Feral Machines

three for the story.but only one for the crappy formatting and several typos in the ePub copy I bought for four dollars directly from weightless books.a disappointment, as such.you'd think a publisher with the balls to charge that much for a novella this short would at least make sure said novella didn't look like a bible tract about the apocalypse someone printed by hand in a basement.or something.

I loved this sci-fi novella. It took me back to my childhood and pulled out a long forgotten memory of the 1970's film 'Silent Running', although I much prefer this story. I think stories that take you back to long forgotten events are stories that have a kind of power of their own. This was a simple story with beautiful imagery and a gently developing love. I also liked the world building and it had a lovely balance between sci-fi and romance. This is definitely one for a slow re-read. I do enj [...]

4.5 StarsA little bit RoboCop, a little bit Silent RunningI loved everything about this story.I loved the moral dilemmas of weighing the well-being & autonomy of a person against the potential exploitation of an entire planet. I loved the ethical conundrum posed regarding ownership of sentient beings and trying to reconcile that frustration while also trying to provide for all of the struggling colony's needs & repairs. I adored how this whole tale explored what it means to be human, too [...]

Casaverde is a habitat for wildlife, featuring many species that are extinct on their native planets. However, a recent malaria outbreak has reduced the volunteers that have maintained the habitat to just two members: our main character Andrew and a half-crazed technician named Rannon. Due to Rannon's inability to work, because of his psychological state after the outbreak, Andrew is finding it impossible to maintain the Casaverde he's loved and worked for in the past 8 years.So he purchases thr [...]

This was a sweet and easy read, but I really felt it lacked some depth. Of course, it is a novella, so that goes part of the way to explaining it. Still, though, throughout the entire thing I just found myself feeling disconnected. I was really aware of the fact that I was reading something with a great premise, and great characters, and tons of potential that was just not being met. There's nothing that I found actually bad about this book. It just left me wanting. That said, the premise really [...]

Top-quality sci-fi.

At first glance, Ginn Hale’s novella, Feral Machines, seems to be a scary sci-fi story, with its menacing title and an intimidating Robocop-like character on the cover. However, just like one of the characters in the piece, outer appearances don’t always reflect what’s happening on the inside. You should already know, gentle reader, that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (though I’m totally guilty of this myself on occasion).In case you didn’t read the blurb about this story: s [...]

My review on Prism Book AllianceThis is a quiet science fiction on a remote planet with only very few inhabitants. It has this far-away and secluded feel to it without getting boring and claustrophobic that you sometimes find in these stories.The strengths of this novella lie in the atmospheric setting, the interesting and even endearing synthetics (creatures combined of living and mechanical forms), and the overcoming of loneliness and finding someone to share your life with.I think the charact [...]

I first read this a few years ago, when I had recently gotten a Nook and you could read free for an hour at a Barnes & Noble bookstore. I got the Tangle anthology to be able to have that and other stories in print.I just got the individual e-book novella and reread it. I particularly enjoyed the world-building and Andrew's viewpoint as he develops compassion towards other sentient beings when he had previously been so focused on protecting the flora and fauna of Casaverde. Not that it's wron [...]

Wonderful world building and wonderful characters.I just wish there was more pages. I want to know more about synthetics. The book has been painted with broad strokes as it is a novella. It does deserve a novel sized version just for the world alone.

Very Bradburyesque. I have read this (or at least similar) story line before but it never ceases to fascinate me. I loved the machines but I'm not so sure that they were feral. More like the other settler had gone that route.

A full five stars. Captivating, heartwarming, unique. As with most of Ginn Hale's work, I loved it!

Feral Machines was more sweet than feral, but it's an enjoyable short sci-fi MM novella. Though, I admit, I would have liked more worldbuilding.

Absolutely brilliant! I'd rate this ten stars if I could. World building, characters, plot, everything LOVED it, and will reread it many times, I'm sure.

Warden Andrew Salazar is having a difficult time trying to protect Casaverde Colonial Wildlife Sanctuary from the hands of the greedy government which wants to exploit its natural resources. On the brink of exhaustion, he acquires three battle synthetics, a human like AK and two non-human Bzs to help him look after the Sanctuary. Soon, the three war machines become more than he ever expected them to be…Any person who ever reads my reviews knows that I love everything Ginn Hale writes. Feral Ma [...]

I thought this would be a hard-core sci-fi novella with lots of robotic things happening (maybe even robot fights?) but it's nothing of the kind. It's about how technology exist hand in hand with what's natural. Andrew Salazar (is it just me or did he get honourable mention in The Rifter as the guy who had sexual tension with John Toffler?) purchases used synthetics from the Military in order to help him during his stay in Casaverde. I've just finished reading Robopocalypse, so I was pretty much [...]

A beautiful scifi, with a dash of gay romance. The story takes place on a planet that is a haven for endangered species of plants and animals, but also happens to be pretty wealthy in minerals (and other resources?) that make it attractive to business interests. Our main character is a on a mission to make sure that the planet doesn't fall into the hands of the wrong people. He just has to make sure the planet is continuously inhabited by humans for a certain number of years. The problem is that [...]

Very good sci-fi story about planet intended for wild life sanctuary and it's flailing caretaker and the android's he buys to help.I have to say that Gunner and Pokes stole the show several times but they are really fun little androids, with tentacles!, so I was all too happy to hear about their antics. Thomas is one big mystery the whole book and we never really get to know him. And as he is the other MC, or at least the romantic counterpart for Andrew, it's somewhat odd. Andrew's interest in T [...]

I have read this story in the Tangle anthology and this was definitely one of my favorites, if not the favorite. Surprisingly though, character wise this story affected me in the negative way. I always thought that if the reader is affected by the characterization - be it positively, or negatively, that means that the writer did his or her job well. It is just amusing to me that this is one and the only work by Ginn Hale (and I am a huge fan of her work) where I hated the main character a lot. I [...]

Taken from my 2012 review of Tangled.Ginn Hale is quickly becoming one of my most favourite authors. Hale's world-building is phenomenal and the characters which populate them, amazing. I loved the hopelessly desperate setting of Feral Machines, loved poor Andrew's desperate need to gain self-governancy for Casaverde despite the crazed Rannon on-planet and the off-world commercial and government forces trying to stop him. This story of friendship and humanity ended the anthology on a wonderful n [...]

Great short story from a solid story-teller. A lone survivor on an isolated world holding out for the day when a blockade of the wildlife-park planet ends. His only companion has gone mad, so what does he do? He orders cyborg robots! Let the romance ensue. Very creative and captivating. Loved it!

Short but so sweet. This author could most likely, and may, write other genres. Very talented. This short story is head and shoulders above the crush of romance books of any length. Beautiful characterizations in a wild, lush world. Fascinating, courageous yet flawed characters. I smiled, I nearly cried, I gasped, I laughed, and I sighed. I'll be looking at more of Ginn Hale's books.

Imagery was a bit hard for me I kept on designing Thomas after Robocop in my head. The story itself was fascinating with the whole idea of a there being a sanctuary for all endangered species and how long a plant has to be inhabited.

Surprisingly, considering the characters this is truly uniquely an enjoyable novella with, emotionally happy ending. I liked the storyline, the character and how Ginn Hale wrote the story. Thump up!!RECOMMENDED!!

A good sci-fi MM is such a rare treat. I'm glad I've stumbled upon this one.

This was short but sweet. I would have loved for it to be somewhat lengthier, but as usual, Ginn Hale does a great job of creating wonderful complex characters. Loved the BXes!