{"product_id":"mechanize-my-hands-to-war-isbn-9780756419349","title":"Mechanize My Hands to War","description":"\"Wagner wows in this nuanced look at the implications of AI on humanity...\u003cb\u003esharply imagined and all too plausible.\u003c\/b\u003e\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeptember, 2060:\u003c\/b\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJuly, 2058:\u003c\/b\u003e 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.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJuly, 2060: \u003c\/b\u003eSpecial Agent Trey Caudill is leading a raid on Eli Whitaker’s farm when an android, call sign Ora, shoots and kills a child.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarch, 2061: \u003c\/b\u003eOra 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?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnflinching yet understated, making expert use of its nonlinear form, \u003ci\u003eMechanize My Hands to War\u003c\/i\u003e is at once a study of grief and an ode to the power of self-determination.Praise for \u003ci\u003eMechanize My Hands to War\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wagner wows in this nuanced look at the implications of AI on humanity...\u003cb\u003esharply imagined and all too plausible.\u003c\/b\u003e\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eHighly recommended for fans of thoughtful sci-fi\u003c\/b\u003e about the relationships between humans, artificial intelligence, automated systems, and robotics.\" —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eThis expansive, gripping read is reminiscent of Philip K. Dick, yet envisions a speculative and searing world all its own\u003c\/b\u003e. A troubling glimpse into our possible future, \u003ci\u003eMechanize My Hands to War\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eTrashlands\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Centered on the inflection points of conscience, \u003ci\u003eMechanize My Hands to War\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea captivating novel uniquely crafted to throw off a reader's expectations \u003c\/b\u003eby presenting a dozen reflections of an imminent future where the assumption of humanity is not guaranteed.\" —Linda H. Codega, author of \u003ci\u003eMotheater\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eAn intense and thought-provoking novel \u003c\/b\u003ethat dives into the complexities of war, identity, and the struggle between humanity and mechanization...an unforgettable reading experience.\" —Southern Literary Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for Erin K Wagner:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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. \u003cb\u003eReaders are sure to be enthralled\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAn Unnatural Life\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003ewill appeal to the philosopher within its audience\u003c\/b\u003e, those who want to cozy up and consider a lightly challenging moral and ethical dilemma.” —BookPage\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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.... \u003cb\u003eA lyrical, potent tale\u003c\/b\u003e.” —Strange Horizons\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAn Unnatural Life\u003c\/i\u003e’s focus on justice, police brutality, the rule of law, and who will speak for those who are not heard has \u003cb\u003eonly become even more pointed and relevant\u003c\/b\u003e…. For me, the strength of this work [are]…the themes and questions that it raises.” —Tor.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Very clear connections to our past and present made this one a timed read, \u003cb\u003epacked with foresight and heart\u003c\/b\u003e.... A book that is easy to read, but hard to forget.” —Queen’s Book Asylum\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A brief, tightly written examination of how the introduction of AIs might affect our justice system.... A \u003cb\u003every interesting and engaging novella\u003c\/b\u003e.” —Civilian Reader\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I was not prepared for the way \u003ci\u003eAn Unnatural Life\u003c\/i\u003e would make me feel. This is \u003cb\u003ea brilliantly written novella, one that hits rights in the heart\u003c\/b\u003e.” —Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The story draws you in, and draws you along at each moment, becoming more and more fraught. \u003cb\u003eBrilliantly written, and a brilliant story\u003c\/b\u003e.” —SFF Reviews\u003cb\u003eErin K Wagner\u003c\/b\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eThe Green and Growing\u003c\/i\u003e (Aqueduct Press, 2019) and \u003ci\u003eAn Unnatural Life\u003c\/i\u003e (Tordotcom, 2020).","brand":"DAW","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304985022693,"sku":"NP9780756419349","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780756419349.jpg?v=1767732486","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/mechanize-my-hands-to-war-isbn-9780756419349","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}