Nabila Tabassum Chowdhury’s Reviews > Ex Machina, Book Two > Status Update

LOOK, I REALIZE WE LIVE IN A CULTURE WHERE A STORY ISN'T SATISFYING UNLESS THE BAD GUY DIES AT THE END, BUT UNLIKE THE MOVIES, DEATH REALLY IS PERMANENT. HOW CAN WE IMPLEMENT A DECISION THAT CAN'T BE OVERTURNED WHEN WE KNOW HOW FALLIBLE OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM--HOW FALLIBLE WE--CAN BE?

"MURDER RATES OFTEN GO UP IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING EXECUTIONS. WE'RE SENDING A MESSAGE TO AMERICANS THAT KILLING IS THE CORRECT WAY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS."

"NO HUMAN IS INNOCENT. THESE ANIMALS, THEY'RE THE INNOCENT ONES, AND YET OUR CITY EXECUTES MORE THAN 40,000 OF THEM EVERY YEAR."

"EVIL IS NOT AN ILLNESS, MITCHELL."

"WE MAY HAVE BENDED THE LAW A BIT, BUT THE EVIDENCE IS GENUINE, MR. MAYOR. THIS BARBARIAN'S GONNA GET THE NEEDLE."

"BELIEVING THAT THIS IS ABOUT RELIGION IS WHY YOU YOU PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOSE YOUR "WAR ON TERROR"".

"YOU SEE HOW THE LETTER OF THE LAW DON'T ALWAYS SPELL OUT EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED IT TO?"

"THIS IS WHAT TERRORISM IS, MR. MAYOR. ALL IT TAKES IS THAT FIRST SPARK OF VIOLENCE, AND THE WILDFIRE WILL JUST KEEP TAKING MORE AND MORE LIVES, UNTIL THE SOURCE OF THE INFERNO IS EXTINGUISHED."

""THIS IS LIFE DURING WARTIME, AND I NEED SOMEONE I TRUST AT MY SIDE, QUESTIONING EVERY UNCOMFORTABLE MARCHING ORDER I'M FORCED TO GIVE. I'M NOT GONNA PROMISE THAT I'LL ALWAYS DO WHAT YOU SAY, BUT IT'S VITALLY FUCKING IMPORTANT THAT I HEAR IT, ALL RIGHT?"

"I SLEEP OKAY AT NIGHT, SIR. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN, TOO."

"I RUN NEW YORK CITY, DAVE. I DON'T GET TO SLEEP.""

""BEFORE SHE HUNG UP, SHE SAID, "HE WHO SACRIFICES LIBERTY FOR SECURITY DESERVES NEITHER." YOU KNOW WHO WROTE THAT."

"I KNOW IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, BUT IT ONLY APPEARED IN A BOOK HE HAPPENED TO PUBLISH.""