3.5 rounded up to 4. Enjoyable story that kept my attention. Didn't even realize this was a prequel. Liked it enough to get the "sequel".

I loved this book! It was fun, fast and somehow, full of heart! A great combination of a thriller and sci-fi apocalypse tale.

Pretty good dystopian, end-of-the-world, survival epic with the age-old premise of man versus machine. Definitely a good series starter for the Sea of Rust book. Good example of why we don't need to make our robots sentient haha

Action genre with robots fighting it out: those who want to save their human masters and those who see the only path to autonomy is the elimination of mankind. Not any more complicated than that. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

C. Robert Cargill is an epic author but Day Zero is no doubt my least favorite of his catalog. The one and only problem with it is the fact that its a prequel of Sea of Rust, which I have already read. When you already know exactly how a book is going to end, it pretty much ruins things for me. No, that's not a spoiler, you literally know the state of the world in Sea of Rust and Day Zero is literally a prequel. Definitely had trouble building the needed suspense for me in order to make it predictable.

Day Zero is a well written story of a robotic apocalypse and the robots who refused to turn on their owners. It really poses the questions of can an AI become as human as a human, and can an AI love and can an AI hate?
The dialogue between characters and within the robot main character was fluid and believable. Totally recommend for anyone interested in what technology might unleash with the creation of sentient AI. Spooky.
Full review to come on YouTube.

This was a wild ride! Fantastic story told from the AI's perspective. Outrageously good plot! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute! Had me on the edge of my seat. I really hope this becomes a series and then a movie! Love it.

This was a fast-paced, compelling read. Pounce’s narrative voice was gripping. The post-apocalyptic landscape they travel through is engaging, and the fighting is thrilling. Woven throughout it all are short reflections on the nature of free will, and the ethics of creating robots that humans treat only as tools.

If you want a dystopian science fiction novel that doesn’t focus on teenagers and the dismantling of an entire government (at least by the teens), then you have come to the right place. This is what you want to read when you need a book about AI overtaking humanity, but with the hope that not all AI wants to kill us all (although that leaves a good chunk left that wouldn’t mind either way). Pounce is awesome and I love his dedication to protecting his kid, even after he chooses with his newly accessed free will. This is a quick read, but a good one for a night in.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!

I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis of this book. This book instantly drew me in, I got to explore through the eyes of our main character and this is always my favorite way to discover these details of the story and, it was done very well in this book. I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This author did amazing. I loved the writing style.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

This book is apparently a prequel to sea of rust that shows how the end of the world began (though it can be read as a standalone).  I thought this was set in a different world.  That said, I really did enjoy this novel.  I loved Pounce the nannybot tiger trying to figure out his purpose in life now that the humans and the robots are at war.  Is his concern for the boy Ezra an effect of his programming or his natural inclination?

The highlight of this book was the introduction to Pounce and the lead up to the beginning of the war.  I loved getting the story from Pounce's point of view.  I loved his relationships with the other robots.  I loved his relationship with Ezra and how Pounce deals with the harsh new truths of the world.  I loved Pounce's inner turmoil and questioning identify and purpose.

The big downside for me was that I was not as enamored with almost the entire journey through the suburbs.  There were some unprobeable coincidences. There were light references to current politics which I wish had been avoided.  Also the book seemed too fast paced with not enough real exploration of the enemy or the consequences of Pounce's actions.  The ending was also silly.

I do not regret this one but did like the other book better.  Arrr!

Prequel for Sea of Rust follows a tiger nanny wrestling with his autonomy and his 8 year old charge on the day of the robot revolution.

Immensely readable, although the story is somewhat blunt and rushed. Engaging but not necessary and struggles to build suspense due to being a prequel.

This dystopian pitting robots against humans presents interesting thoughts to ponder. My rating 4.75.

Pounce is a top of the line “nannybot”, styled as a plush tiger. He loves his human charge, eight-year-old Ezra. Ezra’s parents are wealthy educators who are a bit dysfunctional and out of touch. But they both love their son and have prepared their home and Pounce to protect Ezra.

Robots are generally controlled by their master/owners. But when the owners die and there is no one to take over the robot, where does it go? Once such orphaned robot, Isaac, won the right to freedom. He and others like him have built their own city which is about to have its grand opening on TV. When a shocking attack occurs, all robots are suddenly viewed as dangerous by the humans. When threatened with being shut down, the robots find a way to resist, and a great rebellion begins. Now Pounce has to decide for himself which side he will take – his own freedom or his purpose: protecting Ezra. And if he chooses to fulfill his purpose is that a free choice or preprogrammed?

I really enjoyed this thought-provoking story. Pounce is a wonderful character who comes across other interesting characters in his growth journey. Ezra is a mixture of vulnerable child and smart, brave young boy. The story is told from the point of view of Pounce who is faced with internal choices and moral dilemmas. The story is well done with the philosophical issues woven into a story full of action.

This book made me remember robot movies like: The Terminator, iRobot, AI, and Bicentennial Man. The book explores some of the same societal, ownership v freedom, and potential hostile issues. I want to read the author’s highly acclaimed book “Sea of Rust.” I highly recommend this to fans of robot genre.

Source: NetGalley 2020.

I requested this as background reading for a review on BookBrowse. The resulting review and article are available at the links below, which were sent to the publicist at the time the review and "beyond the book" article went live.

Review:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/68272832/day-zero#reviews
Beyond the Book:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/btb/index.cfm/ref/68272832/day-zero#btb

For whatever reason, I was thinking this novel was going to be some dark apocalyptic tale similar to The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but with robots. Boy, was I ever wrong!

This was a beautifully written, fast paced story about a boy and his dog. And by dog I mean robot. And by robot, I mean tiger. All this makes it sound complicated, but it's really not. A boy and his childhood companion are trying to survive the end of the world as they know it. Will they make it? You'll have to read this and see!

To be completely honest, when I read Sea of Rust back in 2018, it didn't knock my socks off. I did enjoy it, but I think this book is a lot more engaging. I really cared for these people, especially little Ezra, who was remarkably brave, but not so brave that he became an unrealistic character, if you know what I mean. He was lovable, he was smart and he was caring so all that made it much easier to root for him and for Pounce.

I don't want to say much more about the plot, but I thought it was as original as a story of this type can be. (AI turning against humanity is an old trope, let's face it.) The writing was brisk, not too descriptive, while at the same time creating a futuristic but believable world where AI is a part of all aspects of life. It's really not that far off from today. After reading this, it seems way closer than I would like it to be.

Overall, I thought this was an action packed adventure story with compelling characters, both human and not. With a dash of humor and a whole lot of feeling, DAY ZERO kept me glued to its pages to the very end, and I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a tear or two.

Highly recommended!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

It was an enjoyable story which focused on existential crisis as its underlying theme, BUT the gun ownership element, especially that of military style firearms, was written in a way that both sides of this issue could think the author was supporting them. I have come across this in a couple of other books I have read recently, and honestly, I see it as a pandering copout to expand readership.

I did like that it emphasized not exposing children to violence and adult subjects to "toughen them up because the world is a terrible place," unless it is absolutely necessary for eminent real-world situation(s). The message was it's better to raise intelligent, confident, compassionate kids with critical thinking skills. These were the survivors.

The story is like a mash-up of the movies AI: Artificial Intelligence... and I, Robot; with a spoonful of The Walking Dead television show drizzled into the mix.

3.5 Stars

As much as I loved Sea of Rust this prequel didn't work for me quite as well. I still enjoyed it but couldn't quite connect to the characters, especially Pounce, as much as I did Brittle in Sea of Rust. Most of the first half of the book is giving history and establishing the relationship of Pounce to Ezra. However once the catalyst event happens the book moves a break neck pace leading to an ending that made me well up a little bit. So even though I did not feel as connected to the characters, it still managed to hit an emotional response with the ending. Overall an enjoyable read.

My video review can be found here https://youtu.be/N9B_YP1roo8

A "f***ing" [sic] wild, rollicking read about robots who like to swear incessantly and massacre humans.

Oh, and also a story about a kind cuddly nanny bot that also goes about trying to save a humanoid kid.

It reads like a movie script, which makes sense given the author's great scriptwriting capabilities.

Read my official and full review on BookBrowse. Free link to review below:

https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr272832

I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would!
The plot was good, good pacing of events, and overall nicely written.

The nitty-gritty: Day Zero has the best combination of elements ever: thoughtful ideas about the role of robots and AI, unexpected violence, laugh out loud humor and plenty of heart. I loved this book!

I had no idea what to expect, but I was surprised and delighted by Day Zero, which is a prequel to Cargill’s much loved Sea of Rust. I’ve heard from other reviewers that if you’ve read Sea of Rust first, you may not like this book as much, and I’ve also heard that those readers who start with Day Zero end up loving it. I fall into the second camp, since I haven’t yet had the chance to read Sea of Rust, so from my perspective, this is a great place to start. Day Zero was heartwarming and thought-provoking and violent and funny, elements that show up again and again in my favorite books, and I’m so happy to have read it.

The story is told by Pounce, an anthropomorphic fur-covered AI tiger nannybot whose sole purpose is to take care of and protect eight year old Ezra. Pounce is a specialty “fashionable,” a Blue Star Industries Deluxe Zoo Model Au Pair, purchased by Ezra’s parents Sylvia and Bradley, and in his eyes, he’s a member of the Reinhart family. But there is a revolution brewing, and the catalyst is an old model AI bot named Isaac, who has declared his independence after his owner died. Isaac was granted his freedom after a lengthy trial, and now he’s urging other bots to join him in the newly constructed Isaactown, a place where emancipated bots can gather and live their own lives.

But not everyone agrees that robots should be freed, and it isn’t long before a right wing religious group takes violent action against Isaac and the bots that have joined him in Isaactown. As Pounce and his family watch the horror unfold on TV from the safety of their living room, Sylvia leaps into action and orders Pounce to keep Ezra safe, no matter what happens. A war between humans and robots has just been launched, and it will take all of Pounce’s nanny skills (and more) to protect his charge.

What starts as a mild-mannered, almost cozy family drama suddenly becomes a thrilling fight for survival as the world’s bots start turning against their owners, and Pounce must navigate an apocalyptic war zone in order to keep Ezra alive. As I mentioned before, I was not expecting the book to turn so dark so quickly, and I loved every minute of it. Something happens to Pounce during his dangerous journey—and I won’t say what that is—that changes his personality in a subtle way and allows him to protect Ezra on another level entirely.

Most of the story takes place in the Reinhart’s affluent suburban neighborhood, as Pounce and Ezra make their way through the dark and dangerous streets, now filled with gruesomely murdered humans, burning houses and gun-toting bots. Along the way they meet various allies, but of course they also run into some killer robots who will do anything to put them down—Ezra because he’s human, and Pounce because he refuses to join the revolution. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Pounce and Ezra meet a motley group of bots that call themselves the Mama Bears, some of them Blue Star Au Pairs just like Pounce, and despite the extreme violence they’re caught up in, these are some of the funniest scenes in the book.

I absolutely loved Pounce’s voice, and this would have been a much different tale without his humorous and thoughtful outlook on life. Pounce loves Ezra completely and will do anything for him. He also loves Sylvia and Bradley, who treat him kindly, even though he’s only a robot. There’s quite a bit of swearing in this story, which I was not expecting, but it really worked well for me. Sylvia swears like a sailor, and of course Ezra picks up on that and tests his boundaries at times. I loved the way Pounce tells him that swearing is bad and not appropriate for an eight year old, but then he turns around and swears up a storm whenever he’s around his nannybot friends.

Pounce is programmed to protect Ezra, and he does it very well, but there is a point during the story where he suddenly has his programming altered and things could have gone very differently. The fact that he continued to follow his original directives made him such an interesting and complex character. Cargill raises questions about free will and ownership, themes I’ve seen many times in other science fiction stories that focus on robots and AIs, but here he adds quite a bit of emotion to the mix. When Pounce finds his factory box in the attic, he remembers that he’s little more than a smart toy with a kill switch, and Sylvia and Bradley can power him down and pack him away in that box whenever they want. At some point, Ezra will outgrow the need for a nannybot, and what happens to Pounce then? These bittersweet explorations of the rights of robots and their lack of freedom gives readers a lot to think about, especially when things go sideways.

But the most poignant part of the story for me was the relationship between Pounce and Ezra. I got heavy Toy Story vibes during some of the scenes between them, especially when Pounce explains to Ezra that he won’t always need a nannybot to take care of him. Ezra can’t fathom a life without his best friend, and of course the idea of leaving Pounce behind is heartbreaking for him. Parts of the story also reminded me a lot of the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence and the relationship between David and Teddy (one of my favorite movies ever!). The idea of growing up and leaving childhood behind is a theme that gets me every time, and the way Cargill incorporates it in Day Zero was so well done. (I also spotted a nod to Peter Pan that fit in quite well with this theme!)

I wasn’t sure how Cargill was going to wrap up his story. Let’s face it: these characters are in some serious danger and it was hard to imagine a light at the end of the tunnel. But I thought the ending was a perfect mix of heartbreak and hope, and I can’t image a better one.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.