!Robopocalypse

by Daniel Wilson !

The current generation of teenagers seems to be mildly obsessed with this notion of an upcoming zombie apocalypse of sorts. Yet I say we all need to be just a bit more worried about a more likely cybernetic revolution by artificial intelligence going on in the next decade or so (beware of Siri). You see the problem is most of us look forward to a world where all our more sophisticated technologies will lead to this near worker-less world where humanity will be able to focus more on innovation and frolic about. This sounds great of course but we cannot ignore this fear inherent in all of us as we use high tech machinery where we imagine that one day our own automated creations will decide they know more than we do and are therefore superior. This fear comes from the vision that by the time we come across this realization, it will be too late. This fear is realistic and unlike zombies, has the potential to eradicate humanity before long if we aren’t careful. Indeed, this fear is what fuels Wilson’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, Robopocalypse to appear less like an entertaining novel and more like a cautionary tale that operates in an exciting genre of its very own. ! In Robopocalypse, Archos, the vicious worldwide antagonist, acts as the transcendent form of A.I. gone rogue that intends to dominate the world by controlling all the robots and eliminating the majority of the human race. So of course, this uprising of androids leaves billions dead as one by one is killed in countless individual struggles with many more attempting to survive without any use of their modern technology. The utter brutality of this war is recounted through the eyes of this electric group of people from all over the globe who, against the odds, are able to do their part to fight the robot oppressors and unite in their ultimately successful mission to destroy Archos with the alliance of a freeborn humanoid robot called Nine Oh Two. ! Besides the fact that it acts as subtle social commentary of our quickly increased machine dependence, Robocalypse also addresses what civilization as a whole will have to face if technological singularity (when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence) is reached. This compelling fast paced response to these questions is weaved beautifully so that the book flies by as you read the quick, episodic chapters where you are bewitched to feel this blood curdling trepidation for the characters in a staggering short amount of time. By the time you finish Robocalypse by the day’s end, there is no doubt that you will be terrified of your now petrifying looking toaster. Robocalypse destroys those clumsy exaggerated depictions of robots you can consistently find in the media by exercising this novel yet obvious definition of a truly merciless machine that is never-blinking and all-seeing. That being the case, if you do crave that lovely post apocalyptic tale of adversity, humanity, and determination blended with the right amount of A.I., this enigmatic story of mortal innocence and artificial brutality will leave you wanting even more of Siri but at the same so much less. So please for humanity’s sake, go forth and read Wilson’s horribly fascinating contemplation of future reality. After all, we can’t let the machines win, can we?