Sea of Rust

A Novel

By: C. Robert Cargill

Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky

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

Riveting from cover to cover!

The story is captivating and the narration is perfect. I hope for a sequel. Highly recommended!

Well told story and compelling characters

I went into this story knowing very little about it, but it happily surprised me. The characters were fully realized, the situations were exciting and well described, and the storyline kept me guessing throughout. There were some major forces acting in the story, some supposedly better than others, but it wasn't 100% clear exactly how they were really better. This was a question actually posed in the story, but I didn't find the answer too convincing. The overall tone of the story was pretty bleak, but I guess that's in keeping with the title and the world the author was portraying. I liked the voice of the reader, which conveyed emotion well and a level of tension that seemed in keeping with the story.

half great book, half movie action fodder

I was immediately entranced by the beautifully narrated and thought provoking introduction of this book, however the repetitive gung ho fights and language become tiresome and feel forced simply by the authors preference as opposed to a natural feeling aspect of character and environment. The interactions with the primary antagonist all feel disappointing based on what it is supposed to be.
overall it was an enjoyable story to listen to by a perfect narrator choice, and if made-for-a -hopeful-movie action doesnt bother you, id recommend it.

loved

A sci-fi that reinvigorates one's wonder of the future. Great Listen. Hope to find other books as polished as this one.

Could hardly wait to write this review

Do you ever get so excited about a book that you want to run up to your friends, grab them by their collars and shout: You HAVE to read this book!

The author has done a wonderful job creating a whole new world which is still somewhat the world we know now. He makes it seem possible and frightening. His use of language is wonderful (one of the downsides of audiobooks is that you can't underline phrases that you liked but one I remember was (as the group was running) "our feet pounding like a headache.") There is enough "tech language" to be true to the character but not enough to overwhelm a non-techie reader.

I don't want to give away details - let readers/listeners have the fun of discovering them - but the author makes you care about the protagonist even as she describes herself as unlikeable. I found myself crying at the end - luckily I was in the car alone. I won't say if I was crying for sadness or joy.

The narrator was fantastic. I pictured Brittle as the AI equivalent of the female Marine in the movie Alien 2. She bites off words like the tough character she hopes she is. The narrator also varied the characters' voices enough that you could always tell who was speaking, and she suited them (I thought) perfectly to each character.

I hope hope hope they will make a movie of this book but meanwhile - get it and listen to it!

Interesting story

I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic literature, and this is an interesting mash-up of elements that have appeared in other mainstream works. For me and how far I got (didn't finish, returned) it felt like life after iRobot meets Disney Robots from some 20 years ago. It doesn't help reading it during an oppressive pandemic, not the author's fault but it made it hard for me to continue the book.

Fantastic! Storytelling at its best.

I had the good fortune of meeting C. Robert Cargill about a decade back at a sci-fi convention in Minneapolis and not only is he a fantastic human being but as a storyteller, he is unrivaled. From his work in the movies to his published fiction, Mr. Cargill comes at the creative process with a fervor and unique viewpoint that few in the business can equal.

Sea of Rust is a must read if You are looking to feed your brain some yummy yummy sci-fi goodness.

Wonderfully detailed adventure...

...with robots!

This story was a lucky find, and I couldn’t be more happy with the results. The concept is refreshing, the story is well written, full of amazing language and very detailed description.

I can very easily see this becoming a movie. In fact, I wonder who has the book rights?

Entertaining-- A Few Good Ideas

This could have been a great book with less action and more of everything else. Instead, it starts with a good idea, then turns into an entertaining action novel, like a "robot western". It's worth reading, but too bad Cargill didn't focus more on his vision of how this future would work or on what it means to be a post-human AI.

Great story and characters

Wow what a very good story with interesting characters, great narration and a very interesting plot. Written for a mature audience of course with course language and adult themes but brings up very good philosophical points in its narration. Hope to read more from this author!