Over the summer, I read the book
Robopocalypse, by Daniel H. Wilson.
Robopocalypse is a novel about the fall of humankind to robots. This book has many central themes, but one of the most common in the story is that people are too reliant on technology to live. For many people today, it is an addiction that physically and mentally impacts them. This theme first emerges at the beginning of the book when futuristic life is described as easy and lazy. It is not an uncommon sight to see butler-like robots strolling through the streets, picking up groceries and running errands for their owners who sit in their houses. This image can be seen in the sentence, "It's unstoppable, like gravity or something. After a couple of seconds, Felipe is close enough that Big Happy can get a hold of him with its other gripper. The mop handle clatters to the floor as the other gripper closes on Felipe's chin and mouth, crushing the bottom part of his face. He screams and I can hear his jaw cracking" (Wilson 31). This quote describes one of these butler robors, also known as a Big Happy, turing on its humans and attacking them ruthlessly. This is one of the first attacks of a robot on a human recorded. The theme continues to develop throughout the book when the humans realize how hard life is without their technology. In the end, humans prevail and defeat Archos, the super-computer and mastermind behind the robotic revolution.
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This article gives a good summary and a well thought out description of
Robopocalypse's plot and meaning. It gives the future reader of this novel an insight into it which supplies the reader with knowledge not given in the book.
Robopocalypse Article
