The Gods and Their Machines [Paperback]

The Gods and Their Machines is a top notch young adult science fiction novel and an allegory for the viscous cycle of real life, modern day terrorism. The story is set on an unnamed planet where two nations are in a state of undeclared war that is carried out through terrorism. One side, the Altima, are technologically advanced for their planet, live in urban settings, and have a generally high standard of living. The Bartokhrin are technologically behind, poorer, and live in a rural, pastoral setting. Each have ugly stereotypes of the other, some of it deserved. The Bartokhrins are seen by the Altimans as backward, superstitious, barbaric people who carry out terrorist attacks in Altiman cities against innocent civilians without provocation. The Bartokhrin see the Altiman as a rich, spoiled, powerful people who have stripped and used Bartokhrin resources to the detriment of their ecology and economy. Not surprisingly, the Altiman carry out their campaign against the Bartokhrin using their superior power and technology. The Bartokhrin use terrorist tactics such as suicide bombers and assassination.

The story centers on two young people, Chamus Aranson, whose father and grandfather are politically powerful men in Altiman society and Riadni Mocranen, a rebellious young Bartokhrin tomboy who rebels against her father and naively goes off to join the terrorist movement in her state - the Hadram Cassal. Each of these young people have grown up socialized to hate the other and believe with religious passion the negative stereotypes of the others' people. They have also each experienced first hand the terror the others' society has inflicted upon their respective states. Chamus, on a flight training exercise, crashes into the "fringelands," the home of the Bartokhrin, where Riadni comes across him. Riadni shows her humanity by not turning him over to the Hassam Cassal who would surely hold him hostage and may eventually kill him, thus getting herself into trouble with this violent faction when they discover her deception. These two are thrown together in a situation where they must depend on each other to escape their circumstances and survive, while learning the truths, and untruths, about each other and their people.

What makes this an excellent novel is the clever way McGann pulls the curtain aside and shows how mostly false stereotypes and lack of understanding lead to the seemingly intractable hatred and tit-for-tat violence that rends these two different peoples apart. It's a perfect example of how modern day terrorism and systemic violence has torn apart the Middle East and Ireland, to name a few examples. But it goes further to show that there are nefarious and evil people on both sides of the conflict. Stereotypes aren't born in a vacuum, they inevitably have a kernel or more of truth to them. And the use of two young people thrown together in a life or death situation who have grown up to hate the other but still are open minded enough to learn about each other, however reluctantly, offers hope for the future of their society. This is the strength and heart of this novel.

There are a few minor drawbacks. Occasionally there are some inconsistencies on the part of the characters that are forgivable but noticeable. Another slight quibble is the author never explains, even briefly, the origins of this planet and it's obviously human citizens. Finally, at times, the story drags a little. But these are minor faults for well done first novel.

I'm not sure if this is science fiction or fantasy or what, but I know I loved it. I'm not normally into this stuff, but this story was real in a way that science ficton often isn't. It's got a definite political theme, there are nods to the Middle East and maybe Ireland too (McGann's from Dublin in Ireland) but it's not preachy. Its like he's thinking out loud. Mostly thought, this is a fantastic adventure story, with crackpot suicidal assasins, menacing machines, corrupt warmongers and all the tension and action you can ask for. I loved the scene when Benyan is taken over by the ghosts, and the fight with the gliders was brilliant. Chamus rocks! Riadni's my type of girl too, plenty of fire in her. The book's being sold as Young Adult, but the themes as Adult as you get and theres' nothing childish about it. This is a thriller with brains and guts. I can't wait to see what else this guy is going to write.

Altima is the dominant nation in the area with its advanced technology making it so "superior" to its neighbors. Altima depends on its backward neighbors for raw materials including cheap labor that are especially used in its highly sophisticated manufacturing sector.

The largest border nation is the fundamentally religious Bartokhrin, an agricultural society that treats females as subservient yet worships the Goddess Shanna. Most Bartokhrins detest their powerful secular neighbor. However a small group also loathes the ungodliness of Altima and has begun a terrorist war to rid Bartokhrin of all ties with Altima. Priests use the mortiphas effect to provide volunteers with negative psychic energies that convert them into living bombs to wreck Altima. As Altima plans to devastate Bartokhrin with a military assault, plots abound to assassinate leaders felt to soft on terrorism.

A terrorist attack kills the family of teenager Chamus Aranson, whose obsession to fly has changed to kill all Bartokhrins. While flying, he makes an emergency landing in Bartokhrin where he meets tomboy Riadni Mocranen, who is his only hope to elude captivity, but neither understands the values of the other.

THE GODS AND THEIR MACHINES is a terrific allegorical speculative fiction that grips the audience from the moment that readers grasp the radical differences between the two societies and never slows down until the final symbolic twist. The story line is action-packed and contains two delightfully daring diverse heroes. Still the parable makes this a compelling read as Oisin McGann has furbished a deep thought-provoking novel. Fans of several genres will reconsider the post 9/11 testosterone actions and reactions of country and terrorist leaders.

Harriet Klausner

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