“They blame the planet for not wanting us, but what’s the planet going to do, marah? […] We’re the monsters, we’re the ones with the power to destroy.”
The 100 meets Cinder—with a dash of Planet of the Apes—Goddess in the Machine will be the latest YA sci-fi hit and definitely one of the strongest releases of 2020. No one would think that this is Lora Beth Johnson’s debut novel, but it is, and it is outstanding.
A witty, refreshing take on the cryogenics trope on science fiction, Andra, the main character, wakes up a thousand years later than she was supposed to, just to find that her destination planet is on the brink of devastation. Oh, and she is also considered a goddess, isn’t that a lovely scenario for a person to wake up to? That is as far as we can read, because, undoubtedly, the withdrawals and rationed revelations of information are the stars of the novel.
Goddess in the Machine is an absolute ride and Lora Beth Johnson is a master of plot-twists. By revealing small but crucial pieces of information in the least expected moments, the author is able to create an exquisite pace. Not only does she methodically spread key information out to maintain the maximum shock value throughout the novel, but she also manages to hook you up so tightly that you won’t be able to put the book down until you unravel of all its secrets. Be prepared because Johnson has not only one, but five plot twists up her sleeve that will leave you staring blankly at a wall in admiration for a good half an hour.
In addition to the brilliant planning plot-wise, the author also develops an entire futuristic dialect for the society Andra encounters in Eerensend when she awakens. Based on natural word formation and pronunciation changes that could be totally plausible in the future, the dialect manages to be both easy to read and alien to our current understanding of English. It is just a delight to read: the dialect is so seamlessly natural that almost adds such a sense of credibility to the story that it clashes with the strong suspension of disbelief that goes hand in hand with the genre of science fiction.
The novel also offers a remarkably interesting exploration of how technology could become so advanced in the future that people will stop being able to understand it, to such a point where they treat it as magic and build an entire religion around it. The inhabitants of this dystopian future do have the resources to save the planet, but they have long ago lost the ability to use them. For that reason, they put all of their faith in the three goddesses that are meant to restore the forests and oceans, long gone due to global warming and human destruction. Thus, there is also a constant, yet subtle underlying message for ecology and the importance of saving our planet ourselves, instead of relying on a future form of technology that will magically make everything better.
In terms of the set of characters, Goddess in the Machine counts on a gorgeously strong main character whose curves are not the centre of attention or an impediment for anything. This apparently small detail is very much appreciated, as it is still hard to find a non-normative main character who is not brought down by their body. Even if a bit insecure at first, Andra becomes more and more powerful as the plot develops, making the most of her intelligence and kindness. Also, even though she has to be protected during most of the physical fights, Andra is never portrayed as weak or overlooked by other characters. Nobody is perfect, and yet, all of these characteristics make Andra perfect because they make her human.
Sadly, all the effort that the author puts on building the main character, leaves Zhade—the rogue who helps her survive the future—and the rest of the line-up feeling a bit flat. Nonetheless, both Zhade and the villain do show a lot of potential. Maret, the gov of Eerensend is a fascinatingly complex antagonist, strongly manipulated by his mother and advisor. Throughout the development of Andra’s story, he helps her a couple of times and demonstrates that he truly wants to protect his brother. That is why you are constantly wondering whether he is truly bad or pretending to be just to keep his mother from the throne. Hopefully, the sequel will delve more in these two characters, because they are both truly promising!
All in all, Goddess in the Machine is a truly outstanding first work for a debut. Exhilarating and gripping, the novel reinvents one of the most beloved genres of fiction and leaves you wanting more. You will need to take a thousand-year nap like Andra to absorb all of the surprises Lora Beth Johnson has in store to leave you with your mouth wide open. We for certz reck that you will love Goddess in the Machine, marah. So, evens, decide your fate.
Goddess In The Machine is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 30th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
When Andra wakes up, she’s drowning.
Not only that, but she’s in a hot, dirty cave, it’s the year 3102, and everyone keeps calling her Goddess. When Andra went into a cryonic sleep for a trip across the galaxy, she expected to wake up in a hundred years, not a thousand. Worst of all, the rest of the colonists–including her family and friends–are dead. They died centuries ago, and for some reason, their descendants think Andra’s a deity. She knows she’s nothing special, but she’ll play along if it means she can figure out why she was left in stasis and how to get back to Earth.
Zhade, the exiled bastard prince of Eerensed, has other plans. Four years ago, the sleeping Goddess’s glass coffin disappeared from the palace, and Zhade devoted himself to finding it. Now he’s hoping the Goddess will be the key to taking his rightful place on the throne–if he can get her to play her part, that is. Because if his people realize she doesn’t actually have the power to save their dying planet, they’ll kill her.
With a vicious monarch on the throne and a city tearing apart at the seams, Zhade and Andra might never be able to unlock the mystery of her fate, let alone find a way to unseat the king, especially since Zhade hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with Andra. And a thousand years from home, is there any way of knowing that Earth is better than the planet she’s woken to?
