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The Machine by James Smythe


Michelle

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The Machine is set in a bleak near future, where global warming has taken control, with heat and floods, and the youth are to be feared. It's present tense, which is hard to do, and there are no speech marks used. I've read a similar style before, and it was a little jarring, but in this case, I didn't even realise until about half way through! The style is sharp and bleak, and fits perfectly.

 

Beth's husband came back from the war with problems, and was treated using a new machine, which worked by stripping out bad memories and inserting new ones in their place. Developed too quickly, and used by many, including dementia patients, it actually left most severely damaged by it, in a close to catatonic state, and was withdrawn. Beth manages to get hold of an illegal machine, and has a hard copy of her husband's memories. Can she restore him, and then heal him the traditional way instead?

 

I bought this book on Saturday, read a little that night, and finished the rest today - it was literally a hard book to put down, and had me absolutely hooked. It's been called a modern day Frankenstein, which is certainly is, but it's also a frightening glimpse of a possible future, even if you don't consider the memory affecting machine.

 

It's a dark, unsettling book, but with a style which fits, and a story which will keep you reading and thinking.

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