A fantastic novella from Cargill, as he returns to the post-apocalypse future he has expounded upon in his prior novels of Zero Day and Sea of Rust. Robots and humans have been in a long time war for domination of the planet, and robots are winning with an extinction of humanity on the near horizon. Nanny, a robot designed to nuture children from infancy to adulthood, has extra high military capabilities as at the time he was built many wealthy families needed to protect their children from kidnapping or violence. Nanny has been adrift wandering across the wasteland, mourning the death of the child who was his most recent charge.

Seeking shelter from a violent storm, he stumbles across two robots protecting a young human teen Celeste – endangering themselves from other robot attacks. Nanny is persuaded to join them back a what Nanny had presumed was merely myth: a safe haven where robots and humans co-reside in a former massive government nuclear bomb shelter. But high tensions exist between the humans and robots there remain, and Nanny will be called upon to heroically do what he does best. Moving!

Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Ahoy there me mateys!  This novella takes place in between the Day Zero and Sea of Rust novels and features Pounce from the book Day Zero.  I would not read this book without reading Day Zero first.  This story takes place three years after the events of that novel.

Nanny (Pounce) is searching for the last enclave, Confederation, where humans and bots live together in peace.  The rumors persist but is the sanctuary just a myth?  Nanny finds a human girl and two bots in a shelter during a storm.  They say Confederation is real and that Nanny can join them.  But is Confederation really a place of peace?

I loved this short foray back into the world.  Getting to see what Confederation is like was sobering and depressing.  This is certainly not a feel good story.  Humans suck.  So do many of the bots.  And yet, reading about Nanny's journey still had me rooting for him.  I also really enjoyed the detective human and bot duo.

There isn't a lot I can say about the plot due to its short length and spoilers.  But I was surprised at two of the plot twists that seemed inevitable in retrospect.  Readers expecting answers won't get any.  However, if you want a snapshot of world building and Pounce then give it a shot.  I am glad I got another look into this world.  Arrrr!

4.5 rounded up

The worst part about watching a world grow cold isn’t the chill, it’s remembering the warmth.

You'll find this line about a third of the way through this outstanding novella, set in the author's series of books starting with Sea of Rust and its prequel, Day Zero. All the Ash We Leave Behind serves as something of a "midquel" (if that's a thing), though it doesn't bridge the gaps. Here we see a Nannybot looking for and finding a rumored "last enclave" of humanity and bots living together, outside of the war that has consumed most of humanity (and now is consuming bots themselves as the AIs war with one another). But not everything in Confederation is going great, which is something Nanny discovers and is forced to reckon with.

This is a bleak and dark bit of fiction - much as Day Zero was. This is a survivor tale and is about survival itself. It has a message, but I don't know if everyone reading this will appreciate the idea that just getting to another day is a success.

If I had a quibble that holds this back from the heights of the prior two novels (and of other C. Robert Cargill work, which I quite love honestly - I still long for a return to Austin and the world of "the wizard Colby") it is that it is so short. I think there was an interesting idea here that could have been drawn out into a full novel, stretching out more and more regarding events in Confederation. But instead...it all is over in just a handful of pages and I was left wondering why we didn't get more time. This is short, and it made me wish there had simply been more.

But for what it is...it is very good. Just don't expect to feel good at the end. Because you won't.

4 stars. I'd also love it if Cargill got back to Brittle's story...the ending of Sea of Rust seemed to imply that there was more there to tell. But if this is what I get...I'm happy enough, since Cargill is such a good writer and (unfortunately), the movies he writes aren't my cup of tea.

All the Ash We Leave Behind
by C. Robert Cargill
Sea of Rust #0.5
Science Fiction Fantasy Short Story
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: July 31, 2025
Subterranean Press
Ages: 14+

The war between humans and robots started three years ago, and now humans are almost extinct. But there are a few places where humans and robots hide together, and one of those places is called Confederation.

A lone Nannybot is searching for it, hoping to find a place where it can be what it was programmed to be before it rusts, but it is still haunted by the boy it lost.

But Confederation isn't the place it was rumored to be, because there was a reason why the war between the humans and robots started.


A return to the Sea of Rust in a very short story. This one takes place between 'Day Zero' and 'Sea of Rust', and I really enjoyed those books and was so happy to be approved to read an advance copy. I wish this were longer because it's missing so many layers of the world that were created in the other books. (That's one of the reasons I don't like short stories.) Also left out were the fine details that brought the character to life in the other books. I can see a certain reason to leave them out, but those details are what brought the characters to life.

I don't want to give away too much because this is a series one must read for themselves.

Also, it didn't have the 'humor' as 'Day Zero' did, and it was very serious with politics and racism, but I did smile and get a shiver at the end of the story.

There is violence and child death, along with other sensitive topics, but I still think mature readers fourteen and older would like this series.

I love the title; it fits and ties in with the story. The cover has its own impact on the story.

Even though this book was lacking, I still highly recommend this series.

3 Stars

All the Ash We Leave Behind is a return to the world that Sea of Rust created. I did love seeing the nanny bot again and seeing more of the war. I do feel this really needed to be a full novel. More time with the characters and the war would have made this a far richer experience.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.