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Looking for the title of a scifi book where the main character is a robot who looks like a human but does not have a navel. The story is focused around the Chrysler Building. The plot is about a young man who was built in a tank by the government but lost his memory.

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    This is not a lot to go on. When and where did you read this? Anything about the plot? Can you remember any other details about the characters
    – Radhil
    Jun 28, 2017 at 13:49
  • Yes did read it. The plot is about a young man who was built in a tank by the government but lost his memory. Jun 29, 2017 at 19:13

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Could this be Charles Platt's Less Than Human (published under his pseudonym of Robert Clarke)? It involves a robot as a main character. No mention of navels that I've found, but the two reviews on Amazon both mention the Chrysler Building as where he lives:

Less Than Human - Book Cover Less Than Human - Alternate Book Cover

This 1986 novel, set in 2010, probably worked better in 1986 than it does in 2010, but it's still kinda funny. Sixteen year old Melanie, dreaming of the idyllic suburban life of the 1950's, moves out of the Chrysler Building commune because she can't abide the dirty, elderly pot smokers who want to listen to the Grateful Dead and have sex with her. She encounters an escaped humanoid robot developed by the Pentagon which, due to a programming glitch, is missing some memory. The robot (who comes to be named Burt) recoovers [sic] its memory after dropping acid, then learns that the world is imperiled by the Chief Programmer, who controls the central computer, which in turn controls pretty much everything in the United States, including the robotic president. New York City's chief of police is sent to recover Burt, a job that terrifies him since it requires him to venture into the streets of the city for the first time in years. The story pits the Chief Programmer against Burt and the police chief with sort of a silly love story involving Melanie and Burt tossed into the mix.

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  • Book found on the second page of searching for science fiction novel robot chrysler building
    – FuzzyBoots
    Jun 28, 2017 at 14:29
  • @BabatundePase: I have found no record of an ebook having been released. You may have to rely on purchasing a physical copy.
    – FuzzyBoots
    Jun 29, 2017 at 20:07
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Could it be Mockingbird by Walter Tevis

I think it may be the Empire State Building that is involved and he doesn't live in it (I won't say more as I can't remember how integral this is to the plot). In the book the robots look like humans apart from some anatomical differences - the main one (when clothed) is that their ears are a different colour.

The robot is named Spofforth, the book also follows a human male and female - Paul and Mary. It is set in a dystopian future where humans subsist on drugs and robots do all the labour.

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