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Goddamn Killing Machines
Mercenaries, War Criminals, Interstellar Travelers ... Killing Machines
Nick Jarvis thought he had escaped the life of violence. He and his squad of mercenaries; the notorious Goddamn Killing Machines, were wanted for war crimes on multiple planets.
After building a new life in the ruins of Earth, he had happily settled into being a father and husband.
But the U.N. needs the Killing Machines for one last dangerous mission. The choice is simple for Jarvis: rot in virtual reality prison or roll the dice on a mission cloaked in secrecy, for a full pardon. As the blood flows and the mission unfolds, Jarvis uncovers a truth that challenges his grip on sanity.
From the author of Punk Rock Ghost Story, Ring of Fire, and Co-host of the Dickheads PKD podcast comes a military science fiction adventure that puts the very nature of survival and reality in its crosshairs.
Nick Jarvis thought he had escaped the life of violence. He and his squad of mercenaries; the notorious Goddamn Killing Machines, were wanted for war crimes on multiple planets.
After building a new life in the ruins of Earth, he had happily settled into being a father and husband.
But the U.N. needs the Killing Machines for one last dangerous mission. The choice is simple for Jarvis: rot in virtual reality prison or roll the dice on a mission cloaked in secrecy, for a full pardon. As the blood flows and the mission unfolds, Jarvis uncovers a truth that challenges his grip on sanity.
From the author of Punk Rock Ghost Story, Ring of Fire, and Co-host of the Dickheads PKD podcast comes a military science fiction adventure that puts the very nature of survival and reality in its crosshairs.
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2019
4 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
David Agranoff
31 books211 followersDavid Agranoff is a novelist, screenwriter, and Horror and Science Fiction critic. He is the Splatterpunk and Wonderland book award-nominated author of 13 books including the novels the WW II Vampire novel - The Last Night to Kill Nazis, the science fiction novel Goddamn Killing Machines from CLASH BOOKS, The Cli-fi novel Ring of Fire, Punk Rock Ghost Story and People’s Park from Quoir books,
As a critic, he has written more than a thousand book reviews on his blog Postcards from a Dying World, which has recently become a podcast, featuring interviews with award-winning and bestselling authors such as Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Alma Katsu and Josh Malerman. For the last five years David has co-hosted the Dickheads podcast, a deep-dive into the work of Philip K. Dick reviewing his novels in publication order as well as the history of Science Fiction. His non-fiction essays have appeared on Tor.com, NeoText, and Cemetery Dance.
His most recent novel is the science fiction novel Great America in Dead World which you can buy now! He just finished writing a book, Unfinished PKD on the unpublished fragments and outlines of Philip K. Dick.
As a critic, he has written more than a thousand book reviews on his blog Postcards from a Dying World, which has recently become a podcast, featuring interviews with award-winning and bestselling authors such as Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Alma Katsu and Josh Malerman. For the last five years David has co-hosted the Dickheads podcast, a deep-dive into the work of Philip K. Dick reviewing his novels in publication order as well as the history of Science Fiction. His non-fiction essays have appeared on Tor.com, NeoText, and Cemetery Dance.
His most recent novel is the science fiction novel Great America in Dead World which you can buy now! He just finished writing a book, Unfinished PKD on the unpublished fragments and outlines of Philip K. Dick.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 2, 2022
This book is riddled with errors of all kinds, from typos, incomprehensible sentences, duplicate paragraphs, to (minor) inconsistencies in the story that an editor (had there been one) would have spotted. But still, it was an entertaining hell of a ride that kept me turning the pages. Yes, David Agranoff has a hand for world building (and the pace of the storytelling helps avoid asking too many inconvenient questions). I didn't quite get the end but I got as much as that it's not a happy one. Which is OK, because it means that the pain of the horrid revelation that marks the beginning of the actual story is for real and irredeemable, to be lived with till the end of your goddamn days.
January 22, 2020
Much of the writing in Goddamn Killing Machines made me think of Scalzi novels, Old Man's War or the Collapsing Empire in particular. Agranoff's writing is maybe quicker, not better or worse, just that if the Scalzi prose are tea to be sipped, Agranoff's seem like strong coffee. The plot parts from the similarity to those Scalzi novels with a delightful pinch of weirdness that leads to a fantastic Philip K Dick moment with the character doubting his own very being. Quality stuff.
January 12, 2023
I'm pissed at myself for putting off reading this one for way too long.
As a fan of Agranoff's for years, and a follower of his Dickheads podcast for Philip K. Dick enthusiasts, I know I should never be surprised at his ability to juggle the threads of a fantastic plot, but this book sucked me in and forced me to finish in a red-hot heat ... had I not been reading on a Kindle, I think I would have torn some pages on my way to the finish.
Talking about the plot would risk delving into spoiler-mined waters, but suffice it to say this is quite the "Dick"-ensian experience, delving into what it means to be human even when our actions turn us into "machines" -- and by the end you'll be questioning whether there's any humanity left at all.
Though the text of the edition I read on Kindle was a bit raw, the well-developed plot is well worth the price for a book that enthralled me through a two-day nail-biting read. If you enjoy well-crafted science fiction with plenty of nods to the genre's masters, you won't miss by reading Goddamn Killing Machines.
As a fan of Agranoff's for years, and a follower of his Dickheads podcast for Philip K. Dick enthusiasts, I know I should never be surprised at his ability to juggle the threads of a fantastic plot, but this book sucked me in and forced me to finish in a red-hot heat ... had I not been reading on a Kindle, I think I would have torn some pages on my way to the finish.
Talking about the plot would risk delving into spoiler-mined waters, but suffice it to say this is quite the "Dick"-ensian experience, delving into what it means to be human even when our actions turn us into "machines" -- and by the end you'll be questioning whether there's any humanity left at all.
Though the text of the edition I read on Kindle was a bit raw, the well-developed plot is well worth the price for a book that enthralled me through a two-day nail-biting read. If you enjoy well-crafted science fiction with plenty of nods to the genre's masters, you won't miss by reading Goddamn Killing Machines.
December 17, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this, the author does a very good job at character development and making an intriguing and compelling plot.
There are some issues with missing words in the text though, especially toward the end of the book. This did make the flow a bit jarring for me at times, but the story and characters kept me interested.
There are some issues with missing words in the text though, especially toward the end of the book. This did make the flow a bit jarring for me at times, but the story and characters kept me interested.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews