"The Innocence Machine" by keikoalvarez is a short science-fiction ebook (64 pages with cover and all) about convicted murderer, Phillip Rolfe. Phillip was allegedly executed for the murder of his wife, but in reality was cryogenically frozen during a time that the government was executing 3-4 people a day, sometimes innocent people. The government secretly decided to freeze him and many others like him until such a time that a foolproof way of determining guilt or innocence was developed...enter The Innocence Machine. The book starts in the year 2028 with Phillip about to be executed, but quickly moves to 2072 when he was brought back to determine if he was truly guilty. In the meantime, a virus has wiped out 99% of the world's population and most of whom are left are sterile. Upon determining his innocence, Phillip, being one of the rare fertile men remaining, was expected to help repopulate the world. He, however, had other plans. He wanted nothing more than to find his son, Michael. Is he allowed to leave to find his son? With 99% of the population dead, is Michael even alive? Will Phillip find Michael? And if he does, will Michael want to have anything to do with the man who was once convicted of killing Michael's mother? Read to find out!

This ebook is good for sci-fi lovers and for those who enjoy a surprise at the end of their reads. It's also good for those who love distopian stories.

I really liked some of the descriptions Alvarez used in "The Innocence Machine." My favorite was "The little car would have crumpled if it hit anything larger than a twig." (Alvarez, 25) So funny and such a creative description of the car. I also liked how innovative Alvarez was through some of her characters. One character made his own biofuel from the waste of the many dogs he'd rescued. Great idea! Speaking of rescuing dogs, I thought it was a nice point that pets were so highly valued in this society and that one character specifically made it a part of his personal mission to find and rescue pets left by their deceased owners. Finally, my favorite thing about this book was the resolution regarding Phillip's wife's death. I thought I knew who did it...then I was wrong...then I was right...then I was wrong again, but ultimately I was right. What fun! I love when an ending isn't 100% predictable! Most books don't have a twist at the end, but I don't think I've ever read a book where the ending was such a twisted knot. I loved it.

This section contains my personal issues. Don't let it cause you not to read this book, but I didn't like that there were a couple of instances where I felt Alvarez could have used a more creative description. It's a personal pet peeve, but she used such wonderful descriptions in some areas, then in others relied on trite phrases like "...fingernails on a chalkboard..." (Alvarez, 3) and "...spun like a top..." (Alvarez, 13). In addition, though general population may not realize it, there were some inaccuracies that many "preppers" (those who are preparing for difficult times ahead or even the end of the world) may know. Generally, she was good about characters telling Phillip things he'd need to know such as to boil water before drinking it, even if it came from a tap. However, on page 32 Phillip asks about looking for gas and is told that the military took almost all of it and that they don't need it anyway. However, in reality (as many preppers would know), gas goes bad and after this many years wouldn't be any good by this point. But to her credit, Alvarez, nor her characters, ever claim to be preppers and your average reader will probably not think twice about the rare inaccuracies in this inventive story. Do not let my idiosyncrasies deter you from reading this imaginative story! Reading this story was a wonderful morning well spent.

When I was done, I wanted to find out what happens in the future. I wish there was a sequel to The Innocence Machine. I also really wish the book was longer because I liked it so much.

This ebook made me feel lots of emotions--happy, sad, frustrated, worried, amused, and more. It also made me feel hopeful that there were people in the future who were good and who were willing and able to help rebuild society.

The author of this ebook is a creative and talented writer. She's written many books and I look forward to reading others.

I recommend this book because it is unique in many aspects of its view of the future and because it's was a very enjoyable read. Though a short book, I expected it to take me most of the day, if not two days, to finish. I'm not a fast reader. However, this book was so entertaining, I was able to finish it in one morning. I recommend it as a fun piece of sci-fi--an interesting and engaging read.

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Created Jun 07, 2016 at 12:36pm • Submit your own review...