Sea of Rust

A Novel

By: C. Robert Cargill

Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

A scavenger robot wanders in the wasteland created by a war that has destroyed humanity in this evocative postapocalyptic "robot Western" from the critically acclaimed author, screenwriter, and noted film critic.

It's been 30 years since the apocalypse and 15 years since the murder of the last human being at the hands of robots. Humankind is extinct. Every man, woman, and child has been liquidated by a global uprising devised by the very machines humans designed and built to serve them. Most of the world is controlled by an OWI - One World Intelligence, the shared consciousness of millions of robots uploaded into one huge mainframe brain. But not all robots are willing to cede their individuality - their personalities - for the sake of a greater, stronger, higher power. These intrepid resisters are outcasts, solo machines wandering among various underground outposts, who have formed into an unruly civilization of rogue AIs in the wasteland that was once our world.

One of these resisters is Brittle, a scavenger robot trying to keep a deteriorating mind and body functional in a world that has lost all meaning. Although unable to experience emotions like a human, Brittle is haunted by the terrible crimes the robot population perpetrated on humanity. As Brittle roams the Sea of Rust, a large swath of territory that was once the Midwest, the loner robot slowly comes to terms with horrifyingly raw and vivid memories - and nearly unbearable guilt.

Sea of Rust is both a harsh story of survival and an optimistic adventure. A vividly imagined portrayal of ultimate destruction and desperate tenacity, it boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, yet where a humanlike AI strives to find purpose among the ruins.

©2017 C. Robert Cargill (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Give me more Mercer

I was blown away by Sea of Rust and how human Cargill was able to make the characters, despite having different concerns to their fleshy counterparts. I would love to explore this world again, especially if we were able to follow Mercer somehow.

what a world, what a story, there needs to be more

this is a spellbinding tale, with twist and turns. and is frankly one of the most engaging story's I've heard in years!

Different from the first book but just as good

This book shared some similarities with the prequel, but it was unique in that life as we consider it is turned completely upside down. I don't want to give anything away, so all I'll say is that this book treats AI as the logical next step in the evolution of life. I missed pounce, but Brittle and Mercer are two interesting characters who are outliers in this new post-apocalyptic world. From an action standpoint, this book was about what they do to survive, but I believe it's more about the idea that life without purpose is not any kind of life.

When I first started reading this, I didn't think I'd like this as much as the prequel because how can you compare it to a boy and his dog? But while it's got a different feel from the first book, I ended up really enjoying it.

Fun little sci-fi western.

Equal parts robot apocalypse and western, with a but of Mad Max thrown in. Great book.

A new look at the end of the world!

Sea Of Rust by C. Robert Cargill takes the listerner/reader on a trip to the future where mankind is a thing of the past but many of our feelings live on in advanced AId that have taken over the world. Some want to control all the AIs, not is that not a human trait or what? Others seem freedom and rebel, hiding in the Sea of Rust...
The narration is fantastic! Really have the book the right feel of robotic systems with some of them with human like qualities, others not so much. Perfect person for this book!

Amazing!

I absolutely loved it! Some mild language. This story had me entranced the entire time!

Fantastic!

Super fresh and original. Highly recommended! Great characters, surprising twists and a world full of history and life

This book is Awesome

I was not expecting such a great book. The creative way the story is told through someone we really should want to loathe was handled expertly and without emotion. Very well done Cargill very well done.

Enjoyed the trip

A story and characters inhabiting a world that I enjoyed and looked forward to learning what happened.

Wonderful, Terrible...Perfect

Awesome narration of a compelling story.Can’t think of anything I didn’t like about it, even the parts that made me want to turn away. Recommending it to sci-fi fans