Now Will Machines Devour the Stars

Machine Mandate #5

by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

Admiral Anoushka rose from nothing to command an army unrivaled in all the galaxies. She did not rise alone.

War between godlike machines is breaking out, and at its center is the AI who aided Anoushka's ascent. Now payment has come calling: her closest allies are subverted, her body is twisted by poison that bends her toward madness, and her wife has been stolen.

The machines will devour the stars as they battle each other for the ultimate prize the next step in AI evolution, the key that will give them the universe. Yet Anoushka hasn't survived this long to become collateral damage. She will fight until she no longer can . . . and she will take back what's hers.

Genres: Science Fiction, Queer, Fiction, Space Opera

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2022

About the author

Science fiction, fantasy, and others in the between. Cute kissing ladies? I write those. Ruthless genocidal commanders? Got that covered too! 2014 finalist for Campbell Award for Best New Writer, 2015 BSFA finalist for Best Short Fiction (SCALE-BRIGHT). I like beautiful bugs and strange cities.

Reviews

[Muse · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Machine Mandate series is one of my most highly recommended sci-fi series of the last few years. In my honest opinion, Sriduangkaew is one of the most prolific voices in the genre and in queer fiction in general. Her prose flows as easily as calligraphy, and she has mastered the ability to characterize deeply complex and unique characters and their universe without wasting a single word. I find myself dismayed when I reach the end of her books because I always want to keep reading. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series.

[Tom Maliska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing palatial universe

The series is written in language that evokes beauty and danger, conquest and subjection, in a cold war between self-conscious humans and sentient AIs.
A great read. It is missing the depth of detail in respect of the sciences of space travel and computational intelligence, but does weave major concepts there into its individual characters and their galactic chess games and lifestyles. The author's prose is exacting and colorful, at times mind-bending.

[Susan Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooray, another delightful book of Anoushka and Numadesi! Maybe my favorite characters. Like the previous book, this one ups the ante on cleverness and requires familiarity and attention from the reader, as other characters come into play and things get weird(er). As always, beautiful prose, tense action, and hot sci-fi flavored romance.

[Yev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admiral Anoushka is tying up loose ends and putting the ghosts of her past to rest, but they refuse to stay dead. When a group of machines involve her in their machinations, she finds herself in a difficult situation. Her usual connection to resolve these matters is unresponsive, so she turns to a new potential ally. Even so, her survival is at stake, and even worse this gets in the way of her having sex with her wife.

When I started reading this series there was only a single standalone story in it and I didn't know if there would be more. When there was, then I thought it was going to be a mosaic series since it changed characters, which was wrong again when it followed up with a same character. Yet again with this one where characters from the previous books meet, it becomes even more linked to the prior entries and less standalone. It makes me wonder what the next and seemingly last book will be like.

Here's an imagined dialogue between me and the plot.
Plot: Here's an interesting twist for you to consider. What would the implications be?
Me: This is very nice. It reminds me of Philip K. Dick and Alastair Reynolds. What with its consideration of the self, identity, and the nature of -
Plot: SEX!
Me: Well, yes, that too, but surely the entire purpose of this isn't for -
Plot: SEX!
Me: Alright, but this brings up so many so questions about how it could be used, such as -
Plot: THE AUTHOR'S EXPLICITLY PRESENTED FETISH!
Me: That's an interesting usage, but doesn't it create a lot of problems in terms of characterization and motivation?
Plot: IMAGINE THE SEX!
Me: I don't know whether it's more awkward or -
Plot: THE END!
Me: Huh.

I continue to the focus on the sex, as I've accepted its primacy at this point. This one probably has the most vanilla sex, aside from the brief tentacle and sucker penis prothesis. That brings us to the excerpt: Little snakelike strands that wrap around [her] thighs. One she directs to her wife's clitoris, where it attaches and sucks...[she] sends several strands into herself.

There's also an actual plot and various character interactions. It's constrained by its length, by there's a mystery, a murder mystery, a rescue mission, a battle, a few domestic scenes, and a fair bit of intrigue. It all suffices, but I can't bring myself to consider it as the main thing.

[AmEricaNo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Now Will Machines Devour the Stars is the fifth novella in the Machine Mandate series, and the second which follows Admiral Anoushka, one of the most feared mercenaries in the galaxy.

This time, her wife has been kidnapped, and she'd risk anything to get her back.

I have a soft spot for body swap stories (which, to be fair, Now Will Machines Devour the Stars *technically* isn't...), and without spoiling too much, I really liked how this entry uses its pre-established relationship to strengthen its conceit.

When your wife knows you better than anyone in the galaxy, what will fool her?

So while I'm not as partial to Admiral Anoushka and Numadesi as I am to some of the other couples, I still found myself enjoying Now Will Machines Devour the Stars more than its predecessor.

At the very least, I wouldn't mind a spin-off with their ever-evolving body doubles…

[Anne, V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so incredibly romantic! It also had a fantastic mix of mystery and sci fi. I gasped and swooned so many times. I really loved seeing how the characters progressed through these new challenges. I also loved seeing some other characters from this Machine Mandate universe that had been in prior books. I will be recommending this book to everyone!

[Alba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Entry Yet!

[FC1966 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended.

[Sean Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing the twists and turns

She brings all the story lines together! Looking forward to the next one. Love the medium format. Jump in now!

[Ace Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does she pack so much into these little books?? I'm honestly so impressed and absolutely captivated. I love these ruthless women 🤩