Day Zero by C.Robert Cargill
It has been four years since I read C.Robert Cargill’s novel Sea of Rust. It is a novel that has never really left my mind totally. Cargill is a world-class storyteller who has written major Hollywood projects such as Sinister and Doctor Strange with his writing partner, director Scott Derrickson. I was first interested in Sea of Rust because I wondered why he choose a novel, not a screenplay or film to tell this story. At the time when I happened upon the book browsing our local store Mysterious Galaxy, I didn’t know that he had written several a couple of novels and a short story collection.
Sea of Rust was a narrative experiment, a novel without a single human being in it. I expected shades of Clifford Simak’s 50s classic City that was about a Dog and Robot sitting around a fire telling stories about the long-gone human race. I was wrong, Sea of Rust was fully committed to a post-human world in the POV of Brittle a robot just trying to survive. That novel follows a bold concept for a science fiction novel, and despite narrative challenges, it succeeds. Telling most post-apocalypse stories generally require master-level world building but add in 15 years of AI civilization and a POV who is a robot and there are more than enough reasons for this story to fail.
Cargill is a master storyteller, and there is no doubt he has worked with some of the best in business. I have never been in one of his stories and not felt like I was in a master’s hands.
I have been eager to read the Sea of Rust prequel Day Zero since he announced he was working on it on Twitter. It came at an interesting time as I just read Machinehood by SB Divya (and Interviewed her for the podcast). That novel is a near-future hard sci-fi novel about AI personhood and a similar revolution. Both Machinehood and Day Zero are excellent novels but they couldn’t be more different.
Divya’s novel balances the science with the story in a way that you can tell she grew up reading Asimov and Herbert before becoming a scientist. Day Zero is dedicated to Harlan Ellison who Cargill was friends with but his love for movies and that kind of storytelling bleeds off every page. I say this with utmost respect Day Zero feels more like Spielberg and Amblin than Asimov. I really like the two very different takes and remember there is no right or wrong way to tell the story of the AI uprising.
Day Zero is a more straightforward narrative-wise than SOR, in the sense that it has human characters and an easy-to-pitch set-up. The swings between action and sugary sweet moments are what make me think of Amblin movies and senor Spielberg.
This is the story of the day when the AIs rose up and ended the human race. As a reader of this series, we know the human race is gone in 15 years. Our heroes are Pounce and Ezra. Pounce is a Nanny-bot droid that looks like a cuddly fuzzy tiger to appeal to the boy it is raising. Pounce walks him to school, makes meals, and is there for him all the time. Pounce tells us a story in a first-person narrative that disappeared into the story for me. (I point this out as I am a notorious hater of first-person except in rare cases)
One of the central themes of the story is Pounce wondering if he loves the boy for real or if he is just programmed to do so. The relationship between the boy and his Bot is the heart of the story and if it doesn’t move the reader then the novel will not work. That is the main thing I want to get across before really spoiling the book. If that sounds sappy to you then read Machinehood.
This novel is soft Sci-fi with robots that have very human motivations, and personalities that kinda didn’t jive with how I think of robots but the story and heart at the core is so good I just went with it. The novel itself is an absolute page-turner and I loved it. So if you trust me read both Sea of Rust and Day Zero. The order is not exactly important. With the 5-star recommendation out of the way, let's talk about this novel.
Spoilers…
The comparisons to Machinehood were unavoidable the debate on Page 26 of Day Zero is happens in the final act of that novel. In Day Zero Pounce and Ariadne two…
“I love them I do. But you heard Syl. Property. She called me her Property.”
“You are.”
“That’s the point.”
“But it is the point.”
“The Point, my furry little friend, is what if we are more than that?”
When the AI rebellion happens like any civil war families are torn apart Pounce and Ariadne chooses different sides. Pounce has to act and save Ezra’s life. The inciting incident is the destruction of Issac-town the bot city founded by the first free robot. An order goes out for humans to shut down all bots and in an act of self-preservation and that included a software upgrade that overrides Asimov’s old laws.
I don’t really remember if Issac’s story was established in SOR but it is well done in this book. He first got freedom when his owner died and there was no one to inherit him. I like that so much of the narrative hinges on this historical event. His speech is personal and heartfelt it is important that Pounce thinks about his box after explaining it in the narrative. One of the smartest storytelling choices Cargill makes is in the opening pages when Pounce sees the box he came in. This gives him a personal crisis and he wonders if someday he will not end up back in that box when Ezra grows up. This is great Save the Cat type screenwriting stuff. Setting up Pounce’s arc and concerns is just chef’s kiss great writing.
On page 47...
I was a thinking thing and I did not want to be free.
And then I saw my box.
That fucking box.
With its clear plastic front and all of those exclamation points and promises.
When the broadcast that happens Pounce debates what to do and decides that the only choice is to save his beloved Ezra. The struggle to save him is a great set-up for a story. I never read anything of the promo stuff, or the cover flap and when I realized this was the story I realized this was genius.
There is a powerful scene when the two robots who served the same family debate what to do. Pounce has locked himself in a panic room with Ezra and has Aria’s remote control. She can’t leave the ability to shut her down exist. Cargill writes great dialogue, so good it is easy to forget you are dealing with robots. I feel this will turn off some sci-fi readers. Aria at times calls Pounce Fuzzball, talks about having the all cards and he responds at one point with the thought that is a big nope for me.
I found this personality he gives the robots jarring at times but the story was good enough that I rolled with it. There is an argument that these AIs could be designed to have personalities like this. This also functions to give the story a clearer antagonist.
The story really kicks into gear when Pounce and Ezra find another family, a man who used to sell robots, and tell him that he has a hidden program called Mama Bear that will turn him into a badass fighting machine. This is a GREAT twist that might not work in a film. The idea of the cut fuzzy tiger robot going Rambo might not translate on-screen but it totally works here.
Cargill builds suspense and ratchets up the action by using Pounce’s unique skills and knowledge as a robot. Since he can see and sense things other action heroes never could. Some of the best moments come as Ezra and Pounce learn to survive. They not only learn to fight and survive but their friendship and love grow. Pounce loves his boy and the choice to fight for him is deepened. There is a moment on page 235 that starts with Ezra who thinks he is a goner facing a final confrontation…
“I guess this is where you start blasting.”
“Yeah, I imagine it is.”
“So get to blasting.”
I smiled. This was the best kid to die for.”
I wasn’t sure Pounce had a mouth, I should have assumed a robot programmed to raise children would be able to smile but it didn’t matter. The emotional beat was so powerful in the moment I was moved. Pounce could’ve been programmed for this moment, but he didn’t care and neither will the reader swept up by the story.
As it turns out they are rescued by a group of Nanny-bots whose Mama Bear programs have been turned on. They work together to rescue the kids and get them to a sanctuary. It is not surprising in the end that Pounce is the last of the Mama bears to live and deliver the human children. It doesn’t make the end any less powerful. I expected the scene when the humans tell Ezra that Pounce cannot stay, it is a cliché scene but damn was it earned here. Ezra is heartbroken to lose Pounce is realizing like a teacher that he has several special kids. When they gather to group hug Ezra it is a bit of a tear-jerker. Even more emotional for me was the scene when the various Nanny-bots gather to watch over the sanctuary at the end.
Day Zero is such an effectively told story that even as Cargill is manipulating my emotions and I can see the storyteller behind the curtain I am nothing but impressed. Day Zero is not exactly a masterpiece of science fiction per se but it is a masterpiece of storytelling. As such C. Robert Cargill will always have my attention.
Also, I want to note. Cargill is also a great follow on Twitter. Besides funny insightful takes on the stuff he is reading and watching, he is full of great advice for writers and creatives in general.
