Machine of Death

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Machine of Death
Author Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, and David Malki, editors
Cover artist Justin Van Genderen
Language English
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Bearstache Books
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, Matthew Bennardo, and David Malki.[1]

All of the stories 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 an episode of Ryan North's Dinosaur Comics.[2][3] The three editors solicited submissions, many of them from novice and unpublished or unknown writers, in early 2007.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 Camille Alexa • illustrated by Shannon Wheeler
  • "Fudge" by Kit Yona • Vera Brosgol
  • "Torn Apart and Devoured by Lions" by Jeffrey C. Wells • Christopher Hastings
  • "Despair" by K. M. Lawrence • Dean Trippe
  • "Suicide" by David Michael Wharton • Brian McLachlan
  • "Almond" by John Chernega • Paul Horn
  • "Starvation" by M. Bennardo • Karl Kerschl
  • "Cancer" by Camron Miller • Les McClaine
  • "Firing Squad" by J Jack Unrau • Brandon Bolt
  • "Vegetables" by Chris Cox • Kevin McShane
  • "Piano" by Rafa Franco • Kean Soo
  • "HIV Infection From Machine of Death Needle" by Brian Quinlan • KC Green
  • "Exploded" by Tom Francis • Jesse Reklaw
  • "Not Waving But Drowning" by Erin McKean • Carly Monardo
  • "Improperly Prepared Blowfish" by Gord Sellar • Jeffrey Brown
  • "Love Ad Nauseum" by Sherri Jacobsen • Kate Beaton
  • "Murder and Suicide, Respectively" by Ryan North • Aaron Diaz
  • "Cancer" by David Malki • Danielle Corsetto
  • "Aneurysm" by Alexander Danner • Dorothy Gambrell
  • "Exhaustion From Having Sex With a Minor" by Ben "Yahtzee" CroshawCameron Stewart
  • "After Many Years, Stops Breathing, While Asleep, With Smile On Face" by William Grallo • Scott C.
  • "Killed by Daniel" by Julia Wainwright • Marcus Thiele
  • "Friendly Fire" by Douglas J. Lane • Kelly Tindall
  • "Nothing" by Pelotard • John Allison
  • "Cocaine and Painkillers" by David Malki • Jess Fink
  • "Loss of Blood" by Jeff Stautz • Kris Straub
  • "Prison Knife Fight" by Shaenon K. GarrityRoger Langridge
  • "While Trying to Save Another" by Daliso Chaponda • Dylan Meconis
  • "Miscarriage" by James L. Sutter • Rene Engström
  • "Shot by Sniper" by Bartholomew von Klick • John Keogh
  • "Heat Death of the Universe" by James Foreman • Ramón Pérez
  • "Drowning" by C. E. Guimont • Adam Koford
  • "?" by Randall MunroeKazu Kibuishi
  • "Cassandra" by T. J. Radcliffe • Matt Haley

Additional artist contributors whose illustrations are not tied to specific stories include Katie Sekelsky and Mitch Clem.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Higgins, Jim (6 February 2011). "'Machine of Death': killer stories to die for". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 1 June 2011. 
  2. Dinosaur Comics, December 5, 2005.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Simmons, Amy (28 October 2010). "Indie anthology defies literary odds". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 1 June 2011. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 "About". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 31 May 2011. 
  5. Malki, David. "MOD-Day is OCTOBER 26". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 31 May 2011. 
  6. Eichler, Alex (28 October 2010). "Indie Sci-Fi Anthology Steals Glenn Beck's Thunder". The Atlantic. Retrieved 31 May 2011. 
  7. Malki, David. "MOD Volume 2 Submission Guidelines". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 31 May 2011. 
  8. North, Ryan. "Machine of Death 2 deadline reached!". Machineofdeath.net. Retrieved 20 July 2011. 

External links

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