Book excerpt: A group of misfit humans and machines fight to stop a conspiracy to exterminate humanity in a future Chicago ruled by a brutal artificial intelligence. The future is ruled by intelligent machines. After a brutal war leaving at least one quarter of the United States still under occupation, the remnants of the American government are negotiating for a permanent peace with a coalition of sophisticated but fascist machines that have besieged the country. Barry Simcoe, a businessman from Canada, is in occupied Chicago when his hotel is attacked by a rogue, thirty-foot-tall war drone. In the aftermath, he meets a Russian medic and a badly damaged robot called 19 Black Winter. Together, the trio stumble on a deep conspiracy driven by America’s conquerors that reveal a vicious plan, setting them in a race against time to protect the nation from a fate worse than subjugation. Praise for The Robots of Gotham “This debut novel beautifully combines a postapocalyptic man-versus-machine conflict and a medical thriller . . . This is thrilling, epic SF.” —New York Times “An epic novel . . . full of action, political intrigue, and unexpected twists. Todd McAulty has given us a fresh, compelling take on life during a robot apocalypse.” —Jeff Abbott, New York Times–bestselling author of Blame “A page-turner that kept me riveted from the opening lines to the final chapter. Highly recommended!” —David B. Coe, author of The Case Files of Justis Fearsson series