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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
‘Man, the flower of all flesh, the noblest of all creatures visible, man who had once made god in his image, and had mirrored his strength on the constellations, beautiful naked man was dying, strangled in the garments that he had woven.’
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A commentary on humanity, or the lack thereof, in a society that is technologically advanced to the point of perfect comfort.
A quick read that packs in a lot of themes relevant to the modern day. Perhaps a warning for the direction we’re heading.
A quick read that packs in a lot of themes relevant to the modern day. Perhaps a warning for the direction we’re heading.
I found the two stories in this edition fascinating. Though The Machine Stops predates a lot of the technology we rely on now, it still has some relevance to the modern world. I've found with a lot of this era of speculative fiction, the stories are very bleak and lonely. Sometimes that puts me off, but I found it worked for this story.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is amazing that this was written in 1909. We would do well to heed its warnings.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s a strange and powerful feeling to read such a prescient dystopia written over one hundred years ago. I think the world of this short story is one which I’ll think about for a very long time.
Wow. Hard to believe this was written in 1909!!! What a brilliant mind. This is yet another wake up call to humans to quit relying on technology so much. Human interaction is kind of important! This is a short story in case you were unaware. A nice, horrifying quick read!
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy