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. ( )

I picked this up at Steampunk World's Fair a few years back, but hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. I'm glad I finally did! Like any short story collection, it has a mix of gems and duds. Here are some stories that stood out to me:

* "Eighty Miles an Hour All the Way to Paradise" (Genevieve Valentine) is a haunting post-apocalyptic tale about survival, and who we pick up along the way, and being left behind.
* "Epoch" (Cory Doctorow) has an interesting take on a rogue A.I. from a sysadmin's point of view.
* "The Golden Hour" (Juliana Baggott) features an unlikely rebel and a ray of hope in a capricious and regimented world.
* "Sleepover" (Alastair Reynolds) has a downright unsympathetic protagonist, but it's got an evocative setting, and a really interesting take on an old philosophical idea.
* "Of Dying Heroes and Deathless Deeds" (Robin Wasserman) is a tragic exploration of trauma, ambiguous moral choices, and poetry.
* "The Robot and the Baby" (John McCarthy) is a short, fun piece that I like because its wacky robot behavior is grounded in realistic computer programming. (Not surprising, perhaps, since the author invented the original Lisp programming language.) Note however that it does feature a rather unfortunate stereotype of a "crack mother".
* "We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War" (Seanan McGuire) is a sorrowful tale about fading hope, callousness, and unintended consequences. It also features a clever use of a technology that isn't usually depicted in fiction.
* "Small Things" (Daniel H. Wilson) unfurls a horrifying apocalyptic wonderland at the same time it gradually reveals more about the protagonist's tragic backstory. It's a well-crafted gem of glittering terror. ( )

This was a solid anthology. Not for those uninterested in robots (as the title would suggest). The Wilson story is a bit drawn out and frankly disappointing. The highlight for me was the Jeff Abbott story. ( )

Robot Uprisings
Daniel H. Wilson and John Joseph Adams

I picked up a copy of this book as soon as it came out. I'm a big fan of Daniel H. Wilson and appreciate his take on the possible path our future with technology may take. His previous book Robopocalypse and Amped were two I enjoyed greatly, even if it does seem that the author has more sympathy or connection to his robot characters than his human ones at times!

Personally, despite being raised on Terminator....or maybe because I was raised on Terminator, when I thought of that A.I. moment it was always a cyborg, or a small military machine. I never actually imagined the various ways which our lives could be completely taken over by the little things, the things we walk past every day. Two examples shown in this anthology that forced me to change my mindset, include the machines that make our foods adding additives that makes us slow and forgetful or car that are guided and controlled by their GPS system. One is passive and non threatening whilst the other could not be more horrifying. Either way after finishing, it certainly seems we have left ourselves wide open.

You think not? Imagine a panicked phone message from a relative telling you to meet at a certain place, an elevator imploring you to evacuate the building and then letting you drop or your children's favourite toy suddenly deciding it does not like being told what to do and asking it to follow them somewhere special. Jeez it gives me the willies just thinking about it.

Each story in this collection examines a different element of this techno uprising and without spoiling anything you may never find yourself looking at your office or home in the same way again.

If you have not read Daniel H. Wilsons book Robopocolypse this is an excellent lead in. The fact that Steven Spielberg has signed on to direct the film adaptation should give you some confidence. ( )

JJA's anthologies are brilliant and bringing along stories if robot conflicts makes this collection a fun group of stories from some great authors. Loved it and hope maybe some day another set will be out together. ( )