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Little Machines
In the seventeen polished, ingenious and often darkly humorous stories collected here, multiple award-winning author Paul McAuley takes a fresh look at staple genre themes spanning science fiction, horror, and alternate history. In 'Residuals', written with Kim Newman, a hero who once helped repel an alien invasion, eaten up by self-loathing and alcoholism after his bruising experience in the eye of the media, must find it in himself to try to save the world all over again. Bestselling mainstream author Philip K. Dick confronts Richard Nixon and a conspiracy that has taken control of America in 'The Two Dicks'. 'All Tomorrow's Parties' is a compressed marvel of far-future science fiction that packs a novel's-worth of action into its story of how an immortal weary of everything the universe has to offer deals with an unexpected confrontation. A book-dealer turned private detective discovers strange and dangerous rivals making use of the internet in 'The Proxy'. A science fiction fan explains how he became a serial killer in 'I Spy', a story with a little something missing. And in 'Cross Roads Blues', especially rewritten for this collection, the course of American history hangs on the decision of an itinerant musician.
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About the author
Paul McAuley
229 books419 followersSince about 2000, book jackets have given his name as just Paul McAuley.
A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.
McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings.
Since 2001, he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.
Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.
A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.
McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings.
Since 2001, he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.
Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 26, 2013
SOME SPOILERS BELOW
"The Two Dicks" (about Philip K. Dick meeting Richard Nixon) was a 3-star story. I was getting a big "Cowboy Angels" vibe from the story (what with the obvious alternate universe where Dick suppresses his urge to write SF and is a mainstream writer trying to keep "The Man in the High Castle" from being published and where President Nixon can successfully run for multiple terms) until the big twist at the end.
"Residuals" was a 4-star story contemplating how a person who does something very heroic will be remembered for the rest of their lives for that very brief, yet extraordinarily well-known, moment in time, even though, after the big event, everything is downhill, or, as the main character put it, "epilogue." Yet another quasi-alternate history story, this time with the appearance of aliens in America in the mid-70's.
"17" was a 3-star story with a 4-star (maybe even 5-star) setting, so I'm giving the overall story 4 stars. A girl who has renamed herself 17 survives beneath an enormous factory by gathering scrap metal and other precious commodities. She is incredibly intelligent, begins learning from a man who has been up on the surface of the planet, and gets involved in a hunt for an alien creature hanging out in the bowels of the factory. The setting was very unique, but the story was suddenly over, and I really wanted more. I would love a whole novel set in this world.
"All Tomorrow's Parties" Another 4-star story with a mind-blowing super far future setting -- a recreated Earth orbiting a star that is about to go super nova populated with clones and "puppets" that are reenacting the main character's favorite moments in Earth's history, all to celebrate the return of our protagonist's clones, who have explored most of the Milky Way and are giving their reports on their explorations.
"Interstitial" This one gets 3 and 1/2 stars. A dark tale about the last few survivors of another global ice age who have retreated to the moon and are fighting over the limited resources there. A lot of great ideas were packed into this story, but the plot was only average.
"How We Lost the Moon, A True Story by Frank W. Allen" 3 stars. An engineer on the moon recounts the power experiment that goes wrong and eventually destroys the moon by creating a tiny black hole.
"Under Mars" Another 3-star story. This one about a young employee at a Mars-themed park in Florida and his first use of a drug called "focus." The story ends just as it is getting exciting.
"Danger: Hard Hack Area" Two stars, honestly. This one wasn't even a story but a report of a fake "Biopunk" science conference.
"The Madness of Crowds" Three stars. Pheromones, and Alpha males, and world-wide government conspiracies.
"The Secret of My Success" Three and a half stars. A one-hit wonder author and his discovery of the path to success.
"The Proxy" Three stars. More explorations of parallel universes, this time via a book trader.
"I Spy" Three stars. A dark and disturbing story about a man who learns how to be invisible and his discovery of another invisible person.
"The Rift" Three and a half stars. A scientific expedition into a deep rift in the Amazonian jungle. There are rivalries and discoveries and chases through the jungle. Unfortunately, the story ends just as it is starting to really get good.
"Alien TV" Two and a half stars. Not really a story. Just the tale of two men and their different paths after NASA started broadcasting scenes from an alien planet.
"Before the Flood" Three stars. Another story set in the same universe as "Alien TV." In this one, a man returns to a compound he once lived in where people underwent extreme plastic surgery to look like the aliens on the TV, built structures like the aliens, and tried to live like them to be able to understand them better.
"A Very British History" Three stars. Another alternate history. This time, GB emerges from WWII as the economic powerhouse of the world and wins the space race hands down, putting people on the moon with nuclear engine rockets.
"Cross Road Blues" A final alternate history, this one deserving three and a half stars because it had a nice plot and it taught me about a blues legend -- Robert Johnson. Who knows what influence he might have had if he had not died so young.
"The Two Dicks" (about Philip K. Dick meeting Richard Nixon) was a 3-star story. I was getting a big "Cowboy Angels" vibe from the story (what with the obvious alternate universe where Dick suppresses his urge to write SF and is a mainstream writer trying to keep "The Man in the High Castle" from being published and where President Nixon can successfully run for multiple terms) until the big twist at the end.
"Residuals" was a 4-star story contemplating how a person who does something very heroic will be remembered for the rest of their lives for that very brief, yet extraordinarily well-known, moment in time, even though, after the big event, everything is downhill, or, as the main character put it, "epilogue." Yet another quasi-alternate history story, this time with the appearance of aliens in America in the mid-70's.
"17" was a 3-star story with a 4-star (maybe even 5-star) setting, so I'm giving the overall story 4 stars. A girl who has renamed herself 17 survives beneath an enormous factory by gathering scrap metal and other precious commodities. She is incredibly intelligent, begins learning from a man who has been up on the surface of the planet, and gets involved in a hunt for an alien creature hanging out in the bowels of the factory. The setting was very unique, but the story was suddenly over, and I really wanted more. I would love a whole novel set in this world.
"All Tomorrow's Parties" Another 4-star story with a mind-blowing super far future setting -- a recreated Earth orbiting a star that is about to go super nova populated with clones and "puppets" that are reenacting the main character's favorite moments in Earth's history, all to celebrate the return of our protagonist's clones, who have explored most of the Milky Way and are giving their reports on their explorations.
"Interstitial" This one gets 3 and 1/2 stars. A dark tale about the last few survivors of another global ice age who have retreated to the moon and are fighting over the limited resources there. A lot of great ideas were packed into this story, but the plot was only average.
"How We Lost the Moon, A True Story by Frank W. Allen" 3 stars. An engineer on the moon recounts the power experiment that goes wrong and eventually destroys the moon by creating a tiny black hole.
"Under Mars" Another 3-star story. This one about a young employee at a Mars-themed park in Florida and his first use of a drug called "focus." The story ends just as it is getting exciting.
"Danger: Hard Hack Area" Two stars, honestly. This one wasn't even a story but a report of a fake "Biopunk" science conference.
"The Madness of Crowds" Three stars. Pheromones, and Alpha males, and world-wide government conspiracies.
"The Secret of My Success" Three and a half stars. A one-hit wonder author and his discovery of the path to success.
"The Proxy" Three stars. More explorations of parallel universes, this time via a book trader.
"I Spy" Three stars. A dark and disturbing story about a man who learns how to be invisible and his discovery of another invisible person.
"The Rift" Three and a half stars. A scientific expedition into a deep rift in the Amazonian jungle. There are rivalries and discoveries and chases through the jungle. Unfortunately, the story ends just as it is starting to really get good.
"Alien TV" Two and a half stars. Not really a story. Just the tale of two men and their different paths after NASA started broadcasting scenes from an alien planet.
"Before the Flood" Three stars. Another story set in the same universe as "Alien TV." In this one, a man returns to a compound he once lived in where people underwent extreme plastic surgery to look like the aliens on the TV, built structures like the aliens, and tried to live like them to be able to understand them better.
"A Very British History" Three stars. Another alternate history. This time, GB emerges from WWII as the economic powerhouse of the world and wins the space race hands down, putting people on the moon with nuclear engine rockets.
"Cross Road Blues" A final alternate history, this one deserving three and a half stars because it had a nice plot and it taught me about a blues legend -- Robert Johnson. Who knows what influence he might have had if he had not died so young.
April 24, 2016
There were a couple of stories here that were good, one was very good. The rest were long-winded and pretty dull. :(
Overall, 2 stars.
Story 1: The Two Dicks
This short story reminds me a bit of the Gonzo Journalism of Hunter S. Thompson, especially during Thompson's famous long ride with Nixon in a limousine one night. McAuley here presents a what-if alternate history, in which creativity and controversy have been suppressed. Slight but clever.
Story #2: Residuals
This one kind of grows on you. A modern myth of Area 51 style aliens. Convoluted but fun.
Story #3: 17 (VERY GOOD)
Very good world building. Great character 17 burning to be better and to get up and out. Very original. Really enjoyed it.
Story #4: Interstitial
A message-in-a-bottle story with some twists. Adequate and mildly stimulating.
Story #5: How We Lost the Moon (Great!)
A wonderfully realized story of runaway physics on the moon. Nicely constructed and written. McAuley does moons better than anyone else. See: The Quiet War series. Those books still echo in my mind almost every day. Brilliant.
Story #6: Under Mars
Slight story of bored youth working in a theme park.
Story #7: Hard Hack Area
Almost a short promo for a sci-fi conference.
The rest of the stories were pretty dull and long-winded, almost like money-per-word writing. Ugh.
Overall, 2 stars.
Story 1: The Two Dicks
This short story reminds me a bit of the Gonzo Journalism of Hunter S. Thompson, especially during Thompson's famous long ride with Nixon in a limousine one night. McAuley here presents a what-if alternate history, in which creativity and controversy have been suppressed. Slight but clever.
Story #2: Residuals
This one kind of grows on you. A modern myth of Area 51 style aliens. Convoluted but fun.
Story #3: 17 (VERY GOOD)
Very good world building. Great character 17 burning to be better and to get up and out. Very original. Really enjoyed it.
Story #4: Interstitial
A message-in-a-bottle story with some twists. Adequate and mildly stimulating.
Story #5: How We Lost the Moon (Great!)
A wonderfully realized story of runaway physics on the moon. Nicely constructed and written. McAuley does moons better than anyone else. See: The Quiet War series. Those books still echo in my mind almost every day. Brilliant.
Story #6: Under Mars
Slight story of bored youth working in a theme park.
Story #7: Hard Hack Area
Almost a short promo for a sci-fi conference.
The rest of the stories were pretty dull and long-winded, almost like money-per-word writing. Ugh.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews