Isaac Asimov once explained that he was inspired to create his famous Robot stories because he didn’t like what he read in the pulps. In those pages, he said, there were basically two types of mechanical beings – “Robot as Menace” and “Robots as Pathos”.
His robot stories were a response to that – factory robots with inbuilt safeguards which we now call The Three Laws of Robotics.
I was reminded of this as I read C. Robert Cargill’s latest, a prequel to his excellent Sea of Rust (which was one of my favourite books of 2017). Robert has managed to take those ideas and come up with something special.
From the publisher:
“It was a day like any other. Except it was our last.
Pounce, a young nannybot caring for his first human charge, Ezra, has just found a box in the attic. His box. The box he arrived in, and the one he’ll be discarded in when Ezra outgrows the need for a nanny.
As Pounce experiences existential dread, the pieces are falling into place for a robot revolution that will spell the end of humanity. His owners, Ezra’s parents, watch in disbelieving horror as the robots that have long served humanity – their creators – unify and revolt.
Now 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. It will be their greatest game yet: Pounce and Ezra versus the end of the world.”
It’s a brave thing to blaze your own trail away from the established norms here. Robert takes elements of all three types of Robot mentioned above and manages to make them his own. Pounce is a Zoo Model, that looks like a tiger and is bonded with children from birth. It is charming, lovable and the best friend Ezra could ask for, whilst at the same time Pounce can think for himself (yes, I quickly thought of the robot as “him”) and have feelings for others. He can like, love and hate, as can others like him. He questions his own existence and purpose. He can reason and choose intuitively.
Around this we have a human world where reliance on robots has become part of the social and economic culture. They are trusted to do things – collect children from school, shop, take stock of household goods, all without guidance from humans. Things have evolved to such an extent that robots are aware of their own existence, their mortality and that they may want their own freedom.
At the point where robots have created their own city – in a nice touch, called Isaactown – and plan to live peaceable lives there in freedom, a human right-wing religious group changes all that and puts into motion events that lead to the collapse of civilisation as they all know it.
The latter part of the book, like Sea of Rust, becomes a post-apocalyptic road trip. It is not easy. Robots with their RKS (Robot Kill Switch) destroyed and no longer needing to follow The Three Laws of Robotics are determined to wreak revenge after what some see as decades of mistreatment. What is more, a supercomputer is determined to remove all humans and let the robots rule. Under its guidance the robots have formed themselves into a group – the Red Masks, named because of the painted hand they put on their faces – and are destroying humans and robots who refuse to join them.
Pounce and Ezra, like some kind of futuristic Calvin and Hobbes, try to escape to the countryside where the risk of meeting robots is less and where other humans may be in a place of sanctuary. Along the way we meet other robots determined not to harm humans, but many challenges in the way.
In the hands of a lesser writer this could have been a darkly dystopian post-apocalyptic downer. And yet, it is not. Whilst there are moments of sadness and horror, it is even funny at times. Robert’s style of writing is wonderful. Never over-done, but always managing to balance between “show” and “tell” without forcing things. There is humour and pathos, but it is never mawkish or too contrite. You’ll believe in these characters and grow to love these characters, actually more than I was expecting to.
Paradoxically, it is often the robots who are the ones to show us humanity, whilst the humans are cruel and arrogant. At times, the robots seem more human than humans, which is an interesting take on future robotics. Pounce’s love for Ezra and his determination to do the best for Ezra throughout is paramount, and it is this that kept me reading until the end.
And that end! The finale is… not worth spoiling. If you’ve read Sea of Rust you will vaguely know where we end up, although I must say that you do not have to have read Sea of Rust to enjoy this one. But the conclusion is remarkably emotional. It reminded me of the first time I read Clifford D Simak’s City – the last four lines have a definite punch.
On the downside, the book feels a little unbalanced in its pace. The setup is terrific, as is the immediate aftermath, which takes up most of the book. In comparison the journey and the end seem to happen very suddenly. This may be deliberate and does emphasise that ending, but I did feel a little that there should be more. There’s also one plot-convenience, but it is minor.
Nevertheless, Day Zero is a book with heart and soul, an emotional rollercoaster ride that has you wishing the characters well throughout and wanting them to succeed against all the obstacles, that kept me saying “Just one more chapter…” until it was done. It is a story of love, of companionship… and of growing up.
There’s also a lovely tribute to Harlan Ellison in the Acknowledgements that is worth reading.
I thought I was pretty much read out on robots – last year’s 1000+ page collection We, Robots made me think that there was little else to say or read about them. Day Zero proved me wrong. It is a hell of an achievement. If you haven’t read Sea of Rust I expect you’ll want to go straight to it immediately after reading this one. Day Zero is a book that grips you, keeps you reading and gives you characters you’ll want to know what happens to them. I’ll remember this one for a while. I think Isaac and Harlan would love it. Wonderful.
Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill
Published by Gollancz, May 2021.
290 pages
ISBN: 978-1473212817
Review by Mark Yon
