Robopocalypse

Robopocalypse, the latest book by Daniel H. Wilson, a PhD. robotics engineer in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pits humans against an ‘evil’ AI intelligence systematically destroying humankind.

In the book, Wilson gives a close-up, first person look back at the human struggle against artificial intelligence gone mad. In the same vein as the Terminator film series, though without the time-traveling cyborgs, Robopocalypse paints a picture from the onset of the war, through to the end of the conflict told by the experiences and personal observations of the major characters.

Each chapter is a compilation of the robotic surveillance from CCTV and personal interviews combined with the personal account of Cormack Wallace. Much of the story is related by Cormack 'Brightboy' Wallace, head of the Brightboy Squad, a force of human rebels leading a D-Day-like offensive against Archos, the robotic intelligence responsible for the machine's war on humankind.

Archos is convinced that the only way to save all life is to destroy humankind. He immediately begins a campaign to usurp all of the world's technology, including cars, phones, and computers, to eliminate mankind.

The plot is vaguely a composite borrowed from the genre's general theme: that of a mechanical or software based intelligence taking over. And as such, Wilson adheres to certain plot rules. Archos is not necessarily against all life or in any way even very malicious. It merely seeks to save life from humanity, which it sees as the biggest threat itself.

In that it fits into a similar genre of robotic war and human eradication, is the best aspect of the book. The characters are deep and full of ethos, not so much because they face destruction, which they assuredly do, but rather, because they are more or less human, and in comparison to their common enemy, each character's morality seems to hold no sway on the reader.

Wilson's construction of the book, that of showing the end first, and remembering the events through personal recollections of the characters, and how each individual's experience shows important aspects of the conflict, resembles the format used by Max Books in World War Z. Although apocalyptic literature can only be done in a handful of ways before becoming formulaic and 'done', Wilson's structural style, his characters, his obvious knowledge of robotics and his entertaining, if not altogether original approach, makes Robopocalypse a great read for science fiction fans.