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Sea of Rust cover art

Sea of Rust

Written by: C. Robert Cargill
Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
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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

What listeners say about Sea of Rust

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5 stars

5 stars I read and enjoyed this movie instead of laughing at the first act of nightattack.

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enjoyable and touching

This book is excellent! Its pace and intensity makes it suitable for light reading or listening on your commute, but it is also thought provoking and emotionally evocative at the same time.

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Great find

The book was a little hard to get into at the beginning but sticking it out for the first hour is worth it. Narration is on point the entire time and makes it a very immersive experience I’m glad I started to use #Audible1

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excellent story

I loved the story and it was an interesting perspective to view AI from. Reminded me a lot about the questions of artificial intelligence proposed in other media like Detroit: Become Human #Audible1

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  • Jon
  • 2022-06-03

Great Sci-fi

Interesting approach to mankind’s future. Seems inevitable that things may end up this way. Worth a listen

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  • Nic
  • 2022-04-27

Such a blast.

I guess this came put before Day Zero. I didn't know this. I stumbled upon the prequel first and I'm glad I did.

This story is epic and preformed well. But Day Zero had more emotion and a stronger story. The world building in these two books combined is awesome and such a good story. I will be recommending this to everybody and telling them to listen / read Day Zero first. I cannot wait for a 3rd book in this world. I love this story so much.

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    3 out of 5 stars

By your command…

I liked the performance and the voice actor. The story had some logic gaps. Trading human indecision and frailty for machine counterparts seems oddly imaginative. No Cylons, but close, and terminators who prey on machines. Still, the future awaits!

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  • Joe
  • 2021-07-21

Very entertaining

The characters are very well done. The story, if predictable, doesn't rigidly follow the formula of most science fiction novels. I will recommend this book to friends.

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Great story

A great story, hope there is more about Brittle. Or at least about the Sea of Rust.

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Amazing!

I loved this book so much! The characters were really well developed. I was fully captivated by the concept, the imagery, and the story line. It left me wanting more.

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