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 … 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.
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This is one of the best SF I have read this year!
I the world overrun by toasters war is raging between the dumb terminals and fearlessly independent devices
Not too bad, but not totally entertaining.
Good book. Very inventive story line, story moved well, few if any “dead” spots. If you like unusual sci-fi, you’ll like this book.
I didn’t want it to end. What a interesting story.
Meh…
AI takes over the world…be afraid!
Not easy to get into.
I am sorry. A writer needs to hold my attention, and this one did not.
Very unique handling of a robot/golem POV, redemption, etc. Exceptionally well done. Recommended it to friends who ended up praising it as well.
Hopefully this will lead into more stories of this kind. Like Asher and Banks this author makes AI personable, fun and at times touching.
A make you think story, which is quite enjoyable.
This was an amazing book, unlike any I have ever read. I was leery about reading it at first. I love “I Robot” however so I took a chance and I really happy that I did. It was sad and freaky and disturbing. At the beginning I could imagine feeling compassion for an AI……but a bit actually crept in as I went along. Very enjoyable and thought provoking.
Different concept for the end of the world…
Sea of Rust – A unique story of a world of robots, with the heroine being one of them trying to survive in a world where her “parts” are no longer readily available. All of the human world has rusted and crumbled, and Brittle must resort to actions she would not have thought of thirty years before…
Throughout the story, Btittle learns more about herself, and ultimately finds her own robotic humanity…
Fast read. Interesting to think about
Wow! I thought post-apocalyptic stories were action packed and out of this world, but this book goes into a realm I’d never conceived before: an Earth post humans, but human all the same!
What if the robots take over? What if mankind is wiped out? Will the robots get along? The author provides some answers in this rollicking take.
Fun, page turner with good characters living in a post-human world.
Hopefully the author will return to this universe and tell more stories in it.
I listen to my books on Kindle while I am painting. Sea of Rust is really wonderful read out loud.
A world where Bots kill each other after killing all the humans will start with self-driving vehicles