See What I thought of My Voyage Through The
Sea
of Rust
Sea of Rust is yet another Black
Gate Fantasy recommendation. Something, I must admit, I was rather glad of. I’m
an avid speculative fiction fan, as you know, and this book was first published
in 2017. How I missed it, I don’t know, as it rings all the bells and toots all
the whistles of what usually attracts me.
What do I mean?
Here’s the back cover taster to give you an idea:
******
HUMANKIND IS EXTINCT.
Wiped out in a global uprising by the very
machines made to serve them. Now the world is controlled by OWIs - vast
mainframes that have assimilated the minds of millions of robots.
But not all robots are willing to cede their
individuality, and Brittle is one of the holdouts.
After a near-deadly encounter with another AI,
Brittle is forced to seek sanctuary in a city under siege by an OWI. Critically
damaged, Brittle must evade capture long enough to find the essential rare
parts to make repairs - but as a robot's CPU gradually deteriorates, all their
old memories resurface.
For Brittle, that means one haunting memory in
particular . . .
******
I don’t know about you, but I
thought that a rather compelling intro, as it seemed to hint that the robots of
the future are individuals. Individuals with minds of their own that they want
to keep that way! I wanted to find out how that came about and how it affected
their everyday behavior. And especially if they felt remorse for the atrocities
they’d committed.
Our story takes place thirty
years after the uprising that eventually led to the end of the human race, and
only fifteen years after the execution of the last man found alive. We
concentrate on the life of Brittle, a former caregiver robot – now scavenger –
as she wanders the Sea of Rust, the wasteland created by deforestation, climate
change, and general all round neglect, formed after the war that led to AI supremacy.
Now, let me say straight away
that while the story is good old-fashioned ‘hard’ sci-fi, it’s presented in a
style reminiscent of a western. Think of the arid wastes in Mad Max, mixed with The Road – starring Viggo Mortensen – as seen through the eyes of
Marshal Will Kane in High Noon.
Robots are indeed sentient,
possessing all the traits, quirks and emotions of the humans they liquidated.
But, far from enjoying a life of high-tech luxury, they live in fear. Fear of
running out of replacement parts, and fear of the OWIs – One World Intelligence
– the shared consciousness of millions of robots, uploaded into one huge
mainframe brain.
You see, not all robots are willing
to cede their individuality – their personality – for the sake of a greater,
stronger, higher power. Not even the OWIs themselves, who contend with each
other in a constant war of attrition to reign supreme. The smaller individuals,
like Brittle, are outcasts, wandering the wastes and underground outposts in
the search of parts and companionship, while keeping an eye out for the ever
hungry OWIs.
The trouble is the remaining
robots have come to resemble the humans they eradicated, by banding together
into unruly townships in the wasteland that was once our world. And when
Brittle runs into trouble, she doesn’t only have to contend with the turmoil of
shutting down – a process that slowly drives AIs mad by bleeding hallucinations
and vivid, waking dreams through into remnants of those memories they have
deliberately filed away. Memories that are a perfect record of the terrible
crimes the robot population perpetrated on humanity – but she also has to deal
with mercenary hunters out to take advantage.
An excellent premise, because you
end up exploring what it’s like to be a human, as seen through the eyes of a
robot. A robot suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. Yes, Brittle is as complex
and compelling as she is repulsive. Her companions are as diverse, funny,
irritating and flawed as anyone you could meet. And with them, you get to romp
through a gripping post-apocalyptic world, woven with issues of philosophy,
ethics, desire, comradeship and need.
There’s plenty of action too. The
fight scenes are well thought out, and conjure all sorts of imagery in your
mind. (After all, you do have out and out ex-military models fighting side by
side with fresh out the wrapper sexbots, former utility service droids,
medi-nurses, and laborers), all of them united in their hatred of the cold and
emotionless OWIs and their hive-mind facets.
I highly recommend the Sea of
Rust. It’s a soul-destroying vision of a brave new world, free of humans,
slowly cannibalizing itself at the expense of purity. Yes, it would appear the
AIs haven’t learned the most valuable lesson of all, and are determined to pay
homage to the species they eradicated.
Both poignant and
thought-provoking.
Amazon Review
*** Extended review coming soon - via Amazing Stories***
