Machine of Death
![]() Standard cover | |
Author | Ryan North, , and David Malki, editors |
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Cover artist | |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | |
Publication date | October 13, 2010 |
Pages | 452 |
ISBN | 978-0-9821671-2-0 |
Followed by | This Is How You Die: Stories of the Inscrutable, Infallible, Inescapable Machine of Death |
Machine of Death is a 2010 collection of science fiction short stories edited by Ryan North, , and David Malki.[1] The stories featured in Machine of Death were submitted by various writers since early 2007 and all focus on a device which can accurately predict the manner in which the user will eventually die. The book became a #1 bestseller on Amazon.com shortly after its initial publication, and was later released online under a free license.
Premise[]
All of the stories featured in Machine of Death center around a device which, when provided with a blood sample, can identify the way a person will die. The machine relays this information by printing a short word or phrase, which serves as the title of each story, on a small card. The machine is never wrong, but often vague or cryptic.[1] The premise was inspired by a cartoon from Ryan North's Dinosaur Comics.[2][3]
Release[]
The three editors solicited submissions, many of them from novice and unpublished or unknown writers, in early 2007. After failing to find a publisher willing to accept an anthology containing material by so many unknown authors, the editors self-published the book in late 2010.[4]
Shortly after the book's publication, the editors announced "MOD-Day", encouraging buyers to purchase the book en masse on October 26 in an effort to reach #1 on the bestseller list on Amazon.com.[5] The effort was successful. Malki described the feat as the literary equivalent of winning the Super Bowl.[3] October 26 was also the release date of Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth, and Treasure by conservative Fox News commentator Glenn Beck. When Beck's book failed to reach #1 on that date, he complained that the anthology was part of a liberal "culture of death".[6]
In November 2010, the editors released the anthology under a Creative Commons Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 license.[4] Readings of stories from Machine of Death are currently being released in podcast form on the book's website. They collected submissions for a second volume from May through July 2011.[7][8]
Stories[]
- "Flaming Marshmallow" written by • illustrated by Shannon Wheeler
- "Fudge" by • Vera Brosgol
- "Torn Apart and Devoured by Lions" by Jeffrey C. Wells • Christopher Hastings
- "Despair" by • Dean Trippe
- "Suicide" by •
- "Almond" by • Paul Horn
- "Starvation" by • Karl Kerschl
- "Cancer" by • Les McClaine
- "Firing Squad" by •
- "Vegetables" by Chris Cox •
- "Piano" by • Kean Soo
- "HIV Infection From Machine of Death Needle" by • KC Green
- "Exploded" by Tom Francis • Jesse Reklaw
- "Not Waving But Drowning" by Erin McKean •
- "Improperly Prepared Blowfish" by • Jeffrey Brown
- "Love Ad Nauseum" by • Kate Beaton
- "Murder and Suicide, Respectively" by Ryan North • Aaron Diaz
- "Cancer" by David Malki • Danielle Corsetto
- "Aneurysm" by • Dorothy Gambrell
- "Exhaustion From Having Sex With a Minor" by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw • Cameron Stewart
- "After Many Years, Stops Breathing, While Asleep, With Smile On Face" by • Scott C.
- "Killed by Daniel" by •
- "Friendly Fire" by •
- "Nothing" by • John Allison
- "Cocaine and Painkillers" by David Malki • Jess Fink
- "Loss of Blood" by • Kris Straub
- "Prison Knife Fight" by Shaenon K. Garrity • Roger Langridge
- "While Trying to Save Another" by Daliso Chaponda •
- "Miscarriage" by James L. Sutter •
- "Shot by Sniper" by • John Keogh
- "Heat Death of the Universe" by James Foreman •
- "Drowning" by •
- "?" by Randall Munroe • Kazu Kibuishi
- "Cassandra" by • Matt Haley
Additional artist contributors whose illustrations are not tied to specific stories include and Mitch Clem.
References[]
- ^ a b Higgins, Jim (6 February 2011). "'Machine of Death': killer stories to die for". Times Herald-Record. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ "Machine of Death Press Kit". Machines of Death. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- ^ a b Simmons, Amy (28 October 2010). "Indie anthology defies literary odds". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 1 June 2011.
- ^ a b "About". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Malki, David. "MOD-Day is OCTOBER 26". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Eichler, Alex (28 October 2010). "Indie Sci-Fi Anthology Steals Glenn Beck's Thunder". The Atlantic. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Malki, David. "MOD Volume 2 Submission Guidelines". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ North, Ryan. "Machine of Death 2 deadline reached!". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
External links[]
- 2010 anthologies
- Science fiction anthologies
- 2010s science fiction works