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RobopocalypseIntroduction of the ebook: Robopocalypse
Đánh giá : 3.70 /5 (sao)
In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication.
In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans—a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a “pacification unit” go haywire—but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.
When the Robot War ignites—at a moment known later as Zero Hour—humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us … and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years. …more
Review ebook Robopocalypse
Robopocalypse takes a common-enough idea: robots take over the world, and turns it into some new, fresh and exciting. Our narrator Cormac “Bright Boy” Wallace starts at the end of the war, when humanity has just barely managed to put down the evil AI (no spoilers; we know the outcome of the war from page one) and then backs up to tell us how it all happened, sharing personal recollections and recordings kept in a “black box” by Archos, the AI who started the war.
The format is a bit like World W Robopocalypse takes a common-enough idea: robots take over the world, and turns it into some new, fresh and exciting. Our narrator Cormac “Bright Boy” Wallace starts at the end of the war, when humanity has just barely managed to put down the evil AI (no spoilers; we know the outcome of the war from page one) and then backs up to tell us how it all happened, sharing personal recollections and recordings kept in a “black box” by Archos, the AI who started the war.
The format is a bit like World War Z in that respect, but author Daniel Wilson brings a special skill set to bear, as he has advanced degrees in robotics and artificial intelligence. His application of that knowledge comes across as terrifying and believable, yet never too academic. Also, as a Cherokee citizen, Wilson offers wonderfully fresh points of view that add personality and moxie to this dystopian tale. Setting the redoubt of human resistance in the Osage Nation makes perfect sense, (especially after reading about the resilience of the Osage in Killers of the Flower Moon). The resistance could never have succeeded with an Indigenous system of knowledge and perspective. In the early days of the war, the Osage survivors literally dance to life a new hope for human society.
Even though there are many characters, presented as quick portrait sketches from all over the world, we learn to care about each of them — Cormac the reluctant warrior; Takeo the elderly Japanese tech savant; Mathilda Perez, the ten-year-old girl with special powers; Nine Oh Two, a sentient free robot; and even Lurker, an obnoxious teenager techno-prankster who turns out to have a heroic side. They all make valuable contributions, and show humanity in a high-tech, inhuman war.
I especially appreciated Wilson’s depiction of Archos the enemy AI, who is scary powerful but not omnipotent. His strengths and weaknesses are believable. His motives make sense. We feel empathy for him, as we must for any really good villain. Wilson does a great job showing all sides of the battle, and he definitely keeps the pages turning!
(Thanks to Rebecca Roanhorse for recommending this book in her excellent article “Postcards from the Apocalypse” https://uncannymagazine.com/article/p….) …more
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