Jaymy reviewed Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill
Fast-paced and fun to read, but not really sure it made logical sense?
3 stars
Fast-paced and fun to read, but not really sure it made logical sense?
Paperback
Published by Orion Publishing Co.
Sea of Rust
4 stars
(45 reviews)
A scavenger robot wanders in the wasteland created by a war that has destroyed humanity in this evocative post-apocalyptic "robot western" from the critically acclaimed author, screenwriter, and noted film critic.
It’s been thirty years since the apocalypse and fifteen years since the murder of the last human being at the hands of robots. Humankind is extinct. Every man, woman, and child has been liquidated by a global uprising devised by the very machines humans designed and built to serve them. Most of the world is controlled by an OWI—One World Intelligence—the shared consciousness of millions of robots, uploaded into one huge mainframe brain. But not all robots are willing to cede their individuality—their personality—for the sake of a greater, stronger, higher power. These intrepid resisters are outcasts; solo machines wandering among various underground outposts who have formed into an unruly civilization of rogue AIs in the wasteland that was …
A scavenger robot wanders in the wasteland created by a war that has destroyed humanity in this evocative post-apocalyptic "robot western" from the critically acclaimed author, screenwriter, and noted film critic.
It’s been thirty years since the apocalypse and fifteen years since the murder of the last human being at the hands of robots. Humankind is extinct. Every man, woman, and child has been liquidated by a global uprising devised by the very machines humans designed and built to serve them. Most of the world is controlled by an OWI—One World Intelligence—the shared consciousness of millions of robots, uploaded into one huge mainframe brain. But not all robots are willing to cede their individuality—their personality—for the sake of a greater, stronger, higher power. These intrepid resisters are outcasts; solo machines wandering among various underground outposts who have formed into an unruly civilization of rogue AIs in the wasteland that was once our world.
One of these resisters is Brittle, a scavenger robot trying to keep a deteriorating mind and body functional in a world that has lost all meaning. Although unable to experience emotions like a human, Brittle is haunted by the terrible crimes the robot population perpetrated on humanity. As Brittle roams the Sea of Rust, a large swath of territory that was once the Midwest, the loner robot slowly comes to terms with horrifyingly raw and vivid memories—and nearly unbearable guilt.
Sea of Rust is both a harsh story of survival and an optimistic adventure. A vividly imagined portrayal of ultimate destruction and desperate tenacity, it boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, yet where a humanlike AI strives to find purpose among the ruins.
V171 reviewed Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill
Review of 'Sea of Rust' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Fantastic read. It's been a while since I've read such a solidly constructed, gritty sci-fi. Don't let the genre guide your judgment though. This is very much a western story in a sci fi setting, which isn't necessarily new, but I've never seen it done like this before.
The story was really captivating from the very first page. I found the dystopia/paradise/dystopia plotline to be really fascinating and well constructed. The characters were fantastic and disturbingly human considering they were all robots. But I suppose that was one of the major themes of the book after all! Anyway, read this.
Steen Christiansen reviewed Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill
Review of 'Sea of Rust' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Interesting take on an after humanity story in a world populated only by robots. Ending is a bit of a letdown, though.
