Revolution 19 (Revolution 19, 1) - Hardcover

Rosenblum, Gregg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062125958 ISBN 13: 9780062125958

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2013

Synopsis

From the creators of Homeland and the Final Destination films, Revolution 19 is a cinematic thriller unlike anything else.

At first they called it system-wide malfunctions when the robots stopped fighting at exactly 2:15 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time, August 17, 2051. For twenty-two hours the battlefields were silent. Then when the bots began killing again, now targeting their human commanders, they shook their heads and called it fatal programming errors. When, a day later, the skies over cities on six continents grew dark with warships, they began to understand. And when the bombs rained down and legions of bot foot soldiers marched into the burning ruins, killing any humans who resisted and dragging away the rest, they finally called it what it was: revolution.

Only a few escaped the robot war. Those who did lived in secret freeposts, hiding from the robot armies determined to control the human race. Nick, Kevin, and Cass are some of the lucky ones—they live with their parents in a secret human community outside the robot-controlled Cities. But when the bots discover their village and attack, the teens are forced to run. Determined to find out if their parents are alive, the three siblings venture into the heart of the robot City, where one misstep could be their last.

About this title

About the Author

Gregg Rosenblum works at Harvard, where he wages epic battles against technology as an editor/webmaster/communications/quasi-IT guy. He graduated from UC San Diego and has an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. He lives in Boston with his wife and daughter.

From the Back Cover

Twenty years ago, the robots designed to fight our wars abandoned the battlefields. Then they turned their weapons on us.

Headstrong seventeen-year-old Nick has spent his whole life in a community in the wilderness, hiding out from the robots that have enslaved mankind. But when the bots discover the community's location, he, his tech-geek younger brother, Kevin, and adopted sister, Cass, barely make it out alive—only to discover that their home has been destroyed and everyone they love is missing.

All survivors were captured and taken to one of the robots' Cities. The siblings have been hearing tales about the Cities all their lives—humans are treated like animals, living in outdoor pens and forced to build new bots until they drop dead from exhaustion. Determined to find out if their parents are among the survivors, Nick, Kevin, and Cass venture into the heart of the City, but it is nothing like they've been told.

As they live among the bots for the first time, they realize they're fighting for more than just their family. The robots have ruled for too long, and now it's time for a revolution.

Reviews

Gr 8 Up-In the not-so-distant future, a robot revolution results in humans living in tightly controlled cities or in the wild outskirts, surviving by scavenging "pre-Rev" items. When their parents are captured during a "bot" raid on one such Freepost, three teens set out to rescue them. The siblings discover that the City, while still commanded by the robots, is not a prison but a thriving community. They make a friend who offers to shelter them and act as guide. After being implanted with dummy chips to blend in better, 15-year-old Cass and 13-year-old Kevin attend school, where students are indoctrinated with robot propaganda. A too-brief explanation is given for how robots were able to enslave humans: the robots that replaced human soldiers during warfare eventually evolved and took over to "save mankind from itself." The teens are nearly caught and make a daring escape, as does 17-year-old Nick, who has allowed himself to be captured to find his parents in the reeducation center. More action follows as Kevin temporarily overloads the power system and disables the bots (using a stolen identity that conveniently allows access to the mainframe). The climax and epilogue leave many unresolved issues that indicate a sequel. Fans of dystopian fiction will find Revolution 19 fast paced and entertaining, but Daniel Wilson's Robopocalypse (Doubleday, 2011) offers more satisfying speculation about the dangers of our reliance on technology.-Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MOα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In 2051, the intelligent robots employed to fight our wars fought back. Now, two decades later, the only humans living outside of robot control are based in small encampments scattered throughout the wilderness. After their parents are captured for “reeducation,” teen siblings Nick (the brave one), Kevin (the clever one), and Cass (the athletic one) sneak into the city to try to save them. But the city is not what they expected: it’s clean, productive, and pleasant. Underneath, though, seethe dissidents who don’t appreciate the robots’ stated goal “to protect humankind from itself.” The subtext here is the inherent value of exercising free will, but the surface appeal comes from good old-fashioned sci-fi action starring remorseless laser-firing robots and ridiculously brave and selfless teenagers. The section that differentiates this book from others involves Nick undergoing the reeducation treatment himself—it’s ominous, alarming, and unpredictable. This comes “from the minds of” two Hollywood directors, Howard Gordon and James Wong, so one wonders if a feature film might be in the offing. Grades 7-10. --Daniel Kraus

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062125958
• ISBN 13: 9780062125958
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272