I'm wondering if my computer's camera is watching me as I type this review.....No I haven't lost my marbles. That's the premise of Daniel H. Wilson's debut novel Robopocalypse.
The computers, machines and robotics that humans have built, developed and embraced as part of our everyday lives have turned the tables....Slowly but surely, they've evolved...and learned to think for themselves. And us? Well, we're now expendable. Zero Hour is scheduled.
I freakin' loved this book! It totally fed my passion for dystopian, apocalyptic fiction. There are no deep themes to discuss at book club (but you will be talking about it) and it won't be immortalized as great literature. But, boy oh boy was it was an action packed thrill ride of a read.
Wilson utilizes a very unique and creative format to tell the story of the War between humankind and machines. We meet Cormac "Bright Boy" Wallace in the opening chapter. He has survived the war so far and makes a startling discovery. "This is the goddamn black box on the whole war." Utilizing the data found on the cube with back up from other electronic and human sources, we start at the beginning of the end and works backwards. At first I thought, no, I know the outcome already, but it works. Every chapter introduces us to more players in this planet encompassing apocalypse. Each is completely different and their actions and lives intersect in ways they couldn't have imagined. Cormac's commentary opens and closes each chapter tying it to the next. The foreshadowing at the end of many chapters kept me up turning pages far into the night.
For sheer entertainment this summer, Robopocalypse simply can't be beat. And in the near future, you'll be able to catch the movie version - Spielberg will be directing.
Who would like this book? Those who enjoyed the movies The Book of Eli, The Road, Terminator, the television show The Walking Dead and the books The Stand, The Road and I Am Legend. Vehicles that celebrate the triumph of human spirit.
Daniel H. Wilson has a Ph.D in robotics. Maybe it's not so far fetched an idea. Do you know what destination your GPS has programmed for you
