ZeroS

by Peter Watts

We’re pleased to reprint Peter Watt’s “ZeroS”.

From the author:

In my last novel, a grizzled old soldier reminisces bitterly about the early days of the military zombie program, of which he was an early recruit. He wasn’t the first recruit, though. The first recruits, some of them at least, were corpses scraped off various battlefields, booted temporarily back to awareness with jumper cables to the brain, and told Hey, you’re actually dead, but we can bring you back to life so long as you’re willing to work for us for a few years. Or if you’d rather, we could just unplug these cables and leave you the way we found you. As contracts go it’s pretty take-it-or-leave-it, but given the alternative would you walk away? […] “ZeroS” is the story of one of those first recruits.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

45 pages, ebook

First published September 12, 2017

Reviews

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dog whistles, Ars and Kays" - jesus Peter, I love the bones you throw us. r and K is written all over this short. And us baselines don't even register..
That hive really put things in Echopraxia in perspective.

And -being a PW story- it opens a can of new questions. Valery vs. Bicams, how the actual ass does this factor? I get that the Bicams are probably optimised for a different goal, but still - I feel they were depicted too.. well. Uncaring for themselves, I guess? I never had the _feeling_ that they achieved their goal. Or were they really no match for a single vampire and a few (what was it at that time, three?) unarmed Zombies?

Fantastic read. Enormous implications. Loved it.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Military SF. Very much jargonised.
Drab, overlong, tiresome.

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty neat short story with some interesting ideas, written with the characteristic dour and somewhat macabre and cynical air Watts tends to infuse his tales with.

But, when discussing "infusing the writing" with anything, I think I have to say that Watts went way overboard with the techno-babble this time around. As a seasoned sci-fi nut, even I found it somewhat grating, and here in ZeroS it often got in the way of the story and character moments in a way that he managed to avoid and remedy in his later and better known works.

Still this was decent, and it can be read free online, so that's always a plus.

[Nilchance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy tale of coercion and the military literally puppeting their soldiers. Good stuff.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good ideas, and well told, but so much jargon and technical wizardry makes it much less accessible as a story.

[Alfredo Amatriain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful piece of military scifi in the Firefall universe. It can be enjoyed on its own, but part of the fun is getting the backstory and PoV of those mindless zombies that went with Valerie in Echopraxia as, ultimately, just cannon fodder. It's not outright stated but I think some of the characters are the very same zombies, at least the one mentioned to have prosthetic legs. It gives a new perspective on the horrifying moment in Echopraxia that a zombie awakens just as she's about to be dissected by Portia.

But even without the Echopraxia connections, it's an enjoyable novella. And unlike other works by the author you actually understand what's happening in the story.

[Marco · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of the early recruits for the military zombie program. Many of them are corpses scraped off various battlefields, booted temporarily back to awareness with jumper cables to the brain, and told Hey, you’re actually dead, but we can bring you back to life so long as you’re willing to work for us for a few years. Or if you’d rather, we could just unplug these cables and leave you the way we found you. As contracts go it’s pretty take-it-or-leave-it, but given the alternative would you walk away?
It's an interesting and entertaining story, with some interesting ideas and world-building. I just wish they were developed further.

[Gregoire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une nouvelle en lecture gratuite offerte par TOR, extraite d'une anthologie Infinity Wars, comme son nom l'indique, sur le thème de la guerre
Ici plutôt de la guerilla sur une terre dévastée à l'aide de soldats "ressuscités et programmés " façon zombies Encore une interrogation sur les mécanismes de la pensée humaine, le libre arbitre, la conscience, le lien esprit/corps, l'exploitation militaire etc
Pour ma part, j'ai trouvé le récit intéressant malgré un univers pessimiste et déprimant
à découvrir ici
https://www.tor.com/2017/10/11/reprin...

[Steve LaForest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note that this review pertains only to the novelette "ZeroS" by Peter Watts (and not the rest of the book illustrated as "Infinity Wars"

ZeroS
Unfortunately, the story falls off towards the end.

This story is included in the collection / anthology Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by N.K. Jemisin and John Joseph Adams (Adams is the series editor), which is where I read it.

Peter Watts is a wonderful author, however, and I encourage you to check out his other work.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Peter Watts will enjoy this short story of resurrected combat zombies much more than general readers, as apparently it gives more depth to several nameless killing machines in his fuller length novels. As this is the first time I'm reading Watts, I didn't have the pleasure of making those particular connections, but I enjoyed the story just the same.

[yacoob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well constructed, neatly written, somber (as usual, for Watts) read.

[Charl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I read Sci Fi for. Lots of tech and extrapolation, with a human story integrated seamlessly. Outstanding story!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with a really great concept on zombie soldiers. Really enjoyed the ideas in this.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story about the creation of the military zombie tech. Sharp, clever, and thought provoking.

With a little cameo by a character we've met before.

[Clora · Rating 5 out of 5]

-read after blindsight and before echopraxia
-love the implication that the soldiers need this horrible augment because they're going up against something infinitely worse