Solo

Weapon-Solo #2

by Robert Mason

Solo, the combat robot hero from Weapon returns. His to rescue his traumatically twisted mechanical twin, Nimrod, from its CIA trainers. But Nimrod has other plans. Safely ensconced in his jungle hideaway, Solo uplinks to the satellite network that circles the globe, and discovered an amazing fact. He's not alone. There's another one like him. Code-named Nimrod, it has the same extraordinary physical and computer-reasoning abilities as Solo. In all senses but the biological, the two are brothers, bound by a tie they share with no other creature on earth. Determined not to repeat the mistakes they made with Solo and its humanistic education, the Army is conditioning Nimrod with electronically induced pain reinforcement. in fact, they've created a monster. Instead of the unquestioningly obedient robot it appears to be, Nimrod is a brilliant paranoid, with no moral core and the strength of thirty men. It is more than superhuman, and ultimately, it is uncontrollable. Leaving his sanctuary, Solo hitches a ride in the bilge compartment of a banana boat and arrives in New York—the one place in America his satellites scans have told him a six-foot-two, three-hundred-pound, man-shaped machine covered in carbon fiber may pass unnoticed—and prepares to rescue Nimrod. But the Pentagon knows Solo will not be able to resist the temptation of a soul mate, and using Nimrod as bait, it lures Solo into a trap meant to destroy the robot. As Solo strategizes his assault, Nimrod quietly begins to discover its power, and to plot its own violent revenge. The stage is set for the ultimate confrontation, one that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and once again establish Robert Mason as a unique master of high-tech adventure.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Robert Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book not just because my husband wrote it but because of the inventive funny way his mind works. Who would think of a 300 lb robot carrying a big suitcase full of batteries trying to blend in in NYC. Only Bob. It is a sequel to Weapon.

[Patience Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book not just because my husband wrote it but because of the inventive funny way his mind works. Who would think of a 300 lb robot carrying a big suitcase full of batteries trying to blend in in NYC. Only Bob. It is a sequel to Weapon.

[Andrew Herbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mason knows how to do action, but this book got a bit silly. Once he gets to dope growing country boys, imbecilic military folks, and so on I kept reading, but he'd lost me. The first half was very good, and a nice sequel to "Weapon". Solo is just too powerful, all knowing, and ultimately becomes uninteresting. Most of the plot 'twists' are obvious. Too bad. I was pleasantly surprised by the first book, and 'Chickenhawk' is great, but 'Solo' was a let down.

[Regine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Male, fast-paced.

[Mark Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent follow up to Weapon. Solo is on his own having survived from the first book. Nimrod is his successor and everything is being done to try and not repeat what happened with Solo. It’s amazing that Robert Mason wrote only these two sci-fi books. You wouldn’t know that the other two books are autobiographical. Trigger warning there is mention of a violent rape and attempted rape. The author has self published Solo and Weapon after all these years and while I find the new covers nowhere near as good as the originals the stories still hold up. Some books I have read are not as good as I had first read them but these two books are just as good. I always wished Robert Mason had written more books but I’m glad I have these two to read again.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book out of order. "Weapon" should have come first.

This novel works as a simple action story. The central character is sympathetic and interesting. But if you look at it slightly differently it becomes even better. This is the story of a special child trying to survive as its parents frantically attempt to kill their creation.

[M J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

Totally engrossing, pulled me completely into the story which I didn't want to end. The double twists at the end nearly did for me!! Loved, Loved, Loved it 🤗

[keith rafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy sequel to weapon

A delightful continuation of solo's story. Well thought out protagonists ,great twist in the tail. I thoroughly enjoyed these bokks

[Debra McCormick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun!

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read a book where the author couldn't stop himself from trying to make every sentence a turn of phrase and it was a real test of perseverance. Not so here, the author tells a story and that is all he does. In doing so, things move right along and when the twist at the end comes you realize it was obvious all along, you were just too interested in the story to pull back and analyze it- or at least that was the case for me.

In the first book of this series the self-aware robot, Solo, escapes the U.S. military by faking his own death. In Solo subsequent investigation has shown that Solo was not destroyed. Also, the military has brought a second robot online, Nimrod, but in a brutal manner meant to curb his intelligence as that is seen as the root of what went wrong with Solo. So Solo now faces the task of finding a way to permanently free himself and Nimrod.

[Ellen Shull · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's sort of as if Tom Clancy started writing cyberpunk. Zoom & enhance trope by the second page. The book exhibits a curious disregard for the killing of cops, federal agents, and military personnel, just reveling in the violence; along with that is a very clear sexist streak that starts with the objectification of women on the very first page. Fairly simple writing, no advanced literature here.

This is a sequel to the author's 1989 work "Weapon" which I have not read; what needs to be recapped seems to be minimal and is done fairly decently. I feel no particular need or desire to read the first book at this point.

[Ron Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took Weapon one step further. It was better than Weapon. However, it was written in 1992 so science advances have already passed the concept. It is a good read.

[Tomasz · Rating 2 out of 5]

czytadlo, kiedy czytalem pierwszy raz jako nastolatek w latach 90-tych robilo wieksze wrazenie ;)