Machine Man

Max Barry

‘Blazes an independent trail ... a uniquely creepy parable about our drive for personal and technological perfection.’

Duncan Driver, Canberra Times

‘A strange mix of black humour, love story and industrial madness ... what Barry has achieved is something very remarkable indeed.’

Herald Sun

View all reviews

‘Barry takes scenarios that ought to be tragic and cannily reshapes them into smart, piercing comedy about contemporary workaday life ... Though this novel is notably darker than his other books, Barry still finds a smirking and at times uproarious way to expose our endless obsession with technological fixes.’

Kirkus

‘Hilarious [and] tongue-in-cheek.’

Launceston Examiner

‘Powerful in its plot and metaphor, the story explores themes similar to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (such as what it means to be human and the dangers of science), but explores them in a modern context with greater vision, greater complexity and with an absurdist eye that enhances the ideas.’

Newcastle Herald

‘A sci-fi tale about a scientist on a quest for bodily perfection.’

Publishers Weekly

‘Near the top of the range of speculative fiction.’

Star Times

‘A cornucopia of scientific and futuristic ideas. A laboratory filled with what-ifs ... Machine Man has many fascinations.’

The Age

‘An entertaining romp.’

Ed Wright, The Australian

‘A fast-paced yet sophisticated satire that folds complicated science in smoothly. Clever, amusing and a pleasure to read.’

Weekend Press

‘Wickedly entertaining. A brilliant book: caustically funny, and — by its closing chapter — surprisingly moving.’

Scott Smith, author of The Ruins

‘Using precision-engineered prose, Max Barry has built a gleaming, terrifying device: part love story, part horror story, part thought experiment, all entertaining.’

Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

‘A meticulously devised, deviant little parable — once it starts, you can't look away.’

Austin Grossman, author of Soon I Will Be Invincible

‘Don't open this one unless you're prepared to keep reading until the last page is done.’

Seth Godin, author of Linchpin

‘Max Barry writes satire so sharp and prescient that sometimes I fear that he is only giving the bad guys more ideas.’

Wil Anderson

‘Just read Machine Man. Too much awesome. Mind. Officially. Blown.’

John Birmingham

‘Max Barry is an outstanding satirical comedy writer, reliably smart and funny. That's why I hate him.’

Julian Morrow

‘From the first pages, Machine Man grabs the reader in an industrial clamp that doesn’t let go until the ripping conclusion.’

Tony Wilson

‘Disarmingly funny ... a really fantastic read and a thought-provoking one, too.’

Cory Doctorow

‘Barry’s razor-sharp authorial voice perfectly articulates Charlie’s inner desires ... Barry brings a nerdy sense of humor to an entirely believable premise no longer limited to the realm of science fiction. Darkly comic, genuinely tender, with more than a few great fight scenes, this is a triumph.’

Booklist

When scientist Charles Neumann loses a leg in an industrial accident, it’s not a tragedy. It’s an opportunity.

Charlie always thought his body could be better. His employer, military contractor Better Future, has the resources he needs to explore a few ideas. So he begins to build parts. Better parts. Charlie’s prosthetist, Lola, is impressed by his artificial limbs. But some see him as a madman. Others, a product. Or even a weapon.

Existing at the intersection between mind and body, in the dawn of the age of pervasive technology, Machine Man is a gruesomely funny tale about one man’s quest for the ultimate in self-improvement.

‘Blazes an independent trail ... a uniquely creepy parable about our drive for personal and technological perfection.’

Duncan Driver, Canberra Times

‘A strange mix of black humour, love story and industrial madness ... what Barry has achieved is something very remarkable indeed.’

Herald Sun

View all reviews

Kirkus

‘Hilarious [and] tongue-in-cheek.’

Launceston Examiner

Newcastle Herald

‘A sci-fi tale about a scientist on a quest for bodily perfection.’

Publishers Weekly

‘Near the top of the range of speculative fiction.’

Star Times

‘A cornucopia of scientific and futuristic ideas. A laboratory filled with what-ifs ... Machine Man has many fascinations.’

The Age

‘An entertaining romp.’

Ed Wright, The Australian

‘A fast-paced yet sophisticated satire that folds complicated science in smoothly. Clever, amusing and a pleasure to read.’

Weekend Press

‘Wickedly entertaining. A brilliant book: caustically funny, and — by its closing chapter — surprisingly moving.’

Scott Smith, author of The Ruins

‘Using precision-engineered prose, Max Barry has built a gleaming, terrifying device: part love story, part horror story, part thought experiment, all entertaining.’

Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

‘A meticulously devised, deviant little parable — once it starts, you can't look away.’

Austin Grossman, author of Soon I Will Be Invincible

‘Don't open this one unless you're prepared to keep reading until the last page is done.’

Seth Godin, author of Linchpin

‘Max Barry writes satire so sharp and prescient that sometimes I fear that he is only giving the bad guys more ideas.’

Wil Anderson

‘Just read Machine Man. Too much awesome. Mind. Officially. Blown.’

John Birmingham

‘Max Barry is an outstanding satirical comedy writer, reliably smart and funny. That's why I hate him.’

Julian Morrow

‘From the first pages, Machine Man grabs the reader in an industrial clamp that doesn’t let go until the ripping conclusion.’

Tony Wilson

‘Disarmingly funny ... a really fantastic read and a thought-provoking one, too.’

Cory Doctorow

BUY EBOOK

Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 210mm × 135mm

Extent:288pp

ISBN (13):9781921844263

RRP:$27.99

Pub date:1 Aug 2011

Rights Held: ANZ

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

2011 Aurealis Awards - Short-listed 2011 Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Digital Narrative - Winner

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Max Barry

Max Barry began removing parts at an early age. In 1999, he successfully excised a steady job at tech giant HP in order to upgrade to the more compatible alternative of manufacturing fiction. While producing three novels, he developed the online nation simulation game NationStates, as well as contributing to various open source software projects and developing religious views on operating systems. He did not leave the house much. For Machine Man, Max wrote a website to deliver pages of fiction to readers via e-mail and RSS. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and two daughters, and is thirty-eight years old. He uses vi.www.maxbarry.com

Company

Max Barry

RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 5 Mar 2007 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Colony

Annika Norlin

RRP: $32.99 Pub date: 4 Mar 2025 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Time Together

Luke Horton

RRP: $34.99 Pub date: 4 Mar 2025 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Fire Exit

Morgan Talty

RRP: $32.99 Pub date: 4 Feb 2025 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

The Knowing

Madeleine Ryan

RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 4 Feb 2025 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Darkenbloom

Eva Menasse

RRP: $36.99 Pub date: 7 Jan 2025 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

The Liquid Eye of a Moon

Uchenna Awoke

RRP: $39.99 Pub date: 7 Jan 2025 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Thirst

Marina Yuszczuk

RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 29 Oct 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Gifted

Suzumi Suzuki

RRP: $27.99 Pub date: 1 Oct 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Diving, Falling

Kylie Mirmohamadi

RRP: $32.99 Pub date: 3 Sep 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Bear

Julia Phillips

RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 2 Jul 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Brothers and Ghosts

Khuê Ph?m

RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 2 Jul 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

The Good Women of Fudi

Liu Hong

RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 2 Jul 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Manny and the Baby

Varaidzo

RRP: $35.00 Pub date: 4 Jun 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

The Hairdresser’s Son

Gerbrand Bakker

RRP: $35.00 Pub date: 4 Jun 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Antiquity

Hanna Johansson

RRP: $27.99 Pub date: 30 Apr 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Thunderhead

Miranda Darling

RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 3 Apr 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

Vladivostok Circus

Elisa Shua Dusapin

RRP: $27.99 Pub date: 3 Apr 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Quick view

The Extinction of Irena Rey

Jennifer Croft

RRP: $35.00 Pub date: 27 Feb 2024 Category: Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945) Cover view

Machine Man

Max Barry

Related content

AUTHOR

News

News