Andrew Foster AltschulDeus Ex Machina

I love this novel!When I started reading DEUS EX MACHINA, the phrase that came to me was "deliciously disturbing" because it seemed so splendidly inventive and playful.Oh my, it is that, for sure, but this extraordinary piece of work deepens exponentially.We sense the suffering below the surface, understanding that behind the illusions of "reality" shows there is a world of sorrow: people desperate for attention, "players" harmed physically & psychologically by their experiences, by revelations of their own cowardice or cruelty, weakness or failure, harmed because the life after is never quite as sweet as they imagined.We are invited to experience multiple levels of perception simultaneously.This complexity compels us to confront the questions of why these shows have become so popular, why we prefer the comforts of voyeuristic experiences (unreal reality or real unreality) over the dangerous identification that myth or fiction or the nightly news might provoke.The final pages (from 139 on) are absolutely devastating, a cry and an indictment (and this is what I meant when I said the novel deepens exponentially). The evocations are raw and still beautifully, poignantly tender.Altschul could have ended this spectacular drama after the climactic scene, but in his brilliance he recognized the incredible potential for the story to push beyond this moment, to reveal to us the way the producer and Niger Delta People's Army general both set madness in motion.And even this is not enough: he will not allow the reader/viewer to retreat into cynicism or judgment. We are the ones who must look at the a ravaged woman carrying her dead baby. She is the producer's wife; she is every suffering, damaged, deserted, exploited, starved, burned, sick, poisoned, invisible human on this planet. And so the list begins, the real sorrows and atrocities, beginning with the intimate and expanding into the global."How much more do you want? How much more do you think you can take?" the narrator asks.Indeed, there is more and more to discover in this extraordinary book. Deeply, profounding, gorgeously moving.

If you've ever been addicted to any reality-TV show, you need to read this book. The situations are just one step beyond current reality, the happenings are all surreal-but-believable, there are a couple of cameo appearances by recent newsmakers, the technology and feedback that helps people run the show depicted in the book is pretty fascinating -- Altschul might be shocked to discover he's written a science-fiction novel, but I think it's the best SF novel in years. The ending may be just a very slight letdown, but it's worth the trip.

Deus is a dark glimpse into and a satire of the workings of reality television. I found the novel to be both haunting and hilarious. I enjoyed how the ending was managed and how the book was structured to mirror the format of reality television. Everyone should check out this fast and fun read.A shorter and perhaps easier read than Lady Lazarus (also a great book)  Lady Lazarus

Very funny, very compelling book. Uneven in parts, but when this author is on, he's _really_ on. This is an author to watch, I think. I will be following his future work closely.

The problem with satire is the author has to have a good eye, a sharp wit, and strong pen. Andrew Foster Altschul is three for three with "Deus Ex Machina."He has his finger on the pulse of everything that is wrong with modern America. But he doesn't do anything to stop the bleeding. Instead, he forces us to sit there and laugh as we watch it all slip away.

I really liked Altschul's first novel "Lady Lazarus" and was stoked to check out his follow-up. "Machina" is wild, acerbic, savage satire that hits right where it's aiming. In a time when so much fiction sounds the same (remixes of remixes), Altschul is out there doing his own thing.

Great book, sharp satire. Made me think things I hadn't thought about before. My only complaint: Needs more Calliope Morath.

I have never said this in my life, but this is quite possibly the stupidest book I have ever read. The characters are ridiculous and the situations are downright laughable. It reads like it was written by an overly-ambitious high school creative writing student who watches too much TV. I'm giving it one star for a clever title and the fact that I'm pretty sure the character "Paco" is based on the actor Luis Guzman. Having read it, I'm confident the writers of the blurbs on the cover were bribed. I can't believe I wasted by time on this. Don't make the same mistake.