What do you think?
Rate this book
Godlike Machines
Sentient. Intelligent. Extraordinary.
An SFBC Original Event.
In science fiction, nothing says sensawunda like a Big Dumb Object--a colossal, extremely powerful machine of unknown purpose and origin. It's that feeling that editor Jonathan Strahan was after when he asked six of today's finest authors to write for Godlike Machines. And they succeed brilliantly!
• Alastair Reynolds unlocks the secrets inside an alien spaceship--secrets that could change the world ... if only a repressive regime would believe its last surviving explorer.
• Stephen Baxter sends wormwhole builders to Titan, but what they discover there may fuel their wildest dreams ... or destroy them.
• Cory Doctorow turns the idea of godlike machines on its head with replicating machines that turn cities back into wilderness.
• Sean Williams leads a spacer agent through a subterranean Structure ... and into
space-time itself.
• Robert Reed--in a story about the ancient, Jupiter-sized Great Ship--looks at a strange passenger who has been on board far longer than seems possible.
• Greg Egan gives us an alien technology only he could imagine--a wandering world that's inexplicably warm enough to support life.
Made from the pure stuff of SF, these unique, all-new adventures are nothing less than awesome!
An SFBC Original Event.
In science fiction, nothing says sensawunda like a Big Dumb Object--a colossal, extremely powerful machine of unknown purpose and origin. It's that feeling that editor Jonathan Strahan was after when he asked six of today's finest authors to write for Godlike Machines. And they succeed brilliantly!
• Alastair Reynolds unlocks the secrets inside an alien spaceship--secrets that could change the world ... if only a repressive regime would believe its last surviving explorer.
• Stephen Baxter sends wormwhole builders to Titan, but what they discover there may fuel their wildest dreams ... or destroy them.
• Cory Doctorow turns the idea of godlike machines on its head with replicating machines that turn cities back into wilderness.
• Sean Williams leads a spacer agent through a subterranean Structure ... and into
space-time itself.
• Robert Reed--in a story about the ancient, Jupiter-sized Great Ship--looks at a strange passenger who has been on board far longer than seems possible.
• Greg Egan gives us an alien technology only he could imagine--a wandering world that's inexplicably warm enough to support life.
Made from the pure stuff of SF, these unique, all-new adventures are nothing less than awesome!
476 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
11 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 20, 2011
I wish we'd have more novella length stories. Its the the perfect length for a SF story.
August 1, 2013
Simply the best collection of novellas I've ever read. The least of these stories is outstanding; the best are masterpieces. An absolute must-read for any fan of hard SF.
December 13, 2011
A above average collection most notable for the the Egan, the Reynolds and the Reed.
Sean Williams' "A Glimpse of the Marvelous Structure [and the Threat it Entails]" is interesting but not particularly entertaining. Doctorow shows his penchant for fantastic ideas and also his weakness in crafting an actual story or breaking beyond his typical boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-gets-girl-again-boy-is-betrayed-by-girl motif. His ideas are intriguing but they cannot do all of the work. Baxter some how seems off his usual excellent game with "Return to Titan", but the reveal at the end is surprising and satisfying.
Robert Reed, however, gives us a rambling narrative about his Great Ship, and a strange little machine hiding upon it, which normally would annoy me. At first glance it, this story seems nothing more than an excuse to tour the more remote parts of the Jupiter sized ship and as magnificent as the Great Ship is, I find such narratives tedious. What saves this story are the secrets revealed at its end; secrets that fans of the Great Ship stories have been waiting to find out for years. Reed's characters are unreliable narrators at the best of times, and that doesn't change here, so the big revelations are suspect, and in no way truly remove the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic starship.
Reynolds' "Troika" is not a story I am sure I totally got, but there is no arguing with Reynolds' style or mastery with the short form. Not as good as something in Galactic North, but better by far than Doctorow's. Aged cosmonauts, a revived USSR and a mystery in outer space come back to haunt decades later.
Greg Egan, the hardest of the hard-science fiction authors, also surprises. Normally Egan leaves me cold by being a bit too hard science (particularly when he goes on about math), but "Hot Rock" serves up exactly what this anthology is supposed to be about and he does it in a way that even non-scientists can grasp. Explorers arrive at a mysterious rogue planet that has not frozen solid during it's intergalactic wandering, and mystery piles upon mystery almost until the final paragraph. Superb work. This is probably the best story in the collection and a sincere mind-boggler.
All in all, an above average anthology by respected editor Jonathan Strahan. For the most part it succeeds in presenting "God-like Machines", and the three very good stories more than make up for the dull Williams outing and the almost-awful Doctorow.
Sean Williams' "A Glimpse of the Marvelous Structure [and the Threat it Entails]" is interesting but not particularly entertaining. Doctorow shows his penchant for fantastic ideas and also his weakness in crafting an actual story or breaking beyond his typical boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-gets-girl-again-boy-is-betrayed-by-girl motif. His ideas are intriguing but they cannot do all of the work. Baxter some how seems off his usual excellent game with "Return to Titan", but the reveal at the end is surprising and satisfying.
Robert Reed, however, gives us a rambling narrative about his Great Ship, and a strange little machine hiding upon it, which normally would annoy me. At first glance it, this story seems nothing more than an excuse to tour the more remote parts of the Jupiter sized ship and as magnificent as the Great Ship is, I find such narratives tedious. What saves this story are the secrets revealed at its end; secrets that fans of the Great Ship stories have been waiting to find out for years. Reed's characters are unreliable narrators at the best of times, and that doesn't change here, so the big revelations are suspect, and in no way truly remove the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic starship.
Reynolds' "Troika" is not a story I am sure I totally got, but there is no arguing with Reynolds' style or mastery with the short form. Not as good as something in Galactic North, but better by far than Doctorow's. Aged cosmonauts, a revived USSR and a mystery in outer space come back to haunt decades later.
Greg Egan, the hardest of the hard-science fiction authors, also surprises. Normally Egan leaves me cold by being a bit too hard science (particularly when he goes on about math), but "Hot Rock" serves up exactly what this anthology is supposed to be about and he does it in a way that even non-scientists can grasp. Explorers arrive at a mysterious rogue planet that has not frozen solid during it's intergalactic wandering, and mystery piles upon mystery almost until the final paragraph. Superb work. This is probably the best story in the collection and a sincere mind-boggler.
All in all, an above average anthology by respected editor Jonathan Strahan. For the most part it succeeds in presenting "God-like Machines", and the three very good stories more than make up for the dull Williams outing and the almost-awful Doctorow.
February 28, 2015
I am always a bit mystified when so many fans of science fiction criticize a work because it contains a "Big Dumb Object." Please correct me if am wrong, but Rendevous with Rama, by ACC and Pushing Ice by Alistair Reynolds are great science fiction, no? I am not the biggest fan of Ringworld by Larry Niven and certainly not the sequels but still, they are all-time classics and set the stage for numerous other authors to use current discoveries in science, copy people like Arthur C. Clarke's ideas and then fans criticize these pioneers with the BDO criticism. Sure the nameless, faceless machines that enter our solar systems are plot devices around which a great story can develop. The same criticism could be said of novels that extrapolate current scientific ideas as a starting point plot device. Based on this logic, almost all science fiction could be characterized as a Big Dumb Idea. Well, I disagree. First, their are a lot of Big Smart Objects such as the ones found in this engaging anthology. Now, I will do what I would want one of you to do, rank the stories.
Easily, the best story in this collection is Troika, by Alistair Reynolds. It is great.
Hot Rock by Greg Egan is very hard sf, but it might be the most creative novella I have ever read. If you are like me and not a doctorate level polymath, you may find yourself re-reading a few parts, but hang in there the end makes it worth the large gulp of pure science.
Alone by Robert Reed is a great novella about a sentient planet, and the reason I am ranking it third is because you should really read the full length novel this eventually became entitled Marrow. Marrow has a sequel entitled Cowl. Both are worth reading; very old school, but fun and suspenseful.
The rest of the stories were average are below, but as you know if you read anthologies of novellas, to get three great ones is rare indeed. Thus, four stars.
Easily, the best story in this collection is Troika, by Alistair Reynolds. It is great.
Hot Rock by Greg Egan is very hard sf, but it might be the most creative novella I have ever read. If you are like me and not a doctorate level polymath, you may find yourself re-reading a few parts, but hang in there the end makes it worth the large gulp of pure science.
Alone by Robert Reed is a great novella about a sentient planet, and the reason I am ranking it third is because you should really read the full length novel this eventually became entitled Marrow. Marrow has a sequel entitled Cowl. Both are worth reading; very old school, but fun and suspenseful.
The rest of the stories were average are below, but as you know if you read anthologies of novellas, to get three great ones is rare indeed. Thus, four stars.
December 2, 2014
Overall I felt the narratives in the majority of the stories here took a backseat to the 'hard' science. I'm all for getting the impression my science fiction is accurate enough. But I really don't care for long technical explanations about how it was possible for X-based lifeforms to evolve on planet Y; or when the whole story hinges on the characters knowing some arcane biological/physical/chemical minutiae.
I realize it's often what makes the story 'science' fiction, but having the characters engaged in a lecture series thinly disguised as dialog can also halt the momentum of the story and take you out of the experience.
I felt Reynolds' story was the best, with the Kafka-esque Sean Williams story and the anime Cory Doctorow coming in next.
I realize it's often what makes the story 'science' fiction, but having the characters engaged in a lecture series thinly disguised as dialog can also halt the momentum of the story and take you out of the experience.
I felt Reynolds' story was the best, with the Kafka-esque Sean Williams story and the anime Cory Doctorow coming in next.
October 16, 2015
I loved the first story, "Troika", by Alastair Reynolds. It includes an alternate history of a Second Soviet instead of Putin, a cobbled together space mission that uses Soyez-Progress technology, and a giant mysterious object in space, the Matryoshka (Russian doll, because of its layered shells). I liked the technical details and sympathized with the characters. Clever twist at the end. (He later published this as a standalone novella, which is what led me to this book.)
Unfortunately, none of the other five stories in the book held up to my expectations. There were some interesting ideas, but as stories, none of them were to my taste.
Unfortunately, none of the other five stories in the book held up to my expectations. There were some interesting ideas, but as stories, none of them were to my taste.
January 14, 2017
My Reaction: meh. None of the stories were great. None were awful. I might read the Egan again sometime, but it's nowhere near his best. Book isn't a keeper.
Too bad. I was looking forward to this one.
Too bad. I was looking forward to this one.
January 8, 2017
I liked the stories from Reynolds ("Troika"), Baxter ("Return to Titan"), and Egan ("Hot Rock"). The other two were a little lackluster.
October 30, 2025
Alastair Reynolds - Troika *** becaue it was depressing
Stephen Baxter - Return to Titan **** Good story
Cory Doctorow - There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow / Now Is the Best Time of Your Life ** Just never got into his stuff
Sean Williams - A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails) ***
Robert Reed - Alone ** Never got into Reed wither and especially not his Ship stories, this is another Ship tale.
Greg Egan - Hot Rock **** Egan is one of my favs, and this is no different
Why only 3 stars? Not enough stories, I wanted more. :-)
Stephen Baxter - Return to Titan **** Good story
Cory Doctorow - There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow / Now Is the Best Time of Your Life ** Just never got into his stuff
Sean Williams - A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails) ***
Robert Reed - Alone ** Never got into Reed wither and especially not his Ship stories, this is another Ship tale.
Greg Egan - Hot Rock **** Egan is one of my favs, and this is no different
Why only 3 stars? Not enough stories, I wanted more. :-)
June 28, 2022
Alastair Reynolds - Troika ***
Stephen Baxter - Return to Titan ****
Cory Doctorow - There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow / Now Is the Best Time of Your Life ****
Sean Williams - A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails) *
Robert Reed - Alone ***
Greg Egan - Hot Rock *****
Stephen Baxter - Return to Titan ****
Cory Doctorow - There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow / Now Is the Best Time of Your Life ****
Sean Williams - A Glimpse of the Marvellous Structure (and the Threat It Entails) *
Robert Reed - Alone ***
Greg Egan - Hot Rock *****
May 22, 2020
2 outstanding shorts and the rest are average. You’ll just have to read it to see which is which.
October 25, 2021
An interesting collection of very varied novellas, both in content and quality. All were at least strong 7/10s with a couple of phenomenal standouts (Troika, Alone)
November 15, 2021
Some decent hard SF/space opera.
November 20, 2022
A really great collection of short stories, wild and extremely varied concepts.
April 9, 2023
Strahan has pulled together six excellent stories of machines big and small from some of the best science fiction authors of the last 15 years.
April 18, 2012
What a brilliant theme for an anthology of novellas! As Strahan explains in the introduction, this was all inspired by a book cover he had seen in his youth, and years later sought to expand that particular concept into something special. While the idea of "The Big Dumb Machine" is nothing new to Science Fiction, the drastically different takes presented here really allow our imagination to explore the idea.
I especially liked how Strahan set this up as a handful of novellas instead of what could have been too many short stories. It was a wonderful example of both writing style and genre, a chance to see the "Big Dumb Object" theme done via Space Opera and Hard SciFi alike. As with any collection of separate tales, some are more successful or engaging than others, but I felt as if each one truly brought something unique to this anthology.
Science Fiction is not a genre I'm as well-read in as some others, say horror, fantasy or mystery. That said, I was captivated by the story-telling in each novella and only occasionally confused by the technical jargon in some of the "harder" Hard SciFi tales. I would easily recommend this anthology for someone looking for a fascinating introduction to the genre.
I especially liked how Strahan set this up as a handful of novellas instead of what could have been too many short stories. It was a wonderful example of both writing style and genre, a chance to see the "Big Dumb Object" theme done via Space Opera and Hard SciFi alike. As with any collection of separate tales, some are more successful or engaging than others, but I felt as if each one truly brought something unique to this anthology.
Science Fiction is not a genre I'm as well-read in as some others, say horror, fantasy or mystery. That said, I was captivated by the story-telling in each novella and only occasionally confused by the technical jargon in some of the "harder" Hard SciFi tales. I would easily recommend this anthology for someone looking for a fascinating introduction to the genre.
January 12, 2011
I'm not a fan of short story format, and it usually takes me much longer to read a collection of short stories than a novel of the same length. However I was rather pleasantly surprised by this particular collection of stories, and it didn't take me a long time to read them.
October 7, 2012
A great collection of short stories of science fiction. Authors of the stories in order of enjoyment:
1. Alastair Reynolds
2. Greg Egan
3. Robert Reed
4. Cory Doctorow
5. Stephen Baxter
6. Sean Williams
1. Alastair Reynolds
2. Greg Egan
3. Robert Reed
4. Cory Doctorow
5. Stephen Baxter
6. Sean Williams
May 24, 2011
What a wonderful collection ! I particularly enjoyed Alistair Reynold's beautifully crafted contribution, which left me with a lasting sense of sadness. BDO's have had a special part of my heart since I read "Rama" for the first time as a young adult.
August 16, 2013
Enjoyable collection of variations on a theme. Powerful machines that challenge the concepts of meaning, power, and change. May have to reread a few in order to make sure I really understand them. Good work.
October 19, 2010
A pretty good short story collection including a very good story by Cory Doctorow.
March 18, 2011
This was a really awesome collection of short stories. Each one was very thought provoking and exciting!
March 12, 2011
Only finished half the stories, and those for the most part weren't that interesting.
March 29, 2011
Quality varied quite a bit, but it was certainly enjoyable.
December 25, 2012
This is the type of scifi that I like.
February 23, 2015
did not finish...
Read
May 26, 2013ohhhh that's why I don't read sci-fi. I liked the premise behind the anthology, but my brain just isn't geared to enjoy this.
August 3, 2016
An excellent series of short stories, incredibly interesting and varied -- I still think about them.
Currently reading
May 23, 2024"Hot Rock" by Greg Egan - Azar and Shelma need to convince the inhabitants of Tallulah that they are explorers and not invaders.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews