Loading…The Machine Child
a Novella of Utter Speculation
Abby, a transfemme videogame YouTuber, finds an anonymous package left at her door. Inside is a VHS tape that seems to call to something within her, and opens up a door to the 40-year-old mystery of Polybius. The urban legend claims that an arcade cabinet allegedly caused madness and hallucinations in its players while it was installed over a single month in Portland in 1981. The package indicates that there may be even more to the story.
Something about it compels Abby on a journey across the country to discover the truth about the mysterious cabinet, the men in black watching over it, and to finish the story started in 1981.
“Loading… defies expectations, serving up equal parts mystery, dread, and hope. Through the eyes of its richly drawn protagonist, the book reimagines the urban legend of Polybius as a story of creation, identity, and unexpected discovery. It walks a slow-burn line between paranoid thriller and classic Amblin that makes for a gripping, singular read.” —Collin Armstrong, author of Polybius
“Loading … The Machine Child is trippy and propulsive. Every bit as gripping as the urban legend at its center, this book wouldn’t let me go until I finished it in one sitting.” —Dom Dickey, author of Redundancies and Potentials
“Madden crafts a twisty mystery that pays homage to retro gaming and arcade culture. Whatever you are expecting, you’re not ready!” —A.D. Sui, Nebula Award winning author of The Dragonfly Gambit
Speculation Publications 