A Perfect Machine
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Henry Kyllo is a Runner, a member of a secret society called the Inferne Cutis. Every day he is chased through the city by Hunters whose goal is to fill him with bullets. It is a secret war steeped in history, tradition, and mutual fear.
Rumours abound about what happens when a Runner achieves ascension, but it has supposedly never happened before, so no one knows for sure. Except that it has happened before. And it is happening again.
This time, to Henry Kyllo.
File Under: Science Fiction [ Hunter / Killer | The Man Machine | Over and Over | Run, Rabbit, Run ]
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this dark urban fantasy, Savory (In and Down) introduces readers to a society so secret that normal humans are physically incapable of remembering it exists. The Inferne Cutis is split into two parts: the Runners and the Hunters. Each takes part in a mandatory (and bloody) nightly Run, during which Hunters shoot at Runners; failure to participate means the disappearance of a loved one. Henry Kyllo, a Runner, has been riddled with so many bullets that he's now almost entirely metal under his skin. When Kyllo finally becomes 100% lead, an age-old prophecy is fulfilled and he begins to change into a destructive force that threatens everything in its path. Throughout the book, Savory seems poised to hammer home some kind of deep allegory on toxic masculinity and the cycle of violence, but nothing ever really comes together. The plot instead hinges on a series of clich d action-adventure character arcs held together by mystical forces that are often teased but never explained, building to a resoundingly unsatisfying resolution. Savory literally reaches for the stars, but the story is a hollow one with no real stakes or lasting resonance.
