Girls of Geek Book Review: Bless Your Mechanical Heart

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There has always been a great debate regarding just how much technology should be a part of our lives. I see people in their thirties and forties lament console gaming and how it has robbed children of the wonder of playing outside. Or sometimes I hear people wonder what life would be like without cell phones and the ability to unplug for the night and not deal with work or the fact that any human being can reach us almost anywhere on the planet at any instant.  

Technology has truly changed our lives through and through, and there is nothing wrong with wondering how far it will go from here.  In fact there has always been talk of the creation of artificial life and artificial intelligence, and the consequences that could come from it.  It is that potential to see a robotic creation by man go anywhere mentally, physically or emotionally that captivates our imagination and thanks to the good folks at Evil Girlfriend Media, we now have a beautiful collection of stories revolving around such possibilities with their recent release of Bless Your Mechanical Heart. 

This wonderful anthology, edited by Jennifer Brozek features seventeen tales from seventeen authors that explore the world of androids, robots and cyborgs in incredible fashion.  What impressed me most about this anthology was the simple fact that it put these mechanized creatures into many real life situations we face on a daily basis.  They are faced with conflicts in love, conflicts in friendship, they face death and even grapple with bullying and religion.   

It allowed me to relate to these robotic creations on a level I didn't expect.  They truly came to life in so many ways and well, so many of these stories touch your heart on a personal level.  "The Lambs" by Seanan McGuire handles bullying and its awful effects on children in a new and inventive way.  "The Body as a Ship" by Mark Andrew Edwards is another fine look at the world we live in today and how the technology we own in many ways denotes our social standing, but at what cost?  Last, "The Apocrypha of Gamma-202" by Peter Clines gives us a terrifying look into the future and well...adds a fresh twist on religion that is utterly terrifying.  

Sadly, we don't have the time to highlight all of the amazing stories in this book, but I will say that every last one of them is a page turner.  On several occasions I had to force myself to put this book down in order to get other things done.  It's another wonderful anthology from Evil Girlfriend Media who continue to turn out one incredible short story collection after another.  If you're a fan of science fiction, you need to pick this one up.  Because it not only provides you with that futuristic fix, but it leaves you wondering after you've finished the book with one important question...what does it really mean to be human?  

To pick up your copy of Bless Your Mechanical Heart visit these sites:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon

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