Sea of Rust, C. Robert Cargill
Sea of Rust, C. Robert Cargill
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On Sale: $6.99

Sea of Rust
A Novel

Author: C. Robert Cargill

Narrator: Eva Kaminsky

Unabridged: 10 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 09/05/2017


Synopsis

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.

About C. Robert Cargill

C. Robert Cargill is the author of Dreams and Shadows and Queen of the Dark Things. He has written for Ain’t it Cool News for nearly a decade under the pseudonym Massawyrm, served as a staff writer for Film.com and Hollywood.com, and appeared as the animated character Carlyle on Spill.com. He is a cowriter of the horror films Sinister and Sinister 2, and Marvel’s Dr. Strange. He lives with his wife in Austin, Texas.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bradley on May 26, 2021

Re-read, 5/26/21: Now that I'm an all-around fan of Cargill and I was simply in the mood for robots, robots, and more robots in a wasteland, this book was a perfect solution. Re-reading isn't a problem. It's a great story. Very wild west. And I got my damn fill, comfort-bots or no. :) Original Review:......more

Goodreads review by LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" on February 11, 2022

My old review was deleted. I loved everything about this story. Think you don't care about bots? Read 'em and weep! Or laugh. Or stress out. Or just enjoy the fucking ride! I had a ball!......more

Goodreads review by Chelsies Reading Escape on October 11, 2017

I dont know if I can find the words needed to properly convey my feelings about this book. I wasnt expecting the beginning to hook me so quickly. It reminded me a bit of the Terminator movies and I loved those. Robots have turned against their creators and now with mankind extinct the 2 major One Wo......more

Goodreads review by Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) on July 11, 2020

3.5 Stars Overall, this was a fascinating piece of science fiction set in a post apocalyptic future.  I was not particularly invested in the present day storyline, because I never became attached to the AI protagonist. The story was just not particularly character focused. Instead, it was more of an......more

Goodreads review by Mel (Epic Reading) on February 06, 2020

On Earth in a time where no humans exist, and there are only human made AI robots, we are challenged to look at ourselves, human society, the definition of a 'living thing', and question our own existence. C. Robert Cargill has brought us a spectacular science fiction, social commentary through the......more