Characters of Robopocalypse

Now almost finished with Robopocalypse, I can now see how the author Daniel H. Wilson has fully developed the story's characters over the course of the narrative. (If you don't know what this book is about take a look at my previous post) Unlike most novels which only have one or two main characters, Robopocalypse has an abundance of equally important characters whose stories are told in short chapters scattered throughout the novel. Now, most authors would be unable to pull off such a feat, giving depth to no less than seven main characters without even a continuous flowing story, but Daniel H. Wilson manages to do it flawlessly. In themselves, each of the characters does not appear to contribute much more to the plot, but when their stories start intertwining, you can see that they have propelled the plot forward. It is not the plot, but the characters that are the most stunning part of this novel. Without them, the story could be reduced to about one sentence like this one: 'Various tactics are employed by humans to end a war in which robots have decided that the only way to preserve the earth is to end humanity.'

Perhaps the most important main character is Cormac Wallace, who also happens to be the narrator. The plot is almost reverse: the ending is revealed on the first page, but how the story got to that point is the subject of the next 400 pages.Wallace is a clever but ordinary man who has joined the army. He can seem unsophisticated at times, spewing out cuss words, but he is actually given a deep personality by the author. At first, Cormac seems afraid of the conflict, and stays in the shadows of his courageous older brother. You can tell he's never even seen a conflict of this proportion, and doesn't know what to do. As quoted from the novel, Cormac states, "Here it is, the day before Thanksgiving. The day it all happened. My life up until now was never that great, but at least I was't being hunted. I never had to jump at the shadows, wondering whether some metal bug was about to try to blind me, sever one of my limbs, or infect me like a parasite." (Wilson 159)

After losing his older brother though, Cormac is left by himself, and has to change his ways to survive. He slowly develops into a more courageous and fearless leader who is ready to do whatever it takes to destroy Archos, the master robot. At this point in the novel, Cormac realizes that although he may die, his actions could help the billions of other humans survive. He no longer tries to only keep himself safe, hiding behind the shadows, but joins with other people he instinctively knows he can trust. As Cormac Wallace comments at the end of a chapter, "I assumed control of the squad that day. After the death of Tiberius Abdullah and Jack Wallace, the squad never again hesitated to make any sacrifice necessary in our fight against the robot menace." (Wilson 306)

 From just this one character out of many important ones, it is easy to see that Daniel H. Wilson put much thought into the development of dynamic characters.