Sea of Rust
Ratings75
Average rating3.8
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.
Series
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1 primary book2 released books#1 in Sea of Rust
Sea of Rust is a 2-book series with 1 released primary work first released in 2017 with contributions by C. Robert Cargill.
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Post-apocalyptic dystopian robots. This was a great parable for the hubris of man, but also the an interesting thought experiment into whether any other form of intelligence would actually be better. There is a bleakness to this book (which to be fair is common to most post-apocalyptic books) and the absence of humans is keenly felt. We are already extinct in this setting and robots have inherited the world. That inheritance of AI doesn't mean an end to conflict however. Different AI's see different desires, and as soon as something has self awareness it should have self preservation - an idea that will inevitably lead to fighting for resources and things that it needs. The parallels with modern society are only loosely hidden - environmental decimation and the dangers of more powerful countries bullying weaker ones within a world society are clear messages within the story.
AI gone crazy is not necessarily a new concept, but the setting in a purely AI led environment is a novel one and what gives Sea of Rust its unique feel. The writing is engaging and the robots themselves have distinctly non-robotic personalities. But that is the whole point of AI is it not? Despite having an entire cast of robots, the motivations, rivalries and engagement between characters has a human quality, including the semi-messianic mainframe computers taking on a god-like role.
I have always been a fan of dystopian novels and this one is a top quality example of the genre. The characterization and world building are exemplary and the ending suitably ambiguous. Recommended
A must read for everyone
A very well written, engaging, and interesting story about a post human robot apocalypse. I wasn't excited about the premise before reading, but a few chapters in had me hooked.
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