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A review by jurizprudence
The Very Pulse of the Machine by Michael Swanwick
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
And now I see with eye serene
The very pulse of the machine
new fav episode of love, death + robots just dropped ✌️😗 and just like with sonnie's edge, i had to read the short story it was inspired from.
the very pulse of the machine is a survivalist adventure story about a female astronaut, martha kivelsen, stranded on the surface of the moon io. to make contact with the orbiter, she must trek to safety dragging the body of her co-pilot while using potentially mind-warping drugs to deal with her body's exhaustion, and ultimately stay sane as a voice starts reciting poetry to her.
while the episode was a psychedelic dream i felt entranced by, this short story was a delight i enjoyed from beginning to end. i loved every second of reading this. for a limited number of pages, it surprised me to feel connected with martha and to still worry for her fate, even though i already knew how it'll end. despite being a dire survivalist story, there was still an air of amusement about how martha first perceived io, its nature, and its communication with her. io's interaction with her blurs between mysterious, inscrutable, and compassionate. i liked that. i don't mind a few laughs and "awww" moments. there's something funny and scary with how our minds work under dreadful situations, which was neatly portrayed in this—that, and the fact that martha was high on meth and might or might not be hallucinating and projecting her memories of her dead expedition partner into her environment, a moon that designs itself as a machine, and martha its creator. which is interesting. lots to chew about on that one. was any of it real or was she just super high? was io really a machine or was everything about it just martha's way of coping, heightened with hallucinogenic drugs and sleep deprivation? my only gripe is that it's too short—i would've loved to read more about martha. melancholic and strangely uplifting, this is a great short story, one that builds up to a worthwhile, slightly ambiguous ending and leaves you wanting for more.
if you only had to watch one episode of love, death + robots this season, watch the very pulse of the machine. i promise it's irrevocably beautiful—the animation is like a moving moebius painting, the score and dialogue are evocative, the story is compelling, existential, and a little bit heart-wrenching at the end. i teared up. then watched it again and again. it even gives a new meaning to the phrase "spacing out", and i love it all the more for that. read this short story too, for a richer experience.
being able to consume this story through different forms was something i hold dear. it resonated with me—it felt special. it made me feel a lot—in the best possible way. i can't even begin to articulate it.
if it counts, both the episode and short story reminded me of the luminous dead (another piece of literature that i really loved) what with the concept of being/getting drugged to survive in an unstable and dangerous environment. such great examples of stories with man vs. nature/man vs. himself conflicts. that's what drew me in once i knew what exactly was happening in the episode.
The very pulse of the machine
new fav episode of love, death + robots just dropped ✌️😗 and just like with sonnie's edge, i had to read the short story it was inspired from.
the very pulse of the machine is a survivalist adventure story about a female astronaut, martha kivelsen, stranded on the surface of the moon io. to make contact with the orbiter, she must trek to safety dragging the body of her co-pilot while using potentially mind-warping drugs to deal with her body's exhaustion, and ultimately stay sane as a voice starts reciting poetry to her.
while the episode was a psychedelic dream i felt entranced by, this short story was a delight i enjoyed from beginning to end. i loved every second of reading this. for a limited number of pages, it surprised me to feel connected with martha and to still worry for her fate, even though i already knew how it'll end. despite being a dire survivalist story, there was still an air of amusement about how martha first perceived io, its nature, and its communication with her. io's interaction with her blurs between mysterious, inscrutable, and compassionate. i liked that. i don't mind a few laughs and "awww" moments. there's something funny and scary with how our minds work under dreadful situations, which was neatly portrayed in this—that, and the fact that martha was high on meth and might or might not be hallucinating and projecting her memories of her dead expedition partner into her environment, a moon that designs itself as a machine, and martha its creator. which is interesting. lots to chew about on that one. was any of it real or was she just super high? was io really a machine or was everything about it just martha's way of coping, heightened with hallucinogenic drugs and sleep deprivation? my only gripe is that it's too short—i would've loved to read more about martha. melancholic and strangely uplifting, this is a great short story, one that builds up to a worthwhile, slightly ambiguous ending and leaves you wanting for more.
if you only had to watch one episode of love, death + robots this season, watch the very pulse of the machine. i promise it's irrevocably beautiful—the animation is like a moving moebius painting, the score and dialogue are evocative, the story is compelling, existential, and a little bit heart-wrenching at the end. i teared up. then watched it again and again. it even gives a new meaning to the phrase "spacing out", and i love it all the more for that. read this short story too, for a richer experience.
being able to consume this story through different forms was something i hold dear. it resonated with me—it felt special. it made me feel a lot—in the best possible way. i can't even begin to articulate it.
if it counts, both the episode and short story reminded me of the luminous dead (another piece of literature that i really loved) what with the concept of being/getting drugged to survive in an unstable and dangerous environment. such great examples of stories with man vs. nature/man vs. himself conflicts. that's what drew me in once i knew what exactly was happening in the episode.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Drug use