Scan barcode
A review by philibin
Robot Uprisings by John Joseph Adams, Daniel H. Wilson
3.0
Complex God (Scott Sigler) - This is typical Sigler, he presents a well thought-out story and tries (successfully) to make it fit inside of a science-realistic framework. Predictable, but more than worth it!
Cycles (Charles Yu) - Almost a love story... but in reverse. It was a good filler, but written well enough that I'd read something longer by him.
Lullaby (Anna North) - This one was really good. It read like a horror story and reminded me of early Stephen King. Great story elements!
Eighty Miles an Hour All The Way to Paradise (Genevieve Valentine) - This was a great edge-of-your-seat read. Very walking dead-ish. Character driven with internal monologue.
Executable (Hugh Howey) - I love Hugh Howey's writing, it is always engaging and compelling and this is no exception. Very Lord of the Flies like... if a short story can be that. Always pregnant with possibilities.
The Onmibot Incident (Ernest Cline) - I have to admit that this is my least favorite (so far) of the collection. Not because I didn't like it, because I did really enjoy it. I think Cline is a colorful writer who can weave a story that keeps you guessing and never bores you. This is a touching story that has the nostalgia Cline readers have come to expect and the levity that continues to impress me (clever, not kitsch). However I feel it is a little out of place with the rest of the stories in this book.
Epoch (Corey Doctorow) - Corey is almost incapable of writing anything less than great! He has a lyrical quality and his writing has a cadence of its own. This story, like most of his, explores the human condition and how it relates to the technology all around us. Does art imitate life? Does life imitate art? or does art imitate life imitation art?
Human Intelligence (Jeff Abbott) - This was pretty good, I really liked it. The internal struggle between individual survival and survival of the species. I love this type of dystopian trope.
The Golden Hour (Julianna Baggott) - I thought this was a little confusing and unrealistic... maybe trying too hard or something. There are a lot of literary references which were fun but the story lacked believability or maybe the robots were just too human? I didn't hate it, I just didn't love it.
Sleepover (Alastair Reynolds) - I really liked this one. It had a bit of a "Pacific Rim" quality to it coupled with Silo by Hugh Howey (Read this series NOW). Very visual writing and there was a lot of information in a very short story but it never felt rushed or overwhelming.
Seasoning (Alan Dean Foster) - This one was very interesting... a paranoia inducing story bringing in elements of nonobots and anti-GMO and conspiracy theory. Very classic Sci-Fi
Nanonauts! In Battle with Tiny Death-Subs! (Ian McDonald) - Just a day in the life of a microscopic biological drone pilot. Very character driven and good development but at times went too far into the weeds.
Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds (Robin Wasserman) - This one was just ok. I think it was a lot longer than it needed to be. Basically a human "shrink" for battle weary robots. It just seemed unrealistic to me so maybe I just couldn't get into it enough to enjoy the writing?
The Robot and the Baby (John McCarthy) - This one was pretty thought provoking. Reliance on technology until our technology starts to have more humanity than we do. We desire the easy life and become angry when we are burdened with things like childcare and eventually technology begins to develop those emotional ties that we no longer do.
We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War (Seanan McGuire) - This was strange... not bad at all, but I did have a little trouble immersing myself in it. Basically we are at war with robots because they kidnapped our children but try to keep them from growing up because we tried keeping children away from the robots.So now all adults are in PTSD counseling.
Spider the Artist (Nnedi Okorafor) - I really liked this one a lot! It was very well written and thought provoking. Man vs machine and where we differ... but are also alike.
Small Things (Daniel H. Wilson) - Daniel Wilson continues to impress me, he is so detailed without being boring, and comes up with such original ideas and new ways to think about old stories. His characters and unique and real and make decisions with consequences. This is more a story of technology and unintended consequences than it is of a robot uprising... But it was a very enjoyable, albeit disturbing, story.