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Evil Machines: When Monty Python meets Roald Dahl…
How do you feel about your phone? Or your car? You probably don't think about them much, except when they go wrong. But what if they go really wrong and turn properly bad – evil, even?Join Terry Jones on a hilariously disturbing journey into the dark heart of machines that go meet the lift that takes people to places they don't want to go, the vacuum cleaner that's just too powerful, the apparently nice bomb, the truthful phone, the terrifying train to anywhere, and Mrs. Morris, a little old lady from Glasgow who turns out to be a very resourceful heroine...Brisk and cheerful on the outside, but as edgy and uncomfortable as any of Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected within, Terry Jones's collection of thirteen cautionary fables will make you look at the 'helpful' inventions that surround you in a very different way.A brilliantly-written and gleefully mischievous book, suitable for Luddites of all ages or anyone who likes a bit of Pythonesque edge to their silliness.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
18 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Terry Jones
180 books287 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Terence Graham Parry Jones was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and writing partner Michael Palin wrote and performed for several high-profile British comedy programmes, including Do Not Adjust Your Set and The Frost Report, before creating Monty Python's Flying Circus with Cambridge graduates Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle and American animator-filmmaker Terry Gilliam. Jones was largely responsible for the programme's innovative, surreal structure, in which sketches flowed from one to the next without the use of punch lines. He made his directorial debut with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which he co-directed with Gilliam, and also directed the subsequent Python films Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.
Jones co-created and co-wrote with Palin the anthology series Ripping Yarns. He also wrote an early draft of Jim Henson's film Labyrinth and is credited with the screenplay, though little of his work actually remained in the final cut. Jones was a well-respected medieval historian, having written several books and presented television documentaries about the period, as well as a prolific children's author. In 2016, Jones received a Lifetime Achievement award at the BAFTA Cymru Awards for his outstanding contribution to television and film. After living for several years with a degenerative aphasia, he gradually lost the ability to speak and died in 2020 from frontotemporal dementia.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Terence Graham Parry Jones was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and writing partner Michael Palin wrote and performed for several high-profile British comedy programmes, including Do Not Adjust Your Set and The Frost Report, before creating Monty Python's Flying Circus with Cambridge graduates Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle and American animator-filmmaker Terry Gilliam. Jones was largely responsible for the programme's innovative, surreal structure, in which sketches flowed from one to the next without the use of punch lines. He made his directorial debut with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which he co-directed with Gilliam, and also directed the subsequent Python films Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.
Jones co-created and co-wrote with Palin the anthology series Ripping Yarns. He also wrote an early draft of Jim Henson's film Labyrinth and is credited with the screenplay, though little of his work actually remained in the final cut. Jones was a well-respected medieval historian, having written several books and presented television documentaries about the period, as well as a prolific children's author. In 2016, Jones received a Lifetime Achievement award at the BAFTA Cymru Awards for his outstanding contribution to television and film. After living for several years with a degenerative aphasia, he gradually lost the ability to speak and died in 2020 from frontotemporal dementia.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 20, 2014
I so wanted to like this book but, in the end, after reading seven of the stories and getting as far as page 139, I finally decided that I'd had enough and that my time could be better spent reading something else.
So what was it about Evil Machines that didn't work for me?
Well, the cover says 'When Monty Python meets Roald Dahl' - if it is, then it's not the best of either. The stories are...well...they're okay, but they lack either the sublime anarchy of Python or the sheer creativeness of Dahl - and then there's the style...hmmm...it's almost as if Terry Jones couldn't quite decide whether this was a children's book or whether this was firmly aimed at adults, and as a result it falls into a no-man's-land somewhere in-between.
I picked this off the sci-fi shelf in Waterstones in Sheffield whilst looking for a couple of sci-fi classics to read over Christmas (ended up with The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson) - and therein might be the problem with this book. It's on the wrong set of shelves. I think it would be much better placed alongside BFG and James and the Giant Peach because the stories in Evil Machines and the style are much more suited to that particular audience.
So it's not that this is a bad set of stories - I'm sure some people will read them and thoroughly enjoy them - I just don't think it really lives up the the hype of the blurb on the back of the book. Perhaps if this had been sold as 'thirteen cautionary fables for children and adults alike' then it would be a more accurate representation of the content; then again, if I'd read that on the back cover, I probably wouldn't have bought it!
So what was it about Evil Machines that didn't work for me?
Well, the cover says 'When Monty Python meets Roald Dahl' - if it is, then it's not the best of either. The stories are...well...they're okay, but they lack either the sublime anarchy of Python or the sheer creativeness of Dahl - and then there's the style...hmmm...it's almost as if Terry Jones couldn't quite decide whether this was a children's book or whether this was firmly aimed at adults, and as a result it falls into a no-man's-land somewhere in-between.
I picked this off the sci-fi shelf in Waterstones in Sheffield whilst looking for a couple of sci-fi classics to read over Christmas (ended up with The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson) - and therein might be the problem with this book. It's on the wrong set of shelves. I think it would be much better placed alongside BFG and James and the Giant Peach because the stories in Evil Machines and the style are much more suited to that particular audience.
So it's not that this is a bad set of stories - I'm sure some people will read them and thoroughly enjoy them - I just don't think it really lives up the the hype of the blurb on the back of the book. Perhaps if this had been sold as 'thirteen cautionary fables for children and adults alike' then it would be a more accurate representation of the content; then again, if I'd read that on the back cover, I probably wouldn't have bought it!
abandoned
February 23, 2015I've been stuck on this since August. I hope I'll get back to it someday but for now good riddance!
June 7, 2013
This book was a bit strange to read. What made it so strange to read was not that there was a lot of nonsense in it - that's what I bought it for (we are talking about Terry Jones here). The reason was that it took me very long to decide if it's a children's book or not.
Eventually I decided it reads itself better as a children's book. Although the vocabulary might be on the difficult side for actual children.
It starts off as a collection of unrelated short stories about malicious, semi-anthropomorphic devices and household appliances. The best of these was probably 'The Vacuum Cleaner That Was Too Powerful' (which incidentally vies with 'The Lift That Took People to Places They Didn't Want to Go' also from Evil Machines for top spots on my list of best chapter names ever). Halfway through the book it somehow turns into a novel with an ongoing storyline. Many of the events and characters from the short stories make reappearances in the later plot.
Most of the humor is derived from the very nonsensical premises of Evil Machines and situational humor Jones creates by following through with those premises in his easy-going style.
At the end there's a couple of things that stay unexplained and I couldn't help but notice a glaring hole or two in the plot. But the light-hearted, trivial manner in which all events are explained throughout the book help forgive the few loose threads. His style reminds you of the fact that in the world of Terry Jones anything is possible.
PS: Unbound did a great job with the binding and the layout. The book looks fantastic.
Eventually I decided it reads itself better as a children's book. Although the vocabulary might be on the difficult side for actual children.
It starts off as a collection of unrelated short stories about malicious, semi-anthropomorphic devices and household appliances. The best of these was probably 'The Vacuum Cleaner That Was Too Powerful' (which incidentally vies with 'The Lift That Took People to Places They Didn't Want to Go' also from Evil Machines for top spots on my list of best chapter names ever). Halfway through the book it somehow turns into a novel with an ongoing storyline. Many of the events and characters from the short stories make reappearances in the later plot.
Most of the humor is derived from the very nonsensical premises of Evil Machines and situational humor Jones creates by following through with those premises in his easy-going style.
At the end there's a couple of things that stay unexplained and I couldn't help but notice a glaring hole or two in the plot. But the light-hearted, trivial manner in which all events are explained throughout the book help forgive the few loose threads. His style reminds you of the fact that in the world of Terry Jones anything is possible.
PS: Unbound did a great job with the binding and the layout. The book looks fantastic.
May 6, 2015
Full review at Booklikes
Have you ever yelled abusive language at your computer when it wipes out what you have just been typing?
Have you ever been frustrated by the dishwasher coming on by itself?
Have you ever been woken out of a pleasant sleep by the smoke alarm beeping the beep of battery death?
Then Evil Machines is the book for you.
Have you ever yelled abusive language at your computer when it wipes out what you have just been typing?
Have you ever been frustrated by the dishwasher coming on by itself?
Have you ever been woken out of a pleasant sleep by the smoke alarm beeping the beep of battery death?
Then Evil Machines is the book for you.
February 24, 2017
Terry Jones' books are always slightly hard to pitch - not because the ideas are difficult, but because the simplicity and directness of his writing invariably suggests a younger audience than the author probably intended. Evil Machines compounds this, because whilst the anthropomorphism of the cast of machines suggests a children's book, here and there the language or some of the references seem at odds with that assumption.
Style aside, the book is generally a fun read. Starting out as a series of seemingly unconnected tales, we are introduced to a range of intelligent machines which each seek to confound the intentions of their human owners. There are some nice twists in the individual stories and a fair few chuckles to be had. Then, we reach a chapter about a train with its own idea about destinations and the book suddenly becomes a novel, weaving the earlier chapters into a tale about the creator of the titular evil machines and his plans for mankind. Unfortunately, this part of the book is rather less interesting - the villain isn't particularly well-drawn and the plot developments lose much of their ingenuity and sparkle. In a way, it's a bit like Enid Blyton's Enchanted Wood series of books, where the individual adventures of the early chapters usually give way to the big problem which concerns the last act, although because the "heroes" of this book aren't actually introduced until more than halfway through, the structure seems a little odd.
That said, the book doesn't overstay its welcome and there's an almost pythonesque Deus-ex-machina at the end. It just would have been better as a collection of silly short stories.
Style aside, the book is generally a fun read. Starting out as a series of seemingly unconnected tales, we are introduced to a range of intelligent machines which each seek to confound the intentions of their human owners. There are some nice twists in the individual stories and a fair few chuckles to be had. Then, we reach a chapter about a train with its own idea about destinations and the book suddenly becomes a novel, weaving the earlier chapters into a tale about the creator of the titular evil machines and his plans for mankind. Unfortunately, this part of the book is rather less interesting - the villain isn't particularly well-drawn and the plot developments lose much of their ingenuity and sparkle. In a way, it's a bit like Enid Blyton's Enchanted Wood series of books, where the individual adventures of the early chapters usually give way to the big problem which concerns the last act, although because the "heroes" of this book aren't actually introduced until more than halfway through, the structure seems a little odd.
That said, the book doesn't overstay its welcome and there's an almost pythonesque Deus-ex-machina at the end. It just would have been better as a collection of silly short stories.
February 20, 2012
A delightful book, albeit quite different from what I was expecting. "Evil Machines" reads a lot like a children's book, very much at the level of—and in a similar style to—Roald Dahl's work. However, this could never be mistaken for Dahl: one of the most wonderful things about it is Terry Jones' strong authorial voice. I could hear him clearly in my "mind's ear" as I read.
Where "Evil Machines" did meet expectations was its quirky and somewhat surreal storytelling, and its wonderful word choice and language use. I would recommend this book to Python fans and to anyone looking for offbeat reading for smart children. In this regard, it reminded me of The Last Dragonslayer, which I read around this time last year.
Finally, this book was created as an Unbound project. I feel very privileged to have sponsored it and helped bring it into existence! :)
Where "Evil Machines" did meet expectations was its quirky and somewhat surreal storytelling, and its wonderful word choice and language use. I would recommend this book to Python fans and to anyone looking for offbeat reading for smart children. In this regard, it reminded me of The Last Dragonslayer, which I read around this time last year.
Finally, this book was created as an Unbound project. I feel very privileged to have sponsored it and helped bring it into existence! :)
December 30, 2017
I was quite excited at the prospect of reading some Monty Python-esque short fiction and I wasn't disappointed. This collection is filled with silly and sometimes absurd twists and turns that encouraged chuckles and raised eyebrows. The characters and the conversations they have with their wayward machinery were the primary highlights if there is one thing Jones is a master of, it is cheeky dialogue.
However one thing that I came across time and time again in these stories was the lack of weight. Though Jones has clearly done research into machine models and structures he doesn't seem to spend as much energy playing with the implications of sentient technology and why it might rise up against humanity. As such he misses out on a lot of worthwhile conflict and, yes, greater humour.
I soon got tired of the breezy storytelling, especially when it became apparent that half of the collection would essentially be a novella in all but name. When this happened I tried to focus on the jokes though that I wasn't quite enough.
Nevertheless it was a fun ride with a few strong, witty moments.
Notable Stories
• The Nice Bomb - I loved the inevitability of the ending, how the majority of the story set it off.
• The Lift That Took People Places They Didn't Want to Go - the bandit subplot caught me off guard but was amusing.
• Motorbike Thieves - the double-cross double-cross was genuinely funny and I liked to imagine the bank robbery.
However one thing that I came across time and time again in these stories was the lack of weight. Though Jones has clearly done research into machine models and structures he doesn't seem to spend as much energy playing with the implications of sentient technology and why it might rise up against humanity. As such he misses out on a lot of worthwhile conflict and, yes, greater humour.
I soon got tired of the breezy storytelling, especially when it became apparent that half of the collection would essentially be a novella in all but name. When this happened I tried to focus on the jokes though that I wasn't quite enough.
Nevertheless it was a fun ride with a few strong, witty moments.
Notable Stories
• The Nice Bomb - I loved the inevitability of the ending, how the majority of the story set it off.
• The Lift That Took People Places They Didn't Want to Go - the bandit subplot caught me off guard but was amusing.
• Motorbike Thieves - the double-cross double-cross was genuinely funny and I liked to imagine the bank robbery.
April 15, 2022
As a long-time Monty Python fan, and as someone who enjoyed Mr. Jones' Starship Titanic, I came into this book with high expectations. Sadly, they were not met.
The dryly silly humour and the utterly outrageous situations are there, the language is light and friendly (I do agree with other reviewers that the book seems to be uncertain of whether it should aim itself at adults or children), and some of the evil machines were indeed very clever and could certainly have featured in a Flying Circus sketch. Unfortunately, the plot was too thin and the final resolution was both too quick and too convenient. I finished the book feeling unsatisfied.
If you are a fan of Mr. Jones' works, or enjoy dry British humour (as I do) then by all means do give it a read; however, you should go into this with somewhat lower expectations.
If I could give partial ratings this book would be a 2.5/5.
The dryly silly humour and the utterly outrageous situations are there, the language is light and friendly (I do agree with other reviewers that the book seems to be uncertain of whether it should aim itself at adults or children), and some of the evil machines were indeed very clever and could certainly have featured in a Flying Circus sketch. Unfortunately, the plot was too thin and the final resolution was both too quick and too convenient. I finished the book feeling unsatisfied.
If you are a fan of Mr. Jones' works, or enjoy dry British humour (as I do) then by all means do give it a read; however, you should go into this with somewhat lower expectations.
If I could give partial ratings this book would be a 2.5/5.
September 27, 2025
This has a cute factor that runs in the Roald Dahl vein, but I would categorize this as RDLite- with a dash of too uptight. I’m not a big fan of an author throwing characters into “hard, hard, hard” situations that seem impossible to get out of but then presents an easy fix that the characters had no way of achieving. This book has too much of that. Plus some plot holes, again with easy fixes, and story inconsistencies that scratch at the back of my brain and made it hard for me to give myself over to the flow of the story. It’s a shame because there definitely were some good bits.
March 21, 2017
First published in 2011, Evil Machines is a series of closely linked humorous stories about machines rebelling against humanity. The tagline 'When Monty Python meets Roald Dahl' is a bit of an exaggeration - the zany humour is reminiscent of some - but not all - Monty Python, and the stories lack the cruel edge of Dahl. Not on par with other Terry Jones books that I have read in the past, but just about okay.
April 17, 2021
Book felt like it took place in a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or alternate Thomas the Train type universe. I enjoyed it's cerebral simplicity and absurdity. I thought author was creative weaving standard story plots together using humor. I sometimes wonder if machines have minds of their own and this book did a good job creating a scenario where that happens.
March 5, 2017
Silly rather than substantial but what else would you expect?
June 15, 2017
Silly but fun; an unsophisticated style: simple vocabulary, simple plot.
July 31, 2018
Life is too short. Not funny. Not evil. Not worth it. Sending it to my brother as he’s a big Monty Python fan so might enjoy it.
December 25, 2018
This book is really cute and I look forward to reading it to my kids.
May 28, 2019
Quite poorly written. Almost written as if for children, but the narrative wasn't entertaining enough either. I stuck with it and got to the, but am not fulfilled by it.
December 10, 2014
«Машины зла» начинаются как серия виньеток в духе садистских стишков и историй на ночь в пионерлагере («одна бабушка купила телефон, а он говорил правду…»), но примерно к середине становится понятно, что это единая сказка про бунт машин и классического безумного изобретателя, непритязательная и первостатейно бредовая. Издана методом краудфандинга сиречь общественной подписки.
August 3, 2012
Stories of lifts, phones, vacuum cleaners and other machines that turn evil (or maybe not), with consequences for all life on the planet. Certainly fantasy, although lots of historic detail (the Eureka Model 9 was a real 1920s vacuum cleaner), something like children stories, definitely odd. And beautifully bound and printed by Unbound.
November 13, 2016
Strange way to look at machines and giving them voices and personalities. I think this is a book you have to preserve with as it seems to odd at the beginning but does come together really well in the end. Makes you think about the relationship between humans and machines... Very M Python way of looking at things.
July 20, 2012
This was readable, with some good moments. Somehow it didn't quite work as a whole though. (Or was this just me?) I was quite bored towards the end and just thinking, 'oh, ok, hurry up and finish it'!
February 10, 2013
It's a nice book and spins some comic-like images in my head (if that's too American for you, add a pinch of good ol' British silliness). Which takes me straight to another topic - occasionally it doesn't help that the story reads itself in your mind using Terry's voice :P
April 23, 2014
I'm a big fan of Monty Python so this might be a biased review. This book has good ideas and concepts throughout but the final chapters do not fuse subplots as seamlessly as it should. It still has a lot of silly/funny moments and the wild pythonesque atmosphere would still make it worth a read.
October 7, 2015
well it starts well and has enough bits of humour to engage but the concept quickly tires and by the end you are reading without pleasure although I'm sure lots of people will like it I didn't really like it but for the opening two chapters it gets a second star
May 2, 2012
Good light bedtime reading.
December 23, 2014
All a bit samey. Stopped after about four
February 4, 2015
Staler than I imagined, with some funny moments and an inventive way of linking each story.
October 6, 2015
la la langweilig. abgebrochen weil ich während des lesens gedanklich dauernd abwandere, da mich der Inhalt dermaßen NICHT fesselt.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews