Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson Daniel H. Wilson: Robopocalypse. Robopocalypse wants so badly to be World War Z with evil robots that it’s disappointing when it doesn’t capture that book’s best aspects. Like World War Z , Robocalypse —which surprised the literary world when Steven Spielberg optioned it before it even landed at a publishing house— strives to display how the gradual rise, sudden takeover, and terrifying reign of humanity’s new robot overlords affects a far-flung set of characters from all over the world. Unlike Z , however, Robopocalypse limits itself so much that it never truly seems epic, and that makes its larger flaws harder to forgive. Structured as a collection of descriptions of footage recorded by the evil A.I. Archos throughout humanity’s war with the robots (which humans win, according to the very first page), Robopocalypse opens with a desperate scientist attempting to sequester the malicious A.I. he’s developed, realizing too late that it’s tricked him. From there, Archos infects the world’s robots, from domestic helper-bots to smart cars to robotic toys. The earliest sections of the book—before the robots launch their sudden, brutal assault on humanity—are the best, as Wilson lets creepy suggestion stand in for more action-packed spectacle. And once the robots start their war, the book is still fairly entertaining. It’s trashy (how could it not be?), but Wilson has a verve for figuring out how humanity’s cars, cell phones, and other helpful gadgets might abruptly turn on their owners and trick them into death. His characters are also well-chosen to signify how humanity almost immediately begins to fight back through creative ways the more precise Archos can’t predict. But as the novel wears on, Wilson’s debt to World War Z grows increasingly thin. Where Z traversed the globe and told its story almost entirely via horrific little vignettes, Robopocalypse instead focuses on seven or eight characters. An elderly Japanese man who longs to rescue the mind of his beloved robot companion from Archos is fun, and a 14-year-old girl who unexpectedly becomes the war’s most important figure is similarly fascinating. But by limiting the focus so much, Wilson robs the war of some of its scale and terror. It increasingly feels like something that happened to about 10 people, with a simple point-A-to-point-B trajectory. One character makes an important discovery that another broadcasts to the world, and a third uses it to fight the robots. This might work if the characters were more interesting, but most of them are variations on military-fiction archetypes. Wilson also sets up images of grand terror, then doesn’t know what to do with them; he’s too focused on his central storyline of how the war was lost, then won. Brief mentions of terrifying work camps where robots experiment on humans don’t get much weight, and the book spends minimal time explaining how independent human communities function in the post-robot-uprising world. It’s telling that the book’s best section—a brief tale of men sent to the remote wilderness to drill a hole, realizing they’re there at the behest of the devil himself—ends with broad fatalities. Spielberg’s interest in this material is obvious: Wilson has the lean pacing and solid action sequences of a young Michael Crichton. It’s a pity, that he also has Crichton’s hackneyed characters, without his ability to portray a truly epic scope. Daniel H. Wilson. Fifty years after The Andromeda Strain made Michael Crichton a household name—and spawned a new genre, the technothriller—the threat returns, in a gripping sequel that is terrifyingly realistic and resonant. The Clockwork Dynasty. The Clockwork Dynasty imagines a history in which humanlike court automatons secretly served the great empires of antiquity. Centuries later, the same machines are running out of power. As the modern-day survivors cannibalize each other for energy, a human scientist will risk her life to find the origin of the machine race, and the key to saving it. Robopocalypse: A Novel. They are in your house. They are in your car. They are in the skies. Now they're coming for you. When the Robot War ignites 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. About. Daniel H. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen and author of the New York Times bestselling Robopocalypse and its sequel Robogenesis , as well as How to Survive a Robot Uprising , The Clockwork Dynasty , and Amped . He earned a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as Masters degrees in Machine Learning and Robotics. His latest novel is an authorized stand-alone sequel to Michael Crichton’s classic The Andromeda Strain , called The Andromeda Evolution . Wilson lives in Portland, Oregon. Robopocalypse : Book summary and reviews of Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson. 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. Reviews "Beyond the Book" articles Free books to read and review (US only) Find books by time period, setting & theme Read-alike suggestions by book and author Book club discussions and much more! Just $12 for 3 months or $39 for a year. Reviews. Media Reviews. "Robotics engineer Wilson's first novel may sound like it's cloned from the Terminator films, but it offers enough on its own to attract a sizable reading audience." - Library Journal. "[B]land and derivative series of connected vignettes." - Publishers Weekly. "Things pop along at a wonderfully breakneck pace, and by letting his characters reveal themselves through their actions, Wilson creates characters that spring to life. Vigorous, smart and gripping." - Kirkus Reviews. "A brilliantly conceived thriller that could well become horrific reality. A captivating tale, Robopocalypse will grip your imagination from the first word to the last, on a wild rip you won't soon forget. What a read… unlike anything I've read before." - Clive Cussler. "An Andromeda Strain for the new century, this is visionary fiction at its best: harrowing, brilliantly rendered, and far, far too believable." - Lincoln Child. This information about Robopocalypse shown above was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added. Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published. The Critiquing Chemist. Literary Analysis derived from an Analytical Chemist. Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson. Rate : 4.5/5. Medium : Kindle. Overview (No Spoilers) : I discovered Robopocalypse from the same list that steered me in the direction of The Historian and I must say, this compiled list has thus far been spot on with three for three in the context of recommending awesome reads. The third book that was the original inspiration for finding the aforementioned list was Sleeping Giants , which if you haven’t read yet, you’re completely missing out. Back to the book at hand, of which I couldn’t put down once Wilson began to his tale regarding humanity’s frantic battle to survive. Reminiscent of World War Z , the tale is organized by a single narrator who records the history of the Robotic War as it is centered around the experiences of several key characters, their contributions, and struggle to survive as the Robots (Robs) coordinate their highly organize revolt. Initially, the characters seem isolated in their individual story lines, however as the war progresses their fates weave together in unexpected parallels and interactions. Wilson filled the narrative with a plethora of details, easily transitioning the reader into the futuristic realm, where robots significantly outnumber humans. Personally, I found myself picturing I, Robot throughout Robopocalypse . Additionally, I enjoyed the various aspects Wilson envisioned and focused upon regarding technology’s impact on our future from fighting insurgency, to children’s toys. Overall, despite the outcome of the book being revealed in the first chapter, I couldn’t put down this story of humankind’s desperate struggle to survive against impossible odds versus technology they created.