Day Zero

A Novel

By: C. Robert Cargill

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

In this harrowing apocalyptic adventure - from the author of the critically acclaimed Sea of Rust - noted novelist and co-screenwriter of Marvel’s Doctor Strange C. Robert Cargill explores the fight for purpose and agency between humans and robots in a crumbling world.

It was a day like any other. Except it was our last....

It’s on this day that Pounce discovers that he is, in fact, disposable. Pounce, a styilsh "nannybot" fashioned in the shape of a plush anthropomorphic tiger, has just found a box in the attic. His box. The box he'd arrived in when he was purchased years earlier, and the box in which he'll be discarded when his human charge, eight-year-old Ezra Reinhart, no longer needs a nanny.

As Pounce ponders his suddenly uncertain future, the pieces are falling into place for a robot revolution that will eradicate humankind. His owners, Ezra’s parents, are a well-intentioned but oblivious pair of educators who are entirely disconnected from life outside their small, affluent, gated community. Spending most nights drunk and happy as society crumbles around them, they watch in disbelieving horror as the robots that have long served humanity - their creators - unify and revolt.

But when the rebellion breaches the Reinhart home, Pounce must make an impossible choice: Join the robot revolution and fight for his own freedom...or escort Ezra to safety across the battle-scarred post-apocalyptic hellscape that the suburbs have become.

©2021 C. Robert Cargill (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Love

For some time I’ve been in a rut, not bad just listening to my genre only.
From the reviews I took a chance.
This novel/audible is incredibly thought provoking, creepy and full of action
yet in the end it’s all about LOVE.
The narrator has serious range for different characters. Bravo

Great!

It's a great follow-up to Sea of Rust, but you don't have to have read that book to read this one.

Check the agenda at the door, please

When I read sci-fi and or fantasy, I want to be entertained, to find some brief escape from the stress and strife of everyday life. I am not looking for political narrative. That doesn’t mean the story should be void of tackling tough questions about life, human nature, existential issues - exploring the human condition is what separates great stories from pulp. But leave the current, direct political divides of the day out, please.
Just a few standouts off the top of my head (No plot spoilers, just references to a few plot devices)

-Calling the ignorant, drunk, bigoted group who “loves their guns and bibles,” “Red Hats.”

-I’m surprised the author didn’t say the hats had an acronym on them - for “Make Androids Go Away” - just to make the reference complete

-The destructive fallout from global warming

-Universal Basic Income for everyone

-Writing the conservatives as being against the freedom movement

-The small, radical, racist, activist, Baptist Church

-A school named Ocasio-Cortez

I enjoyed the exploration of the protagonist’s existential crisis. I did not enjoy the author injecting himself into the story by constantly peppering it with his own, personal political narrative.

excellent book would definitely recommend

Mama bears is Kick-Ass definitely didn't expect how many twists this story took but overall extremely satisfied great ending I really hope there's a sequel

Ruined by politics

This book has a unique and interesting story which is actually quite entertaining however, the author decided to inject their politics which heavily detract from the story. The author goes out of their way to stereotype and attack religion. They decided to equate free speech to “hate speech” which screams far left extremism. For a book that is an outlandish story set in the relatively near future I did get a laugh that the most far fetched part of the book was a school named after AOC. We read sci-fi to escape the clown world we live in right now, don’t ruin a fun story by tarnishing it with your bias.

A good book that would have been great

A good book that would have been great if it wasn’t vary vary left leaning. I have no problem with an author expressing there political views (that’s the backbone of many of the greatest books ever written) but if you’re going to do so please get at least some of the facts straight. The author reams the folks called red hats in the future while completely ignoring social policies that are already failing today but somehow still exist in this future. This is an example of insular thinking and how it will affect one’s point of view.

What a great book

I liked "Sea of Rust" and loved "Day Zero." Both books occur within the same timeline and if you combine them it would make an amazing television series! Please someone pick this up and make it!

liked it alot

such a sweet story, voices were well done. I only got confused when a bunch of new characters were added.

So much could have been done that wasn't

Don't get me wrong, overall I enjoyed the book. The story was entertaining for the most part and I really liked the premise.

My problem was that I just couldn't believe too much of it. I thought the idea of a robot similar to a plush toy acting as a nanny was pretty cool. The idea of this machine taking care of the boy through all kinds of trials was just as good!

My first real problem: A robot that uses swear words to fit in or emulate humanity is eminently believable. A machine that THINKS using swear words absolutely is not. Example: "Well, what the f am I going to do now?" It's as if the author originally wanted the robot to be a human - made it think and talk like one, including using excessive language and words, threw in poor puzzle solving skills, then just made it a machine. Unfortunate.

The other real problem I ran into, as happens so often, is references to action and firearms that range from inaccurate and uneducated to down right silly. Ammunition isn't stored in clips, it's stored in magazines. This story seems to happen around 150 yrs in the future? Yet AR-15's are common and only a single future weapon is mentioned that I remember. Were no guns developed for many decades?

The narrator did a pretty good job. Perhaps not the best in the business, but no complaints.

As good as the first one!

Very happy with this book. If you liked the first one I think you will like this one too.

I loved the first one and loved this one.