Once again we return to the C. Robert Cargill's Sea of Rust world, with Nanny the robot, a four foot tall tiger/soldier extraordinaire. Nanny, alone with no one left to care for, wanders the wasteland looking for the fabled refuge Confederation in hopes of finding some semblance of civilization. When he actually does reach it, he finds a society of humans and robots living in harmony, though it's more of a strained one than it shows on the surface. While Nanny is hailed as possibly just what Confederation needs to keep the peace, he soon finds there's much more going on in the so-called utopia.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series, I debated if I wanted to return to that world, because they were wonderfully written but pretty bleak, though having just a novella was a relief. Nanny is such a wonderful, unique character, and seeing him in action again was a real treat. The story itself didn't really break new ground; in fact, most of the plot elements have been explored in dystopian fiction, and parts felt like various seasons of The Walking Dead. I even wouldn't have minded the book being a little longer to flesh out more of the story, but it was still enjoyable to visit Nanny one more time..

Enjoyed this book by C Robert Cargill. First time reading him, and the book was great. I enjoyed the plot, the pacing, and especially the characters. Will be reading more from him in the future. #AlltheAshWeLeaveBehind #NetGalley

I am a little disappointed in this novella. I am a huge fan of Sea of Rust and enjoyed Day Zero but All the Ash We Leave Behind didn’t work for me. I just wanted something different if not more. I would much rather have a sequel to Sea of Rust.

The story does give additional insight to the world Cargill created in the few years after humans/robots are/still at war ). For a novella it makes sense the story is so sort and taking place in a blip of time but that’s war isn’t it? Everything moved so fast you blink and it’s over.

3 stars because:
Sea of Rust was absolutely amazing
Day Zero was good
I can’t give this novella the same rating as it did not match the other two.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy. This was a welcome, albeit brief, return to the world of "Sea of Rust," and "Day Zero." It's a world where a 4-foot tall, plush, anthropomorphic tiger can be a child's best friend and a brutal killing machine. This story gives you a little more insight into what happens after the human/bot war. My only complaint about this novella is that I wish it was longer. New characters are introduced, and due to the story length, you want to learn more about them, but the time just isn't there. I want more. But it's definitely recommended reading. I hope there's more coming.