The Bachelor Machine
Encyclopedia
The Bachelor Machine is a collection of erotic science fiction
short stories by M. Christian
. It was first published in 2003 (ISBN 1-931160-16-3) by Green Candy Press; the book is introduced by Cecilia Tan
. It was republished in 2010 by Circlet Press
(ISBN 978-1-885865-58-8) with a new foreword by Kit O'Connell. The stories take place in a wide variety of settings, with an assortment of themes and widely differing tone, from grim to humorous. There is also a wide variety of sexual acts depicted in the work, including many which are not possible with modern technology, involving a wide variety of partners in heterosexual, bisexual
, homosexual and sometimes non-human couplings. Although there are depictions of sadomasochistic acts, edge play, and even simulated snuff
, the author has commented that "I always try and put in either redemption or depth." His stated goal in publishing the collection is that he would "like the reader to be sort of abstractly aroused, more titillated than directly stimulated, changed in the way they think about sex." The book has been analyzed in a Brown University honors thesis.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short stories by M. Christian
M. Christian
M. Christian is an author and anthologist working in a variety of genres including horror, science fiction, erotica and crime. Much of his work combines sexual themes with the horror or science fiction genre.-Selected bibliography:Among his works are:...
. It was first published in 2003 (ISBN 1-931160-16-3) by Green Candy Press; the book is introduced by Cecilia Tan
Cecilia Tan
Cecilia Tan is a writer, editor, sexuality activist, and founder of Circlet Press, the first press devoted primarily to erotic science fiction and fantasy. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the director of media relations for the New England Leather Alliance...
. It was republished in 2010 by Circlet Press
Circlet Press
Circlet Press is a Cambridge, Massachusetts publishing house founded and managed by Cecilia Tan. It specializes in science fiction erotica, a once uncommon genre, and its publications often feature BDSM themes....
(ISBN 978-1-885865-58-8) with a new foreword by Kit O'Connell. The stories take place in a wide variety of settings, with an assortment of themes and widely differing tone, from grim to humorous. There is also a wide variety of sexual acts depicted in the work, including many which are not possible with modern technology, involving a wide variety of partners in heterosexual, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, homosexual and sometimes non-human couplings. Although there are depictions of sadomasochistic acts, edge play, and even simulated snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
, the author has commented that "I always try and put in either redemption or depth." His stated goal in publishing the collection is that he would "like the reader to be sort of abstractly aroused, more titillated than directly stimulated, changed in the way they think about sex." The book has been analyzed in a Brown University honors thesis.
Plot summaries
Some of the short stories in this collection include,- "State", about a prostitute who is trained to behave like an expensive robot designed for sex.
- "Bluebelle" is about a police officer and his police vehicle (for which the story is named). His vehicle is also his sex partner.
- In "Winged Memory," a prostitute wears "whoreware," wearable computing equipment which includes a bracelet that charges cash cards and eyewear that cycles from green to red when a client's time is up. A man sells his memories (not unlike Strange DaysStrange Days (film)Strange Days is a 1995 cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and produced and co-written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks, starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott and Vincent D'Onofrio. Despite positive reviews, the film was a...
)) in exchange for money to hire the prostitute. - "Eulogy" is set in a future where humans are effectively immortalImmortalityImmortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. In the story, a woman wants to perform oral sexOral sexOral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on a man with a rare illness which is still actually fatal because the participants are bored with eternal life and miss their deceased friend. - "Butterflie$" is the story of a computer hack which drains a victim's bank account while seducing them in virtual realityVirtual realityVirtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
. - "Everything But the Smell of Lilies," which concerns Justine, an expensive prostitute who has been surgically altered: thanks to extensive implants and modifications (such as rerouting of arteries and internal oxygen tanks), she can have her throat slit by a client who can then fulfill necrophilicNecrophiliaNecrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
fantasies on a body that can wake up again, save them from criminal charges, and collect a hefty fee. In this story, her pimp asks her to stage a distraction from a crime and act as a real victim, placing her in the hands of a paramedic with a taste for actual corpses. - Lines of sexual orientation are blurred in "Fully Accessorized, Baby," where two women have sex, both using fully functional prosthetic penises (one also has a cybernetic arm made of teakTeakTeak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
). - "The New Motor" is erotic historical fictionHistorical fictionHistorical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
about the spiritualistSpiritualismSpiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
John Murray SpearJohn Murray SpearJohn Murray Spear was an American Spiritualist clergyman who is most notable for his attempts to construct an electrically powered Messiah which he referred to as the "New Motive Power".-Early life:...
and a mystical machine he is led to build. - "Guernica" depicts the behavior of BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
enthusiasts in a dystopian future where only procreative heterosexual sex is legal. - "Hackwork" is about a future where a high-tech form of possessionSpiritual possessionSpirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...
allows a woman to hire her body out for sexual pleasure to clients that will feel her every sensation remotely. - "Heartbreaker" is about a cyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
police woman who has a sexual encounter with an equally artificial criminal. - In "Switch", a woman is a prostitute for a sex club where the prostitutes' memories are erased at the end of each working day, allowing them to cater to extremely private clientele.
- "Intercore" is about a futuristic amateur pornography photography session.
- An example of the humor in the volume occurs in "Technophile," which opens with the line, "I almost lost my virginity at fifteen, but his batteries ran low." It is about a young man whose attempts at his first sexual encounter with another man is made more awkward when he discovers that his lover's cybernetic genitalia is incompatible with the wiring in his home.
- "Skin-Effect" concerns two android lovers, one of whom is a soldier that has been completely replaced by artificial, robotic parts.
See also
- Sex in science fictionSex in science fictionSexuality in science fiction refers to the incorporation of sexual themes into science fiction or related genres. Such elements may include depictions of realistic sexual interactions in a science fictional setting, a character with an alternative sexuality as the protagonist, or exploration of the...
- The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even (Marcel Duchamp)The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, EvenThe Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even , most often called The Large Glass , is an artwork by Marcel Duchamp....
External links
- M. Christian's homepage
- Book review on Cleansheets.com