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Cecil
32 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 25, 2026
What happens when technology becomes a justification for isolation?
That is the question posed by this fascinating, deep, and heartbreaking little story by the talented Wolff McNamara. The very first scene draws you into a world straight out of a Synthwave song -- ceaseless rain, futuristic vistas of cities so far advanced they've become eerily inhuman, robots, and of course yearning unfulfilled. It's all in there, and I loved every page of it.
You have Matt, a man whose existence has shrunk down to the confines of an apartment he never leaves because, thanks to technology and convenience, he never has to. His meals are tubed to him, his job is entirely off-site/remote, and aside from dreams of visiting the Amalfi coast, he technically has no ambitions. Pair him with a delivered-to-your-door humanoid robot named Cecil -- who possesses almost every conceivable human nuance -- and you have the makings of a sometimes hilarious, sometimes brooding experience.
What I loved about "Cecil" was that, instead of going the typical route of a robot going rogue against its master, McNamara explores the angle of kinship between man and computer. It allows him to show us a scenario where the robot is almost more human than the man, and I must admit, I was both endeared to Cecil and terrified of him for that very reason. It was frightening to envision a future where human beings no longer connect, no longer care about relationships (aside from the ones we have with our appliances), no longer stay in touch with each other and ourselves. It wasn't that Matt had necessarily become any less human -- he had simply chosen not to engage in life, but rather to embrace every convenience technology offered, including the opportunity to disconnect from anything hard or unpleasant (i.e. family relations).
I highly recommend this short but powerful tale. It's a unique twist on the genre, and, as with all his works thus far, a refreshingly immersive reading experience!
That is the question posed by this fascinating, deep, and heartbreaking little story by the talented Wolff McNamara. The very first scene draws you into a world straight out of a Synthwave song -- ceaseless rain, futuristic vistas of cities so far advanced they've become eerily inhuman, robots, and of course yearning unfulfilled. It's all in there, and I loved every page of it.
You have Matt, a man whose existence has shrunk down to the confines of an apartment he never leaves because, thanks to technology and convenience, he never has to. His meals are tubed to him, his job is entirely off-site/remote, and aside from dreams of visiting the Amalfi coast, he technically has no ambitions. Pair him with a delivered-to-your-door humanoid robot named Cecil -- who possesses almost every conceivable human nuance -- and you have the makings of a sometimes hilarious, sometimes brooding experience.
What I loved about "Cecil" was that, instead of going the typical route of a robot going rogue against its master, McNamara explores the angle of kinship between man and computer. It allows him to show us a scenario where the robot is almost more human than the man, and I must admit, I was both endeared to Cecil and terrified of him for that very reason. It was frightening to envision a future where human beings no longer connect, no longer care about relationships (aside from the ones we have with our appliances), no longer stay in touch with each other and ourselves. It wasn't that Matt had necessarily become any less human -- he had simply chosen not to engage in life, but rather to embrace every convenience technology offered, including the opportunity to disconnect from anything hard or unpleasant (i.e. family relations).
I highly recommend this short but powerful tale. It's a unique twist on the genre, and, as with all his works thus far, a refreshingly immersive reading experience!
September 19, 2026
buried pain and companionship
Well crafted short story. It builds slowly, subtle dialogue and interaction between a truly odd couple. No info dumps or elaboration on how their world came to be, it becomes real in the telling, five stars
Well crafted short story. It builds slowly, subtle dialogue and interaction between a truly odd couple. No info dumps or elaboration on how their world came to be, it becomes real in the telling, five stars
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews