This is a perfectly serviceable popcorn book. Take a robot apocalypse novel, stir in a good dose of western, and just a dash of <i>Mad Max</i>, and this is what you get. It's an adventure, and to a lesser degree an examination of what makes us human. The robots in this book, for better or worse, all feel very human. I'm fairly certain that was a deliberate choice by the author, and part of the point in some cases, but to me it also felt like a missed opportunity. Then again, that might be me just wishing this was a different type of book altogether. As is it hits all the adventure beats and keeps pages turning at a good clip. Brittle makes for good company as the story barrels forward. This book has a strong sense of fun about it, and will make for good light reading for sci-fi fans. If, however, you find AI terrifying you might want to give this one a pass. It's hard to enjoy a fun romp when you can't stop thinking about how all the robots murdered humanity and poisoned the world. It rather puts a damper on things. Your milage may vary.

So far I really like this. About what happens after robots defeat humans and how they survive. Starts by following a bot who is scavenging parts from broke bots to trade. No girl or boy label but I think this bot seems more girl.

There are not enough stars to indicate how much I love this book! We're only half way through 2017 but I'll go so far as to say that this is my favourite book this year and I honestly can't imagine anything that would knock it off that spot. I loved this from the very first chapter and literally couldn't put it down. I cracked it open within 10 minutes of it falling through the letterbox and didn't look up from it again until the last page was turned.

It's very rare for me to gush about a book but this one is just made of awesome. I'm all about Post Apocalyptic fiction and I can't get enough of it. It's usually zombies that I favour but really it doesn't matter how the world ends, just so long as it DOES end. Nuclear, aliens, plague, climate change...it's all good. Apocalypse by robot though is rare enough to get bumped up the TBR list every time. I thought Robopocalypse was good when I read it a few years ago but Sea Of Rust just blows that one out of the water.

I was hooked right from the get-go when Brittle's (great name) interaction with Jimmy got me right in the feels. Gah, my heart broke a little bit. Best introduction to a character I've read in a long time. All of the characters were easily pictured though, even the very short lived secondary ones, due in part to absolutely pitch perfect dialogue. Mercer is the best kind of villain, the kind you love to hate without really hating them, and the interactions between him and Brittle never got old. I was on the edge of my seat more than once when things looked bleak for Brittle and I alternated between racing to the end to see how it all came together for her, and trying to pace myself and spin it out so it lasted as long as possible. It was a thing of beauty to watch it all unfold and I could happily have read on for another 400 pages. I marvel at the mind that brought this concept to life and made me forget at times that I was reading about robots while at the same time ramming it home that this was a world populated by machinery. Mr Cargill is a very talented man.

I would LOVE to see this made into a movie and have no doubt that it won't be long until I get my wish. It's just crying out to be on the big screen and I can't wait! This fellow can definitely write and I'll follow him wherever he goes from now on. Hugely enjoyable story and I can highly recommend it without hesitation. Best book of 2017!

*I received this paperback from the publisher*

I am torn about this novel. I liked the idea behind it; the folklore plot is always a favourite of mine. This is a dark twist on the often overdone plot line. There’s a lot of the violence and nasty side of the fae, which is often glanced over in well-known stories. I don’t think there are actually any fairy folk in the novel who have nice sides. Most are evil, or will bring humans to a sticky end; whether they mean to or not. I liked this nod to the traditional folklore.

I also liked how the children were represented. Both Ewan and Colby were taken, in one way or another, from their normal childhood and brought to the fairy realm. Both suffer greatly as adults. Instead of the story ending with them returning happy or enlightened, both are cursed and haunted by their experiences. It felt real, and I liked that.

What I hated, was how the novel tried after a while to become a morality tale. Thinly veiled religious teachings are suddenly flung upon you as you’re immersed in the story.

Personally, that’s not what I like and some of doctrine I actually disagree with strongly on a personal level. Which therefore pretty much ruined my enjoyment of the story.

I think if you like that aspect, can ignore it or aren’t bothered by it, this is definitely worth reading. But I won’t be picking up the next in the series, which is a shame.

I'm trying to figure out why this book didn't rank higher than 3 stars for me. The premise of these two boys whose friendship in the fairy kingdom changes both their adult lives was great. The mythology is interesting and the writing is good. Despite all that, and really being sucked into it at times, there were other moments when I found myself flipping pages, not emotionally connected.

I think the parts that resonated most with me were Colby's and Ewan's lives, which really kicked up in the second half of the book. The "factual essays" on various creatures weren't of as much interest to me. I still think this book is worth the read, and I'm sure I'll continue to puzzle out which notes didn't work for me, since all the elements were there.