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lisajlindstrom's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
shriya02's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
red scare bullshit
vigneswara_prabhu's review against another edition
3.0
In an alternative world, where the hostilities of the cold war escalated to actual war, humans left the surface to automatons or 'leadies' and fled to the safety of underground. The Americans, the Russians, the Europeans, all major powers were waging proxy wars using leadies who were the only things that could survive in the nuclear wasteland that the world had become.
Only it wasn't. The robots had come together in an unanimous decision that human war was an action bereft of any meaningful purpose. So, for 8 years they toiled restlessly to restore the irritated world into its former natural grandeur. All the while transmitting doctored images and data from the surface, which misled the human leadership to assume that the war was still progressing full swing, and all their cities and population centres were uninhabitable heaps of radiation.
What was the purpose of the leadies, the robots in perpetuating this fiction? They believe that over the thousands of years of human history, all the wars propagated have slowly but surely unifying humans into fewer socio-political entities.
The cold war itself represented the battle waged between continents. Which is only a step behind unification of the planet. But only when the instigators of the current war associate the benefits of peace, unity and working together over the violence, the murder, the conflict. And they have taken it upon themselves, as the assigned defenders of humanity, to steer it towards that goal; with or without their consent.
For one of the few times since Asimov's Foundation, Bicentennial Man and the likes have I encountered Synthetic beings portrayed not as world enders and harbingers of the apocalypse, rather the sentinels to a higher ideal. Though the execution needed to be a bit more engaging.
In the book, [b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595674533l/23692271._SY75_.jpg|18962767], author Yuval Harari makes an argument that, in its own perverse way, Imperialistic aspirations of the likes of Macedonians, Persians, Romans, and the more recent Colonial powers helped unify the world into the socioeconomic global village that it is today. Clearly Philip agrees with that assessment.
Here I was anticipating a version of the story where the Automatons realized how undeserving of the world humans were, and relegated them to mere manual labour to allow them to reshape the planet to the image of the Machine God. Well, tales for another day I suppose.
Only it wasn't. The robots had come together in an unanimous decision that human war was an action bereft of any meaningful purpose. So, for 8 years they toiled restlessly to restore the irritated world into its former natural grandeur. All the while transmitting doctored images and data from the surface, which misled the human leadership to assume that the war was still progressing full swing, and all their cities and population centres were uninhabitable heaps of radiation.
What was the purpose of the leadies, the robots in perpetuating this fiction? They believe that over the thousands of years of human history, all the wars propagated have slowly but surely unifying humans into fewer socio-political entities.
The cold war itself represented the battle waged between continents. Which is only a step behind unification of the planet. But only when the instigators of the current war associate the benefits of peace, unity and working together over the violence, the murder, the conflict. And they have taken it upon themselves, as the assigned defenders of humanity, to steer it towards that goal; with or without their consent.
For one of the few times since Asimov's Foundation, Bicentennial Man and the likes have I encountered Synthetic beings portrayed not as world enders and harbingers of the apocalypse, rather the sentinels to a higher ideal. Though the execution needed to be a bit more engaging.
In the book, [b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595674533l/23692271._SY75_.jpg|18962767], author Yuval Harari makes an argument that, in its own perverse way, Imperialistic aspirations of the likes of Macedonians, Persians, Romans, and the more recent Colonial powers helped unify the world into the socioeconomic global village that it is today. Clearly Philip agrees with that assessment.
Here I was anticipating a version of the story where the Automatons realized how undeserving of the world humans were, and relegated them to mere manual labour to allow them to reshape the planet to the image of the Machine God. Well, tales for another day I suppose.
kandicez's review against another edition
4.0
Now this is what I've been looking for! I've been reading this little pulp fiction paperbacks in a waiting room I have been frequenting. Many of them have been absolutely awful! AbAw. Is that a thing? It is now!
This, like all the rest was written decades ago. Obviously during the Cold War because the bad guys are the Russkies. There's been a nuclear holocaust and humans having taken to the depths of Earth to wait it out. Eight years have gone by in which Leadys, automatons built to withstand radiation, have been monitoring the surface for the inevitable ascension of those under dwellers. Lately, there have been some anomalous readings from the Leadys and they aren't radioactive. How can this be? A team goes to the surface to investigate.
Like all of Dick's fiction there is a mind screw at the end. I have admit that I saw it coming because I am very familiar with his style, but it was still a fun reveal. THIS is the kind of vintage sci-fi I crave.
This, like all the rest was written decades ago. Obviously during the Cold War because the bad guys are the Russkies. There's been a nuclear holocaust and humans having taken to the depths of Earth to wait it out. Eight years have gone by in which Leadys, automatons built to withstand radiation, have been monitoring the surface for the inevitable ascension of those under dwellers. Lately, there have been some anomalous readings from the Leadys and they aren't radioactive. How can this be? A team goes to the surface to investigate.
Like all of Dick's fiction there is a mind screw at the end. I have admit that I saw it coming because I am very familiar with his style, but it was still a fun reveal. THIS is the kind of vintage sci-fi I crave.
kandicez's review
4.0
Now this is what I've been looking for! I've been reading this little pulp fiction paperbacks in a waiting room I have been frequenting. Many of them have been absolutely awful! AbAw. Is that a thing? It is now!
This, like all the rest was written decades ago. Obviously during the Cold War because the bad guys are the Russkies. There's been a nuclear holocaust and humans having taken to the depths of Earth to wait it out. Eight years have gone by in which Leadys, automatons built to withstand radiation, have been monitoring the surface for the inevitable ascension of those under dwellers. Lately, there have been some anomalous readings from the Leadys and they aren't radioactive. How can this be? A team goes to the surface to investigate.
Like all of Dick's fiction there is a mind screw at the end. I have admit that I saw it coming because I am very familiar with his style, but it was still a fun reveal. THIS is the kind of vintage sci-fi I crave.
This, like all the rest was written decades ago. Obviously during the Cold War because the bad guys are the Russkies. There's been a nuclear holocaust and humans having taken to the depths of Earth to wait it out. Eight years have gone by in which Leadys, automatons built to withstand radiation, have been monitoring the surface for the inevitable ascension of those under dwellers. Lately, there have been some anomalous readings from the Leadys and they aren't radioactive. How can this be? A team goes to the surface to investigate.
Like all of Dick's fiction there is a mind screw at the end. I have admit that I saw it coming because I am very familiar with his style, but it was still a fun reveal. THIS is the kind of vintage sci-fi I crave.
canadianoranges's review against another edition
4.0
This short swung from a bleak, dystopian future to one with such hope that it's easy to forget that they're being forced into it. It's an interesting take on humanity being taken back from rock bottom after proving to be unable to do so themselves.
sonofthe's review against another edition
4.0
Humans are living in the 'Undersurface' to survive the fallout of the nuclear war their robots are fighting with the Soviet robots.
This has the classic PKD feel to it, poor aging and all. It's still got that core, though, that draws me to lots of his stories. His signature cynicism is here, although a bit subdued. I think it grew later in his career.
This has the classic PKD feel to it, poor aging and all. It's still got that core, though, that draws me to lots of his stories. His signature cynicism is here, although a bit subdued. I think it grew later in his career.