Of all the books I have read this year, one of my favorite and by far the most chilling is Daniel Wilson’s Robopocalypse. What makes this book so interesting is that most of the scenarios are entirely plausible. Wilson’s book happens in a future that could very well become our own. In this future, robots are commonplace and it is only a matter of time before a scientist succeeds (on try number 14) in creating an artificial intelligence (Archos) that becomes sentient. From that point onward, humankind is deemed unnecessary and their extermination becomes number one on Archos’ to-do list. It’s an easy task for Archos to kill his creator, link up with all manners of technology (combat robots, domestic robots, sex-worker robots, auto-pilot cars, cell phones and even children’s toys) and then direct them to kill their flesh and blood masters.
The book tells the story in a back and forth order as war hero Cormac Wallace transcribes events of the robot war as recorded by different devices. There are survivor stories transcribed from people that include children, factory workers, fast food workers, and soldiers. Some of the most disturbing scenes are the ways in which humans are killed. Those humans that die are actually lucky because Archos’ army of killer robots begins experimenting on some survivors by removing various body parts and replacing them with machine parts (kind of like the Borg in Star Trek:TNG.)
This book is exciting, although some critics have said it is hardly original, that the premise of robots taking over is an old one. I must say that Wilson’s 2005 book How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion is a good prequel to Robopocalypse. It is filled with lots of helpful hints on how to spot a hostile robot, how to deactivate and outrun hostile machines, as well as disguising your heat signature from a robot. I recommend keeping a copy of that book in with your disaster kit (just in case.)
At times, I felt that this book had elements of Colossus: The Forbin Project where not one, but two super computers (U.S. and Soviet) decide to take over the world and destroy a couple of cities just so humans pay attention to who is in control. However, Colossus and Guardian only want to control us, essentially saving us from ourselves. Archos is much more evil. Does humankind prevail and win the robot war? Read the book to find out the answer, but in the meantime keep your eyes on your Roomba.