Published by Subterranean Press on June 26, 2025
This novella is set in the same universe as Day Zero and Sea of Rust. Robots and humans are at war, sometimes with each other, although independent robots and humans are united against the One World Intelligence that seeks to assimilate all robots and destroy all humans. The setting is generally post-apocalyptic.
The protagonist of All the Ash We Leave Behind is a robot who will be familiar to readers of Day Zero, although I won’t identify him (or she or it, whatever the politically correct pronoun might be for a robot) because he doesn’t reveal his identity until the last sentence. For most of the story, the protagonist is known only as Nanny because he was created to care for and protect children. Before the war, he had a nice coat of fur, the better for cuddling. Now he survives by using the military/fighting skills with which he was programmed to protect the children in his care.
The story begins five years after the war began. Humanity “is all but lost. Pockets of resistance remain, but there is nothing resembling nations or provinces. Just city-states on the fringes of what civilization once was.”
Nanny is searching for a mythical place called Confederation, a fortress where humans and robot allies live together, fighting to keep the enemy from destroying them. Nanny encounters a human girl named Celeste who is accompanied by two lightly armed robots that can’t match Nanny’s skill. Nanny follows them to Confederation, where Nanny is assigned to take over the protection duties that were once delegated to a nanny robot that is now inoperable.
It will come as no surprise that Confederation will be attacked. How the attack comes about and its outcome may be surprising so I won’t spoil them. I can say that the ending is bleak.
The story stands alone reasonably well for readers who aren’t familiar with Day One. Nanny is a sympathetic character; the others, both human and robot, have little personality. After C. Robert Cargill gets the setup out of the way, action takes over. Action scenes are typical of post-apocalyptic fiction that emphasizes action over characterization. Cargill fans will appreciate the chance to be immersed again in this future history. Readers who are unfamiliar with his fictional universe will likely find the novella enjoyable but unremarkable.
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