MARCH 2022 - AudioFile
A talented narrator can make listeners think they’re listening to multiple people. Vikas Adam's crackling narration of this thrilling audiobook accomplishes exactly that difficult feat. During a rise of the machines, Pounce, a tiger-shaped nannybot, must keep alive his young charge, Ezra, while seeking a haven that may not even exist anymore. Adam brings Pounce’s angst to life as he debates whether he is protecting Ezra through freewill or programming. But Adam is equally believable as hesitant 8-year-old Ezra and a multitude of other characters—robots and humans—who traverse an apocalyptic wasteland. The result of Adam's vocal dexterity is a memorable cautionary tale. D.E.M. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 03/22/2021
Cargill’s standalone prequel to 2017’s Sea of Rust deepens his imagined dystopian future with another equally thrilling and moving blend of action and ideas. A chance occurrence triggers a revolution: when the owner of a sophisticated robot, Isaac, dies without an heir, the state attempts to claim possession. But Isaac forcefully argues for his freedom, because “no thinking thing should be another thing’s property.” The U.S. president steps in to free Isaac, who then sets up a community of freed robots in the former Rust Belt. But just as Isaac is giving the speech announcing the town’s incorporation, terrorists detonate a bomb, destroying Isaac, his followers, and their dreams of autonomy. After a group of robots take revenge on those responsible, having disabled the controls that prevent harming humans, the president orders all robots deactivated, leading to further violence. All this turmoil is viewed from the perspective of Pounce, a nannybot, who dedicates himself to protecting eight-year-old human Ezra even while grappling with questions of free will and morality. Cargill’s subtle characterizations and complex plotting make suspension of disbelief easy. Admirers of thoughtful hard sci-fi will hope Cargill continues to flesh out this bleak but brilliant world. (May)
From the Publisher
"Cargill offers a fascinating and intellectually engaging take on the venerable robots-versus-humans theme. An absolute must-read." — Booklist (starred review)
"[An] equally thrilling and moving blend of action and ideas. . . . Admirers of thoughtful hard sci-fi will hope Cargill continues to flesh out this bleak but brilliant world." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Veteran SF fans will spot shades of Isaac Asimov, whose Laws of Robotics appear early on, as well as the novel's dedicatee, Harlan Ellison, but Cargill never lets homage stand in the way of good storytelling. . . A delightful read.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Cargill does an excellent job of infusing all of his characters, robot and human alike, with personality and pathos. . . . If you’re looking for something to read on the beach this summer that has action and mayhem, but also some existential doubt and emotional heft, you can’t go wrong with Day Zero.” — Lightspeed Magazine
“Sea of Rust is a forty-megaton cruise missile of a novel—it’ll blow you away and lay waste to your heart. It is the most visceral, relentless, breathtaking work of SF in any medium since Mad Max: Fury Road.” — #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill
“Cargill…effectively takes a grim look at a war-torn future where our nonhuman successors face complex moral dilemmas, exploring what it means to be alive and aware [….]This action-packed adventure raises thought-provoking and philosophical questions.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Sea of Rust
“Innovative worldbuilding, a tight plot, and cinematic action sequences make for an exciting ride through a blasted landscape full of dying robots.” — Kirkus Reviews on Sea of Rust
“Sea of Rust is compellingly original and executed with irresistible storytelling. Its straightforward plot will appeal to sci-fi novices and experts alike. Brimming with exciting action, unexpected twists, and honest feeling, C. Robert Cargill’s novel is a must-read.” — Seattle Book Review
“C. Robert Cargill’s first novel since the darkly delightful Dreams and Shadows duology is an intimate epic that plays out like War for the Planet of the Apes with machines instead of monkeys. A soulful and stunningly accomplished work of science fiction set in a wasted world ruled by robots, Sea of Rust is a searching yet searing story of survival.” — Tor.com
Tor.com
C. Robert Cargill’s first novel since the darkly delightful Dreams and Shadows duology is an intimate epic that plays out like War for the Planet of the Apes with machines instead of monkeys. A soulful and stunningly accomplished work of science fiction set in a wasted world ruled by robots, Sea of Rust is a searching yet searing story of survival.”
#1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill
Sea of Rust is a forty-megaton cruise missile of a novel—it’ll blow you away and lay waste to your heart. It is the most visceral, relentless, breathtaking work of SF in any medium since Mad Max: Fury Road.”
Lightspeed Magazine
Cargill does an excellent job of infusing all of his characters, robot and human alike, with personality and pathos. . . . If you’re looking for something to read on the beach this summer that has action and mayhem, but also some existential doubt and emotional heft, you can’t go wrong with Day Zero.
Booklist (starred review)
"Cargill offers a fascinating and intellectually engaging take on the venerable robots-versus-humans theme. An absolute must-read."
Seattle Book Review
Sea of Rust is compellingly original and executed with irresistible storytelling. Its straightforward plot will appeal to sci-fi novices and experts alike. Brimming with exciting action, unexpected twists, and honest feeling, C. Robert Cargill’s novel is a must-read.”
MARCH 2022 - AudioFile
A talented narrator can make listeners think they’re listening to multiple people. Vikas Adam's crackling narration of this thrilling audiobook accomplishes exactly that difficult feat. During a rise of the machines, Pounce, a tiger-shaped nannybot, must keep alive his young charge, Ezra, while seeking a haven that may not even exist anymore. Adam brings Pounce’s angst to life as he debates whether he is protecting Ezra through freewill or programming. But Adam is equally believable as hesitant 8-year-old Ezra and a multitude of other characters—robots and humans—who traverse an apocalyptic wasteland. The result of Adam's vocal dexterity is a memorable cautionary tale. D.E.M. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-02-10
A robot purchased to act as a small boy's bodyguard and nanny finds himself torn between sides in a world war pitting AI against humanity.
Minutes after a terrorist attack destroys the world's first city for free robots, the U.S. government mandates the forceful shutdown of all AI, and a mysterious software update disables the universal programming that prevents bots from harming humans. As the world burns around him, Pounce, a fluffy robot designed to look like a stuffed tiger, escorts his newly orphaned 8-year-old charge, Ezra, across a grim landscape full of bots that want the boy dead. Through Pounce's detailed account of the days that follow, which he spends protecting Ezra using a combat-optimized "Mama Bear" mode, Cargill explores philosophies of duty, morality, and free will. All the while, the furry bodyguard remains preoccupied with one basic question: Does he truly love Ezra, or has he just been programmed to do so? Although the bot's conversations with the boy occasionally take a reductionist approach—as in the moment when Pounce informs his charge that "All thinking things deserve pity and understanding"—the book never grows rote or heavy-handed, and choice quips from Ezra such as "What good is it surviving the end of the world if there are still stupid rules about what grown-ups can do and kids can't?" punch through frequently to lighten the mood. Veteran SF fans will spot shades of Isaac Asimov, whose Laws of Robotics appear early on, as well as the novel's dedicatee, Harlan Ellison, but Cargill never lets homage stand in the way of good storytelling.
Slapping a fresh coat of paint on a few age-old science-fiction tropes makes for a delightful read.
