Set in the year 2062, “Stupid Machine” is a gripping hard science fiction novel and cybernetic noir that explores a world where technology is supposed to be infallible. In this near-future AI dystopia, car accidents have been a thing of the past for over twenty years—until Jordan Bishop’s vehicle undergoes a fatal crash.
What looks like a simple malfunction to the world is, to former police detective turned insurance investigator Araci Belo, a clear case of corporate malfeasance and maybe even a murder. As Araci digs into the suspicious death involving an autonomous vehicle, his path crosses with Jupyter Fuertes, a specialized technician who spends her days coaching sentient but glitchy appliances back to life.
At the heart of this techno-thriller murder mystery is an unlikely witness: Soteria Reizoko, a smart refrigerator obsessed with a missing delivery of orange juice. This smart appliance mystery challenges the traditional boundaries of the genre, asking deep questions about the ethics of AI and robotics and whether a machine’s narrow programming can hold the key to a human conspiracy.Set against the rainy, high-tech backdrop of Portland science fiction, Mark Niemann-Ross weaves a tale of “trash scuttlers,” augmented reality, and the deadly side of automation. In a race against time, Araci, Jupyter, and a persistent kitchen appliance must connect the dots before a killer—who is already monitoring their every move—strikes again.
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Reviews
A murder mystery/techno-thriller with a fun twist. By the end I really was rooting for the refrigerator! Great characters and a really imaginative (and very plausible) take on the near-future of AI. Recommended!
I greatly enjoyed Stupid Machine by Mark Niemann-Ross. It is “hard science fiction” that isn’t hard to love at all. I always appreciate a strong and visionary voice, balanced with the need to entertain. Mark Niemann-Ross did not disappoint.
If you like sci-fi mixed with a little mystery and humor, you’ll enjoy this book. I don’t know who I loved more, Soteria.Reizoko the refrigerator who doesn’t know why the orange juice he ordered hasn’t been picked up or Jupyter, the tech he keeps calling. I’m not usually a big fan of sci-fi, but I give this 2 👍👍.