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Q&A | May 16, 2012

Mark Kurlansky: IMG Powell's Q&A: Mark Kurlansky

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Describe your latest book. It is titled Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man, and it is coming out in May from Doubleday. This is the first... Continue »
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Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories about People Who Know How They Will Die

by Ryan North and Matthew Bennardo and David Malki

Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories about People Who Know How They Will Die Cover

ISBN13: 9780982167120
ISBN10: 0982167121
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The machine had been invented a few years ago: a machine that could tell, from just a sample of your blood, how you were going to die. No dates, no details. Just a slip of paper with a few words spelling out your ultimate fate — at once all-too specific and maddeningly vague.

A top ten Amazon Customer Favorite in Science Fiction & Fantasy for 2010, The Machine of Death is an anthology of original stories bound together by a central premise. From the humorous to the adventurous to the mind-bending to the touching, the writers explore what the world would be like if a blood test could predict your death.

But don't think for a moment this is a book entirely composed of stories about people meeting their ironic dooms. There is some of that, of course. But more than that, this is a genre-hopping collection of tales about people who have learned more about themselves then perhaps they should have, and how that knowledge affects their relationships, their perception of the world, and how they feel about themselves.

Features 34 stories by Randall Munroe, Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, Tom Francis, Camille Alexa, Erin McKean, James L. Sutter, David Malki, Ryan North, and many others

Features illustrations by Kate Beaton, Kazu Kibuishi, Aaron Diaz, Jeffrey Brown, Scott C., Roger Langridge, Karl Kershl, Cameron Stewart, and many others

Review:

"Machine of Death is a lot of fun....Highly engaging, interestingly crowd-sourced, and crafted with a great deal of care. You'll be thinking about it long after you're through reading." Chris Greenland, Tor.com

Review:

"But where this collection could have merely skated by on its own cleverness, it turns out to be a lot deeper than that. A lot more intelligent. A lot less predictable." Hannah Strom-Martin, Strange Horizons

Review:

"Machine of Death is a marvelous collection, riddled with intelligence, creative reach, and a frankness that makes the best use of the central gimmick." Tasha Robinson, The Onion A.V. Club
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About the Author

Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, and David Malki met on an Internet forum about talking dinosaurs. This book is the direct result of that and a myriad other factors. They have come a long way.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
gawm, January 3, 2011 (view all comments by gawm)
While all 30-plus stories in this anthology have the same premise - a world in which a machine can vaguely but accurately predict anyone's cause of death - there is an incredible variety. All are well-crafted, entertaining, and illustrated by web-comic artists to boot! Death has never been so much fun.
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Astraea162, January 2, 2011 (view all comments by Astraea162)
Machine of Death is an anthology of speculative short stories all based around the question: what if there was a machine that could accurately predict your cause of death? The resulting stories are hilarious, touching, disturbing, and philosophical. It was by far the most enjoyable book I read all year. I've been recommending it to friends, family, strangers on the elevator...everyone!

Best book of 2010!

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Simone, January 1, 2011 (view all comments by Simone)
It is not often that I would put a mixed-author anthology up as a "best of the year" book, but this extraordinary collection of linked works about a world in which a machine can tell you--somewhat enigmatically but always correctly--how you are going to die was thrilling and tender. The different voices of the authors enhanced the feeling of the world, rather than fighting one another. The gamut of emotions and understandings and struggles in the face of inevitable mortality were actually uplifting, rather than grim or depressing, even though the stories ranged from humor to horror.

This little independent book also has the strange claim to fame of being the number one selling new book on Amazon.com on its release day--in spite of the fact that it came out on the same day as a Glenn Beck screed, causing the man to public melt down and villify speculative fiction readers and fans as un-American members of a "culture of death." :-) That just makes my day. Come on, you know you want to read this now.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780982167120
Author:
Ryan North and Matthew Bennardo and David Malki
Publisher:
Bearstache Books
Author:
Beaton, Kate
Author:
Munroe, Randall
Author:
North, Ryan
Author:
Malki, David
Author:
Bennardo, Matthew
Subject:
Anthologies (multiple authors)
Subject:
Anthologies-General
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Publication Date:
20101031
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
Illustrations:
35 BandW illustrations
Pages:
464
Dimensions:
9 x 6 x 1 in
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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Anthologies » American » Literature
Fiction and Poetry » Anthologies » General
Fiction and Poetry » Anthologies » Miscellaneous Literature
Fiction and Poetry » Graphic Novels » General
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Anthologies
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Anthologies » General

Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories about People Who Know How They Will Die Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$12.50 In Stock
Product details 464 pages Bearstache Books - English 9780982167120 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Machine of Death is a lot of fun....Highly engaging, interestingly crowd-sourced, and crafted with a great deal of care. You'll be thinking about it long after you're through reading."
"Review" by , "But where this collection could have merely skated by on its own cleverness, it turns out to be a lot deeper than that. A lot more intelligent. A lot less predictable."
"Review" by , "Machine of Death is a marvelous collection, riddled with intelligence, creative reach, and a frankness that makes the best use of the central gimmick."
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