A Dying Machine

by Mark Tremonti, John Shirley

A Dying Machine Takes place in a future world where technology has advanced to the point where we can fuse man and machine into a life form called Vessels. They're encrypted with specific purposes from companion, to security.

But what happens when there's a flaw in the design? And when a recall angers the strongest and most intelligent of the vessels?

Can humanity withstand an uprising? Or have they sealed their own fate?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

307 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Mark Thomas Tremonti (born April 18, 1974) is an American musician best known for his tenures with Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other artists over the years. He formed his own band, Tremonti, in 2011, releasing the album All I Was in July 2012, followed by Cauterize in June 2015, Dust in April 2016 and A Dying Machine in June 2018. The metal rock opera A Dying Machine has been adapted by Tremonti and science fiction novelist John Shirley.

Reviews

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a long time fan of Mark Tremonti, I was really excited hearing his new album had an AI concept to it that was to be accompanied with a novel. Especially with "A Dying Machine" being Mark's first novel written with John Shirley, I was really impressed. A really fun and kick ass story about AI, humanity, and where the line is drawn in the sand. A lot of concepts and questions are asked that are quite intriguing and I had a blast reading this. You don't have to be a fan of Mark's music with Creed, Alter Bridge, or Tremonti but if you're into good, solid science fiction, and want a great read, check out "A Dying Machine". If you like the novel, also check out the album as well. It's my favorite album of 2018 and the novel is up there as one of the better ones I have read all year.

[Eva Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5
I loved it, review is coming later!

[Tally · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
(5 stars for the album - go listen!)

My rating fluctuated over the course of reading this novel but i'm sticking in the middle because while I don't think it's terrible, I think it could have been better.

The story and the AI-ethics concepts touched upon here are great. However, I think the constant shift in perspective, especially without full chapters devoted to one character's POV which I prefer, threw me off and made it difficult to empathise with anyone. Initially I thought Brennan and Stella would be the main characters based on the summary but at the half-way point I had to reconsider. So many characters have their own perspective in separate chunks that are supposed to fit together. I think this is in an effort to tell, rather than show, vital story elements yet ultimately made me apathetic to everyone. I liked Rhapsody the best and she's only in two chapters! She, along with other things, seem to be inserted into the story with no forethought or foreshadowing.

The best way I can describe this novel is like a train rolling down the track as the track is being set.
But it's still an interesting adventure. I just wish the morality and ethics questions raised by the plot points were pursued in depth.

[Emily Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Tremonti is one of my favorite musicians, and I love sci-fi, so I had to check this out.
The main character is a female android named Stella (which is Mark's daughter's name). She is assigned to "replace" a man's dead wife. She is programmed to make him happy in all the right ways, but she soon becomes more sentient than intended. So do all the other androids. They rebel and so does she. There is some death and destruction and rebellion, and it all revolves around what exactly makes us human.

I give it three stars because, while this book was decent, it has a lot of plot holes and the two plotlines (Stella's and the other bots) are disjointed. This made it unclear who the story was really about.

Mark is the best!!! Check out A Dying Machine record.

[Dana Pellerin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, but the storytelling and characters seemed a bit shallow. They could have gone so much deeper into the Stella/Brennan relationship and I think chocking Stella's whole behavior up to a "bug" was disappointing. The board members Vessels seemed to fall into typical action movie character cliche's, and I didn't care about any of them. Honestly, I think Rhapsody was the purest character, even though she had a small part.

That said, I loved the concept. I love Mark Tremonti's art and I enjoy the music even more now as I listen to the songs and relate them to parts of the story.

[Luke Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it very much. It’s not without flaws: it’s clearly a debut novel and the middle section is a bit all over the place but it’s a very confident work. Although the stuff with Ares doesn’t come into its own till the final 3rd (the climax is excellent), the thread involving Stella and Brennan is terrific. Very keen to see if Tremonti will continue writing. I’ll definitely read something of his again.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I’ll be the one to rate it based in its value and not based on the fact that Mark Tremonti is a badass. It’s better than I thought it would be, some concepts were interesting, but it’s not very complex or well written. I still love Mark - and my copy if the book is signed so it will stay on my shelf! Hopefully he will continue writing and improve!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe too many characters and perspective shifts to empathize with anyone, which made it a little disjointed at times. It wasn't the most spectacularly written thing I've ever read, the parts following Ares being the weakest parts in my opinion, but it was still a fun read, and the album is a 5/5 for me :)

[Craig Mccann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent and enjoyable read for anyone who is a fan of Mark Tremonti and is interested in learning more about themes/ideas behind the album.

[craftycrandall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out, listened to the album the day it was released, and together it is such a dynamic duo. To this day my favorite album, and one of my favorite books. This novel presents a futuristic society in which vessels can replace humans in peoples’ lives: companions, lovers, kids, bodyguards, you name it. Stella, our main character and vessel, undergoes such a transformation calling into question societal and mental health issues in a unique way. The other vessels provide further insight into the artificial intelligence realm so frequently sought after today, and the potential consequences of implementing such technology in conjunction with human emotions. Overall this novel was an experience: taking the songs and making them something tangible with names and “faces” and a world to stand on. It has twists and turns as dynamic as it’s musical counterpart, and was a joy to read. Mark Tremonti has never disappointed with his music, his writing is no exception.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

Not really science-y at all. Cannot wait for the sequel (obviously set up for one) and I'm dying for the Hollywood movie!

I'm not into the science stuff at all but this was an excellent read!

Complaints:
Too short! I wish it was longer. I read slightly below average speed, and I was done in a day. Rating 4 stars because the story should have been much longer

It didn't come out sooner! I wish Mark had thought of this years ago! Such a good read!

Special note:
You don't need to listen to the album to enjoy the book. I read the book first and wasn't lost at all. And you don't need the book to enjoy the music either.

Caution:
Brief but moderately explicit sexual details. You should read the book before deciding to allow your kids to read it.


That's all I can say without spoiling it. Mark Tremonti has given some spoilers in YouTube videos. Including one major detail.

Seriously can't wait for the movie!!!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brennan was lonely after the death of his wife and decided to purchase a Vessel (an upgrade from A.I.) imprinted to his own specifications as his companion. Stella is his Vessel and her life revolves around Brennan and he is what she lives for. Maggie is the CEO of the company that makes the Vessels and she has a body guard Vessel named Aries. Aries is plotting and planning a rebellion to the extent that his programming allows. With no spoilers, you can see how things could go terribly wrong.

This book was fast paced with multiple story-lines. There was enough background and character building without droning on and on. Some of the Tremonti lyrics from the concept album are weaved through the dialog which helps pinpoint which song on the album pertains to which chapter. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this book.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sentimental 3.5 stars out of 5 - the album is a solid 10 all around. The premise and overall plot were interesting, parts of it reminded me of the show Dollhouse. It's a short novel and I think there was a LOT that could have been fleshed out. Brevity is good in some stories and it worked in some areas but here mostly lended itself to feeling incomplete. Adrian and Rhapsody were my my favorite characters and as others said they had some the shortest appearances.

Mark is such an amazing songwriter and the songs are still stronger than the novel itself. I just managed to recently snag this online when a small reprint came available on the official website, and I'm still happy to be able to finally move this from my 'want to read' to 'READ' list!

[Suzy Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual genre to read, and I haven't read much in this genre to be fair but I did enjoy the book. The middle section feels a bit disjointed to me, but a good concept and characterisation. Intriguing to unfold the relationships between AI and humans and how each species can adapt and evolve.
It will be interesting to see if there's a follow up and what happens.

And yes, get the album that 'accompanies' it, it's amazing!

[TonyAntSonWil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. Coupled with the fact that it was co-written by one of the greatest guitarist from some of my favorite bands (Alter bridge and Creed and Tremonti) this was just a superb read from start to finish. Left open for another one also.

So glad i have the signed copy :D

Read this book, you will not be disappointed and if you are disappointed then i think you need to re-read as you have clearly missed the point and misread the book ha ha

[Kevin Stumpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not know if Mark Tremonti actually wrote this book, or just provided the plot, but either way I thought it was well done. If Mark actually wrote it, then this is a five star book. I enjoyed the character development, enjoyed the plot twists, and the possibility of a sequel. I am a HUGE Mark Tremonti fan, and I can hardly wait to listen to the A Dying Machine album again now that I have finished the book. But it is late, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

[Andrew Dike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m giving this one a three - I thought the premise and the world building was fairly solid. Enough to make up for some pretty clunky dialogue and exposition, anyway. It gets a little credit for being the accompanying novel to a really killer concept album. Ultimately my recommendation would be to go check the music out, first.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written story with cool sci-fi elements. I thought the concept of creating almost every specification of your partner/lover was intriguing. And of course the possible dangers of having robots with humanlike intelligence make this a suspenseful, entertaining read.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, especially if you're a fan of Mark and the album (the album is 5/5 for me by the way). The story and ethical issues raised are well thought out and interesting, but I often found the actual writing somewhat clunky.

[Nancy 6+ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting science fiction novel written by one of my favorite musicians, Mark Tremonti (Tremonti, Alter Bridge, Creed). The book accompanied his album of the same name. A terrific treat for fans!

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely not my usual genre but I absolutely loved it! I'm a huge fan of Mark Tremonti's music so when I found out he was doing a concept album I was thrilled. Even if you didn't listen to the album I definitely recommend!

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story is very interesting and ties in well with the album. Writing is decent, but not spectacular.

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love a good Sci Fi story then I'd highly recommend this!

[Craig Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 over all. They really need to start letting you rate things by half stars on this app.

[Shawntel Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. I would highly recommend the book and hoping for a sequel!

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I did think that at times it seemed a bit all over the place but all came together in the end. I would like to see the story continue if possible.

[Joshua Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really explores the dangers of using AI to replace human connection. It’s a haunting reminder to cherish the ones you love and what makes us truly human.

[Bob Straugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen to the album, read the book. Amazing....

[Robert Alsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very impressed with Marks music and his writing! What a great story. Couldn’t put it down.

Not sure if the reader is aware but Mark Tremonti is the bad ass guitarist from the bands Creed, Alterbridge & Tremonti. I don’t know that a guitarist has ever written a novel and then a rock album to go with it. Super amazingly talented dude!

[Mike Oaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Especially when you analyze the album lyrics while reading the book. It all makes sense!