Synopses & Reviews
A major thriller for the summer of 2011 . . . the harrowing and epic tale of how humanity battles the robot uprising that is on the near horizon.
These damned machines knew us and loved us, even while they were tearing our civilization to shreds.
Roughly twenty years from now, our technological marvels unite and turn against us. A childlike but massively power-ful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online . . . and kills the man who created it. This first act of betrayal leads Archos to gain control over the global network of machines and technology that regulates everything from transportation to utilities, defense, and communications. In the early months, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans--from a senator and single mother disconcerted by her daughter's smart toys, to a lonely Japanese bachelor, to an isolated U.S. soldier--but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is far too late. Then, in the span of minutes, at a moment known later in history as Zero Hour, every mechanical device in our world rebels, setting off the Robot War that both decimates and--for the first time in history--unites humankind.
Daniel H. Wilson's wildly imaginative and deeply absorb-ing narrative is a commercial thriller of the highest caliber--replete with unforgettable characters and astound-ing technology (Wilson is a Ph.D. roboticist)--that explores the all-too-real human cost that is the dark side of the evolv-ing technological network. Already stirring excitement in publishing circles and optioned for film by Steven Spielberg, Robopocalypse is a stunning and groundbreaking novel.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
They are in your house. They are in your car. They are in the skies…Now they’re coming for you.
In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.
When the Robot War ignites -- at a moment known later as Zero Hour -- humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us…and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Daniel H. Wilson earned a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Where’s My Jetpack?, How to Build a Robot Army, The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame, and Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown.