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Bad Metal #1
Wrecked
In 2031, a viral pandemic swept the globe, indiscriminately devastating all forms of complex life. The human and animal populations were decimated within months. The developed nations of the world each blamed one another for releasing a bio-weapon, either out of malice or incompetence. In 2035, the world saw its first nuclear war.
The decade that followed saw the human race desperately trying to survive. A new generation inherited a world poisoned by nuclear and chemical weapons. Only with the aid of automatons - highly advanced robotic laborers - was mankind able to recover and begin to rebuild.
However, the automatons were not perfect. For years malfunctions had become more and more common. Units would shut down, or exhibit unusual behavior. In rare cases, automatons might endanger human life. And while some of these cases could be attributed to tampering or sabotage, the cause behind the vast majority remained a mystery.
In 2074, the City-State of Chicago in cooperation with The Company - which produced most of the world's automatons - authorized the formation of "Wrecking Crews." Part cop, part garbage man, the Wreckers would be responsible for dealing with the aberrant machines, and investigating the cause of their malfunctions.
Among the Wreckers, an automaton that attacks a human is referred to as "Bad Metal".
Wrecked is the story of Gibson, a young man down on his luck. With no job, no prospects, and little hope, things seem grim for Gibson. But when the automaton landlord that runs Gibson's apartment complex begins murdering the tenants, Gibson's fortunes take a surprising turn...
The decade that followed saw the human race desperately trying to survive. A new generation inherited a world poisoned by nuclear and chemical weapons. Only with the aid of automatons - highly advanced robotic laborers - was mankind able to recover and begin to rebuild.
However, the automatons were not perfect. For years malfunctions had become more and more common. Units would shut down, or exhibit unusual behavior. In rare cases, automatons might endanger human life. And while some of these cases could be attributed to tampering or sabotage, the cause behind the vast majority remained a mystery.
In 2074, the City-State of Chicago in cooperation with The Company - which produced most of the world's automatons - authorized the formation of "Wrecking Crews." Part cop, part garbage man, the Wreckers would be responsible for dealing with the aberrant machines, and investigating the cause of their malfunctions.
Among the Wreckers, an automaton that attacks a human is referred to as "Bad Metal".
Wrecked is the story of Gibson, a young man down on his luck. With no job, no prospects, and little hope, things seem grim for Gibson. But when the automaton landlord that runs Gibson's apartment complex begins murdering the tenants, Gibson's fortunes take a surprising turn...
119 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 28, 2012
Not very deep, but a fun, comic book-ish sci-fi tale about a young man who gets a job tracking down and destroying malfunctioning robots. It goes by fast, does some nice setup and world building, introduces a few likable characters and some action sequences. Solid, easy entertainment.
January 6, 2016
Very good novella and a great concept. This would translate well as a TV series.
I didn't care for the cursing. It wasn't too frequent but it was some pretty strong language and I could have done without that. One scene got a bit gruesome, but this novella still held my interest and I definitely want to read the next one.
Some details concerning projectiles were a bit unnecessary but overall I thought it was well balanced.
I didn't care for the cursing. It wasn't too frequent but it was some pretty strong language and I could have done without that. One scene got a bit gruesome, but this novella still held my interest and I definitely want to read the next one.
Some details concerning projectiles were a bit unnecessary but overall I thought it was well balanced.
April 14, 2012
Wasn't sure I'd like it but once it got going, I couldn't put it down. The characters are well developed and honest but leave you wanting moreback story. Futuristic, steampunk setting is well but not overly defined.
Looking forward to next installment in the series.
Looking forward to next installment in the series.
April 14, 2012
I read this with a degree of reluctance (not usually into robots) and I loved it! I liked it so much that I've searched for Bad Metal: 02 a few times already!
August 22, 2021
Thought Provoking
I read this one in between longer reads and as a sci-fi novella it kept me entertained for a couple of hours.
Interesting concept which questions the future use of robots to replace human workers.
This is part one of a series but is fully self contained
I read this one in between longer reads and as a sci-fi novella it kept me entertained for a couple of hours.
Interesting concept which questions the future use of robots to replace human workers.
This is part one of a series but is fully self contained
September 5, 2018
An interesting idea, if a little short. Kind of like blade runner but retiring bad robots instead of bad replicants. Will have to pick up the next novella to see where this is going.
July 18, 2014
Black's first published work, Bad Metal 01: Wrecked, shows promise for a new indie author. The story paints a fairly descript post-apocalyptic world, where nations have fallen after the double-whammy of a viral-pandemic and nuclear war. The plot reveals multiple billionaires pooling resources to create automatons; robots to rebuild the ruined cities. Although this is sci-fi and demands a reader's suspended belief, come on: Egomaniacal billionaires saving humanity? Okay, I jest....kinda.
Humanity survives, albeit at significantly reduced numbers thanks to automatons and The Company, a geopolitical powerhouse that controls industry, police, and governments. The Company isn't on the same level as Skynet, but it could conceivably be a forerunner.
We find a likable `hero' that is willing to take on `crazy' automatons. They are fierce adversaries and `Wreckers" are the MiB that attempt to keep the human population safe, as well as attempt to figure out why automatons go bad. There is enough action, conversational dialogue, and plausibility to make this read a fun ride.
Note - the author needs to hire an editor or fire the one he currently has. The pages are plagued with issues that won't necessarily show up in spell-check. I hope Black revisits this digital tale and corrects the numerous issues that could keep him from gaining more readers.
Humanity survives, albeit at significantly reduced numbers thanks to automatons and The Company, a geopolitical powerhouse that controls industry, police, and governments. The Company isn't on the same level as Skynet, but it could conceivably be a forerunner.
We find a likable `hero' that is willing to take on `crazy' automatons. They are fierce adversaries and `Wreckers" are the MiB that attempt to keep the human population safe, as well as attempt to figure out why automatons go bad. There is enough action, conversational dialogue, and plausibility to make this read a fun ride.
Note - the author needs to hire an editor or fire the one he currently has. The pages are plagued with issues that won't necessarily show up in spell-check. I hope Black revisits this digital tale and corrects the numerous issues that could keep him from gaining more readers.
May 5, 2013
Wrecked (Bad Metal #1) is a very well written book and it grabbed my attention in the first few pages. I put off reading this one for a few months after downloading it because I was worried that it would disappoint. The description was great and I figured it got my hopes up like many books before it. Instead, I was left wishing it was longer.
The book starts off by quickly introducing characters that we need to know as we jump straight into the action. There are also just a few details about how the world got to the way it is, but it wasn't long and drawn out the way most books tend to be when describing a world that is different than our own; there was just enough to understand what is going on and then back to the action. The characters were just as believable as the environment with the same brief tellings of who they are and why there are that way. Nothing was too drawn out or made to be more than it was, just an introduction story to some robots gone bad.
I would recommend this story to people who just want mindless action that you don't have to think about...and have Dirty Jobs (Bad Metal #2) standing by as this one is not long enough and will leave you needing more.
The book starts off by quickly introducing characters that we need to know as we jump straight into the action. There are also just a few details about how the world got to the way it is, but it wasn't long and drawn out the way most books tend to be when describing a world that is different than our own; there was just enough to understand what is going on and then back to the action. The characters were just as believable as the environment with the same brief tellings of who they are and why there are that way. Nothing was too drawn out or made to be more than it was, just an introduction story to some robots gone bad.
I would recommend this story to people who just want mindless action that you don't have to think about...and have Dirty Jobs (Bad Metal #2) standing by as this one is not long enough and will leave you needing more.
May 24, 2013
Short novella. Read it in a morning. I must admit this definitely would translate well as a movie or tv show series, for sure. Interesting cast and concept. The beginning chase scene was quite exhilarating. Except for the few instances where unnecessary details, like how fast a bullet goes compared to another projectile, were rattled off in the moment. It's not something someone running for their life would stop to consider. Some parts were a tad on the gruesome side, and I frowned at the cursing within. Towards the climax things got a tad repetitive as the author tries to shown the action from everyone's viewpoint. Good for translating to camera shots, not so much for easy reading.
March 3, 2015
1st novella in Robert Black's Bad Metal series is pretty good. Does a good job of not only introducing characters, but also giving you a basic rundown of the history that led to the reason why things are the way they are without bogging down the plot or boring the reader. I think I literally cringed when I first read the main character's name was "Gibson," but the story was good enough to redeem itself from such a cheesy homage.
All in all a good quick read that left me looking forward to the second in the series.
All in all a good quick read that left me looking forward to the second in the series.
January 23, 2015
You wreck me baby
This was fun to read. It's a rather lighthearted story about Robots Gone Bad, set in the not too distant future. Gibson, the main character is having a hard time. No job, no prospects, and he's about to be evicted from his apartment. This news is delivered to him by the building superintendent, a robot.
This same robot goes berserk a little later, setting up the story.
Results: fast read, not too deep, likable characters.
This was fun to read. It's a rather lighthearted story about Robots Gone Bad, set in the not too distant future. Gibson, the main character is having a hard time. No job, no prospects, and he's about to be evicted from his apartment. This news is delivered to him by the building superintendent, a robot.
This same robot goes berserk a little later, setting up the story.
Results: fast read, not too deep, likable characters.
May 10, 2024
RECOMMENDED
"Bad Metal 01: Wrecked" by Robert Black is good intro to the series. It introduces the MC who is recently unemployed, with
no prospects and fixing to be evicted from his apartment.
So things could be better. Then things go really bad.
"Bad Metal 01: Wrecked" by Robert Black is good intro to the series. It introduces the MC who is recently unemployed, with
no prospects and fixing to be evicted from his apartment.
So things could be better. Then things go really bad.
March 7, 2025
This was a short and fun trilogy about a post-apocalyptic world that had transitioned into the robotic revolution.
I chatted with the author when the book came out, and was just looking at my Kindle history. Hard to believe that it's been 15 years. It still holds up as near future sci-fi.
I chatted with the author when the book came out, and was just looking at my Kindle history. Hard to believe that it's been 15 years. It still holds up as near future sci-fi.
October 20, 2012
It's been done before. Newfie hero springs into action to save the day. Couldn't hold my interest enough to even be remembered but I did finish it. I won't be hanging around for book 2 of the series.
Want to read
November 7, 2012Kindle freebie, 11/07/12
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews