Goddess from the Machine

Goddess from the Machine: A Prequel to the Ark Saga by Daniel Rodrigues-Martin is a cyberpunk, dystopian, sci-fi novel that takes us inside the city of Machindoun. I love it when the prologue teases me with a really good foreshadowing because that’s what piques my interest and makes me want to read the book further. Rodrigues-Martin’s novel picked me up and threw me right into some very interesting action.

The scene opens like a movie, with the rain coming down, buildings burning, and smoke all over the place. The man who helped build the city now watches it crumble around him as he’s facing off with the girl he once attempted to control. The only thing is, she’s not that girl anymore. She’s become this superhuman with cybernetic parts, and she’s found liberation in reclaiming those chains she was once bound to. Before readers even get into the main storyline, this entire scene and the dialogue between the man and girl make you think about exactly who is holding the power in the end. Is it the creator or the one who evolved from the creation?

Rodrigues-Martin does a great job setting the tone for this book. We go from the philosophical tone of the prologue to a more personal one. By the time readers get to the opening chapters, they are introduced to Reese. She’s a machinist who lives in the gritty, industrial Under City of Machindoun. We learn that she’s tough, resourceful, and clearly used to surviving on her own. She has this cute, sibling-like relationship with a little AI child named Minus, and it adds warmth and humor to what would otherwise be a solitary life for her.

I love how this book was written. Readers don’t just imagine a dystopian future, but it makes you feel like you’re living inside of it right along with Reese. You’re breathing in the iron-scented air. You’re aching along with her emotionally and physically, as she rebuilds herself from shattered pieces. We come to know Reese’s story throughout the book and follow her journey from ex-shadow maiden with a machine eye, but who has a human heart that has been fractured by betrayal. Readers witness her transformation, with centibots infused in her limbs and her mind set on vengeance. We get to know more about Reese’s own identity—specifically the tattooed serial number she keeps hidden. It’s a subtle reminder of her past and whatever systemic structure she’s escaped from.

The other characters that really help to shape the story are Kid, or the memory of him. I could feel Reese’s heart aching when she read his letter. For her, this was his final betrayal, where he promised never to return. But this only fuels her resolve to just embrace her terrifying power. There’s also Brenth and Jenn, who feel like home to Reese. They run the Copperpot Inn in the Over City. This also shows a huge contrast between the two places. The Under City seems dark and grimy, but the Over City is full of a glow and a different life.

As we get deeper into the story, readers meet Lord Krowne, who’s powerful and condescending. I think readers will immediately despise him as much as I did, because of the way he treats Reese as if she were a replaceable part. Without giving any spoilers away, readers might be equally satisfied with the irony as the story shifts closer to the ending chapters. On the other hand, readers may ask themselves if it was worth it at the cost of what Reese becomes.

Other characters who stood out were Maka the Scarborough, who is a rebel, but he’s also an opportunist. He’s just fighting to survive and to profit, nothing more, nothing less. Then there’s the working-class backbone of the revolution, Tomat. He constantly reminds Reese of the stakes in their high-tech rebellious plot.

There’s so much to love about a novel that reads like an on-screen movie. This book is rich with sensory details like the smell of the smoke from Old Market, or the feel of the wet cobblestones under Reese’s boots, and the sound of the eerie quietness of the Copperpot bar boarded up in grief. The world-building doesn’t drown out the characters, which is another plus about this story. The pacing is even appropriate, matching each scene from chapter to chapter.

The readers who will most appreciate a sci-fi thriller like Goddess from the Machine are those who enjoy similar works, such as Marjorie Liu’s Monstress or the Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin.  Rodrigues-Martin’s novel is about rebellion, high-tech gadgets, the emotional costs of having power, but it’s also a book where Reese doesn’t really become the hero. She becomes something else entirely, and her whole transformation leaves us asking if it was worth it. Goddess from the Machine by Daniel Rodrigues-Martin is definitely worth the read.