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Ball Machine: The Inside Story of the Lies, Seductions and Sporting Triumphs of the Android Vitas Rodriguez
Stuck on a secret science campus in the Arizona desert, the brilliant and beautiful young scientist Rosa Rodriguez needs a tennis partner. So she persuades her colleagues to build her a robot - the ultimate ‘ball machine.’
Inspired by Rosa’s promise of a striptease, the misfit prodigies at the elite science think-tank create the world’s most advanced android. Equipped with the revolutionary quantum entanglement processor, it’s a robot so lifelike, so realistic, no one can tell it’s not human.
Vitas is sentient, athletic, handsome, and unstoppable. He gets to every shot, hits with precision and never tires. Can Rosa give him a game? Will she have to do that striptease she promised the boys? And are all his parts totally lifelike and fully operational?
Just how far will Vitas’ tennis skills take him, and will he find the answers to life’s ultimate questions?
As a team of androids sets out to transform the world’s worst soccer team, can the tiny Caribbean nation of Javier and St Amaro finally win a match? Will they qualify for the soccer World Cup?
How could anyone, or anything, ever stop them?
Inspired by Rosa’s promise of a striptease, the misfit prodigies at the elite science think-tank create the world’s most advanced android. Equipped with the revolutionary quantum entanglement processor, it’s a robot so lifelike, so realistic, no one can tell it’s not human.
Vitas is sentient, athletic, handsome, and unstoppable. He gets to every shot, hits with precision and never tires. Can Rosa give him a game? Will she have to do that striptease she promised the boys? And are all his parts totally lifelike and fully operational?
Just how far will Vitas’ tennis skills take him, and will he find the answers to life’s ultimate questions?
As a team of androids sets out to transform the world’s worst soccer team, can the tiny Caribbean nation of Javier and St Amaro finally win a match? Will they qualify for the soccer World Cup?
How could anyone, or anything, ever stop them?
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2012
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Simon J. Townley
17 books13 followersSimon Townley is a British fiction writer, copywriter and journalist. He is the author of the acclaimed sci-fi / speculative novels ‘Lost In Thought’ and ‘Ball Machine’. He has also written a range of cross-genre novels for both adults and young adults, including prehistoric fiction series ‘A Tribal Song – Tales of the Koriba’; post-apocalypse adventure 'In The Wreckage'; dystopian sci-fi thriller 'Outlivers'; and the bio-punk tale of a talking terrier 'Doguar and the Baboons of War.'
Simon lives in Devon, England, with a woman, three cats and his beloved Airedale terriers. You can find out more at simontownley.com and view all of his books at: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0083FTLYA.
Simon lives in Devon, England, with a woman, three cats and his beloved Airedale terriers. You can find out more at simontownley.com and view all of his books at: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0083FTLYA.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 8, 2014
Rosa Rodriguez, the only woman among a team of technical geniuses, yearns for a partner to match her at tennis. None of the nerds can comply, so she persuades them (in a very unique way) to help her build a tennis-playing android. The story follows the android’s journey as he develops physically and mentally until he’s finally faced with a very human decision.
The purpose of a review is to help others decide if a story is appealing to them. So, I’ll start with a negative. If you don’t understand and enjoy tennis and soccer, you probably won’t enjoy this book. But before you move on, I do recommend taking a look at another work by this author. I read and reviewed Lost in Thought last year and loved it (and not a soccer or tennis ball in sight).
Disclaimer over. This is a terrific read. Gosh, Mr. Townley can write his little socks off. Lean, terse sentences move this tale along at a blistering pace. Crazy concepts presented so succinctly that even wild stretches of the imagination seem not just possible, but obvious—of course these geniuses could build a totally lifelike android in a couple months—duh! Of course his penis would work (now if that doesn’t get you clicking download from Amazon, I don’t know what would!)
The story, or rather the character arc, because this is all about Vitas, the android, is full of subplots and interesting secondary characters (I particularly enjoyed Ng), but never confusing. In fact, the book’s full title is: Ball Machine - the Inside Story of the Lies, Seductions and Sporting Triumphs of the Android Vitas Rodriguez. I think that describes the plot very nicely. Until the very last page, I didn’t know how things would finish for Vitas. I did enjoy the ending, but it’s a credit to the author, that I would have enjoyed the other alternative, too.
Highly recommended--a very unusual and fascinating read.
This review was originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. I may have received a free review copy.
The purpose of a review is to help others decide if a story is appealing to them. So, I’ll start with a negative. If you don’t understand and enjoy tennis and soccer, you probably won’t enjoy this book. But before you move on, I do recommend taking a look at another work by this author. I read and reviewed Lost in Thought last year and loved it (and not a soccer or tennis ball in sight).
Disclaimer over. This is a terrific read. Gosh, Mr. Townley can write his little socks off. Lean, terse sentences move this tale along at a blistering pace. Crazy concepts presented so succinctly that even wild stretches of the imagination seem not just possible, but obvious—of course these geniuses could build a totally lifelike android in a couple months—duh! Of course his penis would work (now if that doesn’t get you clicking download from Amazon, I don’t know what would!)
The story, or rather the character arc, because this is all about Vitas, the android, is full of subplots and interesting secondary characters (I particularly enjoyed Ng), but never confusing. In fact, the book’s full title is: Ball Machine - the Inside Story of the Lies, Seductions and Sporting Triumphs of the Android Vitas Rodriguez. I think that describes the plot very nicely. Until the very last page, I didn’t know how things would finish for Vitas. I did enjoy the ending, but it’s a credit to the author, that I would have enjoyed the other alternative, too.
Highly recommended--a very unusual and fascinating read.
This review was originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. I may have received a free review copy.
January 19, 2022
AIBA Book of the Day: 19 January, 2022: 060/41287
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include BALL MACHINE by SIMON J. TOWNLEY in the library of Awesome Indies' Badge of Approval recipients.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews