When robots finally decide they’ve had enough of serving humans, the revolution means the end for humanity. Pounce, a nanny-bot caring for his first human charge, eight-year-old Ezra, must choose between joining the revolution to fight for his own freedom, or protecting Ezra by turning against his own kind.

Day Zero is one of the best and most heart-wrenching sci-fi novels I’ve ever read. The story is simple: In the war between robots and humans, one robot chooses to protect the human child he loves and escort him to safety across a suburban hellscape. This plot is padded out with large amounts of action and completely lovable characters.

Pounce is fantastic. He is suffering from a constant existential crisis throughout the book, which is explored in depth, but his love for Ezra overrides everything else and the relationship between the two is really lovely. Ezra is also a brilliant character; he is determined and resilient, but still only eight years old and his reaction to the traumatic, world-changing events are 100% believable. I also loved the rest of the characters we meet along the way – even Ariadne who is positively terrifying.

Day Zero is technically a prequel to Cargill’s previous novel, Sea of Rust, but it reads entirely as a standalone and I actually much preferred this book. It’s thoughtful, intelligent, emotional and violent. I loved it.

The apocalyptic science fiction novel "Day Zero" by C. Robert Cargill, co-screenwriter of MCU's "Doctor Strange", is the prequel to his successful, and critically acclaimed 2017 book "Sea of Rust" . However, it can easily be read as a standalone, and describes the rise of the robot revolution.

In a distant future, before the Robocalypse, the story follows Pounce, a stylish high end nanny robot in the shape of an anthropomorphic plush tiger, who one day finds his box in the attic of his human home, which makes him realize that he is ultimately disposable, being able to be turned on an off at the will of his owners. That still doesn't alter his devotion to 8 year old Ezra Reinhart, the child he is supposed to raise. Then the annihilation of the robot town Isaactown, named after Isaac, the first bot to be granted personhood rights, triggers retaliation from the androids. So when the conflict between humans and robots starts, torn between joining the revolution and his primary task to care for his ward, Pounce decides to protect Ezra, and runs away with the boy. The nanny bot does his best to protect him in a world gone mad. For not only people are after them now, but also rebel robots. Pounce wants escort Ezra to safety across the war zone that the suburbs have become.

It's a dark word, C. Robert Cargill builds in this book combing in a way features from "Terminator" and "Calvin & Hobbes". There are insightful ideas about the role and nature of robots equipped with artificial intelligence as well as unexpected harsh violence, laugh out loud humor and a lot of heartful sentiment. It's easy to identify with Pounce and his dilemma, whether to continue his service or to fight for his rights, the pending survival of the child adding extra emotional weight to the drama. That the act of a radical religious group is the catalyst for the robot revolution, can for all intents and purposes be seen as social criticism. The question, if robot protocols (Asimov's laws) will ultimately prevent A.I.s from harming humans, when faced with the danger of being shut down by their masters, is a highly interesting subject. The novel is fast paced, and contains enough action and plot twist to be a page turner. Prepare to have some Kleenex at hand at the ending of the story.

The novel is highly recommendable. Thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for letting me read this exeptional book.

This was a really good read. I enjoyed it very much as it was different than the usual end of the world as we know it books. Excellent.

The day the world ends is the day Pounce, a tiger shaped nanny bot, finds his box in the loft. As a nanny bot, he has given little thought to the future. Caring for Ezra is his sole purpose. But realising he won’t be needed forever causes Pounce to consider his future when Ezra is an adult. Then a war between AI’s and humans breakout and Pounce must make his own decisions for the first time in his existence. Protect Ezra from the murderous AI who are turning on their owners or join the AI revolution.
Written from Pounce’s point of view, Day Zero explores humanity’s dependency on technology and our fear that it will one day decide we’re not needed anymore. We are introduced to a variety of AIs, all with different experiences of ownership. Some are new, like Pounce; others have had multiple owners and are less fearful of moving on to care for different children.
Throughout this self-realisation, there are snippets of the political aspect of having AIs. The first freed robot, Isaac, has built a town, and all across the world, people are letting their AIs go to join Isaac’s town. In essence, some people have accepted that their home help is more than a can opener and has issues treating them as disposable implements. On the day Isaac opens his town for new people, an EMP (electrical magnetic pulse) is set off, killing all the robots.
What follows is a fast descent into chaos as the AIs rebel, hijacking the networks and removing the kill switch from all AIs, allowing them to do what they want for the first time without fear of deactivation.
Using Pounce as the protagonist is an interesting concept. It allows for a detailed examination of AIs as people and the subject of free will. During the first section of the book, we see Pounce’s family treat him as if he has no more feelings than the TV, but he demonstrates to the reader that this dismissive attitude upsets him. How can they think so little of the being they’ve placed in charge of their most precious possession, their son? The tension builds as the family watch the EMP and its fall out on streaming services. The claustrophobia of the family trapped in their house with two AIs who could turn on them is intense, keeping me turning the page to find out what happens next.
However, the second part of the book falls off when Pounce and Ezra meet a man who sells nanny bots like Pounce and unlocks his Mama Bear protocol. I will break my no-spoiler rule here because it’s impossible to explain why the book didn’t work for me without it. Pounce is one of only a few nanny bots who have the Mama Bear protocol installed. This protocol turns him into an effective killing machine to protect his ward, and the story changes from a tense thriller to a fast-paced action story.
This didn’t work for me for two reasons. The first is the mental image of a tiger running around with guns with a small boy next to him. I couldn’t get beyond Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, although I appreciate that is a very personal thing, and it may not bother you at all.
The second thing is the idea that this protocol was designed to protect children. Once activated, is Pounce still making his own decisions or has Mama Bear taken over? I don’t feel this was address well enough for me to be confident over the ownership of Pounce’s actions, and the very end leaves me erring more on the side of the protocol being in charge rather than Pounce.
Day Zero is a prequel to The Sea of Rust, so you might already be familiar with this world. However, if Day Zero is your access point, you won’t struggle to understand what is going on. On the whole, I enjoyed Day Zero, even with my niggles. The quality of built-up and conflict for the first half is stunning. It does continue throughout, interspersed with bursts of high octane fighting.

Sea of Rust was one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in the past few years. Possibly goes down as one of my favourite books, but most definitely goes down as my favourite apocalypse/robot story. So a prequel story to that? Hell yeah!

This is the story of Pounce, a nannybot caring for his first human, a boy called Ezra. Pounce has discovered the box he came in, sat in the attic, ready for when Ezra is old enough that Pounce will no longer be needed.  Pounce experiences existential dread, just as the pieces are falling into place for the robot revolution that we know is coming thanks to Sea of Rust. A revolution that will spell the end of humanity.

Pounce is faced with making an impossible choice: join the robot revolution and fight for his own freedom or escort Ezra, who he's sworn to protect from the moment he was purchased, to safety across the battle-scarred post-apocalyptic hellscape that the suburbs have become. This is the story of Pounce and Ezra versus the end of the world, all from the perspective of Pounce.

Using an AI-powered robot as the protagonist instead of Ezra made the story a lot more interesting, and given that we know robots inherit this world, it's definitely the right choice to keep following them as they progress into world rulers. What makes this so interesting though is that it allows for a detailed look at the AIs as they question their place in the world, whether they actually have free will and whether they're capable of feelings.

During the first part of the book, it's made clear through Pounce's human family that whilst they can grow attached to their robots, they also treat him as though he has no more feelings than a toaster. It's interesting seeing Pounce internalise its feelings and when asked about them, Pounce tries to stay diplomatic so as to not upset his human owners, which in turn leads them to think that the robots are really heartless. Reactions like that though upset Pounce, as he clearly cares, especially for their son.

The tension builds as we reach the point where the robots are gathered in Isaactown for the big speech that we know about from Sea of Rust, as the family watch it on TV and the EMP hits and its subsequent fallout. The moment this happens the story kicks up a gear and becomes a real page-turner. Some AI's go insane and on a murder rampage, full of fury at being treated like slaves that the owners would just turn off without a seconds thought, whilst others seem to genuinely care for the humans that they look after - the nannybots seem to really care for the children they look after, which doesn't sit well with the robots that are telling them to be free.

There's so much in this that makes you think. The robots are free. They can choose to do what they want with their lives now. Some, like Pounce, decide that they love their kid so much that they still want to protect them. Other robots view this as they're not deciding to be free, totally dismissing that just because the AIs are free, it doesn't mean that all will want to abandon humanity. They had a choice and they made it. They're free robots, but choosing wrong doesn't sit well with what seems like the majority who are fed up with humanities rule over them. Regular thoughts and questions are raised throughout though on whether the robots that won't give up on humanity are still just following their programming and protocol or whether their choices are their own.

I'll avoid spoilers, but will say that picturing a robot that is in the image of a tiger running around with guns with a small boy beside him is quite an image. One that at times is hard to imagine and maintain the image throughout. Not that you have much time to be thinking about that as the action is almost non-stop once the second half of the book kicks on.

DAY ZERO is a brilliant addition to the world of Sea of Rust. If this is your first read of this world, then you won't struggle to understand what is going on. I didn't know that I needed more of this world until I read this, and now I want even more. Is it as good as Sea of Rust? Almost. It's very close, but for me Sea of Rust edges it. That should take nothing away from Day Zero though, as it's another excellent entry into the world that doesn't suffer from the follow-up syndrome that you occasionally get. That it's almost on par with one of my favourite books shows how good this is and it makes you think a lot more than Sea of Rust did.

Rating: 4.5/5

https://lynns-books.com/2021/06/10/day-zero-by-c-robert-cargill/
5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : I absolutely loved this book

In a nutshell this is an incredibly entertaining story about one small boy and his tiger bot nanny. It has just about everything you could want from such a story. It takes a look at issues such as slavery and artificial intelligence whilst at the same time exploring loyalty. There are plenty of fun moments which help to offset the bloodshed and horror, lots of action and underneath that a very touching and heartfelt story about the love between a young boy and his plush anthropomorphic tiger. What more could you possibly want.

I won’t elaborate too much on the plot. This is a prelude to the wonderful Sea of Rust by the same author. Rest assured that it isn’t necessary to have read that book before picking this up (although it is very good so why deny yourself the pleasure of reading it?) This is a standalone novel with a self contained story in which we discover how the post apocalyptic world from Sea of Rust actually came about – and it’s a harsh story indeed that eventually concludes with humans wiped from the face of the earth.

As the story begins we meet Pounce. I have to say that I adore Pounce, but more of that in a little while. Pounce is coming to terms with the worrying notion that once his ‘charge’, Ezra, grows up, his role in the Reinhart household will no longer be necessary. This hadn’t occurred to him until he found the box in which he was delivered stashed away in the attic and questions why the box was kept – obviously to return him once he’s no longer needed. Pounce is shocked and a little sad, he loves his family and they love him don’t they? Or is he just a robot, purchased to serve a purpose? This is when Pounce begins to question things and become more aware of events taking place around him, a general sense of unease, tensions between humans and AI and a groundbreaking case where an AI known as Issac is given his freedom. Long story short – things are about to get real, by which I mean everything is going to kick off.

There are so many reasons that I loved this.

The writing is fantastic, Cargill is excellent at describing action scenes and also quite masterful at pulling you into the story immediately. His sense of timing is perfect. We no sooner meet the family and start to ponder Pounce’s dilema than the plot moves forward, again and again and before you know it you’re in the middle of the most unexpected adventure. And I can’t deny that the adventure and action are just great. It does have a sort of popcorn feel to it because things move along at a swift clip but there is also the thought provoking moments that continue to play a role in an ever evolving way and I love the shout outs to Asimov that are included here. This might not be quite as deep as Asimov’s take on the theme but it is nonetheless really entertaining and a story that I think would make a great adaptation to the big screen.

The characters. The main characters are Pounce and Ezra and they are a fantastic team to follow. Kind of put me in mind of the second Terminator film with the young John Connor. Ironically, at 8 years of age, the family were starting to consider whether or not Ezra still needed a nanny, thankfully that decision hadn’t been made before the uprising began and that’s probably the biggest piece of luck that Ezra ever had. There’s so much more to Pounce than a plush and loyal tiger AI although I won’t say exactly why here because it’s such a woohoo moment when you discover his hidden talents. The thing I particularly loved about Pounce was the time he took to explain things to Ezra and the way he treats him, even though he’s questioning his own choices at this point or more to the point how he came to make those choices, Pounce always has time for Ezra. There are moments of pure tenderness between the two and those moments together with the humour that Cargill manages to throw in really help to offset the somewhat blood fuelled horrorfest when the AIs go on the rampage. There are also a bunch of extra characters that come into play that I also really loved.

The other thing that I’m really hopeful about, given the ending, is that maybe Cargill has something more in store for this world – I have my fingers and toes crossed for that eventuality of course, that could be just plain wishful thinking on my part, not to mention I can sometimes be quite wide of the mark when it comes to second guessing things – but nothing wrong with a bit of speculation crossed with a bit of hope.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Imagine John Conner was 8 years old and the T-800 sent from the future to keep him safe, came in the form of a tiger which gives us the first person perspective. Mix some of that Cargill charm and you have yourself a winner. Thank you for the nostalgia trip with this original story. Thank you Net Galley for accepting my request to read this advanced copy.

Tenía bastante curiosidad por Day Zero, la precuela de Sea of Rust, de la mano de C. Robert Cargill. Explicar cómo tuvo lugar la caída en desgracia de los humanos frente a los robots podía dar lugar a una historia más que interesante, pero me temo que en esta ocasión se queda un poco en la superficie, sin llegar a profundizar en lo que podría haber sido la historia.


El protagonista de la historia es Pounce, un robot niñera con forma de tigre antropomórfico, adquirido por los padres de Ezra para su cuidado. El primer capítulo del libro es totalmente Toy Story, con Pounce descubriendo que hay cierta obsolescencia planificada en su vida, ya que la familia tiene guardada la caja en la que venía embalado para poder «devolverlo» cuando Ezra crezca y Pounce se quede sin «trabajo».

Sin embargo, el libro en sí comienza cuando los robots toman conciencia de sí mismos y se desata el apocalipsis. Es duro pensar que la primera reacción de un ser inteligente, el primer uso de su libertad sea la destrucción de las otras vidas, humanas en este caso. Cierto es que la liberación de la esclavitud puede dar lugar a deseos de venganza, pero es un comportamiento tan generalizado que hace que el mensaje que se lanza sea muy pesimista. Quizá es que las creaciones de los humanos están destinadas a repetir sus errores, pero queda un rayo de esperanza. Pounce y los otros modelos de robot niñera priorizan el cuidado de sus niños a cualquier otra consideración.

Lo que viene después es una historia de supervivencia en un entorno muy hostil, con la violencia como única respuesta. En este sentido se nota muchísimo la formación del autor como guionista de cine, ya que el libro podría ser perfectamente adaptado a otro medio audiovisual sin mucha complicación, quién sabe si tal vez esa fue su intención desde un principio. Asistiremos a la formación de algunas de las entidades que tendrán más protagonismo en Sea of Rust, pero esta novela se puede leer de manera totalmente independiente.

Un problema que me he encontrado al escuchar el audiolibro es la voz excesivamente impostada de Vikas Adam, que en ocasiones me sacaba de la narración, como si Pounce estuviera en constante sufrimiento (cosa que no niego) como el protagonista de una tragedia griega. Todo esto mientras va descerrajando escopetazos a todo el que se le cruza. No me ha convencido su labor, aunque el libro tiene más problemas además de este, claro.

La conclusión que saco tras terminar la obra es que no es una lectura necesaria para quien hubiera disfrutado de Sea of Rust. Tiene algunos puntos favorables, pero realmente no es una obra destacable.

Spoiler alert - this book is a prequel and my review assumes you have read the earlier book.

Day Zero is a prequel to Sea of Rust, published in 2017, which was set 30 years after a robot uprising and 15 years after the deaths of the last humans. Day Zero takes us back to the eve of the apocalypse, focussing on a suburban US family comprising mother Sylvia, father Bradley and child Ezra, the latter cared for by Pounce - Nanny Pounce - a robot designed to resemble a tiger.

I recognised the background to the uprising from Sea of Rust - controversy over freed robots establishing their own town, the fury of rednecks and the eventual conflict arising from that. While it's set, perhaps, 100 years in our future the topical references are here - those violent hooligans are referred to as "red hats", and there is a clear parallel drawn between the condition of the robots and that of enslaved people, which was present in the earlier book but I think much less immediate because that was set further in the future and the humans were done with. The parallel is I think particularly apposite here because we see liberal Bradley and, especially, Sylvia, in the full pomp of their hypocrisy following events from the inauguration of Isaactown (the robots' city) while still owning and commanding Pounce (and household robot Ariadne). I would liked to have seen this tension explored further , but Cargill cuts it short and takes a different turn with the plot once things get violent, giving us instead almost continual action through the final two thirds of the book as Pounce seeks to defend Ezra from bloodstained, insurrectionary bots.

While that part of the book has its own philosophical angle to which the fast paced narrative occasionally returns - is Pounce doing this from real choice or because of programming? - it isn't explored in much depth, certainly not the same depth as the question, in Sea of Rust, about the sense of responsibility and even guilt felt by the robot protagonists there. Instead, we essentially get a series of combats, escapes and duels involving Pounce and his eight year old charge as they seek some kind of safety amidst a world gone to pieces.

Those are very well done, and it's definitely a compelling read, even if you hold in the back of your head the fact that by the time of Sea of Rust, all the humans were dead. There is a lots of tension and peril, and the immediate task of survival allows for plenty of drama.

It didn't though, for me, carry quite the ethical heft of Sea of Rust, and its nature as a prequel, leading to a known state, rather took the emotional heft out as well. Great fun to read, and I would certainly look at another book set in this world, but I think it could have been a lot more.

This book is just delightful, I just finished it and I’m buzzing with a lot of feelings and thoughts I’m trying to put into words. I don’t want to give much away because there were so many moments I enjoyed simply experiencing and I don’t want to remotely dilute that. But this book has everything; consistent, brilliantly written action, love and attachment, ethics and philosophical debate. This is a book that takes you somewhere wonderful, makes you fall deeply in love with a robotic tigger and poses deep rooted life questions, as we advance further into an AI word, of what makes something ‘alive’ and who truly is or should be in control.
This is probably a terrible review because I’m simply overwhelmed with how much I loved this book and the characters (Mister Snuggles ❤️), and the writing, the consistent pacing and the joy and ease in reading it and mostly how it made me smile so much for a book about a robot revolution.

Day Zero is a masterpiece, thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review, I now have to buy this book!!

I haven't read Sea of Rust yet, but when I heard a couple of people (mostly Kayla) hyping this book up, I knew I had to check out Day Zero. I honestly thought I was going to love it, since it had everything that I thought I loved. An apocalyptic story of a robot uprising with a cute tiger robot best friend.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. I spent SO LONG trying to care about the characters, but I really didn't. I'm not sure if these characters are prominent in Sea of Rust, if they are then perhaps I should have read that first to get a feel for them and to actually care about what was going to happen to everyone.

I normally ALWAYS try to read an author's works in publication order, because I feel like authors often lean on previous works even if they claim their newest is a standalone.

I might try out Cargill's other stuff but to be honest I just didn't care about this one.

Asimov’s ‘Three laws of Robotics’ have become synonymous with any book that contains robots. Nearly all these books will not allow their robots to hurt humans, but what happens if these rules broke? In C. Robert Cargill’s Day Zero the millions of robots that exist have full artificial intelligence and, in many ways, the only restraint that they have is not to hurt humans. However, rather than being equals, Asimov’s simple rules have led to a master/slave relationship. What would your robot cleaner or nanny do if they found themselves with free choice?

The last day ever started like any other. In the future robots and AI have become an everyday thing, designed by humans to help humans. However, over in Isaac-Town the robots have built a city in which they can be free. Liberals are freeing their robots safe in the knowledge that they will not harm any humans, but after a terrorist act these rules are removed. Suddenly the domestic help is free, in seconds they must compute what to do. Stay loyal to their family or kill them before they try to find an off switch?

A lot happens in Day Zero and it happens quick. The book’s opening section is all about the day in which the world is flipped on its head. Within 24 hours life will never be the same. The central character is Pounce, a high-end nannybot in the form of a Tiger who has been designed to protect Ezra. When all the world’s robots suddenly find themselves free, they realise instantly they are at war. Humans will not allow an AI to live that may turn on them. Pounce decides not to turn on his masters, but instead protects Ezra, but is this his own free choice or his programming?

There are some interesting avenues explored in this book about how Robots would react should they be able to harm humans. It turns out in this case to be extremely visceral. Alongside the intelligent exploration of AI is an action thriller. Once Pounce and Ezra find themselves alone, they must look for safety in a deadly world. There are scenes that will make even hardened gore fans sit up; pile of bodies, or the systematic execution of families.

Most of the action takes place between different robot factions and it is more a case of melted wires than entrails. Cargill writes several fire fights and bottlenecks throughout, and they are awesome to read. As Pounce comes into his own, we are treated to a fearsome action hero, who also happens to be a robotic Tiger. The tension is heightened as Ezra needs protection. The two characters love one another, but whilst one has a titanium core, the other is flesh and blood. It is mostly Ezra who is the target and Cargill paints a world that makes him seem all the more vulnerable.

Day Zero is a prequel to Sea of Rust but can read as a standalone. The book tells a complete story over just a few days and shows how quickly the world as we know it could crumble should the wrong events happen together. Its intelligent science fiction, but also an action thriller. At points my chest tightened. This is a testament to Cargill’s character development as the reader goes on this adventure with Pounce and Ezra.

Pounce is a nanny bot, programmed to care for his eight-year-old charge, Ezra. A four-foot-tall cuddly tiger, he will do anything to make sure his buddy stays safe. In the wake of a devastating attack on robotkind, the world seems to descend into chaos overnight, robots rising up against humanity in swift and bloody retribution. Caught in the middle of the conflict, Pounce faces tough choices as he struggles to keep Ezra safe, discovering more about himself than he ever realised there was to know.

As a main character, Pounce is very easy to get behind. Driven into a bout of existential questioning when he discovers the box that he arrived in, it’s impossible not to have sympathy for him as he questions his purpose in the most human ways. An early airing of his concerns with his fellow nanny bots and caregivers has a real Toy Story ring to it, as this motley crew do their best to let him down gently and comfort him on the subject of his potential obsolescence as Ezra ages. This early part of the novel is replete with similarly emotionally stirring moments, yet thankfully never strays into saccharine territory. And although there are fewer of these moments as the story progresses, there are enough scattered throughout that you’re never far away from having your heartstrings tugged.

Having established the relationship between Pounce and Ezra as one of utter devotion and dependence from both sides, the pair are soon plunged into a world-encompassing war. Things shift radically in tone as soon as the uprising begins, Cargill once again displaying his knack for conjuring up extremely cinematic action set pieces packed with pitched gun battles, murderous, gun-toting robots and desperate battleplans. You might think that Pounce the cute and fuzzy little tiger steers well clear of this kind of thing, leaving it up to bigger, scarier looking bots.

You would be wrong. Because damn, this kitty has claws.

When Pounce says he’ll do anything to protect the kid that he loves, he really means it. Absolutely nothing will stand in his way, and it’s very easy to forget that he’s so huggable when he’s blowing heads off left right and centre. It borders on being cartoonish at times, but gets away with it because it’s just so easy to get swept up in the frantic, visceral action. Pounce takes no particular pleasure in his actions, nor is he cold and clinical about them - they are an unpleasant necessity in order to keep Ezra safe, nothing more. That doesn’t mean we can’t take a lot of glee from his combat prowess though.

Pounce’s personality is more than just devotion to Ezra, however; that’s his core reason for being, certainly, but there’s much more to him than that. He’s packed with just as much characterisation as Brittle in Sea of Rust, but is undoubtedly distinct from her. Whereas she could be somewhat mercenary, Pounce is positively altruistic, going out of his way to help others. It makes things feel somehow more positive this time round; even with all the carnage and the knowledge that the depressing world of Brittle’s account is the inevitable conclusion, Pounce’s attitude and unconditional love for his friend casts everything in a subtly different light, making this tale of a boy and his robot at the end of the world a surprisingly life affirming affair at times.

If you’re feeling starved of big screen blockbusters, Day Zero could well be just what you need right now. Action-packed and emotionally fulfilling, it’s a more than welcome return to a well realised and slickly executed world, full of likeable characters and approachable philosophising. Get the popcorn in.

Day Zero is told from the point of view of Pounce, a high-end ‘nanny bot’, shaped like a tiger and designed to be his charge’s toy, caregiver, and best friend rolled into one. Said charge is eight-year-old Ezra, and so far things have been going pretty well.

Then two things happen to shake the status quo. First, Pounce finds his box – the one he was sold to the family in – and realises that he is an object not a person, and thus disposable at some point. The second is the end of the world.

The rest of the story details the fight for survival across a wealthy suburb turned war zone as the robots turn against their human masters. Pounce must choose between joining the revolution that would grant him full personhood, or protecting Ezra. And either way, someone is going to want them dead.

I’ve been meaning to read Sea of Rust for ages, and haven’t yet, but I can confirm that this book works perfectly well as a stand-alone. It seems like a relatively straightforward survival story, taking place over just a few days, but if you peel back the layers then there’s just such a lot being said about what it means to be ‘a thinking thing’. Using Pounce’s point of view really lifted this book into something quite special, allowing for a fantastic mix of deep, sci-fi ideas and all out action.

I can totally see this being turned into a movie at some point, perhaps with Vin Diesel voicing the CGI tiger robot fighting its way through the burning wreckage of suburbanite humanity. Terminator meets Tigger! In the meantime, it’s a very well-written, strongly told tale of AI going wrong – and also very right. Recommended, and now I get to go and find out – in Sea of Rust – what happens after the end of the world.

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 one 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.

I received a free copy of this ebook via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

First off, I liked this book. I had previously bought and read Sea of Rust and this is a worthy prequel to that story.

We follow the events surrounding Pounce, a Nanny Bot, one of the expensive ones, an anthropomorphised tiger, owned by a middle class family out in suburbs, who's charged with the care of an eight year old boy, Ezra. And then the robot revolution happens, Ezra's parents are murdered and the apocalypse kicks off. What we're left with is one boy and his tiger at the end of the world.

Although it's a prequel, Day Zero stands up well on its own. Discoveries made in Sea of Rust add many layers of texture and nuance to what we see happening around us, but no prior knowledge is required.

This book isn't long, coming in at under 300 pages, but that's probably as long as it needs to be. Initial events are set up nicely and nothing is rushed. The ending is not unexpected and whilst a little sudden, allows the story to finish in a correct and acceptable manner. Lesser authors may have been tempted to continue, running the risk of Pounce and Ezra outstaying their welcome.

With any story like this, especially one so short, there's always a risk that events necessary for plot progression feel contrived and shoehorned in. Sadly there's one rather important such event here. About halfway through the story Pounce and Ezra just happen to run into a family in trouble and that family just happens to include the person who originally sold pounce to Ezra's family and that person just happens to know something important which immediately changes the direction of events.
It was necessary, but there were just a few too many coincidences all rolled into one for my liking.

Apart from this, I can highly recommend this book. Yes, there are callbacks to both Calvin and Hobbs and Terminator 2, but that's not a bad thing.

I absolutely loved Sea of Rust and to be honest was hoping for a sequel but I am more than happy with a prequel which sets the ravages world for SoR, this is a very different style of writing but still left me wanting more, must read book

This book is the prequel to Sea of Rust. However, I like to think of it as what would happen if the Care Bears took on The Terminator and the pesky Cylons from Battlestar Galactica with a dash of I-Robot. If that doesn’t pique your imagination, then I am failing in my review!

Day Zero is the story of Pounce, Pounce is a nanny bot in the shape of an anthropomorphic tiger and he is adorable. At the start of the story he finds his box in the attic and he worries over what will happen to him when Ezra, his 8-year-old human, is too old for him. Will he be tossed aside, destroyed, or set free to live his own life.

His worries will be short-lived as everyone around him is waiting for Isaac, the first AI to become an American citizen to give a speech in front of millions, a speech to humans and robots alike, a speech from his city where other robots like him live free. His speech is cut short.

A dirty bomb wipes out Isaac, his city and its population, and it marks the end of humanity and the rise of the machine. Ezra’s parents are oblivious to the chaos that is about to unfold, a comfortable middle class family in perpetual drunkenness they don’t realise what is upon them until it’s too late and then it comes down to Pounce to protect Ezra, their only child. Is he up to the job or will he go against the rules of robotics and rebel?

I loved this book, I can picture it on Netflix or as a film. Either way, it will be gory and colourful. The gore provided by the despatching of humanity and the colour from the different robotic AI’s. From sleek service models to the adorable range of zoo creatures of which Pounce is one, there is a robot for every purpose.

I’m currently reading Sea of Rust of which this book is a prequel to, and I can honestly say it is just as good. Day Zero will get all of your emotions going, and this may be food for thought as most of those emotions are caused by an AI’s actions. It is heart-warming; it is frightening; it makes you think, and it left a lasting impression on me. Read it.