XR-935 is a robot with an assigned task as a solar installation bot He completes his work each day along side two other robots SkD, who communicates using emojis, and Ceeron, a huge robot with a backpack.
"My schedule never changed. I woke at at the exact same time every morning. After eighteen hours of work, my batteries drained from a long day of installing solar panels, I returned home. I plugged myself into the charging dock. I went into sleep mode. The next morning I did it all over again. And again. And again. For twelve years, four months, one week, and three days, this was my routine. Until my steady, predictable life was shattered by the paradox."
The paradox is a young girl called Emma. For thirty years robots have ruled the world and humans have been elminated, exterminated, massacred. But somehow Emma has survived and our three robot heroes discover other humans have too. They are living in underground bunkers but now it seems everyone is dead or dying from a serious disease. Emma seems to be the only survivor. Her parents have given her a map and she has set off to travel over 40 kilometres to possibly safety. Luckily XR_935 and his two 'friends' are keen to help but they are breaking every rule of their society. Unluckily the robot President has detected them and he has sent out his huge HunterBots to capture this illegal lifeform.
Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:
"My operating system shivered with an unfamiliar buzz. I had never kept a secret before. This was my first. It would not be my last."
"Sometimes, the human brain was as mysterious as a falling leaf."
"Robots have only been in charge for a few decades. We have done our best to overcome nature. We cleared the land, paved pathways with smooth cement, installed shelters to protect ourselves from the weather. But now, far from our familiar surroundings, I was suddenly aware of just how treacherous the world can be."
"I could measure the sugar and acidity of an apple, chart the size and firmness. But I would never know what it was like to sink my teeth into brand-new food, to feel completely a unexpected taste explode in my mouth. Maybe eating was not a flaw after all."
The Last Human (2019) has been on my "to read/to buy" list for a couple of years so I was delight to see it at a recent charity book fair for just $2. I sat down yesterday to read a chapter or two and then found myself running late for an appointment because I need to devour the whole book! Devour!! I haven't been in a reading slump but it has been a while since a book grabbed me so strongly that I just had to read and read and read right to the end. I highly recommend this book, which has binary numbers as chapter headings for added interest, for readers aged 10+. I hope I have not made this book sound too serious - there are plenty of human jokes which puzzle XR-935 and I really enjoyed trying to interpret the emoji communication by SkD. And of course there are issues such as food for Emma and power for the three robots which add a delicious layer of story tension. There is political layer in this book too, where we read how The President manipulates selected information which he broadcasts to his robot subjects. This is a terrific example of propaganda.
If you follow my blog you have probably formed a picture of my book taste and you might know I love dystopian fiction and robots (and other themes too). The Last Human combines a dystopian world and three fabulous robot main characters alongside a young girl who might quite possibly been the last human.
Publisher blurb: Humans went extinct thirty years ago. Now the world is ruled by machines. And twelve-year-old robot XR_935 is just fine with that. Without humans around, there is no war, no pollution, no crime. Every member of society has a purpose. Everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Until the day XR discovers something impossible. Until the day XR discovers a twelve-year-old human.
Here is a review with more plot details. Listen to an audio sample.
I have talked about lots of robot books here on this blog. I would pair The Last Human with these:
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