The Holy Machine by Chris Beckett
The 1st Novel by the author of The Turing Test -From Wildside Press
Oct 6, 2008
Chris Beckett's first novel The Holy Machine (Wildside Press, 242pp, ISBN 9781592242108) elaborates on an early Interzone story, "La Macchina," in which a robot begins to exhibit signs of developing consciousness.
George Simling lives with his mother Rose in the small Aegean technocracy of Ithaca. The world has splintered into theocracies with the exception of Ithaca, which is built on rationalism. But Ithaca relies on 'guest-workers' from neighbouring states to perform many of its menial jobs while denying them basic human rights, including the freedom to worship.
The Turing Test
Rose is addicted to Sen-space, a version of Second Life, and has only ever had one relationship in her life, a brief moment of passion that led to George. George is similarly woefully lacking in people skills, and finds it difficult to form relationships with other people. He visits Lucy, a syntec prostiute. Another story with which The Holy Machine thematically overlaps with is 'Valour,' collected --with 'La Macchina'-- in Beckett's debut collection, The Turing Test. In both stories robots,(syntecs in the novel, synthetiks in Valour) have replaced sex workers and others who perform other menial jobs) and falls in love with her.
Fearing for Lucy's future, George flees with her across the border. But Lucy begins to question her existence, and as he realizes the truth --that he's fallen in love with 'only' a machine-- George betrays her to the religious fundamentalists who consider syntecs to be the devil's handiwork. Her resultant destruction leads George to begin an Odyssey around the Peloponnesian Peninsula seeking answers to questions raised by his guilt-fuelled despair.
The Holy Machine covers Beckett's regular themes, of the basis of identity and the differences between human and machine, which he examines again and again:
"I know you are a machine, but why should that make a difference? I am a machine too...so are we all. It's just that I am a machine made of flesh and bone."
Cyberpunk
Much SF (particularly cyberpunk from the 1980s) is pre-occupied with personality downloads and other forms of electronic disembodiment, either accepting them as inevitable or even a problem-free shortcut to immortality.
When Rose suffers an accident that leaves her marooned in Sen-space, Beckett -unusually for SF- questions what the real psychological impact would be of personality downloads. The Holy Machine is therefore a thematic counterpoint to 'The Perimeter' and 'Piccadilly Circus' which also appear in The Turing Test ('Rat Island' which appears in Interzone 218 is a prequel, and covers slightly different territory). Both those stories deal with uploaded consciousness and the last 'real' humans, but from more regular Science-Fictional perspectives.
Beckett also uses The Holy Machine to examine the differing world-views of science and religion:
"Which is the more useful, the scientific worldview, with its wonderful technical miracles, or the religious...with its sense of purpose and belonging? It would be nice to have both, but suppose that isn't possible? Which should we keep? Terrible things are done in the name of religion but it was science that world to the brink of destruction."
The Holy Machine is a first novel, and therefore not without flaws. The narrative point of view unexpectedly alternates two-thirds of the way through, while towards the end the Illyrian threat evaporates with a wave of Beckett's authorial magic wand.
Nonetheless, The Holy Machine is an excellent first novel, with all of Beckett's by now hallmark themes rigorously examined, and enough resolution of the main character's emotional issues to give a sense of completion.
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