Deus ex Machina

With the computer called ARTHUR, Cliff Peabody has made a major breakthrough in artificial intelligence. It should be the most triumphant event of his professional career—but why, then, is the federal government invading his laboratories? Why is half the country suffering an inexplicable power outage? And, most disturbing of all, why is reality itself going haywire in the vicinity of Cliff’s office?

To answer these questions, Cliff will need to sacrifice everything—and everybody—that has ever been precious to him. And even then, there’s no guarantee that he’ll like what he learns. Especially when it points to the overthrow of the Creator of the universe itself...

First published in samizdat form in 1985, this rollicking, inventive, and blasphemous sci-fi adventure heralded the emergence of Perry Slaughter as a force to be reckoned with in American letters. Nearly three decades later, Deus ex Machina still retains its power to shock, astound, and entertain.

Perry Slaughter first achieved notoriety in the mid-1980s with slender works of samizdat genre fiction hailed as “utterly bereft of any moral center.” More recently his short stories have appeared in Electric Velocipede and elsewhere. Mr. Slaughter divides his time between the northeastern United States and a yacht plying international waters. His passions include vinyl records, scotch whisky, and high-seas piracy. His exact whereabouts at any given time are unknown.

Sinister Regard is proud to have undertaken a project to reissue some of his early novellas and short fiction in new print and electronic editions. For more information, visit www.perryslaughter.com.