Godmachine

by Jack Thompson

The crew of Mars Mission 31 discovers an alien artifact from a distant planet similar to Earth. Deciphering it reveals the events that transpired on Plixon, an oppressive, dystopian world where the population is monitored and controlled by a supercomputer known as the Godmachine. The story follows Ra’dall Simms, an ordinary citizen of Plixon who, when his son is deliberately terminated by the Program, begins to question the validity of the Godmachine. As his life spins out of control, Ra'dall is thrust into the center of a battle for freedom on his planet. When the commander of Mars Mission 31 forwards the information and events of Plixon back to Earth, it triggers a government cover-up that endangers the crew’s safe return. A chilling vision of the future, Godmachine is a great read for any science fiction fan.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 11, 2011

About the author

Jack Thompson is an international bestselling author finding voices in many genres. In addition to his popular Raja Williams mystery series, Jack writes science fiction, political thrillers, paranormal romance, children's stories and fairy tales.

According to Jack, whether reading or writing, what makes a story great is how well it communicates to the reader. Whether presenting him with a hero he wishes he could be or a villain he chooses to hate, the characters must relate to the reader on a personal level. A reader will leave a good story in an improved condition. He may have learned something new about the world or himself, or simply been well entertained. That's why Jack writes.

Reviews

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

A crew of four astronauts are sent to Mars to retrieve something that has shown up in photos, something they are calling the Hexbox because of its shape. Their mission is a success and they head back to Earth while trying to open and then decode the messages inside. Once they do, what they find surprises and alarms them.

Really, this Hexbox should have been called Pandora’s Box because woo doggie, what it contains inside is quite the problem. The astronauts decode the messages and find out that a planet called Plixon built a computer, the Godmachine, to run everything. I mean, everything. Yes, humans, too. The story follows the astronauts and Earth while also telling the story of Ra’dall back on Plixon and his dystopian world. The writing tends to be hit or miss, and the plot is a bit simplistic at times, but it’s a scary story that should serve as a warning to anyone wanting this type of life. The ending could have been lifted straight out of our current government situation which is alarming.

[David Donaghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed The GodMachine. It made me reflect of passed classics such as 1984 by George Orwell and Animal Farm. When man places his trust in technology at the expense of personal liberty,his destruction soon follows. This book was an entertaining read and I highly recommend it.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives New Meaning to the Phrase "Get With the Program"

Colonel Tom Devers leads a mission to Mars with three other astronauts to acquire an object that appears to be anything but natural. Upon loading the object onto their ship and spending some time figuring out what it is, the four men are witness to the holographic record of an alien civilization. One hundred seventy-five years before the record was made, fifteen billion people died in a global war on the planet Plixon. The World Peace Council (WPC) then implemented a single world government and developed the Program to ensure that peace would forever reign and the people of Plixon would never again be subject to the horrors of war. The Program was run by a highly advanced computer called the Godmachine. Its purpose was to inform the citizenry how to live in peace and harmony through total control of every action and behavior.
Ra'dall Simms, one of Plixon's citizens, lives a quiet life (as does everyone on Plixon) cataloging data for the Godmachine to use in its predictions (directives) for optimum outcome. Ra'dall discovers an anomaly within the crime data in the capital city of Galanta, dutifully reports his findings to his boss, and is summarily sent in for re-alignment. After Ra'dall's "treatment", he is allowed to go back to work (minus a few memories) and continue on with his life. But one kiss from his lover brings his memories back and thrusts him into a course of action that will lead to either the greatest adventure of his life or his death at the hands of government officials. Ra'dall must find a way to stop the Godmachine before its seemingly innocuous Program causes irreparable damage to the very existence of the people of Plixon.

Godmachine is a thoroughly entertaining story about a dystopian society similar to 1984, though not as dark. Mr. Thompson writes in a way that allows for a wonderful ease of reading, while his captivating dialogue propels the tale along nicely. Mr. Thompson clearly understands the nature of freedom and government. His novel explores the ideology that insists the only way to have a utopian society is through total and complete control of its citizens. But this begs the question: Who watches the watchers? Any "utopian" society must surely be run by someone, something, or typically a group of elite, who of course are not subject to the rules imposed on the rest of society.
A horrendous global war would definitely be a motivating factor for many people to voluntarily "Plug in" to some Program of behavior control in order to "ensure" peace. In fact, look at how much nonsense has been implemented during or after a war, conflict, or terrorist event. A government bent on harnessing more and more power finds these times useful (if not being actually responsible for them). Some examples:
WWI - League of Nations, Bank for International Settlements
WWII - Victory Tax, United Nations
JFK Assassination - Gun Control Act of 1968
Attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan - Brady Bill
OKC bombing - Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995
9/11 - Patriot Act, Department of Homeland Security, TSA (Transportation and Security Administration), Information Awareness Office [Side note: Thank God the Terrorism Futures Trading Market idea was dropped!]



Yes, that is the actual logo of DARPA's Information Awareness Office!


As Rahm Emanual said: "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."


Click on image to view video.



**WARNING - Potential Spoilers**

*I thought this was a fitting Public Service Announcement/citizen motto: "Don't think. Obey."
*There is a great passage showing the arrogance of the elite council members arguing with their beloved Godmachine.
*Another aspect of this novel is the massive monitoring of citizens through tracking devices and cameras everywhere, something that is becoming a frightening reality in the world today.

[Blase Ciabaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The planet Mars is one of the most pervasive images in Science Fiction.

Why is Mars still prevalent in Science Fiction today? I suspect it's because it's the most accessible and most likely place for Earthlings to inhabit besides the moon. Recent projects like Mars One and the landing of NASA's most sophisticated Martian rover only serve to reinforce this.

In Jack Thompson's Godmachine, not only are you treated to a Martian adventure, but you actually get two stories in one. The main story takes you on a journey to Mars and back, complete with all the action associated with such a trip. The second story, which is essentially the story within the story, shares a tale of the origins of the Godmachine itself.

The main story explains how the planet Plixar slowly adopted the principles of the Godmachine. The integration of the Godmachine into the society and culture of Plixar has interesting parallels to Orwell's 1984, China under Mao and Hitler's Nazi regime. For example, one of the Godmachine rules is "Thinking will only get you in trouble. Don't think obey."

Another Godmachine rule, "Never create art" is reminiscent of the Apple computer ad that was aired during the 1984 Superbowl in the United States.

People who disobey the rule of the Godmachine are either sent to a "realignment center," or subject to "deletion" which is essentially instant execution.

As with most totalitarian societies, those opposed to the Godmachine are forced to live underground. In this case of the citizens of Plixar, it's literally underground in Tambora City which is essentially the shell of a post-apocalypse city. This is similar to the secret underground "District 13" in the Hunger Games series.

Residents of the underground are called "freebies". The story's main character, Ra'dall, escapes into the underground city and is asked to perform an important role in the fight against the Godmachine. The decision for the "freebie" leadership to identify Ra'dall as a key to their plans initially had me scratching my head, but as the story progresses, Thompson provides an adequate explanation to justify Ra'dall's selection.

Probably, the only objection that I had to the story of the planet Plixar was how the characters and environment on Plixar are way too similar to Earth, even in the smallest details. Is the author just taking the easy way out? Was the translating device used to decode the Godmachine message sophisticated enough to make the viewer automatically adapt the story to his or her perspective? If this was the case, and I don't think it was, Thompson does not explain why the planet of Plixar and its inhabitants are essentially identical to Earth and Earthlings.

If you enjoy the stories of the Apollo mission, then you'll really like the part of the story that chronicles travelling to Mars and exploring the surface. As with the Apollo 13 mission, during their return journey the astronauts aboard are forced to make critical decisions with limited time and resources in an effort to save their own lives.

Thompson does an exceptional job of making both of the independent stories interesting and then weaving them together.

The other benefit of combining two stories into one is that as a reader, you can walk away from the book with more than one message. In fact, without giving away any spoilers, the perspectives offered on human nature differ substantially-or do they? For me, these parallel messages make the book much more interesting. I very much enjoyed this book and Jack Thompson's writing style.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first indication of self- or vanity publishing is the format. If there is a double space between each paragraph, it's a clear indicator the original work was written in Word and then set up for e-publishing in Word without changing the format. Books are not professionally published like that. There is no extra space between paragraphs. The format puts me instantly on my guard.

Crackerjack Publishing appears to be a self-publishing venture.

This is the first (apparently) self-published work I've read that didn't have me growling in annoyance on every page. There was the promise of a story there and most of the mechanics of genuine storytelling were in play. I did care about what happened to some of the characters, enough to keep reading.

However, the writing style is dry, flat and mechanical. The author has no love for the language and doesn't see the magic in it. He doesn't hear the music of language; he's entirely focused on the mechanics of what he is doing. That's not always a bad thing--John Grisham has made a pretty lucrative career out of desiccated language and I'm the only one who can't read him without feeling like my brain is starving.

The plot has problems as well. Characters know things they shouldn't know, problems get solved too easily, entire civilizations are gambled on the hope that a complete stranger will choose to request something he shouldn't even know is an option.

And the ultimate message of the story, at least in theory, that humanity is more precious and wise than any computer program could ever be, gets poisoned by a simplistic political jab at socialism. The author has another book called The Rand Principle. I'm not going to look, because I don't care, but the Rand is probably Ayn Rand, whose selfish ideology has corrupted modern life enough. (And besides, she was a hyprcrite who drew Social Security and Medicare at the end of her life, something she said no one should ever do.)

This has potential, but it lacks complexity and depth.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

NASA astronauts make the first man landing on Mars to obtain a Hexbox that was discovered embedded in the red soil. What a timely story considering the recent landing of the Rover on Mars. The four astronauts pry loose the Hexbox from the side of a crevice and take it back aboard their space capsule. Their curiosity leads them to locate an opening on the Hexbox where they find several disks that are mathematically interpreted. And this is where the story really begins; a story of a world that is governed by a computer called the Godmachine. During the astronauts long flight back to earth, they are able to forward to NASA the information of some of the contents of the disks. NASA is informed by the National Security Agency (NSA) to directly forward all such messages directly to them for security purposes. Why? The data on the disks is the story of the planet Plixon, a planet very similar to Earth and how, overtime, life comes to an end on their planet. In many ways, this remarkably well-written story reminds me of the novel "1984" written by George Orwell. It depicts a scary world where people are controlled and free thought is not allowed. The masses become just slave-type workers who can be annihilated at any time. A griping story of warnings. Don't miss out on author Jack Thompson's other books. He's an amazing story teller.

[Erik Nygren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a promising start, but the narrative felt a little simplistic. A lot of sequential events running into each other with little character development. In short, it lacked subtlety.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a pretty good job of getting you into the heads of his characters, and an even better job of bridging the gap between science fiction and today with believable scenarios and created future technologies. While part of the present, and wrapped behind the veil of science fiction, I could see the influence of Orwell's 1984 while reading this one.

This is a fairly quick read, and I originally picked this up for free during a Kindle promotion. As I type this review, the pricing has reverted back to its normal $2.99 - you'll certainly get $2.99 and more worth of value out of this book.

[Disa Marnesdottr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painful. Couldn't finish.

[Erik Sapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea for this book, and some parts were really good. The mission to Mars was told well, though a bit simplistic. The world-building of the alien civilization was very well done. Although the author never really explains how the world got to the way it was, the world itself was developed and interesting.

And then the book came crashing down. Suddenly, a man who has known nothing except the civilization he was born to has the wit and wisdom to make arguments that he should not be able to imagine. (This just days after he went through a mind-wipe.) Meanwhile, the government on Earth acts quickly enough to (1) analyze the data from Mars, (2) come up with a plan to suppress the data, and (3) actually manage to suppress the data, with no one objecting. (In reality, astronauts could be placed in isolation to ensure they did not have a disease. For some reason, though, this option is never discussed by the NASA scientists.)

I wanted to like this book. There was so much potential, but it just falls flat.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange box is discovered on Mars, obviously made by an intelligent species. A crew is sent to retrieve said artifact, and on their way home, they crack the code on some discs found inside and learn that the box originated on the planet Plixon, sent by a computer intelligent know on that planet as the Godmachine.
Appraisal:
This is a fast and easy read. The premise is a little worn (Matrix, 1984, or more closely-This Perfect Day—a personal favorite), but that’s OK, the writing kept me engaged. I did have issues with suspension of disbelief on a few occasions (plot holes, not black holes, but pretty big ones). But overall I recommend this to a sci-fi enthusiast looking to while away time on a boring flight, or as a beach read where you don’t want to tax the brain too much and yet need enough stimulation to keep the pages turning, or if you’re laid up in bed with the flu (like I am!). Without the plot gaffs, this would rank four stars. If you’re a forgiving type, try it out.

Disclaimer: This review was originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. I may have received a free review copy.

[Mark Wilkerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, if unoriginal (but then again, is anything truly original anymore) story of a society that loses its sense of free-will due to a machine that stresses efficiency over people.

While I did enjoy much of this story, it could have been better if the setting was more personal. Because so much of the action happens on another planet, I had a hard time believing that, outside of odd names, nothing separates the people of this other planet from earth. My question is, Why not just set it on earth? Set this odd setting situation aside, and forgive the author's occasional swipe (a slippery-slope fallacy) at progressive thought, I was quite entertained by the set-up and the action. Good, quick, fun sci-fi story!

[Sarah Holmes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Godmachine tells the story of an alien society that relies on a computer to govern every aspect of their lives. It's reminiscent of "1984". I thought the idea of the book was good, but I felt the author didn't do enough to develop the story. I also thought the prologue was unnecessary since the character introduced appears no where else in the book.

The rules of the society are so draconian as to be unbelievable. I also wondered why the resistance didn't try to take down the Godmachine earlier. Why was the main character Ra'dall the only one who could do it? He didn't seem to possess any unique skills.

The story is interesting, but I just wish the author would have went deeper with the characters and the story.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great dystopian novel with strong characters and a strong message. The author captured my interest and held it to the end. I ran the gamut of emotions from happiness to sadness to rage. I like this author. He shows a real understanding of people and relationships and a frightening insight into a future that is all too real for a planet like ours.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing this book has going for it is the actual story idea. Very clever. I did think that there were times when the writing was a little thin though. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that at the climax of the book the pace could have been a little more detailed and the explanations not quite as simple. I do think it could make a pretty darn good movie though...

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started out reasonably interesting, but quickly started to fade. I didn't feel any particular attachment to any of the characters, the writing felt a little rushed, but the story seemed to move kind of slow. Resolution seemed like it was a bit too easy an not very realistic. Personally, didn't love it.

[Doreen Dalesandro]

Kindle freebie, 11/22/12

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read but over all a good story.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly original or surprising, but entertaining nonetheless.