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Brainbox
When the Earth begins cooling unexpectedly, humanity is left with only a few degrees of habitable latitude along the planet's equator. After establishing themselves as the three remaining powers in the world, the Americans, Chinese, and Russians eventually turn on each other in hopes of securing the last of the Earth's resources for themselves.
In an attempt to break the decades-long stalemate, the American military turns to Miguel dos Santos -- a brilliant Brazilian roboticist -- for help in creating the ASRA, or Autonomous Self Replicating Asset. The secret to the ASRAs is their neurological processors, also known as the brainbox, which enables the machines to "combine the logic and reasoning of a computer with the desperation and hate of the human soul." But as Miguel reluctantly carries out his orders, it becomes clear that he has other plans for what remains of humanity.
This short story (about 7,500 words) is both a technological and psychological thriller which unfolds across a landscape as exotic and unpredictable as it is dystopian and barren.
In an attempt to break the decades-long stalemate, the American military turns to Miguel dos Santos -- a brilliant Brazilian roboticist -- for help in creating the ASRA, or Autonomous Self Replicating Asset. The secret to the ASRAs is their neurological processors, also known as the brainbox, which enables the machines to "combine the logic and reasoning of a computer with the desperation and hate of the human soul." But as Miguel reluctantly carries out his orders, it becomes clear that he has other plans for what remains of humanity.
This short story (about 7,500 words) is both a technological and psychological thriller which unfolds across a landscape as exotic and unpredictable as it is dystopian and barren.
29 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2010
17 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Christian Cantrell
16 books207 followersChristian Cantrell is a writer and software developer living in Northern Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 26, 2010
This imperfect yet well-conceived short story displays a spark of real talent in its author, Christian Cantrell. As far as I can tell the author is new on the sci-fi scene and I believe this Kindle edition of Brainbox was self-published. It could have used some editing, as there is at least one typo and a several minor grammatical errors, and the execution of the story doesn't quite live up to the imaginative and ambitious concept. Even so, I really enjoyed reading Cantrell's short story, and ultimately isn't that the point?
Mr. Cantrell, if you're reading these reviews, I have some constructive criticism as well as some encouragement for you.
Let's get my two criticisms out of the way. First, the backstory of Cantrell's future Earth (which is undergoing an ice age) is clumsily inserted. I understand the need for the backstory insofar as the story only makes sense in the context of that ice-ravaged world. Unfortunately, rather than advancing the flow of the story, the backstory interrupted that flow. It was a non sequitur that could have been better worked into the story itself. Second, an arguably important question is left unresolved. I don't want to say too much in this review because I don't want to spoil anything for those that haven't yet read Brainbox. So I'll just say it was not at all clear to me what the protagonist meant when he said he did something "for my father." I don't understand how his actions were "for" his father, or what he was trying to accomplish in that regard.
As for encouragement, I have plenty. Brainbox was a fun read. Once I began, I didn't want to put it down until I was finished (which didn't take long as it's roughly equivalent to 15 pages in a paperback). I love the idea of the future Earth stuck in an ice age and three superpowers vying for control/survival. I love the main character. He's sympathetic yet imperfect. Obviously he couldn't be developed to the extent he would have been in a complete novel, but I got the sense of hidden depths and motivations in him, making him more real to me than many short story characters. (Although, as discussed above, I do wish his motivation re. his father would have been fleshed out a little more.) While the idea of manmade autonomous creatures turning against their creators is far from unique, I liked Cantrell's take on the idea, especially how these creatures looked for the raw material needed to reproduce.
All in all, Brainbox was worth the 99 cents for the Kindle download and was good enough for me to spend another 99 cents to download Cantrell's novella, Containment. I'm eager to see what Cantrell does with more space to develop his characters. I'm also eager to see whether and how Cantrell's writing skills grow as he releases future works.
Mr. Cantrell, if you're reading these reviews, I have some constructive criticism as well as some encouragement for you.
Let's get my two criticisms out of the way. First, the backstory of Cantrell's future Earth (which is undergoing an ice age) is clumsily inserted. I understand the need for the backstory insofar as the story only makes sense in the context of that ice-ravaged world. Unfortunately, rather than advancing the flow of the story, the backstory interrupted that flow. It was a non sequitur that could have been better worked into the story itself. Second, an arguably important question is left unresolved. I don't want to say too much in this review because I don't want to spoil anything for those that haven't yet read Brainbox. So I'll just say it was not at all clear to me what the protagonist meant when he said he did something "for my father." I don't understand how his actions were "for" his father, or what he was trying to accomplish in that regard.
As for encouragement, I have plenty. Brainbox was a fun read. Once I began, I didn't want to put it down until I was finished (which didn't take long as it's roughly equivalent to 15 pages in a paperback). I love the idea of the future Earth stuck in an ice age and three superpowers vying for control/survival. I love the main character. He's sympathetic yet imperfect. Obviously he couldn't be developed to the extent he would have been in a complete novel, but I got the sense of hidden depths and motivations in him, making him more real to me than many short story characters. (Although, as discussed above, I do wish his motivation re. his father would have been fleshed out a little more.) While the idea of manmade autonomous creatures turning against their creators is far from unique, I liked Cantrell's take on the idea, especially how these creatures looked for the raw material needed to reproduce.
All in all, Brainbox was worth the 99 cents for the Kindle download and was good enough for me to spend another 99 cents to download Cantrell's novella, Containment. I'm eager to see what Cantrell does with more space to develop his characters. I'm also eager to see whether and how Cantrell's writing skills grow as he releases future works.
November 7, 2012
Brainbox is a short story that I had actually picked up quite a while back. Life has been crazy, but I had a few free moments and decided to plunge on in. The author's description of the story gives a pretty good basic overview. In the end it was a story that took a really intense set of circumstances to try to teach us that we should all play nice together as humans. It was interesting, but I think it could have been fleshed out in some places. Anyway, keep in mind that it is a short story so if you have a few minutes and enjoy Mr. Cantrell's work you might want to give it a read. As for me I'm giving it 3.5 stars because though it was interesting in places, it was somewhat predictable and I didn't really feel I was surprised by any of it. I read and loved Containment, but to me this just wasn't the same caliber of story.
Unlike my blog I can't give this a 3.5 here so it gets a 3.
Originally posted at http://tjsbookblog.blogspot.com/
Unlike my blog I can't give this a 3.5 here so it gets a 3.
Originally posted at http://tjsbookblog.blogspot.com/
December 12, 2011
This short story had a lot more potential than what was shown, i believe.
The message was a strong one, and its starting to be familiar that Cantrell stories are about hope for mankind or at least, some sort of goal to be reached, even if the path is always troubled, conflicted and truly horrible. But so is mankind, right ?
This was a little militaristic, but the main story is about a man, his family and after losing everything his twisted plan to get ally and enemy working together to a common goal...
Its a worthy message, if a little naive, imho.
A good read but i was hoping for something more, not sure what. If you think about it, the story has a lot of important messages to be grasped, but as a narrative, it seems to be missing something...
The message was a strong one, and its starting to be familiar that Cantrell stories are about hope for mankind or at least, some sort of goal to be reached, even if the path is always troubled, conflicted and truly horrible. But so is mankind, right ?
This was a little militaristic, but the main story is about a man, his family and after losing everything his twisted plan to get ally and enemy working together to a common goal...
Its a worthy message, if a little naive, imho.
A good read but i was hoping for something more, not sure what. If you think about it, the story has a lot of important messages to be grasped, but as a narrative, it seems to be missing something...
April 6, 2015
This book posits a world where the only habitable zone is one degree around the equator due to man-produced planet cooling. The hero comes up with s possible solution that will allow humanity to survive but at a dreadful price.
This resonated with me because of two similar stories read too long ago to remember title or author. One foresaw humans fleeing from glaciers advancing from the north, only to eventually see the ice advancing from the south. The other was of the last person on earth when a ship of alien cultural scavengers arrived, offering a return to their planet. This novella portrays the same sense of utter defeat and hopelessness as in the other two. Given how vividly I remember those tales, I give kudos to this author. Talk about a story of The End.
This resonated with me because of two similar stories read too long ago to remember title or author. One foresaw humans fleeing from glaciers advancing from the north, only to eventually see the ice advancing from the south. The other was of the last person on earth when a ship of alien cultural scavengers arrived, offering a return to their planet. This novella portrays the same sense of utter defeat and hopelessness as in the other two. Given how vividly I remember those tales, I give kudos to this author. Talk about a story of The End.
December 10, 2010
I don't read a lot of short stories but I enjoyed this one. While there are many stories about humans vs. technology, this story has an interesting twist. The self-sacrificing protagonist purposely designed technology that turned against humans with the intent of bringing an end to the war amongst the three super powers of the world. At the rate the war is going, humans are on the path to self-destruction and the only way they can survive is if there's something that can force them to unite. And although he knows he'll have to take responsibility for the death of many men, it's ultimately for the greater good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2023
My original 2010 Amazon review...
Keep in mind that this really is a short story. The ideas within could have been fleshed out better, more background info could have been given, some sequences outright removed and replaced, but this is what it is - just a short story. If your expectations aren't high, then the story will meet your expectations. I tried this short story on faith. Faith of a cheap price, decent reviews, decent comparisons of the author to other published others, and a fairly compelling free sample. For 99 cents, I'm ok with the purchase. Any more, and I'd have been disappointed.
Keep in mind that this really is a short story. The ideas within could have been fleshed out better, more background info could have been given, some sequences outright removed and replaced, but this is what it is - just a short story. If your expectations aren't high, then the story will meet your expectations. I tried this short story on faith. Faith of a cheap price, decent reviews, decent comparisons of the author to other published others, and a fairly compelling free sample. For 99 cents, I'm ok with the purchase. Any more, and I'd have been disappointed.
March 18, 2012
Once again Cantrell employs a fractured structure to tell his tale. And once again it does him an injustice. His story this time around isn't as interesting and his characters uninvolved. Even his writing is sloppy. It reads like Cantrell knows his story and wrote it like the readers do too. It's so minimalist I had to read the ending several times just to understand it. He attempts to hit a few emotional cues for motivation but they fall flat and empty. In the end, we are left uninvested, uninterested and confused.
December 9, 2010
Brainbox was my second Christian Cantrell read and I must say I enjoyed it as much as the Epoch Index. I really enjoy the way Mr Cantrell works such fine detail explaining tech-mech into his work. Ohh man, what I would give to see him toss around some well placed zulu time headers..
The ending cracked me up. Well done Mr Cantrell.
The ending cracked me up. Well done Mr Cantrell.
September 17, 2017
I'm not going to give a spoiler and only say this is a good short story - believable characters and situation, and made me think; I found myself wanting to know a little more, and I hope the author considers developing the idea into a full-length novel. If you're looking for something short and sweet, I would recommend this one as I think the Kindle version was well worth 99 cents.
June 21, 2011
Really interesting story. It is definitely a short story, though. Too short. I kept on trying to get to the next page, thinking that maybe my screen was freezing up again, but it turned out it was the end. That's how sudden it was. Doesn't make it any less interesting, though.
Read
October 11, 2012It took me a little bit to understand the protagonist in this short story, and when I got it I appreciated what an original "anti-hero" Cantrell created, as well as the message regarding war and international conflict.
May 17, 2010
Very interesting ending. As a reader you don't know who to side with and the whole story doesn't unravel until the end.
July 4, 2010
I learned that I should release autonomous robots to the wild.
January 8, 2011
Depending on what side of the bed you woke up on, this could be either a long short story or short novella.
Another good concept for a longer story.
Another good concept for a longer story.
May 20, 2011
Great sic-fi premise with an out-of-order story arc. Brainbox would have easily made a full-length novel with a more satisfying depth and final conclusion.
April 22, 2013
Good little short story!
November 12, 2014
After reading and thoroughly enjoying Containment (5 star) i started seeking other work by Christian Cantrell.
Didn't think a short story could be so enjoyable, definitely kept me intriqued.
Didn't think a short story could be so enjoyable, definitely kept me intriqued.
January 12, 2015
confusing
So the ending put me off. Until that point I was liking the story. I would like to hear more about the inventions of the world.
So the ending put me off. Until that point I was liking the story. I would like to hear more about the inventions of the world.
March 28, 2019
A very interesting short story that the author could have developed more.
January 2, 2025
i liked the writing, engaging but there wasn't enough in the conclusion for me.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews