Children of Ruin (Children of Time, #2)

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Then Baltiel called up their mission statement which was, of course (and entirely incidentally), to destroy all this and replace it with something more like home.

But then, when you’re designing an interface to let molluscs play computer games you probably don’t build in that much security.

The whole audacious, ridiculous plan of his had worked out in every particular, save that he had failed to adjust for the destructive stupidity of the rest of humanity.

But we are intrepid and we are inquisitive and we can adapt.

The most prominent cause of death so far is curiosity.

Avrana Kern has only limited and artificial emotional responses, being dead and a computer composed at least partially of ants.