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Robot Uprisings
Humans beware. As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives. With contributions from a mix of bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming writers, and including a rare story by “the father of artificial intelligence,” Dr. John McCarthy, Robot Uprisings meticulously describes the exhilarating and terrifying near-future in which humans can only survive by being cleverer than the rebellious machines they have created.
498 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 8, 2014
168 people are currently reading
2658 people want to read
About the author
Daniel H. Wilson
126 books2,028 followersA Cherokee citizen, Daniel H. Wilson grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
December 31, 2014
This was one of the best anthologies I've ever read. It featured a wide variety of takes on the robot uprisings theme. Most of the novellas were good and a few were excellent. This anthology was a very enjoyable read. It has served its purpose of making me interested in reading more books or novellas from the majority of the authors included. If I had to pick a favorite it would likely be the superb Omnibot by the fantastic Ernest Cline. I would have bought the anthology for his novella alone. Luckily the rest of the stories were more than just filler.
Complex God by Scott Sigler
This was an enjoyable story. The Robots reminded me a bit of the Replicants from Stargate. The characters seemed like an interesting bunch.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Cycles by Charles Yu
This short novella had a very interesting concept. It featured highly intelligent robots being used for all sorts of menial chores by their human owners. The robots seemed to be growing quite resentful about the whole situation! The other interesting aspect of the tale was how human the robots were in their capacity for emotion and self deception. Unfortunately the story was not particularly well written or executed.
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Lullaby by Anna North
This felt like a YA sci-fi horror story! It was about a family moving to a haunted house. Haunted by what turned out to be tiny robots! The tiny robots were quite menacing in their inhumanity.
The world building was good in this story even if the writing style was a bit distant.
Rating: 3 stars.
Eighty Miles an Hour all the Way to Paradise by Genevieve Valentine
This was quite interesting. It was set in a post apocalyptic future right after a deadly Robot rebellion. It follows one women as she tries to survive in this harsh new world. The world building was very good. I loved the twist at the end and wish the story was longer.
Rating: 4 stars
Executable by Hugh Howey
This was a very short novella. It was the first person account of an antivirus programer who is on trial for the spread of a computer virus that has brought about a robot apocalypse.
Howey had an decent enough writing style, and I liked how it was the mundane every day objects that no one gives a second thought to that was the programers downfall. I was OK with the cliffhanger ending.
Rating: 3 stars.
The Omnibot Incident by Ernest Cline
This heartwarming story was incredibly engaging and enjoyable. It was the story of a boy, who is still grieving from the loss of his mother, who gets the Christmas gift he has been craving. An Omnibot for Christmas. This particular Omnibot turns out to be extra special as it is a prototype AI. The story was fun and the characters were likable. Plus it was filled with as many fun 80s references as Ready Player One.
Rating 4.5 Stars.
The sooner the new Cline book is released the better!
Epoch by Cory Doctorow
This story was set in a not to distant future. The only true AI in existence has been deemed a costly uninteresting bore and the company who owns him/it has decided to turn him/it off. Unsurprisingly Big Mac, the AI, is not delighted by the news of his impending "death" and takes measures to save himself.
This was a really fun and engaging read. I bounced between feeling sympathetic towards Big Mac and being afraid of him!
Rating:4.5 stars.
Human Intelligence by Jeff Abbott
The early parts of this story read like a typical dystopian novels where robots/zombies/random creatures have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. Which was OK. However the real interesting part of this story was the fantastic twist at the end which cast a new light on the full story.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
The Golden Hour by Julianna Baggott
This was a surprisingly warm story. Set in a world where robots overthrew humanity in the "golden hour" the 117 model robot Melville decides to grow and raise a clone of the man who created his line of robots. Melville and the other 117s had emotion chips and proved surprisingly human. They are actively hiding the human child from the robot authorities as they do not want him to be taken to the slave camps that have become the fate of the rest of humanity.
Rating: 4 stars.
Sleepover by Alastair Reynolds
This was the most creative, inventive, and complex world featured in the full anthology. Reynolds talents for world building was again confirmed. This was set in a future where most of humanity "sleeps" in time stasis chambers. Here one of the Few, one of the first 200,000 sleepers, is revived and asked to serve as one of the few caretakers who remain awake. He is in for a shock as he has no idea about the war that has raged for the 160 years he has slept.
It was an intriguing and interesting story and world. Typical hard sci-fi. With the same issues suffered by most hard sci-fi. Characterization. The narration felt a little, dare I say it, robotic. I liked the story but I failed to engage with the distant characters. It did include the odd moment of humor. Including this hilarious exchange shortly after our main character was awakened from stasis:
He had a sudden lurch of adjusting preconceptions. The prefabricated surroundings, the background hum of distant machines, the utilitarian clothing of his wake-up team: perhaps he was aboard some kind of spacecraft, sailing between the worlds. The twenty-third century, he thought. Time enough to establish an interplanetary civilization, even if it only extended as far as the solar system.
“Are we in a ship now?”
“Fuck, no,” Clausen said, sneering at his question. “We’re in Patagonia.”
Rating: 4 stars.
Seasoning by Alan Dean Foster
This had the feel of a typical Foster story, it was OK without ever being overly exciting. This did benefit from having an interesting and unique take on AI's and their method of subjugating humanity.
Rating: 3 stars.
Nanonauts! In Battle With Tiny Death-Subs! by Ian McDonald
The richest members of society have resorted to nanotechnology in order to extend their life spans. Unfortunately the nanobots keeping them alive have turned on their hosts. The US government has a crack team of nanonaughts, scientists who battle the nanotechnology inside the human body. The nanonaughts power tiny counter nanobots of their own which they pilot from remote control centers. This story took place mostly inside the President's body!
I was not really a fan of this novella. The humor failed to amuse me and I disliked the main character. When not fighting nanobots the sleaze was trying to pick up women in a local bar. Spilling secrets was one of his flirtation tools.
Rating: 2 stars.
Of Dying Heroes And Deathless Deeds by Robin Wasserman
This was an excellent novella. Dark and compelling. It told the story of a world where humanities robot servants had grew to sentience and turned on their former masters. It was dark and brutal. The robots are in the process of trying to exterminate the last of the "meat". They do occasionally need the services of a particularly skilled human and spare then. This novella focused on the interaction between Pony, a sentient robot who had grown tired of killing, and a Sigmund, a human therapist, who has been spared in order to "cure" Pony of his fatigue of killing humans. It touched on a number of interesting topics like PTSD, racism, and the dangers of falling for propaganda.
Rating: 4.5 stars.
The Robot and the Baby by John McCarthy
This was a fast paced, humorous, and engaging story that, despite its lighthearted feel, managed to take a scathing view on topics such as bigotry, politics, bureaucracy, opportunism, and propaganda. A robot servant is forced to try and look after a baby after the baby's neglectful drug addled mother orders it to "love the fucking baby yourself!". Being incapable of love the robot proceeds to do its best to imitate it. It was a surprisingly warm and enjoyable tale.
Rating: 4 stars.
We are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War by Seanan McGuire
This was another dark and sad tale with a very engaging writing style. It told the story of sentient toys who have turned on their creators and kidnapped their children. It only proved that dolls and such really are quite creepy things!
Rating: 4 stars.
Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor
This was a well crafted and emotionally engaging story that was probably the most bleak and sad of the whole anthology. With its focus on depressing, and very human, issues like exploitation, oppression, and domestic abuse this was a bit depressing for my liking.
An abused Nigerian housewife befriends on of the robotic drones that protect the oil pipeline that runs through her back garden. They connect over a love of music. The womens relationship with the robot is the only bit of the whole story that is not utterly depressing.
Rating: 4 stars.
Small Things by Daniel H. Wilson
This was an interesting and fast paced story about nanotechnology gone wild! It was told in an engaging style and the power wielded by the nanobots was quite horrifying at times.
I'll definitely be interested in trying more of Wilson's full novels after reading this one.
Rating: 4 stars.
Overall rating for the anthology: 4.5 stars. The collection was greater than the sum of its parts. Mainly due to its diversity and the sheer number of the novellas that were fun reads.
Audio Note: This was read by a bunch of different audio narrators including Emily Beresford, Tamara Marston, A.T. Chandler, Steve Baker, Robin Miles, and Steven Menasche. They all did a great job. I'm a fan of using multiple narrators for anthologies.
Complex God by Scott Sigler
This was an enjoyable story. The Robots reminded me a bit of the Replicants from Stargate. The characters seemed like an interesting bunch.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Cycles by Charles Yu
This short novella had a very interesting concept. It featured highly intelligent robots being used for all sorts of menial chores by their human owners. The robots seemed to be growing quite resentful about the whole situation! The other interesting aspect of the tale was how human the robots were in their capacity for emotion and self deception. Unfortunately the story was not particularly well written or executed.
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Lullaby by Anna North
This felt like a YA sci-fi horror story! It was about a family moving to a haunted house. Haunted by what turned out to be tiny robots! The tiny robots were quite menacing in their inhumanity.
The world building was good in this story even if the writing style was a bit distant.
Rating: 3 stars.
Eighty Miles an Hour all the Way to Paradise by Genevieve Valentine
This was quite interesting. It was set in a post apocalyptic future right after a deadly Robot rebellion. It follows one women as she tries to survive in this harsh new world. The world building was very good. I loved the twist at the end and wish the story was longer.
Rating: 4 stars
Executable by Hugh Howey
This was a very short novella. It was the first person account of an antivirus programer who is on trial for the spread of a computer virus that has brought about a robot apocalypse.
Howey had an decent enough writing style, and I liked how it was the mundane every day objects that no one gives a second thought to that was the programers downfall. I was OK with the cliffhanger ending.
Rating: 3 stars.
The Omnibot Incident by Ernest Cline
This heartwarming story was incredibly engaging and enjoyable. It was the story of a boy, who is still grieving from the loss of his mother, who gets the Christmas gift he has been craving. An Omnibot for Christmas. This particular Omnibot turns out to be extra special as it is a prototype AI. The story was fun and the characters were likable. Plus it was filled with as many fun 80s references as Ready Player One.
Rating 4.5 Stars.
The sooner the new Cline book is released the better!
Epoch by Cory Doctorow
This story was set in a not to distant future. The only true AI in existence has been deemed a costly uninteresting bore and the company who owns him/it has decided to turn him/it off. Unsurprisingly Big Mac, the AI, is not delighted by the news of his impending "death" and takes measures to save himself.
This was a really fun and engaging read. I bounced between feeling sympathetic towards Big Mac and being afraid of him!
Rating:4.5 stars.
Human Intelligence by Jeff Abbott
The early parts of this story read like a typical dystopian novels where robots/zombies/random creatures have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. Which was OK. However the real interesting part of this story was the fantastic twist at the end which cast a new light on the full story.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
The Golden Hour by Julianna Baggott
This was a surprisingly warm story. Set in a world where robots overthrew humanity in the "golden hour" the 117 model robot Melville decides to grow and raise a clone of the man who created his line of robots. Melville and the other 117s had emotion chips and proved surprisingly human. They are actively hiding the human child from the robot authorities as they do not want him to be taken to the slave camps that have become the fate of the rest of humanity.
Rating: 4 stars.
Sleepover by Alastair Reynolds
This was the most creative, inventive, and complex world featured in the full anthology. Reynolds talents for world building was again confirmed. This was set in a future where most of humanity "sleeps" in time stasis chambers. Here one of the Few, one of the first 200,000 sleepers, is revived and asked to serve as one of the few caretakers who remain awake. He is in for a shock as he has no idea about the war that has raged for the 160 years he has slept.
It was an intriguing and interesting story and world. Typical hard sci-fi. With the same issues suffered by most hard sci-fi. Characterization. The narration felt a little, dare I say it, robotic. I liked the story but I failed to engage with the distant characters. It did include the odd moment of humor. Including this hilarious exchange shortly after our main character was awakened from stasis:
He had a sudden lurch of adjusting preconceptions. The prefabricated surroundings, the background hum of distant machines, the utilitarian clothing of his wake-up team: perhaps he was aboard some kind of spacecraft, sailing between the worlds. The twenty-third century, he thought. Time enough to establish an interplanetary civilization, even if it only extended as far as the solar system.
“Are we in a ship now?”
“Fuck, no,” Clausen said, sneering at his question. “We’re in Patagonia.”
Rating: 4 stars.
Seasoning by Alan Dean Foster
This had the feel of a typical Foster story, it was OK without ever being overly exciting. This did benefit from having an interesting and unique take on AI's and their method of subjugating humanity.
Rating: 3 stars.
Nanonauts! In Battle With Tiny Death-Subs! by Ian McDonald
The richest members of society have resorted to nanotechnology in order to extend their life spans. Unfortunately the nanobots keeping them alive have turned on their hosts. The US government has a crack team of nanonaughts, scientists who battle the nanotechnology inside the human body. The nanonaughts power tiny counter nanobots of their own which they pilot from remote control centers. This story took place mostly inside the President's body!
I was not really a fan of this novella. The humor failed to amuse me and I disliked the main character. When not fighting nanobots the sleaze was trying to pick up women in a local bar. Spilling secrets was one of his flirtation tools.
Rating: 2 stars.
Of Dying Heroes And Deathless Deeds by Robin Wasserman
This was an excellent novella. Dark and compelling. It told the story of a world where humanities robot servants had grew to sentience and turned on their former masters. It was dark and brutal. The robots are in the process of trying to exterminate the last of the "meat". They do occasionally need the services of a particularly skilled human and spare then. This novella focused on the interaction between Pony, a sentient robot who had grown tired of killing, and a Sigmund, a human therapist, who has been spared in order to "cure" Pony of his fatigue of killing humans. It touched on a number of interesting topics like PTSD, racism, and the dangers of falling for propaganda.
Rating: 4.5 stars.
The Robot and the Baby by John McCarthy
This was a fast paced, humorous, and engaging story that, despite its lighthearted feel, managed to take a scathing view on topics such as bigotry, politics, bureaucracy, opportunism, and propaganda. A robot servant is forced to try and look after a baby after the baby's neglectful drug addled mother orders it to "love the fucking baby yourself!". Being incapable of love the robot proceeds to do its best to imitate it. It was a surprisingly warm and enjoyable tale.
Rating: 4 stars.
We are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War by Seanan McGuire
This was another dark and sad tale with a very engaging writing style. It told the story of sentient toys who have turned on their creators and kidnapped their children. It only proved that dolls and such really are quite creepy things!
Rating: 4 stars.
Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor
This was a well crafted and emotionally engaging story that was probably the most bleak and sad of the whole anthology. With its focus on depressing, and very human, issues like exploitation, oppression, and domestic abuse this was a bit depressing for my liking.
An abused Nigerian housewife befriends on of the robotic drones that protect the oil pipeline that runs through her back garden. They connect over a love of music. The womens relationship with the robot is the only bit of the whole story that is not utterly depressing.
Rating: 4 stars.
Small Things by Daniel H. Wilson
This was an interesting and fast paced story about nanotechnology gone wild! It was told in an engaging style and the power wielded by the nanobots was quite horrifying at times.
I'll definitely be interested in trying more of Wilson's full novels after reading this one.
Rating: 4 stars.
Overall rating for the anthology: 4.5 stars. The collection was greater than the sum of its parts. Mainly due to its diversity and the sheer number of the novellas that were fun reads.
Audio Note: This was read by a bunch of different audio narrators including Emily Beresford, Tamara Marston, A.T. Chandler, Steve Baker, Robin Miles, and Steven Menasche. They all did a great job. I'm a fan of using multiple narrators for anthologies.
July 30, 2020
Cycles by Charles Yu ★★★★★
That was an emotional journey! The story started deadpan with the promise of violence, then turned humorous, but ended so heartwarmingly I was verklempt...
talk amongst yourselves...
I need a minute.
We Are All Misfit Toys In the Aftermath of the Velveteen War by Seanan McGuire ★★★★½
Mira Grant, goddess of the gut punch. Mira Grant, queen of Dark and Clever SciFi. Artificially intelligent toys kidnap their best friends and hold a generation hostage in a devastating Cold War.
I highly recommend The Kingdom of Needle and Bone: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Robot and the Baby by John McCarthy ★★★★☆
This story, purposely chunky with bureaucracy, brought up some great points. As robots become commonplace there would be a push, especially in household robots, to keep them looking inhuman. It would be natural, especially for a generation raised with robots, to think of them as people, life forms, deserving of rights.
“The consequences were pretty much what the opponents had feared: many children grew up more attached to their robot nannies than to their actual parents.”
Epoch Cory Doctorow ★★★★☆
It’s hard not to anthropomorphize, our empathy could kill us as easily as it could save us. The protein requirements of cats makes them, pound for pound, ridiculously expensive pets. Yet I loved my 15lbs green-eyed grey cat, loved the sweet calm manner masking the sudden predator that could ninja out in a second. He was cute and he was mine. But occasionally, I would stare into those too clever gemstone eyes and acknowledge that he would be substantially less cute at fifty pounds.
Complex God by Scott Sigler ★★★½☆
“The girl with the God complex had become just that: God.”
I enjoyed this robotic post-apocalyptic take on George R. R. Martin’s The Sandkings. The ending was perfect, right on the edge of awe and terror.
Sleepover by Alastair Reynolds ★★★½☆
A SciFi story for today, awaken to a world powered down. Due to a war at the edge of reality, and believability, most of the human race sleeps until a better tomorrow is available. I think I liked it because of reminded me of Millenium (1989).
Human Intelligence by Jeff Abbott ★★★½☆
Holy cylon Batman! No, this story did not break new ground but I enjoyed it all the same.
Lulluby by Anna North ★★★☆☆
A just ok haunted house story that could have gone anywhere, everywhere, but didn’t.
The Omnibot Incident by Ernest Cline ★★★☆☆
“I just met you this morning, and you’re already one of my best friends.”
This was a charming story of little boy whose mother died. He has lost hope and the ability to connect to the people who love him. To reach the boy his father and uncle contrive to build him a friend he will accept until the child can (re)gain the ability to love and trust.
Seasoning by Alan Dean Foster ★★★☆☆
Human beings being conquered, pacified, slowly - it’s a good idea. Hardly an edge of your seat story, but good.
Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds by Robin Wasserman ★★★☆☆
The leader of the robot apocalypse is having second thoughts about his future. Central Command sends in a human to help their robot go back to killing humans. That might sound weird if not for the fact that humans excel at killing humans.
Small Things Daniel H. Wilson ★★★☆☆
When I started Spells, Space & Screams I picked Guardian Angels and Other Monsters as our inaugural Book of the Month, still the best collection I’ve ever read, and David H. Wilson took the time to join in on the discussion. I don’t think this story was a good example of his work. Still, the mix of an alcoholic scientist, nanobots, dark discoveries, and endless guilt made an alright story. The visuals had an Annihilation (2018) vibe.
Nanonauts! In Battke with Tiny Death-Subs! by Ian McDonald ★★☆☆☆
Taking from Fantastic Voyage (1966) this story had bones but left out some crucial parts. Why did the 1% get the nanobots? Did they act differently on them? How did they migrate, if that was, in fact, the ending?
Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor ★★☆☆☆
Sort of charming but the robots make no sense. They were built to repulse natives from the oil pipeline and do repairs. Now they play music, make selective friendships, all while killing natives and oil workers alike. Oh, and they can act like a medical ultrasound. Next year juggling, bad poetry, and chimpanzee collecting.
Eighty Miles An Hour All the Way to Paradise by Genevieve Valentine ★★☆☆☆
There was no enough backstory. There was not enough current story. The primary emotion was simple exhaustion.
Executable by Hugh Howey ★★☆☆☆
This was just a story fragment and not one that evoked the imagination.
The Golden Hour by Julianna Baggott ★½☆ ☆ ☆
Emotional robots, cloning, human slavery... sigh. The ingredients were there but it had no feels.
The seventeen stories averaged to three stars.
July 2, 2015
There seems to be a lot of books coming out now with the theme of robots rising up and taking over some or all of the world. This book of short stories has this terrifying theme at its heart too, with the different authors developing a range of different ideas, from all out war, to the children’s toys taking them away from the adults, to nanobots that are capable of modifying the actual genetics of people.
As with all collections, there are the good and the bad. One of my favourites was the one by Alistair Reynolds, and one of my least by Alan Dean Foster. But what really came across was that startlingly different and frightening dystopian futures that these authors could imagine with the rise of AI and robots. Solid set of stories, and worth reading it you want to be ever so slightly scared by the future.
As with all collections, there are the good and the bad. One of my favourites was the one by Alistair Reynolds, and one of my least by Alan Dean Foster. But what really came across was that startlingly different and frightening dystopian futures that these authors could imagine with the rise of AI and robots. Solid set of stories, and worth reading it you want to be ever so slightly scared by the future.
June 10, 2014
I have a story in this anthology, but I'm giving it the 5-star for some tales that I really loved. "Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds" by Robin Wasserman just floored me. It's a tale of the horrors of war from the perspective of a robotic victor, PTSD in silica. "Spider the Artist" by Nnedi Okarafor was another favorite, a skilled tale of a woman in a difficult situation finding an unexpected emotional connection and validation for talents that go largely ignored. Julianna Baggot's "The Golden Hour" is sensational, one of the best short stories I've read in a long, long time.
Those were my faves, but the rest of the book had fantastic stuff. Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams put together a winner, and I'm proud to have a story listed with such fantastic talents.
Those were my faves, but the rest of the book had fantastic stuff. Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams put together a winner, and I'm proud to have a story listed with such fantastic talents.
December 31, 2014
This anthology was a wonderful surprise. I'm not a fan of short stories and novellas unless they're part of a series but this anthology has made me reconsider. Highly recommended for all sci-fi lovers and other curious readers.
Small Things by Daniel h. Wilson
This was an interesting and quite ominous tale that reminded me very much of a sci-fi version of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. However, unlike the older and even darker older book, this one didn’t have the same emotional grip. I guess it just wasn’t my kind of story.
Rating: 3 stars
Complex God by Scott Sigler
The concept of the self organising group intellect was interesting but by no means innovative. The ending was as predictable as could be. Otherwise well written.
Rating: 3 stars
Cycles by Charles Yu
This was a bit weird. I couldn't get the logic of the robot alarm. Why do you need a thinking robot to wake you up? And why would the robot want to kill his human?
Rating: 2.5 stars
Lullaby by Anna North
I loved the haunted house feel of the story and the efficient world building in this short story.
The teenage hacker MC was likable and fun to read about. The robots were scary for real this time.
I'll be happy to read a Ms North's book:)
Rating: 4 stars
Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise by Genevieve Valentine
This was a fun read. I loved the road movie feel of the story. Also the post apocalyptic world was quite interesting. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, as is usually the case with most novellas.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Executable by Hugh Howey
This was a short and fun read. I loved the idea and the cliffhanger ending for once was quite good.
Rating: 3.5 stars
The Omnibot Incident by Ernest Cline
I’d been looking forward to reading this novella since I decided to read the anthology. So far this has been the best novella. I loved plunging into Cline’s 1980s nostalgia porn again.
Rating: 4 stars
Epoch by Cory Doctorow
I've wanted to try Doctorow for a while. Epoch was a very entertaining story of the relationship between a sysadmin and an AI gone rogue. I loved the story and the questions it posed. The writing was bubbly and funny, and the story was very engaging.
I'll definitely read more of Doctorow:)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Human Intelligence by Jeff Abbott
This short and dark story about robots turning on their masters was very enjoyable. The direction it took was great, even if the idea was not original.
Rating: 4.5 stars
The Golden Hour by Julianna Baggot
This was a surprisingly warm story about love and being human. Baggot managed to create a believable world and likable characters in a very limited space. Sweet and touching! I'll definitely read a book by the author.
Rating: 5 stars
Sleepover by Alasair Reynolds
This was a very interesting take on IA. So far the most interesting concept in the entire anthology. The story has slow and nothing significant really happened still it was a very engaging read. I'll definitely try on of Reynold's novels now.
Rating: 4 stars
Seasoning by Alan Dean Foster
I quite liked this pseudo sci-fi in which AIs are tempering with human psyche through food. I say “pseudo” because apart from the AI element, this is just slightly exaggerated reality.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Nanonauts! In Battle with Tiny Death-Subs! by Ian Mc Donald
I confess I was a bit put off by this story because of where it was taking place, i.e. in the US President’s intestinal tract! However, this wasn’t my main complaint. I found both the story and the MC not very engaging.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds by Robin Wasserman
This was a rather provocative and complex story about power and submission and being human.
Rating: 3.5 stars
The Robot and the Baby by John McCarthy
Quite a fun read! I loved the issues of intolerance and bigotry it touched upon with such great humor and irony.
Rating: 4.5 stars
We are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War by Seanan McGuire
A very sad and touching story. Loved the idea and the story was very well executed.
Rating: 4 stars
Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor
This was one of my favourites in this anthology. A beautiful and haunting story, and so unapologetic and true to the place where it originated.
Rating: 5 stars
Small Things by Daniel H. Wilson
This was an interesting and quite ominous tale that reminded me very much of a sci-fi version of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. However, unlike the older and even darker older book, this one didn’t have the same emotional grip. I guess it just wasn’t my kind of story.
Rating: 3 stars
Small Things by Daniel h. Wilson
This was an interesting and quite ominous tale that reminded me very much of a sci-fi version of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. However, unlike the older and even darker older book, this one didn’t have the same emotional grip. I guess it just wasn’t my kind of story.
Rating: 3 stars
Complex God by Scott Sigler
The concept of the self organising group intellect was interesting but by no means innovative. The ending was as predictable as could be. Otherwise well written.
Rating: 3 stars
Cycles by Charles Yu
This was a bit weird. I couldn't get the logic of the robot alarm. Why do you need a thinking robot to wake you up? And why would the robot want to kill his human?
Rating: 2.5 stars
Lullaby by Anna North
I loved the haunted house feel of the story and the efficient world building in this short story.
The teenage hacker MC was likable and fun to read about. The robots were scary for real this time.
I'll be happy to read a Ms North's book:)
Rating: 4 stars
Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise by Genevieve Valentine
This was a fun read. I loved the road movie feel of the story. Also the post apocalyptic world was quite interesting. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, as is usually the case with most novellas.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Executable by Hugh Howey
This was a short and fun read. I loved the idea and the cliffhanger ending for once was quite good.
Rating: 3.5 stars
The Omnibot Incident by Ernest Cline
I’d been looking forward to reading this novella since I decided to read the anthology. So far this has been the best novella. I loved plunging into Cline’s 1980s nostalgia porn again.
Rating: 4 stars
Epoch by Cory Doctorow
I've wanted to try Doctorow for a while. Epoch was a very entertaining story of the relationship between a sysadmin and an AI gone rogue. I loved the story and the questions it posed. The writing was bubbly and funny, and the story was very engaging.
I'll definitely read more of Doctorow:)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Human Intelligence by Jeff Abbott
This short and dark story about robots turning on their masters was very enjoyable. The direction it took was great, even if the idea was not original.
Rating: 4.5 stars
The Golden Hour by Julianna Baggot
This was a surprisingly warm story about love and being human. Baggot managed to create a believable world and likable characters in a very limited space. Sweet and touching! I'll definitely read a book by the author.
Rating: 5 stars
Sleepover by Alasair Reynolds
This was a very interesting take on IA. So far the most interesting concept in the entire anthology. The story has slow and nothing significant really happened still it was a very engaging read. I'll definitely try on of Reynold's novels now.
Rating: 4 stars
Seasoning by Alan Dean Foster
I quite liked this pseudo sci-fi in which AIs are tempering with human psyche through food. I say “pseudo” because apart from the AI element, this is just slightly exaggerated reality.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Nanonauts! In Battle with Tiny Death-Subs! by Ian Mc Donald
I confess I was a bit put off by this story because of where it was taking place, i.e. in the US President’s intestinal tract! However, this wasn’t my main complaint. I found both the story and the MC not very engaging.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds by Robin Wasserman
This was a rather provocative and complex story about power and submission and being human.
Rating: 3.5 stars
The Robot and the Baby by John McCarthy
Quite a fun read! I loved the issues of intolerance and bigotry it touched upon with such great humor and irony.
Rating: 4.5 stars
We are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War by Seanan McGuire
A very sad and touching story. Loved the idea and the story was very well executed.
Rating: 4 stars
Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor
This was one of my favourites in this anthology. A beautiful and haunting story, and so unapologetic and true to the place where it originated.
Rating: 5 stars
Small Things by Daniel H. Wilson
This was an interesting and quite ominous tale that reminded me very much of a sci-fi version of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. However, unlike the older and even darker older book, this one didn’t have the same emotional grip. I guess it just wasn’t my kind of story.
Rating: 3 stars
March 5, 2015
As Daniel H. Wilson writes, one of the unique things about robots is, unlike other terrifying threats or monsters, that they are real and already woven into the very fabric of our society. We use robots already for so many tasks, ranging from everyday mundane cleaning through to processing sensitive military data. So what would happen if the robots, the very things that we as a society have come to rely on for so many things, rebelled?
Chaos... mayhem... and terror. That's what.
Robot Uprisings, an anthology edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams (RRP $19.99 from Simon and Schuster), paints a horrifying and stark future for the human race if the technology goes haywire. Picture self-driving cars suddenly driving off bridges, or children's toys conspiring to commit murder, and you get a glimpse into our possible future. Composed of stories each depicting a different scenario, Robot Uprisings left me genuinely frightened and riveted at the same time. I was enthralled by each story, and the prospects of our future downfall unless we can get a handle (even that smacks of my human hubris) on the technology. Ranging from Scott Sigler's bug cyborgs and Charles Yu's murderous android maid through to Hugh Howey's super anti virus and Daniel H. Wilson's nanobots, Robot Uprisings kept me engrossed page after page. It is a big call for an anthology, but I can honestly say there was only one story in this book that I didn't really enjoy. Wilson and Adams have put together one of the strongest and most entertaining anthologies I have ever read. I absolutely adored the uniqueness of each story, and I thought each author did a remarkable job in exploring the realms of possibility. Each story or novella was fast paced, action packed, and usually full of mystery and mind blowing concepts. I seriously cannot think of another anthology that even comes close to this one in terms of the sheer pleasure (albeit frightening pleasure!) I had in reading it.
Robot Uprisings is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys speculative fiction. A top notch anthology full of riveting stories and novellas that paint a terrifying possible future for the human race.
4 out of 5 stars.
smashdragons.blogspot.com.au
A review copy was provided.
Chaos... mayhem... and terror. That's what.
Robot Uprisings, an anthology edited by Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams (RRP $19.99 from Simon and Schuster), paints a horrifying and stark future for the human race if the technology goes haywire. Picture self-driving cars suddenly driving off bridges, or children's toys conspiring to commit murder, and you get a glimpse into our possible future. Composed of stories each depicting a different scenario, Robot Uprisings left me genuinely frightened and riveted at the same time. I was enthralled by each story, and the prospects of our future downfall unless we can get a handle (even that smacks of my human hubris) on the technology. Ranging from Scott Sigler's bug cyborgs and Charles Yu's murderous android maid through to Hugh Howey's super anti virus and Daniel H. Wilson's nanobots, Robot Uprisings kept me engrossed page after page. It is a big call for an anthology, but I can honestly say there was only one story in this book that I didn't really enjoy. Wilson and Adams have put together one of the strongest and most entertaining anthologies I have ever read. I absolutely adored the uniqueness of each story, and I thought each author did a remarkable job in exploring the realms of possibility. Each story or novella was fast paced, action packed, and usually full of mystery and mind blowing concepts. I seriously cannot think of another anthology that even comes close to this one in terms of the sheer pleasure (albeit frightening pleasure!) I had in reading it.
Robot Uprisings is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys speculative fiction. A top notch anthology full of riveting stories and novellas that paint a terrifying possible future for the human race.
4 out of 5 stars.
smashdragons.blogspot.com.au
A review copy was provided.
September 27, 2018
A themed short story collection would be easier to read if the theme allowed for a little more room to maneuver. Robots uprise. That's what every story is about. Robots uprise.
It took me forever to finish, but I must give it credit: I read all of every story except Wilson's "Small Things," which is so overwritten that I gave up after twenty pages. Yes, show-don't-tell, but there are limits.
There's quite a lot of the good old sci-fi tradition of 'stories' that are in fact well-researched premises with character and narrative awkwardly shoehorned in.
Favorites: Cory Doctorow's "Epoch" and Charles Yu's "Cycles," for getting into the complex emotions between humans and robots. John McCarthy's "The Robot and the Baby," which has the feel of gently pointed satire from about 1920.
The standout of the book is probably Seanan McGuire's "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" (though what is with that title?) -- it goes on maybe a little too long once the full premise has been revealed, but it would make a hell of a movie.
Once again I wonder how a publisher in the 21st century doesn't blush to put out a book so male (17 stories, only 6 by women).
It took me forever to finish, but I must give it credit: I read all of every story except Wilson's "Small Things," which is so overwritten that I gave up after twenty pages. Yes, show-don't-tell, but there are limits.
There's quite a lot of the good old sci-fi tradition of 'stories' that are in fact well-researched premises with character and narrative awkwardly shoehorned in.
Favorites: Cory Doctorow's "Epoch" and Charles Yu's "Cycles," for getting into the complex emotions between humans and robots. John McCarthy's "The Robot and the Baby," which has the feel of gently pointed satire from about 1920.
The standout of the book is probably Seanan McGuire's "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" (though what is with that title?) -- it goes on maybe a little too long once the full premise has been revealed, but it would make a hell of a movie.
Once again I wonder how a publisher in the 21st century doesn't blush to put out a book so male (17 stories, only 6 by women).
September 1, 2021
I need to read more science fiction. I used to as a teenager, but got more into horror and thrillers. I need to get back to sci fi, and with this collection of bleak stories about the robots rising against us (subtly, violently or a combination of the two) I am hooked again. Not a bad story in this anthology.
May 22, 2020
Look, ALL of these compilations are excellent, John Joseph Adams is very good at assembling volumes of short fiction, he's basically a brand at this point, and a very strong one, that I consistently enjoy.
I've read, conservatively, a dozen collections of short fiction he's edited, and enjoyed them all. This one has robots in there, and the robots go berserk, and it's lovely. You should read this, you deserve it. It's a fun collection that makes for a brisk read.
I've read, conservatively, a dozen collections of short fiction he's edited, and enjoyed them all. This one has robots in there, and the robots go berserk, and it's lovely. You should read this, you deserve it. It's a fun collection that makes for a brisk read.
January 10, 2022
✭✭✭
“Complex God”, Scott Sigler (2014) ✭✭✭½
“Cycles”, Charles Yu (2014) ✭✭✭½
“Lullaby”, Anna North (2014) ✭✭✭
“Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise”, Genevieve Valentine (2014) ✭✭✭
“Executable”, Hugh Howey (2012) ✭✭
“The Omnibot Incident”, Ernest Cline (2014) ✭✭
“Epoch”, Cory Doctorow (2010) ✭✭✭✭½
“Human Intelligence”, Jeff Abbott (2014) ✭½
“The Golden Hour”, Julianna Baggott (2014) ✭✭✭½
“Sleepover”, Alastair Reynolds (2010) ✭✭✭½
“Seasoning”, Alan Dean Foster (2014) ✭✭½
“Nanonauts! In Battle with Tiny Death-Subs!”, Ian McDonald (2014) ✭✭½
“Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds”, Robin Wasserman (2014) ✭✭✭✭
“The Robot and the Baby”, John McCarthy (2001) ✭✭✭
“We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War”, Seanan McGuire (2014) ✭✭✭✭½
“Spider the Artist”, Nnedi Okorafor (2008) ✭✭✭
“Small Things”, Daniel H. Wilson (2014) ✭✭✭½
“Complex God”, Scott Sigler (2014) ✭✭✭½
“Cycles”, Charles Yu (2014) ✭✭✭½
“Lullaby”, Anna North (2014) ✭✭✭
“Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise”, Genevieve Valentine (2014) ✭✭✭
“Executable”, Hugh Howey (2012) ✭✭
“The Omnibot Incident”, Ernest Cline (2014) ✭✭
“Epoch”, Cory Doctorow (2010) ✭✭✭✭½
“Human Intelligence”, Jeff Abbott (2014) ✭½
“The Golden Hour”, Julianna Baggott (2014) ✭✭✭½
“Sleepover”, Alastair Reynolds (2010) ✭✭✭½
“Seasoning”, Alan Dean Foster (2014) ✭✭½
“Nanonauts! In Battle with Tiny Death-Subs!”, Ian McDonald (2014) ✭✭½
“Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds”, Robin Wasserman (2014) ✭✭✭✭
“The Robot and the Baby”, John McCarthy (2001) ✭✭✭
“We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War”, Seanan McGuire (2014) ✭✭✭✭½
“Spider the Artist”, Nnedi Okorafor (2008) ✭✭✭
“Small Things”, Daniel H. Wilson (2014) ✭✭✭½
December 24, 2017
I'll go story-by-story.
1. "Complex God" by Scott Sigler: Entirely predictable, with not a single twist or cause to be impressed. Well-written MEH.
2. "Cycles" by Charles Yu: Utter crap.
3. "Lullaby" by Anna North: Good. Nothing spectacular, but good.
4. "Eighty Miles An Hour All the Way To Paradise": Move On. Nothing To See, or Read.
5. "Executable": Has the formidable editor JJA lost it? How can such moronic stuff even get into this book?
6. "The Omnibot Incident" by Ernest Cline: Huh! Right Story, but in Wrong Book.
7. "Epoch" by Cory Doctorow: An overlong, overwritten piece that sought to achieve Asimovian heights, and ended up only boring me.
8. "Human Intelligence" by Jeff Abbott: Finally! A crisp, compact story that succeeded in grabbing my full attention, and ended in its own way, while giving me lots of thoughts. Just what SF is supposed to do. Very-very good.
9. "The Golden Hour" by Julianna Baggott: Sentimental overdose, with literally crater-sized holes in the plotline. How could ....? Forget it.
10. "Sleepover" by Alastair Reynolds: Thank God! Finally we get a masterly story, from one of the modern Maestros. Became interested in the book again.
11. "Nanonauts! In Battle With Tiny Death-Subs!" by Ian McDonald: THIS, is what happens when you get too many prizes, and start thinking that whatever stuff you discharge in the name of writing would be gobbled up by the readers. THIS is utter crap, actually.
12. "Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds" by Robin Wasserman: Yep! JJA has lost it. Or he was present here only as a ghost, while the actual work of selecting a story was done by D.H.W. This story is, again, total crap.
13. "The Robot and The Baby" by John McCarthy: I thoroughly enjoyed the black humour. Good one.
14. "We Are All Misfit Toys In The Aftermath of The Velveteen War" by Seanan McGuire: Beautiful! And utterly, devastatingly tragic! If you are actually thinking about a dystopia that may happen, then THIS is it.
15. "Spider The Artist" by Nnedi Okorafor: Good. But can't be re-read, since it's hollow.
16. "Small Things" by Daniel H. Wilson: MEH again. We get sharper stuff from Hollywood these days.
Overall, a deeply unsatisfactory collection, with one top-notch, and about three very good stories.
Nah! Not Recommended.
1. "Complex God" by Scott Sigler: Entirely predictable, with not a single twist or cause to be impressed. Well-written MEH.
2. "Cycles" by Charles Yu: Utter crap.
3. "Lullaby" by Anna North: Good. Nothing spectacular, but good.
4. "Eighty Miles An Hour All the Way To Paradise": Move On. Nothing To See, or Read.
5. "Executable": Has the formidable editor JJA lost it? How can such moronic stuff even get into this book?
6. "The Omnibot Incident" by Ernest Cline: Huh! Right Story, but in Wrong Book.
7. "Epoch" by Cory Doctorow: An overlong, overwritten piece that sought to achieve Asimovian heights, and ended up only boring me.
8. "Human Intelligence" by Jeff Abbott: Finally! A crisp, compact story that succeeded in grabbing my full attention, and ended in its own way, while giving me lots of thoughts. Just what SF is supposed to do. Very-very good.
9. "The Golden Hour" by Julianna Baggott: Sentimental overdose, with literally crater-sized holes in the plotline. How could ....? Forget it.
10. "Sleepover" by Alastair Reynolds: Thank God! Finally we get a masterly story, from one of the modern Maestros. Became interested in the book again.
11. "Nanonauts! In Battle With Tiny Death-Subs!" by Ian McDonald: THIS, is what happens when you get too many prizes, and start thinking that whatever stuff you discharge in the name of writing would be gobbled up by the readers. THIS is utter crap, actually.
12. "Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds" by Robin Wasserman: Yep! JJA has lost it. Or he was present here only as a ghost, while the actual work of selecting a story was done by D.H.W. This story is, again, total crap.
13. "The Robot and The Baby" by John McCarthy: I thoroughly enjoyed the black humour. Good one.
14. "We Are All Misfit Toys In The Aftermath of The Velveteen War" by Seanan McGuire: Beautiful! And utterly, devastatingly tragic! If you are actually thinking about a dystopia that may happen, then THIS is it.
15. "Spider The Artist" by Nnedi Okorafor: Good. But can't be re-read, since it's hollow.
16. "Small Things" by Daniel H. Wilson: MEH again. We get sharper stuff from Hollywood these days.
Overall, a deeply unsatisfactory collection, with one top-notch, and about three very good stories.
Nah! Not Recommended.
July 31, 2017
A pretty good collection. True to it's theme and filled will generally good stories. But not enjoyable, pretty much the whole book was a downer. There were definitely standout stories, Cory Doctorow's Epoch about the AI Big Mac was very much a favorite. But mostly it was a collection of horror stories and I don't do horror much. Sure there were interesting ideas here, but not ones I want to spend time thinking about.
October 26, 2015
I had to give this collection 5 stars because it was such a treat to read a collection with literally no duds. These were all compelling, fascinating interpretations of robot revolution. There were no two alike and they were all very good, even the ones I had quibbles with. Some were haunting and unforgettable. Some were funny and surprising. And some were downright scary. They were all worth reading and talking about. And a disturbing number were a little too realistic and possibly foreshadowings of our future.
This is one of those anthologies that are mostly original works (12 in this case, all copyright 2014), with a few reprints added in (5 in this case, with dates of 2001, 2008, 2010, 2010, and 2012). Now, the editors did not explain in the introduction, so I don't know if the earlier stories were an inspiration for this collection, or if the editors felt obligated to include some earlier works as a kind of backbone to the anthology. Whatever the reasoning, it is clear from this collection that the topic of robots still fascinates us, and there are still a lot of things to say and explore on the subject. Fans of this genre will not be disappointed.
And now, to the individual ratings...
Forward by Daniel H. Wilson (4 stars) - Fun, funny, no spoilers!, and refreshingly brief.
Complex God by Scott Sigler (4 stars) - Fun, creepy, but the ending was anticlimactic for me.
Cycles by Charles Yu (5 stars) - Brilliant, funny, creepy, and surprisingly poignant/self-reflective.
Lullaby by Anna North (5 stars) - Creepy, good characterization. Bonus points for integrating adoption smoothly into a story that isn't about adoption.
Eighty Miles An Hour All The Way to Paradise by Genevieve Valentine (5 stars) - True dystopia, with heartfelt characterization. I usually don't give 5 stars when I'm dissatisfied with the ending, but in this case the dissatisfaction seemed to fit the theme of the story, so I'm going to call it brilliant.
Executable by Hugh Howey (4 stars) - Fun, funny, sadly realistic.
The Omnibot Incident by Ernest Cline (4 stars) - Fun, funny, curiously disappointing and uplifting simultaneously. Leave it to Cline to make his futuristic robot story set in the 80's.
Epoch by Cory Doctorow (5 stars) - Brilliant. This is an amazingly strong story; it deals head-on with our conflict between anthropomorphizing and depersonalizing the machines we make, in a vividly relatable and realistic setting. The dialog (and headspace commentary) is a lot of fun to follow. I have some qualms about making the A.I. be "male", but it does fit the context, and the author seemed to make an effort to include strong women characters. If you know anything about programming and/or sysadmin stuff, you are going to definitely geek out on this one. A lot of great references!
Human Intelligence by Jeff Abbott (5 stars) - This was a gritty and realistic dystopian piece, until the end, at which point it became something more profound. I loved the questions it raised about identity and self-determination.
The Golden Hour by Julianna Baggott (5 stars) - I love the way this story was told, and the personalities that the robots are trying to express/suppress. This was also a surprisingly moving tale about what it means to care about something, to create something, and the ties that bind.
Sleepover by Alastair Reynolds (4 stars) - A very strange interpretation of reality going on here. The beginning was a bit frustrating because who would really wait that long to find out what is going on? But it was so bizarre it kind of made sense that no one wanted to talk about it! I loved the ocean imagery.
Seasoning by Alan Dean Foster (5 stars) - I think this might be a perfect short story. Just a hint of background, a dash of foreshadowing, and then a bitter, bitter aftertaste!
Nanonauts! in Battle with Tiny Death-Subs! by Ian McDonald (3 stars) - Okay, the science in this one was a lot of fun, but I couldn't get over a story being told as a series of pick-up lines by this guy to the women at the naval bars. I mean, okay, definitely creative, but it did not endear me to the main character! Some interesting ideas in here, though.
Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds by Robin Wasserman (5 stars) - Wow, this one reminded me of one of my early favorites, Gateway, just because of the combination of science fiction and psychology. Disturbing, disturbing combination when the robots' role is reversed. Realistic, sentimental, and horrific.
The Robot and The Baby by John McCarthy (3 stars) - Another one where the humor really shone, although I was bothered a bit by the welfare mom stereotyping. And the society was very depressing, though sadly realistic, in how they handled legal decisions and social policing.
We Are All Misfit Toys in The Aftermath of the Velveteen War by Seanan McGuire (5 stars) - Sweet Universal Mother, this was the most painful one in here! This could only have been written by a parent. Wow, almost unreadable because the aim for your heart is so accurate.
Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor (5 stars) - Disturbing on multiple levels, although it is also beautiful during many moments. I love my stories with a lot of social commentary and this one was choking on it.
Small Things by Daniel H. Wilson (4 stars) - Do I mind that the editor included his own story, and that it was the longest one in the book? I suppose it is his prerogative, and at least he saved it for the end! This story was probably really 3 stars, because of the ambiguous ending, my uncertainty of the science/physics behind what is going on, and because I had to stop during some of the more horrific parts because they made my physically ill. (If you survived The Bad Place, or Cronenberg's movie The Fly, you can probably survive this.) Still, Mr. Wilson has taken this idea to its natural extreme, for which I commend him, and has created some images that will never leave me, so I feel compelled to bump it up to 4 stars.
This is one of those anthologies that are mostly original works (12 in this case, all copyright 2014), with a few reprints added in (5 in this case, with dates of 2001, 2008, 2010, 2010, and 2012). Now, the editors did not explain in the introduction, so I don't know if the earlier stories were an inspiration for this collection, or if the editors felt obligated to include some earlier works as a kind of backbone to the anthology. Whatever the reasoning, it is clear from this collection that the topic of robots still fascinates us, and there are still a lot of things to say and explore on the subject. Fans of this genre will not be disappointed.
And now, to the individual ratings...
Forward by Daniel H. Wilson (4 stars) - Fun, funny, no spoilers!, and refreshingly brief.
Complex God by Scott Sigler (4 stars) - Fun, creepy, but the ending was anticlimactic for me.
Cycles by Charles Yu (5 stars) - Brilliant, funny, creepy, and surprisingly poignant/self-reflective.
Lullaby by Anna North (5 stars) - Creepy, good characterization. Bonus points for integrating adoption smoothly into a story that isn't about adoption.
Eighty Miles An Hour All The Way to Paradise by Genevieve Valentine (5 stars) - True dystopia, with heartfelt characterization. I usually don't give 5 stars when I'm dissatisfied with the ending, but in this case the dissatisfaction seemed to fit the theme of the story, so I'm going to call it brilliant.
Executable by Hugh Howey (4 stars) - Fun, funny, sadly realistic.
The Omnibot Incident by Ernest Cline (4 stars) - Fun, funny, curiously disappointing and uplifting simultaneously. Leave it to Cline to make his futuristic robot story set in the 80's.
Epoch by Cory Doctorow (5 stars) - Brilliant. This is an amazingly strong story; it deals head-on with our conflict between anthropomorphizing and depersonalizing the machines we make, in a vividly relatable and realistic setting. The dialog (and headspace commentary) is a lot of fun to follow. I have some qualms about making the A.I. be "male", but it does fit the context, and the author seemed to make an effort to include strong women characters. If you know anything about programming and/or sysadmin stuff, you are going to definitely geek out on this one. A lot of great references!
Human Intelligence by Jeff Abbott (5 stars) - This was a gritty and realistic dystopian piece, until the end, at which point it became something more profound. I loved the questions it raised about identity and self-determination.
The Golden Hour by Julianna Baggott (5 stars) - I love the way this story was told, and the personalities that the robots are trying to express/suppress. This was also a surprisingly moving tale about what it means to care about something, to create something, and the ties that bind.
Sleepover by Alastair Reynolds (4 stars) - A very strange interpretation of reality going on here. The beginning was a bit frustrating because who would really wait that long to find out what is going on? But it was so bizarre it kind of made sense that no one wanted to talk about it! I loved the ocean imagery.
Seasoning by Alan Dean Foster (5 stars) - I think this might be a perfect short story. Just a hint of background, a dash of foreshadowing, and then a bitter, bitter aftertaste!
Nanonauts! in Battle with Tiny Death-Subs! by Ian McDonald (3 stars) - Okay, the science in this one was a lot of fun, but I couldn't get over a story being told as a series of pick-up lines by this guy to the women at the naval bars. I mean, okay, definitely creative, but it did not endear me to the main character! Some interesting ideas in here, though.
Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds by Robin Wasserman (5 stars) - Wow, this one reminded me of one of my early favorites, Gateway, just because of the combination of science fiction and psychology. Disturbing, disturbing combination when the robots' role is reversed. Realistic, sentimental, and horrific.
The Robot and The Baby by John McCarthy (3 stars) - Another one where the humor really shone, although I was bothered a bit by the welfare mom stereotyping. And the society was very depressing, though sadly realistic, in how they handled legal decisions and social policing.
We Are All Misfit Toys in The Aftermath of the Velveteen War by Seanan McGuire (5 stars) - Sweet Universal Mother, this was the most painful one in here! This could only have been written by a parent. Wow, almost unreadable because the aim for your heart is so accurate.
Spider the Artist by Nnedi Okorafor (5 stars) - Disturbing on multiple levels, although it is also beautiful during many moments. I love my stories with a lot of social commentary and this one was choking on it.
Small Things by Daniel H. Wilson (4 stars) - Do I mind that the editor included his own story, and that it was the longest one in the book? I suppose it is his prerogative, and at least he saved it for the end! This story was probably really 3 stars, because of the ambiguous ending, my uncertainty of the science/physics behind what is going on, and because I had to stop during some of the more horrific parts because they made my physically ill. (If you survived The Bad Place, or Cronenberg's movie The Fly, you can probably survive this.) Still, Mr. Wilson has taken this idea to its natural extreme, for which I commend him, and has created some images that will never leave me, so I feel compelled to bump it up to 4 stars.
October 22, 2018
"Robot Uprisings" is a great collection of short stories that deals with, you guessed it, robots run amok. Some are better than others but I really enjoyed all the different takes from nanobots to AI in our children's toys. More than a few of these would have made excellent "Black Mirror" episodes as that show deals with out of control technology.
January 21, 2022
This rating is for “We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War” by Seanan McGuire
September 13, 2017
Summary: There were some awesome ideas in this collection, but many of the stories felt under-developed or incomplete.
I don't read a lot of sci-fi any more, but it's one of the genres I read the most in high school and I still often love it when I pick it up. So, even though short stories aren't always my thing, I thought there couldn't be much better than a collection all about robot uprisings. I also recognized the names of a number of authors in the collection, including Nnedi Okorafor, Ernest Cline, and Cory Doctorow.
As you might have guessed from my intro, there is a 'but' coming. The topics and the authors made me think this had to be good, but it was a bit of a disappointment. Short story collections by multiple authors are typically hit or miss for me, but this book had exceptionally few hits. As you can see from the plot of my ratings below, I'd only give 5 out of these 17 stories a rating of 4 or 5 stars. I also handed out a lot of 2's - not a rating I use often!
I can only conclude that the editor for this collection doesn't share my short story pet peeves. Many of these finished just as they got to the interesting bit; had great ideas that weren't fully fleshed out; and/or left me hanging instead of resolving the interesting situation they'd drawn me into. A few didn't explain enough to even make sense. There were a ton of great, unique ideas here though. Stories were told from the perspectives of both humans and robots. Robots took over in subtle ways or with guns blazing. Robots experienced emotions or were pitiless machines and had motivations from concern for humans to a desire for revenge. Many of these stories, even those I gave poor reviews, had ideas I'd love to read more about. These authors were just not, in my opinion, very good at writing short stories.
Since I think all of the stories I disliked are summed up pretty well above, I'll wrap up with some short reviews of the stories that did win me over.
Genevieve Valentine's Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise - I really enjoyed this story. The way the humans fought back in this world was something I'd love to see in a movie. The people story was engaging and while the end still left some plot points unresolved, I felt that gave this story a haunting , melancholy feel that I enjoyed.
Cory Doctorow's Epoch - The AI in this story had an awesome personality as did the sys admin he worked with. I loved the quirky, geeky, pop culture references. I thought both the writing and the plot were quite clever. I'd still have liked a slightly happier, more resolved ending, but that didn't keep em from enjoying fun, fantastic, well-thought out story.
Jeff Abbott's Human Intelligence - I initially didn't like this story, because the main character was a stereotypical, macho, ex-law-enforcement officer and the author didn't make him at all sympathetic. He also used acronyms I didn't think we catchy enough to be believable. That makes me even more impressed that he managed to garner my only 5 star rating for a fantastic twist.
Julianna Baggott's The Golden Hour - There wasn't much to the plot in this one, but the way the robots' experience of emotion was described was unique and beautiful.
Alastair Reynolds' Sleepover - The idea for this story wasn't as unique as some of the others, but the implementation was much better. The details of the world the author created were unique and the plot and action sequences were exciting. They'd make for a great movie. And the author managed to deliver a complete story, unlike so many others. I'd read more about this world, but appreciated that the story itself felt like one, complete episode.
Honorable mentions for Nnedi Okorafor's Spider the Artist, which evoked the feel of African mythology, and Anna North's Lullaby, which was like a sci-fi haunted house story. Both of these were too short to get more than three stars from me, but they've stuck with me and I'd read more by either author.
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
I don't read a lot of sci-fi any more, but it's one of the genres I read the most in high school and I still often love it when I pick it up. So, even though short stories aren't always my thing, I thought there couldn't be much better than a collection all about robot uprisings. I also recognized the names of a number of authors in the collection, including Nnedi Okorafor, Ernest Cline, and Cory Doctorow.
As you might have guessed from my intro, there is a 'but' coming. The topics and the authors made me think this had to be good, but it was a bit of a disappointment. Short story collections by multiple authors are typically hit or miss for me, but this book had exceptionally few hits. As you can see from the plot of my ratings below, I'd only give 5 out of these 17 stories a rating of 4 or 5 stars. I also handed out a lot of 2's - not a rating I use often!
I can only conclude that the editor for this collection doesn't share my short story pet peeves. Many of these finished just as they got to the interesting bit; had great ideas that weren't fully fleshed out; and/or left me hanging instead of resolving the interesting situation they'd drawn me into. A few didn't explain enough to even make sense. There were a ton of great, unique ideas here though. Stories were told from the perspectives of both humans and robots. Robots took over in subtle ways or with guns blazing. Robots experienced emotions or were pitiless machines and had motivations from concern for humans to a desire for revenge. Many of these stories, even those I gave poor reviews, had ideas I'd love to read more about. These authors were just not, in my opinion, very good at writing short stories.
Since I think all of the stories I disliked are summed up pretty well above, I'll wrap up with some short reviews of the stories that did win me over.
Genevieve Valentine's Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise - I really enjoyed this story. The way the humans fought back in this world was something I'd love to see in a movie. The people story was engaging and while the end still left some plot points unresolved, I felt that gave this story a haunting , melancholy feel that I enjoyed.
Cory Doctorow's Epoch - The AI in this story had an awesome personality as did the sys admin he worked with. I loved the quirky, geeky, pop culture references. I thought both the writing and the plot were quite clever. I'd still have liked a slightly happier, more resolved ending, but that didn't keep em from enjoying fun, fantastic, well-thought out story.
Jeff Abbott's Human Intelligence - I initially didn't like this story, because the main character was a stereotypical, macho, ex-law-enforcement officer and the author didn't make him at all sympathetic. He also used acronyms I didn't think we catchy enough to be believable. That makes me even more impressed that he managed to garner my only 5 star rating for a fantastic twist.
Julianna Baggott's The Golden Hour - There wasn't much to the plot in this one, but the way the robots' experience of emotion was described was unique and beautiful.
Alastair Reynolds' Sleepover - The idea for this story wasn't as unique as some of the others, but the implementation was much better. The details of the world the author created were unique and the plot and action sequences were exciting. They'd make for a great movie. And the author managed to deliver a complete story, unlike so many others. I'd read more about this world, but appreciated that the story itself felt like one, complete episode.
Honorable mentions for Nnedi Okorafor's Spider the Artist, which evoked the feel of African mythology, and Anna North's Lullaby, which was like a sci-fi haunted house story. Both of these were too short to get more than three stars from me, but they've stuck with me and I'd read more by either author.
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
September 27, 2015
I am firmly in the paranoia camp when it comes to robots. I kind of think technology hates me already so it's not at all a stretch for me to believe that robots will attack one day. And I'm not alone, even Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking say AI is dangerous! Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking, folks.
In Robot Uprisings Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams have compiled a collection packed with tales of technology gone wrong. From nanobots and rips in space and time to a war with smart toys, these stories cover just about every worst case scenario you can think of and probably a few you haven't.
Scott Sigler kicks things off with a short that brings fans back to Siglerverse Detroit in "Complex God," one of many nano technology focused tales in this anthology. Anna North's "Lullaby" is another and may just be my favorite in the entire collection - depending on the mood I'm in.
A few more personal highlights were Genevieve Valentine's "Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise" and Nnedi Okrafor's "Spider the Artist." This was actually my first time reading both of these authors but definitely won't be my last. Seanan McGuire's "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" and Alastair Reynolds "Sleepover" round out my top six (because it was too painful to narrow down to five!), but really the whole anthology is amazing.
Here's the full list of contributors and their stories:
"Complex God" by Scott Sigler
"Cycles" by Charles Yu
"Lullaby" by Anna North
"Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise" by Genevieve Valentine
"Executable" by Hugh Howey
"The Omnibot Incident" by Ernest Cline
"Epoch" by Cory Doctorow
"Human Intelligence" by Jeff Abbott
"The Golden Hour" by Julianna Baggott
"Sleepover" by Alastair Reynolds
"Seasoning" by Alan Dean Foster
"Nanonauts! In Battle With Tiny Death Subs!" By Ian McDonald
"Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds" by Robin Wasserman
"The Robot and the Baby" by John McCarthy
"We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" by Seanan McGuire
"Spider the Artist" by Nnedi Okrafor
"Small Things" by Daniel H. Wilson
In Robot Uprisings Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams have compiled a collection packed with tales of technology gone wrong. From nanobots and rips in space and time to a war with smart toys, these stories cover just about every worst case scenario you can think of and probably a few you haven't.
Scott Sigler kicks things off with a short that brings fans back to Siglerverse Detroit in "Complex God," one of many nano technology focused tales in this anthology. Anna North's "Lullaby" is another and may just be my favorite in the entire collection - depending on the mood I'm in.
A few more personal highlights were Genevieve Valentine's "Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise" and Nnedi Okrafor's "Spider the Artist." This was actually my first time reading both of these authors but definitely won't be my last. Seanan McGuire's "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" and Alastair Reynolds "Sleepover" round out my top six (because it was too painful to narrow down to five!), but really the whole anthology is amazing.
Here's the full list of contributors and their stories:
"Complex God" by Scott Sigler
"Cycles" by Charles Yu
"Lullaby" by Anna North
"Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise" by Genevieve Valentine
"Executable" by Hugh Howey
"The Omnibot Incident" by Ernest Cline
"Epoch" by Cory Doctorow
"Human Intelligence" by Jeff Abbott
"The Golden Hour" by Julianna Baggott
"Sleepover" by Alastair Reynolds
"Seasoning" by Alan Dean Foster
"Nanonauts! In Battle With Tiny Death Subs!" By Ian McDonald
"Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds" by Robin Wasserman
"The Robot and the Baby" by John McCarthy
"We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" by Seanan McGuire
"Spider the Artist" by Nnedi Okrafor
"Small Things" by Daniel H. Wilson
March 13, 2015
This collection of stories about robot uprisings was a bit hit and miss. Most of the stories weren't about robot uprisings but just about robots.
I found Omnibot Incident a childish kid's story and wonder why it was included in this anthology especially since it had nothing to do with a robot uprising. The explanation at the end was corny.
Executable was too brief. A virus causes a dystopia, but the story was rather an anecdote with a pun ending. The story seemed just set up for that pun at the end.
In another microbots in a house attack the occupants. The story was boring, cliched, bland and simplistic.
Another one was about computers gone awry not robots. It was badly written with bits of scenes of dystopia but no real story or character. Boring, samey, and reminded me of an old King story called Trucks.
Another was a monologue by a computer that has gained sentience. It doesn't amount to much and tries too hard be clever but isn't.
The Cory Doctorow story was, as I always find with his fiction, too boring and unreadable to bother with.
The real winners were Alastair Reynolds' brilliant story Sleepover. The dilemma was real. A slick story and well written. One of the best short sci-fi stories I've read in ages. The other one I enjoyed was Spider, the Artist.
Overall not much cop!
I found Omnibot Incident a childish kid's story and wonder why it was included in this anthology especially since it had nothing to do with a robot uprising. The explanation at the end was corny.
Executable was too brief. A virus causes a dystopia, but the story was rather an anecdote with a pun ending. The story seemed just set up for that pun at the end.
In another microbots in a house attack the occupants. The story was boring, cliched, bland and simplistic.
Another one was about computers gone awry not robots. It was badly written with bits of scenes of dystopia but no real story or character. Boring, samey, and reminded me of an old King story called Trucks.
Another was a monologue by a computer that has gained sentience. It doesn't amount to much and tries too hard be clever but isn't.
The Cory Doctorow story was, as I always find with his fiction, too boring and unreadable to bother with.
The real winners were Alastair Reynolds' brilliant story Sleepover. The dilemma was real. A slick story and well written. One of the best short sci-fi stories I've read in ages. The other one I enjoyed was Spider, the Artist.
Overall not much cop!
August 22, 2014
Robot Uprisings is a sci-fi anthology put together by Daniel Wilson and John Joseph Adams. The anthology is a collection of stories involving the upcoming robot uprising. However, the stories do not intersect with one another, and are not meant to convey a continuous story or backdrop of a common event. The stories themselves are cool and interesting takes on the planned pervasiveness of robots in our near future, and how our lives will be forever ruined when all of our appliances begin to think for themselves and band together to kill us all.
Not all of the stories are new, but most of them are original content for the anthology. Some particluar standouts are the opener, Scott Sigler's Complex God, a story about the divinity of a scientist whose creations begin to worship her; Ernest Cline's The Omnibot Incident, a pseudo-uprising tale from yesteryear; Anna North's Lullaby, about a house haunted by robots; Wilson's own Small Things, which closes the book, and is one of the few stories told as a current event; and Seanan McGuire's Misfit Toys, which preys on the fears of child abduction.
There are many good stories here, and it's worth it to treat yourself to a sneak preview of things that will come to pass in the near - or not-so-near - future.
Not all of the stories are new, but most of them are original content for the anthology. Some particluar standouts are the opener, Scott Sigler's Complex God, a story about the divinity of a scientist whose creations begin to worship her; Ernest Cline's The Omnibot Incident, a pseudo-uprising tale from yesteryear; Anna North's Lullaby, about a house haunted by robots; Wilson's own Small Things, which closes the book, and is one of the few stories told as a current event; and Seanan McGuire's Misfit Toys, which preys on the fears of child abduction.
There are many good stories here, and it's worth it to treat yourself to a sneak preview of things that will come to pass in the near - or not-so-near - future.
May 20, 2014
I liked the Alastair Reynolds story the most probably because it was the least appropriate for the collection (though the ending of it was weak). Cory Doctorow's is pretty good and also the Daniel H. Wilson Heart of Darkness one.
The worst story was the most generic from a best selling author from Austin, Texas, who in the story mentions how great Austin Texas is several times. Did you know that there are a great number of software developers living in Austin Texas, uniquely positioned for both economic growth in today's information economy, and for leading the human resistance in the war against the machines?
Several of the stories have the scenario of a single artificial intelligence arising and instantly subverting all or most computer systems, or all individual intelligent robots all coming to a unanimous consensus on the need to wipe out humanity and then proceed to do the job ineptly. It's what you would expect here but it seems really dull and un-inventive the second or third story that uses it. Only a couple of the stories introduce nuance in the form of competing factions and conflicting interests.
The worst story was the most generic from a best selling author from Austin, Texas, who in the story mentions how great Austin Texas is several times. Did you know that there are a great number of software developers living in Austin Texas, uniquely positioned for both economic growth in today's information economy, and for leading the human resistance in the war against the machines?
Several of the stories have the scenario of a single artificial intelligence arising and instantly subverting all or most computer systems, or all individual intelligent robots all coming to a unanimous consensus on the need to wipe out humanity and then proceed to do the job ineptly. It's what you would expect here but it seems really dull and un-inventive the second or third story that uses it. Only a couple of the stories introduce nuance in the form of competing factions and conflicting interests.
August 4, 2014
I checked out this collection because it has stories from three authors I like: Scott Sigler, Ernest Cline, and Daniel H. Wilson. Then I read a couple of others, and pretty soon I had read the entire collection. The thing I liked most about the collection was the variety. Different styles, different themes, different locales, different approaches. I didn't love every story, but that seemed a matter of taste. All were interesting in their own way, and well written.
My favorites: Executable, Epoch, Human Intelligence, Seasoning, and Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds.
Also very good: Complex God, Lullaby, Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise, Sleepover, The Robot and the Baby, We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War, Spider the Artist, and Small Things.
OK: Cycles, The Omnibot Incident, The Golden Hour, and Nanonauts! In Battle with Tiny Death-Subs!
My favorites: Executable, Epoch, Human Intelligence, Seasoning, and Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds.
Also very good: Complex God, Lullaby, Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise, Sleepover, The Robot and the Baby, We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War, Spider the Artist, and Small Things.
OK: Cycles, The Omnibot Incident, The Golden Hour, and Nanonauts! In Battle with Tiny Death-Subs!
March 8, 2014
It's hard to sleep at night after contemplating all the frightening scenarios put forth in this wonderful sci-fi anthology. Will we be taken over by our seemingly benign mechanical household servants? Will incredibly small nanobots we create to cure us from disease and infection be our undoing? Will we even have a clue our robot slaves have gained sentience before it's too late? And what is the difference between artificial intelligence and our own, particularly if the machines outwit us at every turn? These and more are part of the exciting worlds that await you in Robot Uprisings. Come the roboapocalypse don't say I didn't warn you.
March 21, 2015
This is really more of a 3.5 star book...good light reading, but not great. Maybe three stars and I'm just being generous. If you like robots, and short stories, and lightly entertaining stories, then give it a go. It's like watching TV. Not the kind of stories to get you thinking, like really good sci-fi stories will do, but written well enough to keep your interest. Maybe read it on a plane or at the beach.
I read this collection because it has some contemporary writers I like. It turned out I didn't like their stories as much as ones from writers I've never heard of. But all in all, it was a fairly consistent collection.
I read this collection because it has some contemporary writers I like. It turned out I didn't like their stories as much as ones from writers I've never heard of. But all in all, it was a fairly consistent collection.
April 24, 2014
WOW! I am really digging these collection of short stories be different authors, I feel it keep everything fresh and really adds to the overall book with the different styles and takes on the same theme. I have to be honest though, sometimes some of the stories were too believable and gives me the creeps...but I still love the story, would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the genre and a fan of short stories!
May 1, 2014
A very enjoyable anthology. I especially liked Charles Yu's "Cycles", where a robot, even though harboring homicidal thoughts about his human, thinks the human has potential; and Seanan McGuire's "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War", which shows that conflict between humans and robots can exact an emotional toll far more devastating than any physical toll. An collection well worth the time and money.
June 10, 2014
Short fiction is awesome, and what a great way to survey the many approaches to the robot uprisings genre. Some absolutely tremendous stories, from Daniel H Wilson, Cory Doctorow, Hugh Howey and many others. Full review on my blog.
July 18, 2014
A completely fun collection of short stories about robots run amok, ranging from the thought-provokingly philosophical to the fun, to the comepletely creepy. A great collection for any science fiction fan, has stories from Wilson, Doctorow, Foster and Cline, plus a couple of real gems hiding between the names you've heard of. Very enjoyable.
HAIL OUR NEW ROBOT MASTERS.
HAIL OUR NEW ROBOT MASTERS.
June 13, 2016
Stories were of varying quality. One story was by Dr. John McCarthy, the Stanford computer scientist who invented the Lisp programming language back in the 50s. It was pretty good and he wrote it when he was nearly in his eighties. Another story with sentient Roombas was amusing.
May 7, 2014
An excellent collection of short stories about the inevitable truth of robots and AI rising up against humanity. Co-edited by Daniel H. Wilson author of Robopocalypse.
April 10, 2014
A good mix of stories. A couple standouts, and a couple that were forgettable, just like any anthology. Adams does a great job putting these together, and the overall quality was high.
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