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A Decent Machine
After a plague of hallucinations leave a small town in disarray, a troubled man seeks out the root of the illusions. Upon purchasing a Deus Ex Machina in the form of a strange chrome box, the man visits parallel worlds, meets legendary authors, and settles down to a banal life as a taxi cab driver. Or does he?An experimental, circular work of meta-fiction, in which a narrator inhabits surreal Dali-esque landscapes, A Decent Machine is a shocking satire on politics, religion, literature, technology, and the 12-21-12 phenomenon.
45 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2012
3 people want to read
About the author
Jason Daniel Chaplin
4 books11 followersJason Daniel Chaplin (b. 1990, Mission, Texas) is an American journalist and author known for his raw, unfiltered prose and bold storytelling. He made his literary debut in 2012 with A Rocky Existence, a semi-autobiographical satire that delves into the drug culture of the Missouri Ozarks in the late 2000s. With its outlaw spirit and unapologetic honesty, the novel quickly gained attention in online literary circles.
In 2016, Chaplin released his second book, The Savage Romantics, an epic, apocalyptic tale published fittingly on Halloween. His most recent work, The Fragment Color, Darkly (2025), is a collection of speculative science fiction short stories that explore themes of memory, identity, and collapse.
Though deeply rooted in the Ozarks, Chaplin has also lived in Texas, Colorado, and New Hampshire. In 2022, he dedicated his life to Christ and is an active member of the Independent Christian Church. He is also a vocal advocate for both gun safety and Second Amendment rights.
A distant relative of literary legends Herman Melville and Ernest Hemingway, Chaplin carries forward a tradition of fearless American storytelling—gritty, reflective, and distinctly his own.
In 2016, Chaplin released his second book, The Savage Romantics, an epic, apocalyptic tale published fittingly on Halloween. His most recent work, The Fragment Color, Darkly (2025), is a collection of speculative science fiction short stories that explore themes of memory, identity, and collapse.
Though deeply rooted in the Ozarks, Chaplin has also lived in Texas, Colorado, and New Hampshire. In 2022, he dedicated his life to Christ and is an active member of the Independent Christian Church. He is also a vocal advocate for both gun safety and Second Amendment rights.
A distant relative of literary legends Herman Melville and Ernest Hemingway, Chaplin carries forward a tradition of fearless American storytelling—gritty, reflective, and distinctly his own.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 19, 2016
What the fuck did I just read?
Something I'm finding out about this reclusive writer is that all his books play on similar themes but every one of them is different in style. Like completely different.
This one seems like it was written by Chuck Palahniuk - if he had just smoked a pound of DMT.
Wait... A Decent Machine -> DMT -> A Deus Ex Machina -> A Decent Machine ->... ...
This is probably the trippiest thing I've ever read. Yes, more trippy than Naked Lunch. Yep, I said it.
Something I'm finding out about this reclusive writer is that all his books play on similar themes but every one of them is different in style. Like completely different.
This one seems like it was written by Chuck Palahniuk - if he had just smoked a pound of DMT.
Wait... A Decent Machine -> DMT -> A Deus Ex Machina -> A Decent Machine ->... ...
This is probably the trippiest thing I've ever read. Yes, more trippy than Naked Lunch. Yep, I said it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review