The Holy Machine by Chris Beckett
George Simling has grown up in the city-state of Illyria in the Eastern Mediterranean, an enclave of logic and reason founded as a refuge from the Reaction, a wave of religious fundamentalism that swept away the nations of the twenty-first century. Yet to George, Illyria's militant rationalism is as close-minded and stifling as the faith-based superstition that dominates the world outside its walls. For George has fallen in love with Lucy. A prostitute. A robot. She might be a machine, but the semblance of life is perfect. And beneath her good looks and real human skin, her seductive, sultry, sluttish software is simmering on the edge of consciousness. To the city authorities robot sentience is a malfunction, curable by periodically erasing and resetting silicon minds. Simple maintenance, no real problem, its only a machine. But its a problem for George, he knows that Lucy is something more. His only alternative is to flee Illyria, taking Lucy deep into the religious Outlands where she must pass as human because robots are seen as demonic mockeries of God, burned at the stake, dismembered, crucified. Their odyssey leads through betrayal, war and madness, ending only at the monastery of the Holy Machine...
Let's waste no time: this book is incredible * Interzone *
One of the most accomplished novel debuts to attract my attention in some time.. A triumph * Asimov’s *
Should be on the radar of anyone who professes concern for science fiction as a literary form * Alastair Reynolds *
One of the most accomplished novel debuts to attract my attention in some time.. A triumph * Asimov’s *
Should be on the radar of anyone who professes concern for science fiction as a literary form * Alastair Reynolds *
Chris Beckett is a former social worker and now university lecturer who lives in Cambridge. Beckett has written over 20 short stories, many of them originally published in Interzone and Asimov's. In 2009 he won the Edge Hill Short Story competition for his collection of stories, The Turing Test.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781848876569 |
| ISBN 10 | 1848876564 |
| Title | The Holy Machine |
| Author | Chris Beckett |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Atlantic Books |
| Year published | 2010-07-01 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |