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The Lost Machine
In a wasteland ravaged by plague, Lumsden Moss steps out of a decaying prison. Armed with a satchel of yellowed notebooks containing the fragile memories of five murdered children, he is determined to track down and confront their killer. Lumsden, accompanied by a stranger, begins a long journey to the vast City of Steps where he is forced to confront the horrors of the past and present.
109 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Richard A. Kirk
11 books34 followersRICHARD A. KIRK - Author, Illustrator, & visual artist
Richard is the author of the novella THE LOST MACHINE (Radiolaria Studios, 2010), the novel NECESSARY MONSTERS (Resurrection House, Arche Press, 2017), and an illustrated short story collection MAGPIE’S LADDER (PS Publications, 2019). Richard’s new, illustrated novel, TAILOR OF ECHOES was published in 2021 by PS Publishing. Richard is currently working on a new novel.
He has illustrated works by Clive Barker, Christopher Golden, Frank Herbert, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Thomas Ligotti, China Mieville, the rock band Korn and others.
Richard's art work is drawn from an interest in the forms and processes of the natural world. He explores these themes through the creation of meticulous drawings in ink, graphite and silverpoint, which often depict chimerical creatures and protean landscapes. Metamorphosis is an underlying narrative in all of Richard's work.
Richard is the author of the novella THE LOST MACHINE (Radiolaria Studios, 2010), the novel NECESSARY MONSTERS (Resurrection House, Arche Press, 2017), and an illustrated short story collection MAGPIE’S LADDER (PS Publications, 2019). Richard’s new, illustrated novel, TAILOR OF ECHOES was published in 2021 by PS Publishing. Richard is currently working on a new novel.
He has illustrated works by Clive Barker, Christopher Golden, Frank Herbert, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Thomas Ligotti, China Mieville, the rock band Korn and others.
Richard's art work is drawn from an interest in the forms and processes of the natural world. He explores these themes through the creation of meticulous drawings in ink, graphite and silverpoint, which often depict chimerical creatures and protean landscapes. Metamorphosis is an underlying narrative in all of Richard's work.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 21, 2022
Lumsden Moss escapes confinement after an outbreak of disease wreaks havoc in Brickscold Prison. He moves across a landscape outside its walls that seems infected with the decayed remains of magic. Along his journey he meets characters who are possessed by strange compulsions, and sometimes even stranger desires. Undeterred he moves onward on his own quest.
Somewhere out there in the broken world is a man Moss seeks. A man Moss blames for the disappearance of children. A man that requires justice to be dealt upon him.
Richard A. Kirk creates an adult fairy tale with The Lost Machine. He weaves a series of strange encounters together as his lead character travels the alien world in his search for his foe. The landscape is littered with peculiar characters, and offbeat encounters. The almost abstract world is eloquently described, but becomes bogged down in its desire to be lyrical. As the story unfolds Lumsden Moss develops no real character, and he doesn’t evolve beyond being an avatar for the audience. In itself this isn’t a problem, but the strange encounters he faces begin to blur and when this happens there’s nothing to anchor the reader and keep the momentum moving.
The Lost Machine is well written, but the overall structure becomes muddled and this weakens the denouement. Ultimately I felt The Lost Machine to be an empty experience despite all the pretty prose. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy it, though this seems a contradiction, but my enjoyment was more academic than entertainment. It was an enjoyment of the moments the novelette presented rather than the story as a whole. I felt an underlying disconnection in The Lost Machine, as if the book was written by a hermit who only had vague impressions concerning social interaction. This does add sadness to the work, a bleak kind of beauty. It also adds a perpetual feeling of disquiet. Unfortunately it also adds the disconnection, and allows the prose to act as much a barrier as a carrier of the story.
It’s an interesting piece, this is certain, and a certain type of reader will probably get a lot out of the tale, but whether this is “entertainment” is questionable to me. But then, entertainment is merely a matter of taste, and your taste probably varies considerably from my own.
Somewhere out there in the broken world is a man Moss seeks. A man Moss blames for the disappearance of children. A man that requires justice to be dealt upon him.
Richard A. Kirk creates an adult fairy tale with The Lost Machine. He weaves a series of strange encounters together as his lead character travels the alien world in his search for his foe. The landscape is littered with peculiar characters, and offbeat encounters. The almost abstract world is eloquently described, but becomes bogged down in its desire to be lyrical. As the story unfolds Lumsden Moss develops no real character, and he doesn’t evolve beyond being an avatar for the audience. In itself this isn’t a problem, but the strange encounters he faces begin to blur and when this happens there’s nothing to anchor the reader and keep the momentum moving.
The Lost Machine is well written, but the overall structure becomes muddled and this weakens the denouement. Ultimately I felt The Lost Machine to be an empty experience despite all the pretty prose. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy it, though this seems a contradiction, but my enjoyment was more academic than entertainment. It was an enjoyment of the moments the novelette presented rather than the story as a whole. I felt an underlying disconnection in The Lost Machine, as if the book was written by a hermit who only had vague impressions concerning social interaction. This does add sadness to the work, a bleak kind of beauty. It also adds a perpetual feeling of disquiet. Unfortunately it also adds the disconnection, and allows the prose to act as much a barrier as a carrier of the story.
It’s an interesting piece, this is certain, and a certain type of reader will probably get a lot out of the tale, but whether this is “entertainment” is questionable to me. But then, entertainment is merely a matter of taste, and your taste probably varies considerably from my own.
March 10, 2020
The Lost Machine is a short fantasy story by Richard Kirk, about a prison convicts travel to redeem himself from a murder he didn’t do. On his travels he meets a mysterious person which follows him for most of the journey.
The writing is fine, but the story is extremely superficial and generic, without much of a plot. It can be cut down to ‘character goes from A to B, and there’s a twist ending’. Now, this is a short story, so there doesn’t have to be much of that, but it was long enough to lack quite severely in that area. The first half is a visual journey essentially only made up of descriptions of the places the characters encounter. While the descriptions are good, they just take up way too much of the story, without adding anything. The second half then shifts around, with most of the story being conversations between characters, which was quite weird to me. The characters seem quite interesting, but we don’t learn much about them, only about the environments they encouter, which is a pity, and it would have made the story more interesting if we went more into their personalities. The story ends with a twist ending, which there wasn’t much background for the reader to predict, so it happens kind of out of nowhere. The story then shifts to a flash back to explain why the twist happened, but it felt awkward to me, since it kind of forced the story over the reader. I think it could have been done more elegantly, by taking the main point and adding them to the main story instead.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Jake Ruddle. I found the narration to be quite dull and somewhat flat and monotone, and thus not very exciting. It was clear though, but with almost no distinction between the voices of different characters.
If you are in search of a short story that doesn’t require you to think much about the content, then this is it. If you want a deep plot, or more meaning, then I suggest you find something else.
I received this audiobook for free in return for a review. I have no affiliation with the author, the narrator, the publisher, or their pets (Although I am sure the latter are quite nice!).
The writing is fine, but the story is extremely superficial and generic, without much of a plot. It can be cut down to ‘character goes from A to B, and there’s a twist ending’. Now, this is a short story, so there doesn’t have to be much of that, but it was long enough to lack quite severely in that area. The first half is a visual journey essentially only made up of descriptions of the places the characters encounter. While the descriptions are good, they just take up way too much of the story, without adding anything. The second half then shifts around, with most of the story being conversations between characters, which was quite weird to me. The characters seem quite interesting, but we don’t learn much about them, only about the environments they encouter, which is a pity, and it would have made the story more interesting if we went more into their personalities. The story ends with a twist ending, which there wasn’t much background for the reader to predict, so it happens kind of out of nowhere. The story then shifts to a flash back to explain why the twist happened, but it felt awkward to me, since it kind of forced the story over the reader. I think it could have been done more elegantly, by taking the main point and adding them to the main story instead.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Jake Ruddle. I found the narration to be quite dull and somewhat flat and monotone, and thus not very exciting. It was clear though, but with almost no distinction between the voices of different characters.
If you are in search of a short story that doesn’t require you to think much about the content, then this is it. If you want a deep plot, or more meaning, then I suggest you find something else.
I received this audiobook for free in return for a review. I have no affiliation with the author, the narrator, the publisher, or their pets (Although I am sure the latter are quite nice!).
January 3, 2019
Had promise but ultimately fell flat. There was a lot of pomp but not much circumstance. The author filled the story with a host of odd characters, a smattering of scifi and fantasy elements, and what I think was supposed to be an "journey;" however, the story as a whole was still quite boring.
It seemed as though the author wanted to create something unique by bringing in these aspects to what really was a very basic and predictable plot, but unfortunately all these elements mostly stood on their own and never came together to make anything worthwhile.
I think the author has talent, it just needs to be honed a bit. There were many opportunities to do more, for example better foreshadowing. There was no indication that
Another pet peeve of mine: authors that use names too similar. You had Standard and Starling, and Iris and Irridis. Especially in a short story where you don't have opportunity to really connect with the characters, similar names can really get confusing and blend together.
All in all I don't know if I will go forward with the sequel that the author is said to be working on, but I don't consider this story a waste of time.
It seemed as though the author wanted to create something unique by bringing in these aspects to what really was a very basic and predictable plot, but unfortunately all these elements mostly stood on their own and never came together to make anything worthwhile.
I think the author has talent, it just needs to be honed a bit. There were many opportunities to do more, for example better foreshadowing. There was no indication that
Another pet peeve of mine: authors that use names too similar. You had Standard and Starling, and Iris and Irridis. Especially in a short story where you don't have opportunity to really connect with the characters, similar names can really get confusing and blend together.
All in all I don't know if I will go forward with the sequel that the author is said to be working on, but I don't consider this story a waste of time.
March 8, 2020
I was reading VanderMeer’s Wonderbook when I came across a picture by Kirk, from the “Iconoclast” series if captions can be trusted. More than any picture in that rather full book it spoke to me, so I took a gamble (what did I know of his writing?) and bought this book.
It would be reductive/cliché to say (but I’m going to say it anyway) that the writing is much like his drawings—the details, the concepts, the characters, the places, are all stippled in, appearing for a moment in space then gone. Even the plot has only a few sparse lines.
And it was good. There were times I wanted more—character motivations, plot elements, etc—but overall I won’t complain. It probably would have been a different picture, that way.
Strange side note: I ordered this and Darkling Lands 1 from his website, and the care in packaging of these delicate books was thoroughly commendable. I order plenty of books on Amazon, and it’s a fifty-fifty shot on whether they show up intact. The odds are probably much greater for these, and he’s got some great original artwork.
It would be reductive/cliché to say (but I’m going to say it anyway) that the writing is much like his drawings—the details, the concepts, the characters, the places, are all stippled in, appearing for a moment in space then gone. Even the plot has only a few sparse lines.
And it was good. There were times I wanted more—character motivations, plot elements, etc—but overall I won’t complain. It probably would have been a different picture, that way.
Strange side note: I ordered this and Darkling Lands 1 from his website, and the care in packaging of these delicate books was thoroughly commendable. I order plenty of books on Amazon, and it’s a fifty-fifty shot on whether they show up intact. The odds are probably much greater for these, and he’s got some great original artwork.
February 23, 2020
( Format : Audiobook )
"Life is a series of nested prisons.The
Moss, a teacher imprisoned for killings he did not commit, escapes from his confinement, travelling through strange countryside to search out and destroy the one he knew was guilty. For much of his journey, Moss is accompanied by a bizarre stanger who also protects him.The
And the above in no way conveys the visions and colours, the 'taste' of the story. Visual and imaginative, this is an odd, rather gruesome beautiful, tale, as before the gorgeous cover art.
Narration by Jake Ruddle was well performed, c!early bringing the text to the reader in a. Inclusive way.
My thanks to the rights holder of The Lost Machine, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. An unusual short story with some loose ends, but well worth reading.
"Life is a series of nested prisons.The
Moss, a teacher imprisoned for killings he did not commit, escapes from his confinement, travelling through strange countryside to search out and destroy the one he knew was guilty. For much of his journey, Moss is accompanied by a bizarre stanger who also protects him.The
And the above in no way conveys the visions and colours, the 'taste' of the story. Visual and imaginative, this is an odd, rather gruesome beautiful, tale, as before the gorgeous cover art.
Narration by Jake Ruddle was well performed, c!early bringing the text to the reader in a. Inclusive way.
My thanks to the rights holder of The Lost Machine, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. An unusual short story with some loose ends, but well worth reading.
December 7, 2019
Really good quick read to pass the time.
February 26, 2020
I thought this was a fun and quirky book. It was short and kept my attention. I expected the ending that I got, but I still enjoyed the journey so I'll take it.
May 20, 2025
I liked it a lot. I felt like i followed main character every step he took. Great vocabulary , vast action and many beatufilly described locations made this book awesome. Additionally amazing art by the author.
April 16, 2020
This is an overall good listen. I was able to visualize everything that was happening. The author told a great story. The narrator did a great job as well. Overall an enjoyable listen. I liked the ending and would be interested in more of this storyline.
Disclaimer: I've been listening at 2x speed for so long anything else sounds like slow motion. My enjoyment of the narrator is based on my listening speed. I only leave 5 stars for books I've listened to multiple times. I'll update my review if I listen again.
I requested this book from the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Disclaimer: I've been listening at 2x speed for so long anything else sounds like slow motion. My enjoyment of the narrator is based on my listening speed. I only leave 5 stars for books I've listened to multiple times. I'll update my review if I listen again.
I requested this book from the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
June 6, 2016
Richard not only knows how to weave beautiful illustrations but also, dark tales. This one follows the journey of Lumsden Moss, whose journey is a lot like our own. We set out in the world to unfamiliar and wild places with nothing but ourselves and pieces of memory for guidance. We meet strangers and sometimes they help...other times, they are not who we think they are. Read this. You will not be disappointed.
March 6, 2016
"Life, he thought, is a series of nested prisons. Escape one, and emerge into another."
A man named Moss leaves prison and travels across a post apocalyptic landscape populated with AIs and witches. A somewhat surreal journey including interesting illustrations. The first chapter drew me in, but I'd lost interest by the end. It felt too wordy at times.
A man named Moss leaves prison and travels across a post apocalyptic landscape populated with AIs and witches. A somewhat surreal journey including interesting illustrations. The first chapter drew me in, but I'd lost interest by the end. It felt too wordy at times.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews