A review by jmcphers
Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories about People Who Know How They Will Die by Matthew Bennardo, Ryan North, David Malki
4.0
It's really hard to review the whole collection of stories: they vary immensely. Some are long; most are quite short. Some spy on society from near-satellite level; others don't let you see beyond two or three characters. In some, the Machine has effectively stratified society; in others, it is an equalizer. Some characters respond to their predictions by becoming paranoid; others, fearless. Some stories are funny. Some are sad.
Almost all of them make you think.
A lot of the authors in this anthology are Internet Famous, and not necesarily for writing. So ... the writing isn't always polished. But the ideas! The imaginations! Quality.
As an aside, until reading this book I had always imagined David Malki as some sort of bearded fop with an affectation for Victorian vocabulary. His comic strip, Wondermark, is fantastic. But I was unable to identify his stories in the book until I got to the end of each story (which, cleverly, is where the author is revealed), and they are two of the best stories in the book. Read one of them first if you're not sure.
Almost all of them make you think.
A lot of the authors in this anthology are Internet Famous, and not necesarily for writing. So ... the writing isn't always polished. But the ideas! The imaginations! Quality.
As an aside, until reading this book I had always imagined David Malki as some sort of bearded fop with an affectation for Victorian vocabulary. His comic strip, Wondermark, is fantastic. But I was unable to identify his stories in the book until I got to the end of each story (which, cleverly, is where the author is revealed), and they are two of the best stories in the book. Read one of them first if you're not sure.