Review: Not the story I was expecting, but very enjoyable character study!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 16, 2014
This book really isn't much about the things that the cover blurb plays up.  The machine is simply the setting, and it ties into the (not insignificant) social commentary about religion, but ultimately this book is about our main character, to which a horribly accident happens, and how he reacts to that.  He's definitely not a cookie-cutter character - there's a lot going on in his head, and he's somewhat of a contradiction at times, even.  He's very well-written, and overall the quality of the writing is quite high.  This book will definitely make you think, and while I would have liked to know more about the machine and its origins, not having that didn't reduce my enjoyment of the "real" story here.  Recommended.