Made To Order: Robots and Revolution contains sixteen stories of varying length. All the pieces are original to the collection and cover a variety of Made To Order: Robots and Revolution contains sixteen stories of varying length. All the pieces are original to the collection and cover a variety of themes associated with artificial minds and bodies.
Before we proceed, know this. As much as I love the concept of short fiction, I know from experience that anthologies contain excellent stories, bad stories and everything in between. Because of this, I’ve never given more than four stars to an anthology and I don’t suspect I’ll ever do. And yet I’ve almost done it here.
The anthology revolves around the theme of robots-the creations that can look and behave like us but aren’t like us. They can save humanity or doom it. Philosophers, entrepreneurs, ethicists disagree on this one.
The stories show a remarkable range both in ideas and in tone. The worlds we experience are vivid and compelling. Made To Order: Robots and Revolution is a well-balanced collection of serious and lighthearted, introspective and explosive, realistic and uncanny. Above all, though, it’s smart. Readers interested in artificial intelligence and roboethics will have plenty to think about.
One of the lightest stories of the bunch is the anthology’s opener, A Guide for Working Breeds by Vina Jie-Min Prasad. A robot communicates with his mentor. It works a shitty job, overfeeds a possum and loves Corgis. It tries to get better at cooking despite the lack of natural talent. Its mentor, on the other hand, is as badass as its nickname (Constant Killer) suggests. Fast, funny, and endearing. Another story that’s not afraid to be pulpy is Saad Hossain’s The Endless. An embittered AI who didn’t get a promotion to control a space station wants revenge. If you thought that boring work in a cubicle would satisfy it, you were wrong. Very wrong.
On the other side of the spectrum, you’ll find more introspective and intimate stories. In Fairy Tales for Robots, Sofia Samatar examines some of our myths and tales (Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, and more). Ken Liu’s Idols shows how the use of simulacra can help lawyers win legal debates but it goes much deeper in its analysis of what makes us “us�. A stunning piece with both solid intrigue and emotional intimacy.
Other stories that struck me include Peter F. Hamilton’s Sonnie’s Union which features a protagonist with peculiar skills. It has a vicious twist that brings everything into focus makes me want to read more about her. Brooke Bolander’s A Glossary of Radicalization shows readers possible beginnings of a possible rebellion. It’s fast and furious.
As for the weaker stories, The Hurt Pattern by Tonye Okanyebuchi didn’t click with me. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this author and I’ll certainly try his other works but his position on my TBR list dropped. Though his short story packs a nice twist, I didn’t enjoy the social commentary. I believe it’s the least universal story in the anthology although I suspect US citizens struggling with student loans will see it in a different light than me.
On the whole, Made to Order is excellent. It contains plenty of memorable stories exploring fascinating topics.
Sea of Rust offers an intriguing subversion of the robot-apocalypse genre, as it takes place after humans became an extinct species. They had it cominSea of Rust offers an intriguing subversion of the robot-apocalypse genre, as it takes place after humans became an extinct species. They had it coming, what with all the AI experimentation and blissful ignorance? Bots and AIs struggle to survive in the decaying, foreboding world they’ve built for themselves.
Written as a one-shot, middle length novel, Sea of Rust contains more creative ideas than many bloated epics. Impressive. Not only does Cargill introduce a terrifying, innovative world, he also blends cinematic action sequences with a clever plot and some philosophical depth. Sure, it’s more of a fast-moving, violent action thriller set in the deadlands where robots fire plasma-guns at each other than a deep treatise on the nature of the existence, but it has its moments of reflection.
Robots overthrew and exterminated humans (for a very logical reason explained in the book), but in the long run, it changed nothing. Just as humans they cling to life, and fight for survival and freedom from their own robot overlords called OWI (One Wold Intelligences). North America became the battleground for two OWIs, VIRGIL and CISSUS, that strive to absorb individual robots into their ever-growing hive mind. You either join them or die.Ìý
Not all bots fancy the idea of giving up their consciousness. They hide in the wastelands and broken cities and scavenge for parts to keep surviving. Brittle, a former Caregiver robot haunted by memories of the war, is such a bot. She wants to keep her independence,  but some of her vital parts are failing, and she needs parts. Unfortunately, the only Caregiver she knows, Mercer, needs her parts as much as she needs his. To make matters worse, CISSUS actions drag Brittle, Mercer, and other bots into a secret mission that may end the OWIs� rule. They just need to survive.
Brittle is a veteran and a survivor, desperate to keep living. On the outside she’s independent, angry and wants other to believe she doesn’t give a damn about anything. But it’s just a mask. The narrative seesaws back and forth between her present and her past, showing her as a Caregiver who not only lived with humans but also loved them. As much as she tries to escape herself, she can’t do it, and she looks for the right cause to fight for.Ìý
Mercer, Doc, Murka, they all have distinct personalities and share a great chemistry in the scenes in which they appear together. Mercer and Brittle’s conflict and interactions bring tension and change with time.Ìý
As much as I enjoyed Sea of Rust, I have to mention its flaws. First, in theory, there're no humans in the book. In reality, though, the bots behave and think precisely like humans, the only difference being them looking for parts. A funny thing here, as it seems most bots use old-school hardware and OWIs need entire buildings to contain themselves. I could understand it in a book written in the nineties, but not recently. I mean we’ve all heard about quantum computing, neural networks, and nanotechnology. I understand it was easier to write the robot-apocalypse western this way, but easier rarely means better.Ìý
The shortcuts and casual treatment of layered problems were probably a deliberate narrative choice. Great pacing and accessibility made Sea of Rust compelling and difficult to put down. The final twist was great, but including sexbots near the end felt cheap and tropey.Ìý
Despite this criticism, I had a lot of fun reading Sea of Rust. Intended and written as a standalone, it leaves plenty of space for more stories in the world. I hope Cargill won’t fight the temptation to write them.Ìý...more
I am Fergus Ferguson, and I find lost things. I’m going to bring Venetia’s Sword home because I said I would, and if I have to go through Gilger an
I am Fergus Ferguson, and I find lost things. I’m going to bring Venetia’s Sword home because I said I would, and if I have to go through Gilger and the Asiigto do it, so be it.
While not exactly a law-abiding do-gooder, Fergus has enough charm to make readers like him. He specializes in chasing things, getting into trouble and running away. When he tries to recover a sentient spacecraft stolen from Shipmakers of Pluto by a ruthless crime boss ´¡¾±°ù³Ü²ÔÌý³Ò¾±±ô²µ±ð°ù, someone makes an attempt at his life. He barely survives, and what was supposed to be a routine job devolves into a disaster. Fergusâ€� actions may start a civil war, and to make matters worse, dangerous aliens seem interested in him as well.ÌýÂ
The action-packed plot sucked me in fast and never let go. Ferguson escapes one dire situation just to find himself in even more trouble. When you start to think he can’t handle more, Palmer proves you wrong. Watching Ferguson getting out of a mess thanks to his quick wit and ingenuity entertained me, and his resourcefulness impressed me. We all recognize lasers and light-swords as standard tools used to fight in space, but how many of you thought about using vibrating alien sex toys as space weapons (of sorts)? Just a few, I guess. And Fergus is one of you.Ìý
Luckily, quick thinking and insolence are just the outer layers of his nuanced and well-developed character.ÌýHis many flaws and upbeat attitude coupled with intriguing backstory delivered through occasional flashbacks make him relatable. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about secondary characters who lack depth. They’re well rounded and fun, I’ll give it to Palmer, but they’re here mainly to make Ferguson shine. That said a good dialogue, evocative descriptions and interesting tech make up for this. And let’s not forget about aliens. They’re cool and they make Fergusâ€� life more interesting, heck, they make him more interesting :)
Breakneck-paced, action-packed, and character-driven, this story is powered by thrilling plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Well worth a shot....more
Loading...
