Why we’re excited
Niko writes code, earns well and lives surrounded by smart devices, yet his days feel empty. When his estranged grandfather, a tech billionaire, dies, Niko meets the man who tends the cemetery grounds, and their early-morning work together slowly teaches him to slow down, look at nature and stop living for other people's approval.
Robin Sharma made his name with self-help told as fiction, and Who Will Cry When You Die? kept that approach. This book goes back to that fable format, now aimed at life alongside screens and AI. It is for readers who prefer their life lessons wrapped in a story.
On our most-anticipated list since 26 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about The Robot and The Gardener: Being Fully Human in an Artificial Age: A Parable
We haven’t reviewed Robin Sharma before, so this would be our first look at their work.
From the publisher
From the #1 bestselling author of The 5AM Club and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari comes a profoundly moving story about becoming fully human in our technology-filled, distraction-driven world—and discovering what’s most important to a life of happiness, wonder and purpose.
Meet Niko, a talented coder who seemingly has it social status, luxury goods and a sleek, high-rise apartment. His world is filled with technology designed to make him more productive, relevant and successful. But lately, Niko’s days blur together. His life is a rush of busyness, leaving him flooded with pressure and empty of joy.
When Niko’s estranged grandfather, a billionaire tech titan, suddenly dies, Niko must confront a painful past. At the funeral, Niko encounters the cemetery caretaker, who stuns Niko with a simple “A life can be impressive and still be unlived.”
The Gardener presents Niko with an unusual meet at dawn and join him in his work at the graveyard. The invitation strikes Niko as odd, but, as he observes the Gardener and his plain clothes, with a peaceful face and hands worn from laboring in the sun, something deep and honest pulls at him.
In the weeks that follow, Niko begins to shed the restless craving and lack of fulfillment had marked his life. He learns the joys of slowing down, the wisdom of simplicity, and original lessons from human lives beautifully lived. He discovers nature and its teachings for the first time in years. And he stops seeking the approval of others and behaving artificially—recognizing that being true to one’s self is a great source of power and that the past is not a burden, but a valuable guide. But just as Niko embraces in his newfound path, the outside world threatens to bring it crashing down.
Returning to the parable form of his massive global bestsellers, Robin Sharma in The Robot and the Gardener shows us that our greatest worth comes not from optimizing ourselves into oblivion and rushing through our days but from remembering what makes us human and honoring the gifts hidden within every life.
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read The Robot and The Gardener: Being Fully Human in an Artificial Age: A Parable yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
