Book Review: Machines of Easy Virtue
Machines of Easy Virtue. Jack Price. Amazon Digital Services, October 2012, Kindle Edition, 120 pages.
Reviewed by Paige Doepke.
Machines of Easy Virtue by Jack Price explores the familiar but futuristic city of Chicago in the year 2058. Well-known street names are made new and exciting by very life-like robots that roam free as police officers, butlers, lovers and more. Red Bourbon, private investigator and protagonist, is struggling to make ends meet when he gets a profitable but peculiar assignment following the murder of a high profile patriarch by his robot butler.
The concept and execution of the novel is fresh and original. It is reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984 in its satire. Price describes ultramodern versions of technology we have in our world today, making the story incredibly realistic despite its strong science-fiction plot. The robots themselves are so interesting because advanced versions look and react exactly as humans do, so they are easily mistaken for human beings. It creates an interesting kind of competition between humans and technology.
Red Bourbon is relatable in his down-and-out state. He seems especially vulnerable when brushing shoulders with the superhuman robot-infused wealthy—you can imagine that in a world with so much technology, self-improvement and plastic surgery is also incredibly advanced.
In the year 2058, there is a vast difference between classes. There seems to be only a very wealthy upper class and those below the poverty line. Technology has wiped out so many human jobs. It’s an extreme version of outsourcing that Price paints really well.
As advanced as they are, one thing robots can’t do is use human intuition and common sense. That is what makes Red such a valuable and important asset in finding the murderer of his client’s father. The robots have been so keenly developed, but being human and having free will isn’t something that can be replicated.
Jack Price does a great job of telling this somewhat otherworldly story without adding any unnecessary characters or plotlines. Every chapter is deliberate and exciting. It really was difficult for me to find a place to stop reading throughout the day. It is a great read for anyone interested in science fiction.