Machine Man

I have become a little Max Barry fanboy. Everything he has written has so far tickled all my iterative parts, whether they were augmented or otherwise, and I found myself chuckling with all the delights a well-crafted tale can often bring. I mean, the IDEA is an old one, but damn if Max Barry didn't......more

Sometimes all a book needs to excel is the proper reading method. Although we all have our preferred way of reading, usually in our head as fast as we can, there are other ways to read. I always loved The Old Man and the Sea, but when I first read it aloud to my baby girl, the morning after she was......more

I picked this up after I read Lexicon. I liked it so I thought I'd try another book by Mr. Barry. Not bad. This is an odd book about an odd character. Charlie Neumann ("new-man"?) is a PHD/Mechanical Engineer...obsessive compulsive, thinking problem solver. He's in a job that isn't really challenging......more

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars What happens when a socially challenged scientist, Dr. Charlie Neumann, becomes obsessed with improving the logical functionality of prosthetics? An odd,fascinating, and unique adventure, that's what. Max Barry has become master of characterization. He really fleshes out his c......more

Another, albeit much more recent, addition to my to-read shelf courtesy of io9, Machine Man is sardonic exploration of the symbiotic relationship between humans and technology. I happened to see a copy on the library’s “New Books” shelf, so I took the opportunity and grabbed it. Unlike Fragment,......more