Mechanize My Hands to War - by Erin K Wagner

Book Synopsis

"Wagner wows in this nuanced look at the implications of AI on humanity...sharply imagined and all too plausible." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The emergence of artificial life intersects with state violence and political extremism in Erin K. Wagner's rural Appalachia, where startlingly intimate portraits of survival and empathy bloom against a stark backdrop of loss.

September, 2060: Adrian Hall, acting director of the ATF, is holding a press conference. Yes, Eli Whitaker, anti-android demagogue, remains at large, and yes, he is recruiting children into his militia -- Adrian is careful not to use the word army. She is careful all the way through the conference, right up until someone asks her about her personal connection to Whitaker; about Trey Caudill, his foster son.

July, 2058: Farmers Shay and Ernst, struggling after they discover their GMO crop seeds have failed, hire android employees: Sarah as hospice, and AG-15 to work the now-toxic fields. Under one roof, four lives intertwine in ways no one expects.

July, 2060: Special Agent Trey Caudill is leading a raid on Eli Whitaker's farm when an android, call sign Ora, shoots and kills a child.

March, 2061: Ora sits in a room. He has been there for seven months, resisting diagnostic tests. He is drawing on the walls, scratching his artificial skin, tracing something over and over and over again with a tired metallic finger. There is nothing wrong with his circuitry, so why does Ora feel so broken?

Unflinching yet understated, making expert use of its nonlinear form, Mechanize My Hands to War is at once a study of grief and an ode to the power of self-determination.

Review Quotes

Praise for Mechanize My Hands to War

"Highly recommended for fans of thoughtful sci-fi about the relationships between humans, artificial intelligence, automated systems, and robotics." --Library Journal (starred review)

"This expansive, gripping read is reminiscent of Philip K. Dick, yet envisions a speculative and searing world all its own. A troubling glimpse into our possible future, Mechanize My Hands to War reinvents the android story within the rich setting of an Appalachia as familiar as it is far away, and with characters who drill deep into your heart, even or especially the ones who aren't alive. A rust-filled rural pastoral, at its core this is a parable of trust, of community, and of the ways, shapes, and future of caring for each other and of going on." --Alison Stine, author of Trashlands

"Centered on the inflection points of conscience, Mechanize My Hands to War is a captivating novel uniquely crafted to throw off a reader's expectations by presenting a dozen reflections of an imminent future where the assumption of humanity is not guaranteed." --Linda H. Codega, author of Motheater

Praise for Erin K Wagner:

"Wagner's writing seats itself deeply in each individual narrator's perspective and explores the tension between individual agency and the undeniable pull of the strange. Readers are sure to be enthralled." --Publishers Weekly

"An Unnatural Life will appeal to the philosopher within its audience, those who want to cozy up and consider a lightly challenging moral and ethical dilemma." --BookPage

"Wagner is a master of effective dialogue.... A powerful contribution to ongoing conversations regarding post-colonialism and the response of colonizing powers in the wake of ecological and cultural devastation.... A lyrical, potent tale." --Strange Horizons

"An Unnatural Life's focus on justice, police brutality, the rule of law, and who will speak for those who are not heard has only become even more pointed and relevant.... For me, the strength of this work [are]...the themes and questions that it raises." --Tor.com

"Very clear connections to our past and present made this one a timed read, packed with foresight and heart.... A book that is easy to read, but hard to forget." --Queen's Book Asylum

"A brief, tightly written examination of how the introduction of AIs might affect our justice system.... A very interesting and engaging novella." --Civilian Reader

"I was not prepared for the way An Unnatural Life would make me feel. This is a brilliantly written novella, one that hits rights in the heart." --Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

"The story draws you in, and draws you along at each moment, becoming more and more fraught. Brilliantly written, and a brilliant story." --SFF Reviews

About the Author

Erin K Wagner is an associate professor of liberal arts and sciences at SUNY Delhi and an active member of the SFWA. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Apex, and a number of other speculative fiction publications. She has two novellas, The Green and Growing (Aqueduct Press, 2019) and An Unnatural Life (Tordotcom, 2020).