A Perfect Machine

by Brett Alexander Savory

Acclaimed publisher turned novelist gets dark and dangerous in his tale of secret city-wide combat - like Rollerball rewritten by JG Ballard. Henry Kyllo is a Runner, a member of a secret society called the Inferne Cutis. Every day he is chased through the city by Hunters whose goal is to fill him with bullets. It is a secret war steeped in history, tradition, and mutual fear. Rumours abound about what happens when a Runner achieves ascension, but it has supposedly never happened before, so no one knows for sure. Except that it has happened before. And it is happening again. This time, to Henry Kyllo.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy

362 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2017

Reviews

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting story. This book is best described as a long short story in that it is very focused on a single event, the transformation and acension of Henry Kyllo.

The story is really about immersion in the experience as it happens over a 24 hour period, not so much about in-depth character development or world building. Probably this one would be enjoyed more by fans of short fiction and the way stories are told in that format rather than by readers who like more expansive novels.

The cover is really cool too.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had two concurrent thoughts upon finishing this book. 1) That was a shit ending. 2) I wasted six days reading this thing? Honestly, I should have DNF'd this quite a while back as it was becoming clear the book just was not working for me, a feeling that grew all the stronger by the 85% mark, but by then I figured I may as well finish it. This was a poor choice, as it became awfully clear that Brett Savory had no idea how to end this book and I would have been better off setting the book down earlier and making up my own story.

Typically, I don't need all of the answers for every question raised. The biggest problem with A Perfect Machine is that these questions never rose past a blatant insert here because it soundscool.

There's a secret society of Hunters and Runners. They pursue each other through the streets, maiming and shooting, but rarely killing, one another. The lead that gets pumped into them becomes a permanent part of their bodies, which they hope will allow them achieve ascendency and become metal gods. Or at least that's what the readers are told. The characters themselves actually have no idea what happens when their body becomes full of bullets, but they play along with game anyway. If they don't, people they know start disappearing.

Who's responsible for their disappearances? The characters don't know, I don't know, and neither does Savory. This secret group has been operating like this for a century, but there's only been one prior incident of 100% metallization prior to Henry Kyllo, and that's pretty recent history at that. Before then, there's apparently no history of this ascendancy occurring, but they do it anyway just because. What reason do they have to believe in ascendancy? They don't, and Savory doesn't care to give them a reason, because he probably doesn't know or care either. People who come into contact with the Hunters and Runners quickly forget ever seeing them. Why? Just because. And no matter how much damage they inflict on one another, they bounce right back and completely heal within a matter of hours. Why? Just because. Oh yeah, and there's a couple ghosts running around town. Just because. Look - using "just because" as an answer stopped working on me quite a long, long, long time ago. I need more than that to go on, if your entire story hangs around the frame of "just because?" Yeah, no. That's not going to work for me. At all. And when you give ghosts, robots, secret societies, mayhem, and then completely cop out on the ending? Well, then you've just pissed me off.

Anyway, Kyllo has apparently been shot so many times, his body is now completely lead. So he starts growing into a giant killer machine. Sort of like The Incredible Hulk meets Transformers, but not nearly half as good as either of those properties. And the ghosts are trying to help him reach his final stage of evolution, which in itself is just another convoluted mess of a subplot. In fact, there's a couple other subplots running throughout the narrative, each of which ends in variously disappointing ways and could have been stripped out of the book entirely with little to no impact.

Pointlessness seems to be the primary theme of this book. And also "because."

On the bright side, that cover art is freaking perfect and on-point. I love the cover art. Angry Robot's designers did a stupendous job making this book look a thousand times better and more interesting than it really is. The art is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]

[Nicolinia Spurgeon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I recived a copy of this via netgalley for an honest review.

Im gonna start of by saying this is the first book i have ever did not finish i got 150 pages in.
I could not get into this it was confusing and strange. I would not recommend this.

[~Dani~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I am having so much trouble getting my thoughts in order regarding this book.

I didn't like it.

There was just soooooo much unexplained and more than a few plot holes. In the opening scene of the book the MC, Henry, is in the hospital after just getting shot up. Because that's what he does every night. He runs away from people trying to shoot him. Why?

**shrugs** I dunno. 'Cause reasons and stuff. Reasons and stuff that were never actually explained just sort of vaguely hinted to toward the end of the book in a no where near satisfactory way.

Anyway, so he's in the hospital. He was unconscious when he got there so he couldn't tell anyone what he was and now he has this inner monologue about how when people find out what he is they avoid him and push him out the hospital doors as fast as possible.

This tells me that the Runners and their whole society is at least partially known by the public at large. But for some reason the main bad guy's whole thing in the story is to “out” the Runners' society to the public. Because, hell I don't know, his little sister accidentally got shot and he blames the leader of the Runners even though they are not the ones actually shooting the guns. Also because his girlfriend (who was secretly a Runner and just happened to be the Runner leader's daughter) disappeared. No explanation on how they met or how this guy remembered her at all when being forgotten was supposed to be something the Runners can't control.

And it really doesn't stop there but these were kind of the big deal for me. I can deal with a few small plot holes because it happens sometimes and a story can still be good in spite of it. But the entire premise here was such a gaping hole that I could not get into it.

I don't know, I kinda feel like there was a good story buried under all the confusion and plot holes but I can't tell what it was. The story relied on a secret society that had no purpose other than to get shot at and do some shooting and apparently morph into a giant machine person that becomes the literal size of the universe. Think the anime Akira.

If the story had slowed down some and actually take the time to flesh out the why of anything that happens, it would have helped a lot. As it is, I just don't get it.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fair warning: be prepared to get sucked into this story from the moment you start reading, because you won’t be able to put your book down. This is what happened to me.

This book is incredibly good, on every level, in my opinion.

Plot __ The plot is very original, and I found the main idea behind the story to be very different and innovative, which is always a good thing for me. If you love science-fiction, this book will be right up your ally. The wolrdbuilding is extremely well written, and the action is mastered very well.

Another thing I found interesting was the pace. Often in SF, you tend to rush things to get to the point, but this novel is extremely well balanced, so that it is paced to the right rhythm, and it makes it even more enjoyable to read as it is neither too fast nor too slow.

Characters __ All the characters now have a special place in my heart. Henry definitely needs a hug or two, in my opinion, and I felt bad for him the whole time I’ve been reading. I also loved the way Brett Savory handled the “status”/”state” of Milo and Adelina, and how important they are to the story despite said state. Faye is another of my favourite characters - I found her brave, strong and loyal, which are always good qualities to find in heroes.

The relationship between the four of them is, to me, so great. They are dedicated and loving friends, and it sounds realistic when you read about them as they go on in the story.

Style __ The style is one of the strong points, for me, as it’s what really lured me into the story and didn’t let me put the book down - the descriptions are beautiful, and overall it is very raw and poetic at the same time.

It’s straight to the point and efficient, with snappy and sharp dialogues. To me, it’s a tale of revenge and violence, and humanity.

I feel like this novel broke some boundaries in my readings of SF, and it made me think a lot about our own life as it is in 2016, and the fact that I could see some parallels is scary, yet unsurprising. I love novels that make me think. The whole story is a puzzle the reader needs to put together, to paint one terrifying yet fascinating picture.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hits the ground running and just doesn't stop!

A unique and original story, like nothing I've read before. The usual Sci-Fi cliches are avoided and it kept surprising me, I found that I couldn't predict anything that was going to happen.

Unfortunately that was partly because it gives no answers to the many questions it raises. What the hunt is for, who controls it, why the runners can recover from major injuries, why they are not really human - none of these are explained. If the answers were there in the book I didn't pick up on them.

It never fully explains the hunt - the story focuses around the 'ascension' of Henry and it doesn't show us much of the hunter and runner's world. I would have liked to see more of this, more of their society and their lives in it as I didn't really get a feel for what 'normal' is in this world.

The characters are likeable, and it's worth a read for how original the story is, but if you work out what it's all about please clue me in!

I received a free copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Adrian Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brett Savory is best known for his short horror fiction, so it’s no surprise that his first novel,A Perfect Machine, concerns itself with secret societies, aberrant rituals and the implacable erosion of one man’s humanity. But despite the horror undercurrent, A Perfect Machine doesn’t sit easily in any established genre. The novel is neither horror nor fantasy, nor is it a simple hybrid of existing genres. It arguably leans toward magical realism but the supernatural aspects have an industrial edge that makes the term “magical” an awkward label – for example, there is a character overdosed on bullet lead who slowly transmogrifies into a giant robot. This is not the magical realism of speculative fiction writers such as Kelly Link who, even when veering into science-fiction, keeps both her feet grounded in a style more akin to a ghost story or a fairy tale, with the sci-fi elements kept at a safe distance.
Of course, ye faithful grimdark readers are thumping down your tankards of ale: Aye, but is it grimdark?
Sorry folks. On that point I have to answer, “Nay.” But with grimdark being a neglected marketing term for anything outside gritty fantasy, it’s worth talking about some of the fringe books that are flirting with our beloved subgenre.
A Perfect Machine by Brett SavoryA Perfect Machine has morally ambiguous protagonists, it’s got outrageous violence and it’s got a nihilistic world. What it doesn’t have is grittiness. There is a strangely absurdist, almost cartoonish, element to the violence. Consider the main premise: Henry Kyllo has been shot hundreds of times but, rather than causing horrific wounds, the bullets have jostled out his internal organs and he is now transmogrifying into a mechanized golem. What Brett Savory has written is a surreal, allegorical novel of urban fantasy.
The reason Henry Kyllo has been the victim of multiple shootings is that he is a Runner, a participant in a nocturnal variant of tag between his faction and the Hunters. Both the Hunters and the Runners possess supernatural healing abilities and exist in a shadowy subculture that operates below the awareness of the city’s other inhabitants. Normal humans struggle to perceive the Runners and the Hunters, let alone comprehend the snippets they do perceive, such as the gunfire from the nightly shootings. The ordinary populace, for example, will rationalise away the gunfire as a car backfiring or simply forget they’ve heard it.
Although the Hunters use live ammunition, the bullets don’t actually kill the Runners according to the novel’s dream logic. Instead, the bullets accumulate over the course of multiple runs, causing the aforementioned transmogrification. Earn the dubious distinction of getting shot enough times, and a Runner just might eventually reach the mythical saturation point of a hundred percent lead. Apparently, it has happened only once before, and the outcome of that threshold crossing is a debated topic amongst Hunters and Runners alike.
While their preferred term for the mythical transformation is “ascension”, a label that probably sounds like a divine reward when you’re eating bullets every night, Kyllo suspects that the hard reality of an ascension might be something rather more skewed off the heavenly path. This isn’t reassuring for him because he’s destined to cross the threshold and discover first-hand what happens, whether he wants to or not.
The central plotline tracks his subsequent threshold crossing and transformation. His companions are his girlfriend, Faye, and his friend, Milo, the latter having become a ghost after being beheaded, an assuredly more efficient method of killing a Runner than using mere bullets.
The purpose of the run itself is never made clear. Much like Kyllo’s transformation, the conceit of the run defies logical explanation. What is probably the best idea in the novel is the reason why the Runners and the Hunters persist in their nightly japes: miss a run and someone you love will vanish the next morning. No trace. Just gone. There’s no rhyme or reason to it – it simply is, an allegory to life and death as we experience it. Similarly, the city itself is not a representation of any existing city. It lacks specific landmarks and detail, a concession to the allegorical leanings of the story.
If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool science-fiction reader who demands a rational explanation, then this novel will drive you nuts. However, once you think about the story a bit more, you start realising that the story is more tightly structured than it seems on a casual read. There’s certainly a religious metaphor being explored, with reference to the Runner’s “ancient holy books” and what they say about the penalties that apply to those who refuse the run. Kyllo is quick to point out that the religious texts don’t provide a good answer to the why of the disappearances. Their religion gives them no logical answers to the cause-and-effect realities of their unique universe.
And then there is the fact that in Kyllo’s world, true death means transcending death and becoming purely spiritual – a ghost like Milo. The ghosts in this story are striving to help the living, while Kyllo, who is “ascending” as per the holy texts, can only hurt the ones he loves.
The simplicity of the setting and the unanswered questions are undoubtedly intentional. It’s highly unlikely to be a lack of craft since Savory is too experienced a writer. Is his novel making a point about the arguably simple answers of religion in the face of a complicated world? That’s a question only the reader can answer.
The difficulty for many readers, of course, will be that the novel answers too few of the questions it raises but that seems to be the point. After all, if the novel is exploring religious themes, then it is fair that nothing is explained because one of religion’s indispensable keystone is faith. What the Hunters and Runners are doing is a ritual, where the faithful are rewarded with ascension. In this fictional reality, as Milo discovers, life does exist after death, and it is a ghostly, meaningless life. For the faithful, something above life after death has to exist to make their faith compelling. This is where “ascending” comes in.
Is the intentionally ludicrous ending that is the terminus of Kyllo’s transformation a poke at promises about the afterlife? There are a lot of ways to interpret what Savory has written, but perhaps multiple interpretations is an author’s only prudent decision when the central theme may be religion.
One final point worth mentioning is that the narrative is unusual in that the point of view head hops multiple times within scenes. We might start in Kyllo’s, then rapidly switch to Milo’s, then Faye’s, then back to Kyllo’s point of view. This is a brazen move in a speculative fiction paperback. Inevitably, there are a couple of instances of confusion, although the effect is for the most part successful.
I cannot honestly recommend this to the majority of grimdark aficionados. The allegorical nature of the story necessarily results in the narrative avoiding grittiness and fine details. Everything from the city’s name to the types of firearms is left blank. In terms of plot, it also leans away from what is typically found in speculative fiction and toward the literary, where themes can take precedence over plot. The result is not a slow pace, but rather a novel that raises more questions than it provides answers. However, if you’re not afraid of something different that will give you pause for thought about the institutions in our real world, then this novel is worth a look.

ORIGINAL POST: Go to GdM for more

[SplatterGeist Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s very much like Maze Runner but the runners aren’t kids and their respective hunters are fellow humans who shoot the crap out of each other. The protagonist, Henry Kyllo, more often than not finds himself waking up in the hospital than in his own bed – being treated for his various gunshot wounds is also the only time when he gets to see his girlfriend, Faye. Luckily for Faye she’s unaware of Henry’s nightly activities and rightly so because after each ‘reincarnation’ (so to say) Henry appears more machine-like than before.

This seems fine and dandy until one bullet too many and one run too much wakes something up in him; Henry mistakenly kills the person trying to kill him and as a result is gunned down on the sidewalk during one of the novel’s ‘runs’. His faithful friend, Milo, is beheaded as well. This time, however, when Henry wakes up the lead content in his body transforming him had accelerated, turning him into the thing he had a good hindsight to be wary of; a humanoid hybrid machine. Things get interesting when a couple of other runners take up arms against Henry in an attempt to seek vengeance for their recently murdered boss.

The story itself is actually pretty good: Henry is constantly plagued by the physical and mental changes he undergoes, failing to get a grip to what’s really happening such as the consequences of his actions and other sentimental things, there’s a voice nagging him on the inside of his head to just snap and kill everyone he sees – an urge he fails to clamp shut the first time. As the reader journeys along with this human machine hybrid you begin to really see how Henry desperately clings to the last vestiges of his humanity and mortality, even running into a train at some point to end his life because he doesn’t want to become an object of terror.

With an expansive ending that leaves you thinking about who the true fabricators are of this evil, there’s an inkling that perhaps Henry’s fate was already predestined. If not, what else could there be to have changed the outcome of the events foretold in the novel?

I received this awesome book in exchange for my unbiased and honest opinion.

[Mark Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was quite a bit that I didn’t like about The Perfect Machine. Angry Robot Books is usually a safe bet, and when I saw this on NetGalley, it looked promising, but I guess not all books can be great books.

There is a lot of head-hopping going on in this story. In one sentence, a character is revealing their thoughts, and in the next, a completely different character is revealing their thoughts. Third person omniscient point of view isn’t a bad thing, but authors rarely pull it off well. I had to constantly reread sentences, paragraphs and even entire pages to figure out who was doing the thinking. This story could’ve easily been edited into a third person limited point of view, and it would’ve made a lot more sense.

Well, as much sense as it could. The setting, other than a snowy city, was difficult to nail down. It started with an almost historical feel, like the beginning of the 20th century London, but there were also elements from near-present day. The hunters and runners made absolutely no sense. I get the shadowy masonic-like organization that is as old as time itself, but they both came across like 1920s gangs with some sort of supernatural something.

And the ending? It doesn’t make any sense. I won’t spoil it by citing specifics, but it was pretty weak sauce. And it wasn’t even because it was set up poorly for a sequel or anything; it was just a bad ending. Sci-fi fans might like this confusing tale, and they might even get it better than I did, but I won’t be recommending this story.

[Rachel Noel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Free copy for an honest review.

This book, short as is it is, had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I don't feel it met that, and fell far short of my expectations for it. Maybe I was asking too much of it, but I was disappointed by this book.

The author does make me feel emotionally connected to the three main characters, he's done a great job of getting me interested in their story. I was genuinely concerned for Henry's sanity and Milo's sake. I was happy to read this book out of interest in these few characters.

My biggest problem with this book is the world it takes place in. Clearly it's our world, but with this subset of people that, if we were to encounter them, we'd never remember. But what is it that causes people to forget? What is it that allows the Runners to physically take on bullets? What is it that takes the loved ones of Runners who don't run? Why was one little girl, ghost character, the only one with any actual answers, forgotten almost immediately after her introduction? No one, not even the elders of the Hunters and Runners, have answers to any of these questions.

And maybe I'm missing the point of the book. Maybe the focus was supposed to be on these characters, but I feel like, if I knew more about the world and its laws, I could've felt more. I could've been more interested in what was going on. As it was, when the book ended, I felt nothing. There was so much that this book could have been, but wasn't.

[Edwin Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A PERFECT MACHINE by Brett Savory, jumps right into the life of Henry Kyllo, a Runner, in the alternate world where every night he is chased by Hunters, who constantly fill his body with bullets, only for Henry to miraculously and quickly heal up and be ready for his next run. There is a mystic and reverent quality to the whole process, with Henry and the other Runners suspecting there is a larger purpose, though none of them have the real desire to inquire further.
Savory drops the reader right into the story and doles out nuggets of backstory to keep the reader interested without slowing down the exciting building to the climax of the book. While it is never fully clear why this Runner/Hunter situation is going on or how anyone became involved, it quickly becomes irrelevant because as the reader, you just want to see what happens to Henry and those around him. The story builds and builds to the climax with a whopper of an ending. I found A PERFECT MACHINE a quick, fun read that I had a hard time putting down.
Brett Savory's prose and ability to build the suspense helped A PERFECT MACHINE be one of my favorite reads in 2016 and I implore others to pick it up and enjoy the book like I did.
Thank you to Angry Robot Books, Brett Savory, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Aaron McQuiston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this through NetGalley and Angry Robot in exchange for an honest review.

The setup to this novel is a good one. Henry Kyllo has to play a game every night where he runs through the city while Hunters are shooting at him. Since he is a Runner, he wants to get hit with bullets that he keeps because there is a rumor that when you get to full body content, you transform into a complete machine. This is a really cool premise, and there are so many things that Brett Savory could have done with this that he did not do. I know that readers are not supposed to get upset or angry at the author or decisions that he or she makes (otherwise we would all be Kathy Bates in "Misery), but there does come a certain time when the book just turns into sludge in front of your eyes. I found most of this book silly and reflective of plots to children's movies, particularly "The Iron Giant." My interest in Henry Kyllo and his dilemma was never there after the first quarter of the book. The setup was great, I love the idea of Runners and Hunters every night, fighting it out while parts of the city tries to sleep. The rest of the novel, Kyllo, his allies, and his problems were not interesting enough for me to really stay engaged with the characters. Overall, it is okay, but I'd most likely suggest skipping it for a different Angry Robot title.

[Bronagh Miskelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Received a copy of this through NetGalley where you are asked for your honest opinions.
I was excited by the premise and the set up for - secret societies with special powers, shunned individuals, hidden power, the fulfilment of a "prophecy, transformation, etc. These are all elements for a classic tale.
I don't want to discuss the details of these plot points for fear of spoilers but the idea of people with special abilities who are forced by a curse/force to use those abilities or face terrible consequences is very interesting but not one that is fully addressed after the set-up.
Sadly, that's the case with this book in general and it did not live up to it's potential and seemed to forget some of its ideas as it went on. In particular the hidden power/who is in control elements were not fully explored and in the end just dropped and there was little given to how the runners and hunters come into being, form relationships etc. For example is being a runner genetic?
The nihilistic ending felt lazy and wasn't helped by heavy-handed King Kong references.
Great idea, poor execution I'm afraid

[Durand Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've done a proper review that's up on the Grimdark Magazine blog, but that review is aimed only at grimdark fiction fans. Therefore, I'll keep this really short, since the review on the blog is fairly comprehensive. In other words I won't touch on the plot or characters: I've done all that in the blog review.

In short, I don't think it's a book that will appeal to grimdark readers, but it has other merits that will warrant a look for readers looking for a read that's more experimental and boundary pushing. A Perfect Machine struck me as an allegorical urban fantasy novel. I'd recommend it to readers who are sympathetic towards magic realism and who enjoy fiction that is open to interpretation. As a number of other reviewers have noted, the plot provides few answers and leaves many questions unresolved.

My reading of the novel was that these unanswered questions and ambiguities were intentional and part of a commentary about deep themes, such as ritual and religion. Of course, while this may alienate readers who want definite resolutions, it can also provide a rich reading experience for a reader prepared to think about the thematic implications of the narrative.

[Sachin Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one's been a fast and furious read for me. Immersive, devilishly clever hooks, fascinating build up, the pacing is like an anti aircraft gun gone rogue on auto mode and the characters and setting is intriguing as hell. but the last few chapters were a huge letdown. Longer review closer to release date.

[Gloria Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A interesting book about a Runner Henry Kullo who has to run every night and is shot at time after time.. interesting as he is a member of a secret society called the Inferne Curtis, who goal is to achieve full body lead content.. interesting story .

[Martin Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly thoughtful piece of work. This will stay with you long after you've finished.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

What surreal looks like on steroids.

[Craig Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and enjoyable read that leaves you thinking!

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Auf den ersten Seiten wirkt Brett Savorys "A Perfect Machine" ein wenig wie eine "erwachsene" Version von James Dashners "The Maze Runner". Statt einer Gruppe Teenager, die Tag für Tag ein mysteriöses Labyrinth erkunden, sind es hier jedoch zwei Fraktionen, die sich gegenseitig Nacht für Nacht durch die Stadt jagen. Die "Runner" nehmen dabei die Rolle der Flüchtenden ein, die von den "Huntern" gejagt werden - und diese Jagd fällt in der Regel ziemlich bleihaltig aus. Der Sinn dieses nächtlichen Katz-und-Maus-Spiels ist keinem so richtig klar, allerdings wissen alle Beteiligten genau was passiert, wenn man sich diesem wilden und gewalttätigen Treiben verweigert: tritt man nämlich nicht zur Jagd an, so verschwindet daraufhin ein naher Angehöriger spurlos. Trotz Waffengewalt und alltäglicher Schusswunden ist das alltägliche Duell aber weniger gefährlich als es scheint, denn die Verletzungen der "Runner" und "Hunter" heilen für gewöhnlich innerhalb weniger Stunden. Allerdings nimmt der Bleigehalt ihrer Körper mit jeder Kugel immer mehr zu...

Man merkt bei Savorys Werk recht früh, dass es sich der Autor mit seiner Geschichte sehr einfach gemacht hat: Erklärungen und Hintergrundinformationen gibt es nämlich abgesehen vom Grundaufbau des ewigen nächtlichen Duells so gut wie keine. Wer steckt hinter diesem Spiel? Wer ist für das Bestrafen und Verschwinden der Angehörigen verantwortlich? Warum sind die Protagonisten praktisch unverwundbar? Wie können Menschen zu fast 100 Prozent aus Blei bestehen? Derlei Fragen stellen sich während der Lektüre nahezu ständig, Savory beantwortet davon aber praktisch nichts. Gut, das war bei Dashners "The Maze Runner" auch nicht anders, aber da hatte man zumindest immer das Gefühl, das hinter allem etwas Großes und Mysteriöses stecken würde, das sich irgendwann mit voller Wucht enthüllen würde.

Dieses Gefühl hat man hier hingegen so gut wie nie, auch weil den Protagonisten selbst völlig egal zu sein scheint, warum sie zu Marionetten in diesem Spiel geworden sind – sie folgen einfach ihr ganzes Leben lang wie Lemminge blind den Regeln und scheinen nichts zu hinterfragen. Lässt man einmal die absurde Idee beiseite, dass angeschossene Menschen den Bleigehalt der in ihren Körpern eingeschlagenen Kugeln absorbieren und irgendwann zu weit über 90% aus Blei bestehen, ohne äußerliche große Spuren davonzutragen, so verhalten sich die Charaktere auch sonst völlig irrational. Als Beispiel sei hier die Frau genannt, die gerade ihren Freund offenbar tot im Bett gefunden hat und kurz danach davon relativ unbehelligt wieder ihrem ganz normalen Alltag folgt – während sie die Leiche des Totgeglaubten einfach liegen lässt. Erklärt wird so ein Verhalten vom Autor dann meist mit einer übersinnlichen Verklärung, die bei "normalen" Menschen ihre Begegnungen mit "Runnern" und "Huntern" nach kurzer Zeit hinter einer geistigen Nebelwand verschwinden lässt.

Man kann gar nicht einmal sagen, dass "A Perfect Machine" ein sonderlich schlechtes Buch sei. Trotz offenkundigster Mängel liest sich die Geschichte über weite Strecken recht unterhaltsam und ist mitunter sogar spannend. Das Problem ist vielmehr die völlige Sinnfreiheit dieser Story, denn das meiste in der Handlung scheint total willkürlich zu geschehen und Brett Savory gibt sich kaum Mühe, diese Geschehnisse einigermaßen glaubwürdig zu verkaufen oder vernünftige Erklärungen zu liefern. Alles passiert einfach, weil es eben passiert. Das könnte man vielleicht noch verschmerzen, wenn wenigstens am Ende des Buches die große Enthüllung auf die Leser:innen warten würde, allerdings "rettet" sich der Autor mit einem selten dämlichen Schluss aus der gewaltigen Erklärungsnot, der an Dreistigkeit und Lieblosigkeit kaum zu überbieten ist und fast schon eine Frechheit für alle darstellt, sie sich bis zur letzten Seite geduldig durch die Geschichte gearbeitet haben. Da kann man eigentlich nur froh sein, dass das Buch in sich abgeschlossen ist und Savory seinem Publikum nicht noch eine Fortsetzung zugemutet hat, die aufgrund der vielen unerklärten Ereignisse wahrlich nicht überrascht hätte...

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.0 of 5

Huh.

I really liked this one ... and then I didn't.

Henry Kyllo is a Runner ... a member of a secret society that runs information to and from different locations. But Runners have to pass through a city filled with Hunters. The Hunters shoot the Runners. The Runners fill up with the lead from the Hunters' guns. The hope - the dream - of the Runners is to fill with enough lead that they reach Ascendency - to become a perfect machine. And how much lead will that entail? How does a Runner finally reach this pinnacle? Well, no one really knows - it hasn't happened to anyone before. Is it possible that Ascendancy is just a dream to keep the Runners going?

But Henry does get enough lead to transform into the perfect machine. He is supported by his girlfriend and by his best friend Milo - now a ghost as he had his head cut off (clearly the best way to stop a Runner since they absorb the lead from the guns).

I enjoyed author Brett Savory's writing style, which was energetic and quick. This is an easy, light read and the personality of the characters and the book itself was 'polite' - which is an odd thing to say about a story, I know. But given that people are shooting at one another, beheading them, and violence seems to run rampant, this never felt like a gritty, post-apocalyptic style story, even though the general setting made it seem like it ought to be such.

And that's okay. I actually really enjoy these kinds of contradictions in the things I'm reading. In fact, it was rather a relief to read something that wasn't just a copy of everything else set in a post-apocalyptic future.

But what wasn't okay was the lack of actual story.

What Savory has done is presented us with a series of interesting images, all described well, so that we can picture them ourselves, with some interesting basic characters. But the characters never develop and the story doesn't seem to go anywhere with any purpose. Savory is fun to read, but this story isn't.

Looking for a good book? A Perfect Machine by Brett Savory is a sci-fi thriller with a strange mix of supernatural and bizarre presented quite pleasantly.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Jaine Fenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does have a lot to recommend it, but I also found it flawed. It's hard to pin down genre-wise - no bad thing - with elements of mystery, thriller, alt. history, crime and a big dollop of supernatural horror. However I don't think the central idea was strong enough to sustain a whole novel; it might have made a better novella.

To unpack that a bit [with some mild spoilers] the central mystery isn't really explored so much as experienced. Not finding out - or at least getting some meaty hints about - the 'why' and the 'how' of a story can work fine in a shorter work but it left me feeling someone disappointed by the end of this novel. Weaving some subplots through the book might also have helped sustain it.

I liked the dark and twisted feel of this world, but had problems with the detail (and the devil is always in the detail). For instance, I'm fine with it being an unnamed city in what feels - from its cultural references - like contemporary North America but with the twist of there being a violent and mysterious hidden culture, protected by supernatural forces; however, why is this city lit by gas, not electricity? And is this city unique in its peculiarities, mundane and supernatural? If so, why? Also, I'm fine - if a bit grossed out - by the idea of getting rid of a body by pulping it and shoving the mush down the drain, but how did they dispose of the bloodstained clothing? There is also a certain inconsistency in the logic of ghosts, who appear mainly as convenient plot devices.

My main issue - and this may be personal - was a stylistic one. The author constantly shifts viewpoint, so we're experiencing the story from Character A's perspective but then in the next paragraph - or even sentence - we're in the head of Character B. Sometimes changing viewpoint within a scene is useful, even necessary, but constantly head-hopping between every single character in a scene - even ones who are just walk-ons we'll never see again - can be downright confusing. It also makes it very hard to empathise with any one character and experience the story with them, not to mention diffusing tension: we're with A, as she wonders if B knows the awful truth, and we must read on two find out...oh wait, now we're with B, and the awful truth is being explained by him in a detailed internal monologue.

[Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

To put it quite simply, this book was nonsense from start to finish. I believe I can safely say that if you like Kafka, you will probably like this book, as the goal appears to be surrealism. Unfortunately, for anybody trying to read any sense into the story, the book is a complete waste of time and liable only to frustrate said reader. Do not expect explanations for anything that happens, except for repeated allusions to legends, myths, and rumours that somehow manage to get repetitive, since they end up bearing so little information that they can't help but repeat themselves.

I have few books that I regret reading, but this is certainly one of them. If it weren't so short, I wouldn't have finished it.

[Jeanne Boyarsky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I finished it. I started skimming/speedreading after a while though. I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters. But it was an original plot so I figured I'd keep going through the book to find out why - why do people meeting the runners/hunters forget contact, who makes their family/friends disappear, what are the other universes about. Unfortunately, the book doesn't answer any of these questions. The only thing we learn is what ascendency is.

If this was a short story, I wouldn't mind only one question getting answered. For a novel, I want more answers.

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. The first few chapters, the ones available for free on goodreads or whatever, were nice and intriguing. But when you get the book and read further on, the story is bland. Nothing special. With the sort world-building or plots that are easily forgotten or become hollywood movies featuring mediocre white men. A man that must save his family is such a snore and repetitive story for me, apparently. They'd fit right in with Hollywood, nothing that would really make you think or cause surprise.

[Chruncher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit, this book is amazing!

it starts strange, everything gets stranger and nothing is explained.

I was a little worried when i started because the description sounded a lot like some distopian future/young adult pulp, but thats just the setup for a really strange story.

There's a scene where a full metal coloss pulps a human body in a bathtub and the flushes it down to dispose of it :) amazing

[Chung Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually read this book because of so many negative reviews.
The writing is excellent and the story is really interesting. But as many commented, no explanation of what is going on and why things are happening. I would have actually given this 4 stars as the story was still interesting enough to keep me interested but I really, really hated the ending. That totally didn't make any sense at all.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique read with great action scenes and characters, and a really different sort of transformation. I enjoyed the world-building, though some things were left without being properly explained, leaving a few gaps in the world logic and some confusion about how things link up. The ascension idea was really cool and dark, though, with Henry losing himself slowly in the process and the world losing so much more by the end.

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it is difficult to classify a work of fiction. One my enter into it with a genre in mind, but once the reading begins it becomes confusing because it does not follow the rules. Through the years there have always been those who claim that breaking the norms of classification is bad and that has always been the battle between the old guard and the young lions when it comes to culture. Brett Savory's new book is a perfect example of how one might break the norm.

A Perfect Machine opens up in an unknown city in an unknown era, in an unknown universe. To be perfectly honest there are quite a few details in this tale that are unknown and that is one of the strengths. Henry Kyllo is a runner, part of a ritual that has been played for a long time in the city. A sort of hunt that usually leaves him laid out riddled with bullets, but that doesn't really matter since he always bounces back. That is just one of the strange abilities afforded runners, that and the fact that they cloak the entire affair to those who happen to experience it, very much like a memory that fades away. The healing comes with a price and every time new bullets penetrate him Kyllo's body is altered. One night Kyllo goes overboard and gets his final dose of lead, while his best friend Milo is decapitated, the only way to kill runners apparently.

Kyllo, thought to be dead by his nurse girlfriend Faye, begins to change instead and turn into a monstrous machine and Milo turns into a ghost, following his pal around.

At the same time the head of the runners, a man by the name of Palermo, has his own issues. A young man named Krebosche is looking to expose the gang and traditions of the run and exact revenge on those involved in the death of his sister and girlfriend. A girlfriend who happened to be Palermo's daughter. The stories cross as everyone ends up at Faye's apartment where Kyllo is turning into something completely new.

There is a lot going on in Savory's tale and yet the reader is often times left feeling that they do not know what is happening. The plot is easy enough to follow, as are the various characters that come in and out, but it is all those things that surround the story, the setting and background that may leave you wanting more. A Perfect Machine is billed as a science-fiction, but lacks several of the qualities that belong to the genre, or at least it would appear so. We are never, initially at least, informed of what the runners and their counter parts the hunters are; the next step in human evolution, robots or aliens, there is no mention of year or parallel universe and the setting seems to be quite similar to our own. Question is if this is necessary or if it would remove focus from what is important or if it is a conscious measure to make the book lighter on technical jargon and speculative motifs that might alienate most readers.

There is something slightly absurd about A Perfect Machine, despite the language being strong in its simplicity, and the suspension of disbelief is difficult to set aside. There are so many things that happen; men turning into machine, ghosts in the vein Patrick Swayze, vengeance as found in the works of Mickey Spillane and humans hunting each other like Surviving the Game, at times it feels like you're reading a Golden Age comic with better writing. Savory does make it work on some level, but one might ask if sticking to just a couple of speculative aspects wouldn't have been better.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great concept but it just seems to go off the rails. I think it would made a better short story. One thing I didn't like was how the perspective seemed to be all over the place. You'd be following along with a characters inner monologue only for it to switch to someone else mid paragraph. It didn't flow very well.