works regularly address existential threats to humanity, first contact scenarios, the ethics of post-human existence, and the logistical challenges of deep-space colonization across multiple star systems.
Major Works
- We Are Legion — The opening novel of the Bobiverse series introduces Bob Johansson, a former software company owner whose uploaded mind becomes the controlling artificial intelligence of an interstellar Von Neumann probe.
- All These Worlds — The third installment in the Bobiverse series escalates the cosmic stakes as multiple Bob clones coordinate to protect surviving human colonies and allied alien species from an aggressive interstellar threat.
- Not Till We Are Lost — A continuation of the Bobiverse narrative that expands the universe further, following Bob's divergent clones as they encounter new cosmic phenomena, advanced alien civilizations, and internal ideological splits.
