The Crooked God Machine by Autumn Christian is a dark and surreal tale set on the Black Planet, where a masked God terrorizes the inhabitants through the television. The protagonist, Charles, navigates a world filled with nightmare elements like swamp witches, plague machines, and hell shuttles, seeking understanding and love amidst the chaos. The writing style is described as poetic, surreal, and bleak, reminiscent of a meeting point between Philip K. Dick, Anne Rice, and Kerouac, creating a world where darkness is the norm and light is a stranger.

Characters:

Characters are relatable yet mysterious, embodying their flaws, with the protagonist representing a quest for understanding and connection.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is poetically dark and surreal, reminiscent of stream-of-consciousness, blending beauty with horror.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative is surreal, unpredictable, and disorienting, revolving around existential themes and a quest set in a dark, chaotic world.

Setting:

The setting is a chaotic, nightmarish world called the Black Planet, filled with grotesque horrors and a dystopian atmosphere.

Pacing:

The pacing is slow but methodical, building tension and requiring patience for the unpredictable narrative.

My Daddy’s hands were like burnt maps. He said if we wanted to learn how to conquer the world, all we had to do was look at his hands. After working at the factory he used to sit at the kitchen table ...

Notes:

The Crooked God Machine is set on a dystopian world known as The Black Planet.

Characters live in a chaotic reality ruled by a tyrant calling himself God.

God communicates with the populace through television, punishing them with plagues.

The story features surreal elements such as plague machines, swamp witches, and hell shuttles.

It explores themes of love, despair, and existential confusion in a grotesque environment.

Charles, the main character, seeks to find meaning and love in a nightmarish world.

The novel blends genres, incorporating horror, dystopian themes, and elements of absurdism.

Despite its bleakness, the story contains a bittersweet love tale that adds depth to the narrative.

The writing style is described as darkly poetic with a 'narcotic intensity'.

The book has a strong feminist undertone, addressing themes of oppression and resilience.

Autumn Christian published this novel at the young age of 19, showcasing her incredible talent early on.

Readers describe the ending as complex and thought-provoking, leaving them both confused and enriched.

The story can be disturbing, with graphic scenes of violence and dark themes, making it unsuitable for younger readers.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings are high due to graphic violence, disturbing imagery, themes of mental illness, and religious horror.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romance in the story, particularly through the protagonist's connections as he seeks love amidst turmoil.

From The Publisher:

The Black Planet is an oppressive world terrorized by a masked god. Charles is a young idealist struggling to keep his family from falling apart amidst daily violence and chaos. When Charles falls in love with the enigmatic Leda, she gives him hope for an existence outside of the masked god's regime. After Leda disappears one night, Charles leaves his small town to search for her. Along the way he uncovers the origin of the Black Planet, and confronts the god that would destroy all life in pursuit of a perfect and unchanging paradise.

The Crooked God Machine is a dystopian horror about a broken family and a broken world. Compared to the work of David Lynch, H.R Giger, and Philip K. Dick, it's at once darkly romantic, violent, and uncomfortably familiar.

Ratings (3)

Incredible (1)
It Was OK (1)
Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (8):

Read It (3)
Want To Read (4)
Not Interested (1)

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About the Author:

Autumn Christian is a fiction writer from Texas. She is the author of several books including "Girl Like a Bomb," and "The Crooked God Machine." She has written for several video-games, including Battle Nations and State of Decay 2.

When not writing, she is usually practicing her side kicks and running with dogs, or posting strange and existential Instagram selfies.

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The Crooked God Machine

Autumn Christian