Robopocalypse
Encyclopedia
Robopocalypse is a New York Times best selling science fiction
book by Daniel H. Wilson
published on June 8, 2011. The author has a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University
, and many of the robots in the novel were inspired by real-world robotics research. Sources like Robert Crais
and Booklist
have compared the book to the works of Michael Crichton
and Robert Heinlein.
named Archos.
After failed attempts at AI, Archos becomes self aware and immediately takes steps to stop his destruction. By infecting all devices that are chip controlled (cars, elevators, robots, etc), Archos begins a systematic attack on mankind.
Small bands of survivors find ways to circumvent the eradication. This is a story of those survivors in the months and days leading up to and following Archos' self-awareness.
called the book "terrific page-turning fun", and the Richmond Times-Dispatch
found it a "superbly entertaining thriller" with "everything you'd want in a beach book".
Other reviewers said:
“Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse is...an ingenious, instantly visual story of war between humans and robots.” – Janet Maslin, New York Times
“It'll be scarier than Jaws: We don't have to go in the water, but we all have to use gadgets.” – Wall Street Journal
“Robopocalypse is the kind of robot uprising novel that could only have been written in an era when robots are becoming an ordinary part of our lives. This isn't speculation about a far-future world full of incomprehensible synthetic beings. It's five minutes into the future of our Earth, full of the robots we take for granted. If you want a rip-roaring good read this summer, Robopocalypse is your book.” – io9.com
“You're swept away against your will… a riveting page turner.” – Associated Press
“Things pop along at a wonderfully breakneck pace, and by letting his characters reveal themselves through their actions, Wilson creates characters that spring to life. Vigorous, smart and gripping.” – Kirkus
"A brilliantly conceived thriller that could well become horrific reality. A captivating tale, Robopocalypse will grip your imagination from the first word to the last, on a wild rip you won't soon forget. What a read…unlike anything I’ve read before." – Clive Cussler, New York Times bestselling author
"An Andromeda Strain for the new century, this is visionary fiction at its best: harrowing, brilliantly rendered, and far, far too believable." – Lincoln Child, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Storm
“Robopocalypse reminded me of Michael Crichton when he was young and the best in the business. This novel is brilliant, beautifully conceived, beautifully written (high-five, Dr. Wilson)…but what makes it is the humanity. Wilson doesn't waste his time writing about 'things,' he's writing about human beings -- fear, love, courage, hope. I loved it.” – Robert Crais, New York Times bestselling author of The Sentry
"Futurists are already predicting the day mankind builds its replacement, Artificial Intelligence. Daniel Wilson shows what might happen when that computer realizes its creators are no longer needed. Lean prose, great characters, and almost unbearable tension ensure that Robopocalypse is going to be a blockbuster. Once started I defy anyone to put it down." – Jack DuBrul, New York Times bestselling author
"The parts of this book enter your mind, piece by piece, where they self-assemble into a story that makes you think, makes you feel, and makes you scared." – Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
"Author [Daniel Wilson], who holds a doctorate in robotics, shows great promise as a worthy successor to Michael Crichton as Wilson, like the late Crichton, is skilled in combining cutting-edge technology with gripping action scenes. Expect a big demand for this frenetic thriller."--Booklist
Unfavorable reviews include those of fantasybookcritic.blogspot, which called it "a disappointment"; Damien Walter of the the Guardian
, who called it "nothing more than an airport thriller"; and Ron Charles of the Washington Post, who called it "a groaner", and lamented that "even by the cornball standards of the original 'Battlestar Galactica
', this is a frakkin’ disaster". Chris Barton of the Los Angeles Times
thought it "crisply efficient and intermittently chilling", but with "ham-fisted dialogue".
has committed to direct a film based on the novel. Drew Goddard
has been hired to adapt Robopocalypse for the screen.
Steven Spielberg
has also hired designer Guy Hendrix Dyas
to work with him and his writers on creating the visual tone for the film and conceptualize its robotic elements.
The film, jointly financed by 20th Century Fox
and Spielberg's DreamWorks
, will be released in North America through Touchstone Pictures
on July 3, 2013. Fox will handle the international distribution. Filming will take place entirely in Montreal, Canada.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
book by Daniel H. Wilson
Daniel H. Wilson
Daniel H. Wilson is a New York Times best selling author, television host and robotics engineer. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon. His most recent novel, published on June 7, 2011, is Robopocalypse....
published on June 8, 2011. The author has a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, and many of the robots in the novel were inspired by real-world robotics research. Sources like Robert Crais
Robert Crais
Robert Crais is an American author of detective fiction. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. He lists amongst his literary influences the authors Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest...
and Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
have compared the book to the works of Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
and Robert Heinlein.
Plot
In the near future, an increasingly robot-reliant society faces extinction after a computer scientist accidentally unleashes a sentient artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
named Archos.
After failed attempts at AI, Archos becomes self aware and immediately takes steps to stop his destruction. By infecting all devices that are chip controlled (cars, elevators, robots, etc), Archos begins a systematic attack on mankind.
Small bands of survivors find ways to circumvent the eradication. This is a story of those survivors in the months and days leading up to and following Archos' self-awareness.
Reception
Author Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
called the book "terrific page-turning fun", and the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond the capital of Virginia, United States, and is commonly considered the "newspaper of record" for events occurring in much of the state...
found it a "superbly entertaining thriller" with "everything you'd want in a beach book".
Other reviewers said:
“Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse is...an ingenious, instantly visual story of war between humans and robots.” – Janet Maslin, New York Times
“It'll be scarier than Jaws: We don't have to go in the water, but we all have to use gadgets.” – Wall Street Journal
“Robopocalypse is the kind of robot uprising novel that could only have been written in an era when robots are becoming an ordinary part of our lives. This isn't speculation about a far-future world full of incomprehensible synthetic beings. It's five minutes into the future of our Earth, full of the robots we take for granted. If you want a rip-roaring good read this summer, Robopocalypse is your book.” – io9.com
“You're swept away against your will… a riveting page turner.” – Associated Press
“Things pop along at a wonderfully breakneck pace, and by letting his characters reveal themselves through their actions, Wilson creates characters that spring to life. Vigorous, smart and gripping.” – Kirkus
"A brilliantly conceived thriller that could well become horrific reality. A captivating tale, Robopocalypse will grip your imagination from the first word to the last, on a wild rip you won't soon forget. What a read…unlike anything I’ve read before." – Clive Cussler, New York Times bestselling author
"An Andromeda Strain for the new century, this is visionary fiction at its best: harrowing, brilliantly rendered, and far, far too believable." – Lincoln Child, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Storm
“Robopocalypse reminded me of Michael Crichton when he was young and the best in the business. This novel is brilliant, beautifully conceived, beautifully written (high-five, Dr. Wilson)…but what makes it is the humanity. Wilson doesn't waste his time writing about 'things,' he's writing about human beings -- fear, love, courage, hope. I loved it.” – Robert Crais, New York Times bestselling author of The Sentry
"Futurists are already predicting the day mankind builds its replacement, Artificial Intelligence. Daniel Wilson shows what might happen when that computer realizes its creators are no longer needed. Lean prose, great characters, and almost unbearable tension ensure that Robopocalypse is going to be a blockbuster. Once started I defy anyone to put it down." – Jack DuBrul, New York Times bestselling author
"The parts of this book enter your mind, piece by piece, where they self-assemble into a story that makes you think, makes you feel, and makes you scared." – Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
"Author [Daniel Wilson], who holds a doctorate in robotics, shows great promise as a worthy successor to Michael Crichton as Wilson, like the late Crichton, is skilled in combining cutting-edge technology with gripping action scenes. Expect a big demand for this frenetic thriller."--Booklist
Unfavorable reviews include those of fantasybookcritic.blogspot, which called it "a disappointment"; Damien Walter of the the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, who called it "nothing more than an airport thriller"; and Ron Charles of the Washington Post, who called it "a groaner", and lamented that "even by the cornball standards of the original 'Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
', this is a frakkin’ disaster". Chris Barton of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
thought it "crisply efficient and intermittently chilling", but with "ham-fisted dialogue".
Film adaptation
Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
has committed to direct a film based on the novel. Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard
Drew Goddard is an American film and television screenwriter and producer best known for his collaborations with Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams .Goddard joined the crew of Lost as a freelance writer for the first season in 2004...
has been hired to adapt Robopocalypse for the screen.
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
has also hired designer Guy Hendrix Dyas
Guy Hendrix Dyas
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Production Designer, most recently collaborated with Christopher Nolan on his ambitious science fiction thriller “Inception” which earned him an Academy Award Nomination®™ as well as a BAFTA award for best Production Design...
to work with him and his writers on creating the visual tone for the film and conceptualize its robotic elements.
The film, jointly financed by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
and Spielberg's DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
, will be released in North America through Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
on July 3, 2013. Fox will handle the international distribution. Filming will take place entirely in Montreal, Canada.