Broke Down Engine: And Other Troubles with Machines

by Ron Goulart, Vincent Di Fate (illustrator)

Broke Down Engine: Thirteen wry and terrifying tales of homo mechanicus (what we are becoming) versus the machines we have created. In a technocracy gone mad, in a universe populated by note-passing refrigerators, killer stoves, houses that cuckold their owners, medical androids, and a host of other malfunctioning mechanisms -- the moment of truth is the moment of breakdown.

Contents:
Foreword: The Way Things Don't Work
The Trouble With Machines
Broke Down Engine
Lofthouse
Calling Dr. Clockwork
Princess #22
All for Love
The Katy Dialogues
Nobody Starves
Muscadine
Disposal
To the Rescue
Joker for Hire
Terminal

Genres: Science Fiction, Humor, Fiction, Short Stories

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Pseudonyms: Howard Lee; Frank S Shawn; Kenneth Robeson; Con Steffanson; Josephine Kains; Joseph Silva; William Shatner.
Ron Goulart is a cultural historian and novelist. Besides writing extensively about pulp fiction—including the seminal Cheap Thrills: An Informal History of Pulp Magazines (1972)—Goulart has written for the pulps since 1952, when the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction published his first story, a sci-fi parody of letters to the editor. Since then he has written dozens of novels and countless short stories, spanning genres and using a variety of pennames, including Kenneth Robeson, Joseph Silva, and Con Steffanson. In the 1990s, he became the ghostwriter for William Shatner’s popular TekWar novels. Goulart’s After Things Fell Apart (1970) is the only science-fiction novel to ever win an Edgar Award.

In the 1970s Goulart wrote novels starring series characters like Flash Gordon and the Phantom, and in 1980 he published Hail Hibbler, a comic sci-fi novel that began the Odd Jobs, Inc. series. Goulart has also written several comic mystery series, including six books starring Groucho Marx. Having written for comic books, Goulart produced several histories of the art form, including the Comic Book Encyclopedia (2004).

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of a baker's dozen cautionary stories of the if-this-goes-on variety with the unifying theme of mankind's growing reliance on machines and technology. Their original appearances span a decade, 1958-1968, in diverse venues such as Playboy and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Goulart's voice is witty and funny and farcical, yet he gets his point across sharply. Some of the stories have dated poorly in his social stereotypes, but the thing I find most interesting is that he was too conservative in his prognostication; how many people does one encounter anymore without an electronic device seemingly growing out of their palm now, five or six decades after the stories were written? It's funny stuff, but with a good message.

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, this book was originally published in 1971. The stories were published between 1958 and 1969. So these stories are dated in some parts. Computers still use punchcards and magnetic reel tapes to operate. Keep in mind also that these stories all take place before cell phones(smartphones), home computers(tablets), VCRs(DVDs/Blue-ray), even 8-track tapes(cassettes/I-pods) were not yet invented.
And yet, the theme of the stories is the problem that arises when people rely on technology just a little too much.

The 13 tales presented in this collection tend to use humor to deal with some serious concepts. In fact, several of the stories are still highly relevant today. There are stories that deal with unemployment, healthcare for everyone, welfare state (even to the point where the government controls food allocations), and politics in general. I really felt that some of the stories could be written about events today(if the dated bits and the odd outdated racial comment was removed).

I can't decide if a book that was written over 40 years ago and yet was still spot on about today's concerns should give me hope or worry me. I mean if these problems have been around that long and these fears haven't happened, then we can be hopeful that things will continue to work out in the future.On the other hand, if these problems have been around for this long than it could be a sign that they will never go away.

Back to the theme of the book: people relying too much on technology. Looking back to the time this book was written and compared to today, people were tech-free. I feel that anyone who was worried about the overuse of technology then would be horrified if they could have peered into a crystal ball to get a glimpse of the present. A time were people can't put down their phone long enough to drive, eat or even go the bathroom. In fact, their phones can't just be phones anymore, they have to also be cameras, post offices(think e-mail), and personal computers (so everything from a dictionary to entertainment center). We still don't have robots running things like hospitals or government agencies, but it is easier to believe now. And after having read these stories, that can be a scary future to imagine.