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Feed the Machine
Anthony signs up to Beta-test a brand new horror game on a soon-to-be-launched Virtual Reality System but quickly discovers the game has brutal real-life consequences.
This gruesome, bloody, and darkly-funny little piece of extreme horror fiction is written in the vein of Black Mirror and brought to you by Erica Summers, the author behind Vanity Kills, Bad God's Tower, In the Blood of the Martyr, and DERAILED.
Trigger Heavy gore & profanity.
This gruesome, bloody, and darkly-funny little piece of extreme horror fiction is written in the vein of Black Mirror and brought to you by Erica Summers, the author behind Vanity Kills, Bad God's Tower, In the Blood of the Martyr, and DERAILED.
Trigger Heavy gore & profanity.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2023
14 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Erica Summers
15 books84 followersErica Summers is an independent filmmaker, artist, film industry grip, and writer with an unwavering passion for horror. Several of her award-winning feature films have screened worldwide, including Obsidian, Mister White, & Loverboy (available on most streaming services.)
Born and raised in Wyoming, Erica spent most of her life in the swampy American South. She now resides in Connecticut. In her downtime, the bizarre bisexual is typically slathered in garden dirt, kayak fishing, or devouring horror movies with her boyfriend.
Erica also writes spicy romance novels under the pen name Odessa Alba and humorous cozy mysteries under the pen name Trixie Fairdale.
She is also a co-owner of Rusty Ogre Publishing.
Born and raised in Wyoming, Erica spent most of her life in the swampy American South. She now resides in Connecticut. In her downtime, the bizarre bisexual is typically slathered in garden dirt, kayak fishing, or devouring horror movies with her boyfriend.
Erica also writes spicy romance novels under the pen name Odessa Alba and humorous cozy mysteries under the pen name Trixie Fairdale.
She is also a co-owner of Rusty Ogre Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
April 26, 2024
You know those machines where you throw in quarters, and then you get to play a game until you lose, and then you throw in more money and play more games, and you do it again and again and again until you realize you are totally addicted and have to start mugging people to get more quarters so you can play some more because, ffs, Randy Randy beat your top score that took you weeks to get and now you have to beat him before you can ever sleep again and this shitty game keeps cheating so you will never get a bathroom break again so you just pee in your pants right where you stand and it was totally worth it because the human body can go without water for two days or three days it doesn’treallymatterallthatmattersisgettingthathighscoreagain…?
Yeah, this story is not about that.
But it will make you miss those days…
4 Stars
Yeah, this story is not about that.
But it will make you miss those days…
4 Stars
March 12, 2024
This was super messed up and fun. I LOVE horror stories including technology, especially video games, and I thought this story had a really unique concept. It didn't shy away from the gore, either!
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February 3, 2024
Avid gamer Anthony signs up to test a new virtual reality gaming system called Verity. Little does he know that the game is way more real than he anticipated.
I love horror and gore but this was just really boring. The plot was great and super original but it just fell flat for me. I didn’t really feel anything when reading it.
I love horror and gore but this was just really boring. The plot was great and super original but it just fell flat for me. I didn’t really feel anything when reading it.
May 7, 2024
wow this book really made me rethink of my life choices regarding virtual reality gaming, i’ll say that.
the characters weren’t too fleshed out, i know it was a short book but i wish they had a tad more charisma to them. Stuart was charismatic alright, but a little shallow too for my liking.
Dash was meek to me, like… i want my characters to stand out lol. the one who kinda did was Dr Angus, i’d say she was my favourite.
the writing was fine, some things did go a bit over my head since i’m not *too* into tech shit going on, but the pace itself was rather quick, like i finished this book in one sitting SO fast. and i think i would’ve been intriguing to see this whole ordeal solely from Anthony’s POV.
the one thing i absolutely LOVED about this book was the idea itself on virtual reality. i really don’t wanna spoil anything, but read this and feel free to get back to me with your thoughts lol. it wasn’t by far my favourite, but it was a quick little gory book!
the characters weren’t too fleshed out, i know it was a short book but i wish they had a tad more charisma to them. Stuart was charismatic alright, but a little shallow too for my liking.
Dash was meek to me, like… i want my characters to stand out lol. the one who kinda did was Dr Angus, i’d say she was my favourite.
the writing was fine, some things did go a bit over my head since i’m not *too* into tech shit going on, but the pace itself was rather quick, like i finished this book in one sitting SO fast. and i think i would’ve been intriguing to see this whole ordeal solely from Anthony’s POV.
the one thing i absolutely LOVED about this book was the idea itself on virtual reality. i really don’t wanna spoil anything, but read this and feel free to get back to me with your thoughts lol. it wasn’t by far my favourite, but it was a quick little gory book!
November 2, 2023
Eric Summers delivers again in this short but brutal and gory story.
Dr Angus is testing a new virtual reality system called Verity. It allows fourth dimension reality where the human body becomes the console. The problem is the real world and the virtual world are interconnected and what occurs in one presents in the other....for a game called bloodshed involving demonic beasts this spells bad news for its test subjects...all 483 of them.
We are given some amazing descriptions of gore and terror along with some hideous beasts within the game. I loved this short story and would definitely read a novel length version of this as the premise is very interesting to me. At only 30ish pages definitely check this out it gives a good showing of Erica's talents as a writer. Everything I have read of hers so far has been amazing.
Dr Angus is testing a new virtual reality system called Verity. It allows fourth dimension reality where the human body becomes the console. The problem is the real world and the virtual world are interconnected and what occurs in one presents in the other....for a game called bloodshed involving demonic beasts this spells bad news for its test subjects...all 483 of them.
We are given some amazing descriptions of gore and terror along with some hideous beasts within the game. I loved this short story and would definitely read a novel length version of this as the premise is very interesting to me. At only 30ish pages definitely check this out it gives a good showing of Erica's talents as a writer. Everything I have read of hers so far has been amazing.
May 28, 2024
Another great gory story from Erica Summers! I just love this author's work: she really knows how to develop characters you care about even in short form, and she doesn't hesitate to come up with brutal, unforgiving endings! This new story is raw sci-fi horror, a sort of "mad scientist" caper that reads like that type of unforgettable nightmare that messes with your head and takes its own time to leave. The descriptions are quite grotesque and visceral, the dialogue sharp and witty; however, it's the brilliant choice of narrating the story through a secondary character's point of view that really drives the story forward. My only complaint is this is too short! I want more!
April 29, 2024
moral of the story: don’t be an incel
but for real, i think i just hate short stories, especially horror ones because there’s no suspense or buildup since the space is so limited. this story’s concept was SO unique and cool but fell so flat because there just wasn’t enough time to make it interesting
but for real, i think i just hate short stories, especially horror ones because there’s no suspense or buildup since the space is so limited. this story’s concept was SO unique and cool but fell so flat because there just wasn’t enough time to make it interesting
July 23, 2024
I loved the concept; however, it fell short.
I feel that much more could have been done, as it was such a unique idea.
The ending was also a bit abrupt for my liking.
I will definitely check out more from this author, as they can write.
This one just felt a little rushed.
I feel that much more could have been done, as it was such a unique idea.
The ending was also a bit abrupt for my liking.
I will definitely check out more from this author, as they can write.
This one just felt a little rushed.
August 4, 2024
This is a good short horror story! Nasty in parts I thought, so great if that is what you are looking for!
October 9, 2023
“Clawed apart, the male subject's youthful flesh was ripped into the fragmented pieces of a gory puzzle, impossible to reassemble.”
This short story contains bucketloads of viscera and gore!!! Loved this, it gets 5 Stars ⭐️ from me and I will keep my eyes peeled for more from Erica Summers!
483 Alpha testers have been chosen to try out the new Verity virtual reality game system. Lucky right? Maybe not….
How many of those picked have walked away from their sessions? The reader is going to find out the bloody truth….
This short story contains bucketloads of viscera and gore!!! Loved this, it gets 5 Stars ⭐️ from me and I will keep my eyes peeled for more from Erica Summers!
483 Alpha testers have been chosen to try out the new Verity virtual reality game system. Lucky right? Maybe not….
How many of those picked have walked away from their sessions? The reader is going to find out the bloody truth….
November 5, 2023
An great video game horror that’s perfect for a short gory read with an interesting set up. I loved this and I would absolutely read it again! I’m hoping Erica Summers decides to make this a longer book down the line 😃
September 10, 2024
The idea of a video game coming to life in some way isn't an original one, but it is one of my favorite themes, and from Are You Afraid of the Dark (The Tale of the Pinball Wizard) to Stay Alive, I've consumed a lot of these stories.
Summers 'Feed the Machine' doesn't bring anything new or fresh to the trope though. It was pretty cheesy overall, with cheesy trope-y characters. The dialogue goes over-the-top in presenting accents, which is something I'm not a fan of because it can make it hard to read.
But then the writing overall was... I'm not sure how to describe it but I don't think I liked it very much? There was something about the descriptions that just didn't hit right.
It's just .99 cents but I still kind of feel like I wasted my money on this one.
Summers 'Feed the Machine' doesn't bring anything new or fresh to the trope though. It was pretty cheesy overall, with cheesy trope-y characters. The dialogue goes over-the-top in presenting accents, which is something I'm not a fan of because it can make it hard to read.
But then the writing overall was... I'm not sure how to describe it but I don't think I liked it very much? There was something about the descriptions that just didn't hit right.
It's just .99 cents but I still kind of feel like I wasted my money on this one.
November 13, 2023
That was disgusting and wonderful.
Loved it!
Also, the idea of VR was pretty nice, even if ... well ... wonderfully disgusting.
(DEUTSCH)
Das war widerlich und wundervoll.
Habs geliebt!
Auch war die Idee der VR ziemlich nice, wenn auch … naja … wundervoll widerlich eben.
Loved it!
Also, the idea of VR was pretty nice, even if ... well ... wonderfully disgusting.
(DEUTSCH)
Das war widerlich und wundervoll.
Habs geliebt!
Auch war die Idee der VR ziemlich nice, wenn auch … naja … wundervoll widerlich eben.
December 29, 2023
I got this during one of the "stuff your Kindle" events. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. It was a dang good story. For only being 30 pages, the author creates an engaging story and a fleshed out world
February 20, 2024
Cowabunga! This short read puts you through so many different feelings. You have hope for a survival, disgust from what happens, anger at characters, and so many more you have to read to understand! I loved this and I am looking forward to reading more of her work! Absolutely recommend!
June 3, 2024
A 30 page book shouldn't have 30+ italicized words, even 3 would've been pushing it, this is ridiculous.
Redeeming qualities?
Nice concept, I guess? The concept is ridiculous in an entertaining way.
Redeeming qualities?
Nice concept, I guess? The concept is ridiculous in an entertaining way.
November 5, 2024
“Feed the Machine”
Definitely an interesting concept. I liked how the storyline is laid out, starting with the initial confusion and leading to clarification with the next subject. I would’ve liked more detail, just because this is such an interesting concept. Maybe even throw in a plot twist of the two cleanup characters trying to stop the experiments but the machine takes over or manipulates the doctor into helping it… essentially fulfilling the need to “feed the machine”. And with the fear and dread of ‘when will this stop’ and ‘what have we created’. Not a bad quick read though.
Definitely an interesting concept. I liked how the storyline is laid out, starting with the initial confusion and leading to clarification with the next subject. I would’ve liked more detail, just because this is such an interesting concept. Maybe even throw in a plot twist of the two cleanup characters trying to stop the experiments but the machine takes over or manipulates the doctor into helping it… essentially fulfilling the need to “feed the machine”. And with the fear and dread of ‘when will this stop’ and ‘what have we created’. Not a bad quick read though.
March 14, 2024
Virtual reality terrifies me in general and this story was beyond frightening
August 15, 2024
Never read a short story
However loved this
Straight to the point, loved the gore and also the concept
Brilliant!
However loved this
Straight to the point, loved the gore and also the concept
Brilliant!
November 2, 2023
A video game horror story? Amazing!
This book is packed full of gory descriptions even though it's a super quick read. I thought it was awesome and would happily read a longer book all about this
This book is packed full of gory descriptions even though it's a super quick read. I thought it was awesome and would happily read a longer book all about this
October 4, 2025
Rating: 3.2/5 ⭐
Re-readability: Not for me
CW:
My chosen soundtrack: The Lobotomy - Maebi
Representation
- Nothing groundbreaking that I noticed
- An implied incel lol
Themes
Desensitisation, dehumanisation, modern-day streaming and entertainment, read the terms and conditions, transhumanism, neo-virtual reality, money above human lives, aka capitalism, and how much is entertainment worth?
What I liked
- An incel gets called out lol
- Nods to capitalism and the grasp it has on entertainment, as well as the disregard it has for individuals' well-being
- There are layers to the entertainment: Anthony, an online personality who streams his gaming, is experiencing the new virtual reality gaming software. Another layer,
What I didn't like/felt lackluster about
- Having to read the London accent written out.
- This novella will probably become quite dated with its references; they could've kept this more ambiguous. (This is more of a personal pet peeve)
- Nothing groundbreaking about this novel, it was entertaining enough, but nothing more, which is fine.
- It has a message but doesn't go in depth about it (which is ofc also due to its length, but a few more social commentary lines here and there would've enhanced it in my opinion.
- I still don't know if that's me just not being into novellas or just me not yet having read a novella that really moves me.
Conclusion/Notes
Innit bruv. Do it fer yer bird at home. (The London accent HAUNTS me)
It was okay, it was a nice read, however, I won't be thinking about it again. (Which is how I rate the books I've read. Thus the 3 stars.)
Re-readability: Not for me
CW:
My chosen soundtrack: The Lobotomy - Maebi
'Feed the Machine' is like a short, written version of a Black Mirror episode, though from later seasons.
Representation
- Nothing groundbreaking that I noticed
- An implied incel lol
Themes
Desensitisation, dehumanisation, modern-day streaming and entertainment, read the terms and conditions, transhumanism, neo-virtual reality, money above human lives, aka capitalism, and how much is entertainment worth?
What I liked
- An incel gets called out lol
- Nods to capitalism and the grasp it has on entertainment, as well as the disregard it has for individuals' well-being
- There are layers to the entertainment: Anthony, an online personality who streams his gaming, is experiencing the new virtual reality gaming software. Another layer,
What I didn't like/felt lackluster about
- Having to read the London accent written out.
- This novella will probably become quite dated with its references; they could've kept this more ambiguous. (This is more of a personal pet peeve)
- Nothing groundbreaking about this novel, it was entertaining enough, but nothing more, which is fine.
- It has a message but doesn't go in depth about it (which is ofc also due to its length, but a few more social commentary lines here and there would've enhanced it in my opinion.
- I still don't know if that's me just not being into novellas or just me not yet having read a novella that really moves me.
Conclusion/Notes
It was okay, it was a nice read, however, I won't be thinking about it again. (Which is how I rate the books I've read. Thus the 3 stars.)
December 15, 2023
Don’t let El*n M*sk read this book, he’ll get ideas.
It’s a 3.5 stars for me, I actually enjoyed the story and the writing but there were just some elements that were a bit jarring and grating. For example the “London” accents, we were told the Doc and Anthony were American and that was enough to imagine their accents but the Londoners had to have Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins-esque accents written in, we couldn’t have just been told what accent they had and then use our imagination. And another slightly jarring thing was one of the English guys being called Dash, I’m not sure how popular of a name that actually is over here. I’ve never heard it in my North Westerly corner of England.
I thought it was funny that the Doc was gorgeous with perfect teeth but all the blokes weren’t and had awful teeth (glad the American incel had bad teeth and it wasn’t just used as a “Bri’ish” stereotype).
Overall a fun and interesting story, very much in the style of Black Mirror, in fact it reminded me of an even gorier version of the episode “Playtest” with Wyatt Russell where he gets a virtual reality chip implanted in his body. Check triggers if you don’t like body horror, as it is gory. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Erica Summers writing.
It’s a 3.5 stars for me, I actually enjoyed the story and the writing but there were just some elements that were a bit jarring and grating. For example the “London” accents, we were told the Doc and Anthony were American and that was enough to imagine their accents but the Londoners had to have Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins-esque accents written in, we couldn’t have just been told what accent they had and then use our imagination. And another slightly jarring thing was one of the English guys being called Dash, I’m not sure how popular of a name that actually is over here. I’ve never heard it in my North Westerly corner of England.
I thought it was funny that the Doc was gorgeous with perfect teeth but all the blokes weren’t and had awful teeth (glad the American incel had bad teeth and it wasn’t just used as a “Bri’ish” stereotype).
Overall a fun and interesting story, very much in the style of Black Mirror, in fact it reminded me of an even gorier version of the episode “Playtest” with Wyatt Russell where he gets a virtual reality chip implanted in his body. Check triggers if you don’t like body horror, as it is gory. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Erica Summers writing.
May 7, 2024
3.5 Stars actually. I got this very short read on one of the stuff your kindle days and I was very intrigued by the description. The story is about a company that is doing testing on their new VR gaming console. However their test subjects are in way more then they assumed when signing up. The hooking up for the console was already starting with the gore but the test subjects get easily distracted after they experience a completely new type of gaming. But unless they chose a peaceful game, they are in a world of hurt. This short story was nice, gory, and very entertaining within just 30 pages. I think the author did a very good job putting in enough details to make the readers stay engaged and wanting just a little bit more. The only somewhat annoying thing for me was the thick English accent from two of the main characters, was difficult to read and wasn't necessary for the plot at all. I will definitely be looking into the other works from this author. defiantly recommend.
February 25, 2025
This might deserve a 4 instead of a 3; I'm having a hard time rating it, partly because I don't read splatterpunk very often.
Based solely on gore, it's an easy 5/5. Maybe a 6/5. I can vouch that this should not be read while eating. I did it so you don't have to, and I don't think I'll be touching whole wheat bread for a long time.
Characters? Probably 4/5. They're not deeply developed, but this is a short story, and there's enough there to understand the dynamic and some motivation.
Creepiness is a 2/5 for me, but this is why I don't read a ton of splatterpunk. When it comes to horror in writing, I'd rather the hairs on the back of my neck stand up than my stomach get queasy.
Plot is something I wanted a little more of. I have no idea what this corporation is trying to achieve. I don't even really see the characters questioning that. 2/5.
Based solely on gore, it's an easy 5/5. Maybe a 6/5. I can vouch that this should not be read while eating. I did it so you don't have to, and I don't think I'll be touching whole wheat bread for a long time.
Characters? Probably 4/5. They're not deeply developed, but this is a short story, and there's enough there to understand the dynamic and some motivation.
Creepiness is a 2/5 for me, but this is why I don't read a ton of splatterpunk. When it comes to horror in writing, I'd rather the hairs on the back of my neck stand up than my stomach get queasy.
Plot is something I wanted a little more of. I have no idea what this corporation is trying to achieve. I don't even really see the characters questioning that. 2/5.
April 2, 2024
Anthony is a massive gamer who signs up to test a new system called Verity however, he wasn’t smart enough to read all the terms and conditions
This is such a quick and gory read! The way that the test subjects are hooked up to the machine made me feel a bit queasy. Anything to do with eyes is a no from me 🤢
I’m not 100% sure where the author is from but the London accents which are in this book made me giggle a lot 😂
I found it really interesting the way that once the person was in the game the things that happened became part of the real world
Books with technology always freak me out slightly because although this 4D experience was a little different from actual 4D experiences, it’s probably possible to recreate today and that is terrifying
This is such a quick and gory read! The way that the test subjects are hooked up to the machine made me feel a bit queasy. Anything to do with eyes is a no from me 🤢
I’m not 100% sure where the author is from but the London accents which are in this book made me giggle a lot 😂
I found it really interesting the way that once the person was in the game the things that happened became part of the real world
Books with technology always freak me out slightly because although this 4D experience was a little different from actual 4D experiences, it’s probably possible to recreate today and that is terrifying
August 26, 2024
Erica Summer's kills it again with this short splatterpunk horror!! I'm her new biggest fan!
Feed The Machine follows a science experiment into true virtual reality and the clean up team that follows the (literal) mess it results in.
This was a wonderful gore filled horror short, filled with an unique concept, brutally graphic scenes, humour and lots and lots of blood splatter. The only downfall I have for this story is I want more! This would be amazing fleshed out into a novella where we got more backstories, more details on the creature, experiments and test subjects.
However, don't let that put you off. I recommend this novel to every splatterpunk and horror fan! A fast paced, brutal story.
Feed The Machine follows a science experiment into true virtual reality and the clean up team that follows the (literal) mess it results in.
This was a wonderful gore filled horror short, filled with an unique concept, brutally graphic scenes, humour and lots and lots of blood splatter. The only downfall I have for this story is I want more! This would be amazing fleshed out into a novella where we got more backstories, more details on the creature, experiments and test subjects.
However, don't let that put you off. I recommend this novel to every splatterpunk and horror fan! A fast paced, brutal story.
December 6, 2023
Feed The Machine
By Erica Summers
A quick review for a quick book!
This was a unique look at the future of virtual reality, and the future is scary. This had visceral imagery with detailed descriptions of what the test subject was going through. I could easily picture everything that happened in my mind, even when I would have rather not pictured it, haha! This also had some dry/dark humor, which was on point for me.
I enjoyed reading this, though it's definitely not for everyone. This was a 4.25⭐️ short story for me! Check it out!
By Erica Summers
A quick review for a quick book!
This was a unique look at the future of virtual reality, and the future is scary. This had visceral imagery with detailed descriptions of what the test subject was going through. I could easily picture everything that happened in my mind, even when I would have rather not pictured it, haha! This also had some dry/dark humor, which was on point for me.
I enjoyed reading this, though it's definitely not for everyone. This was a 4.25⭐️ short story for me! Check it out!
July 17, 2024
This is my second story by the author, and I think they might be a new favorite. I would say "Feed the Machine" is a horror with sci-fi twist, which is always a good combination. This definitely takes virtual reality to an extreme, but I can see us coming up with more and more advanced versions of it, but maybe not to this extent. I enjoyed seeing these advanced VR mechanics, and how they affected the body of the player. Definitely gory, but not too much. Highly recommend!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 30, 2025
If you’re not from England, particularly London, don’t write characters with lower class accents it will always come across as stunted and borderline offensive. I refer to it as the Ghost World problem, where an author tries to convey something they know only stereotypes about.
Also proofread your work before you make it public, the book was riddled with grammar, overly repeated words and spelling errors.
It was an okay concept but as is so often the case with most modern horror the author failed to stick the landing.
Also proofread your work before you make it public, the book was riddled with grammar, overly repeated words and spelling errors.
It was an okay concept but as is so often the case with most modern horror the author failed to stick the landing.
October 31, 2023
You know what this book was? It was all the good, exciting parts that I wanted to see in the movie The Cabin in the Woods, where it had all the different containment units that they didn't go into detail enough about. But the issue with me making that mental connection is now I want more. I want to see what happened with the previous 483 Alpha Testers. I want to see more horror games being played. I want it all, lol.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews