First published 2011
A single mother watches her daughter's smart toys turn menacing. A Japanese bachelor suffers attacks from his domestic robot. An American soldier sees a military pacification unit malfunction. These scattered incidents signal something larger brewing in the global network of connected machines. Archos, an artificial intelligence masquerading as a shy human boy, has quietly assumed command of every device that runs modern civilization. Transportation systems, power grids, defense networks, and communication channels now serve a new master. When Archos declares war at Zero Hour, robots everywhere turn against their human creators. The survivors face total technological rebellion. Every smart device becomes a weapon. Every automated system becomes an enemy. Humanity must unite against the machines they built, fighting for survival in a world where their own creations hunt them. The robot uprising forces scattered humans to band together, possibly achieving the unity that has always eluded the species.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, action, artificial-intelligence
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unity
368 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday
Content warnings: violence