There was an interesting premise here that never became fully realized. The summary and prologue were far more interesting than the bulk of the story.

Really fascinating novella with a ton of worldbuilding in the background (the Voluntary State of Tennessee, formerly ruled by the AI Athena Parthenus, the reconstituted federals who have adopted some of the AI’s strangest and most terrifying tech as their own, the not-human semi-sentient dependents, and Marcia, a former fed from Kentucky who is just trying to survive her completely reconstituted and repopulated homeland) and a confusing, shifting landscape that includes the last of Parthenon’s Commodores, giant mechas with near-godlike powers. I don’t know what it means but I really enjoyed it. ( )

In These Prisoning Hills we have a story as old as time. It’s the story where scientists create a super AI, which rapidly figures “yeah nah, I know best” and turns said scientists into massive constructs that attack the rest of humanity, and then proceeds to engineer the flora and fauna of the land into something better suited to its needs. And then, in a surprising turn of events, the humans actually manage to destroy it.

Which brings us to the precipice of our actual story, several decades later, when something suspicious is afoot in the hills and a veteran of the old war gets recruited as a guide for the current regime to go investigate in the hills, because she knows the place better than anyone.

Without going into further details on the plot, it’s safe to say that it isn’t the main focus here. The story is being told in both the past and the present in alternating chapters, and this very much reads like an introduction to a new series (or at least a really chunky standalone) instead of an independent novella. It introduces us to a diverse cast of characters, and more importantly to a really interesting post machine-uprising world.

What I enjoyed most about this is the writing. The structure of the story and style of writing are very compelling, the atmosphere and the bleak tone are very consistent throughout the story, and I found it very easy to visualize the setting and action, even though the writing wasn’t overly descriptive.

The plot held me back from giving this a full five stars, but I really enjoyed reading this and I would absolutely jump at the chance to read more in this world. ( )

These Prisoning Hills
Author: Christopher Rowe
Publisher: TorDotCom / Tom Doherty Association Book
Publishing Date: 2022
Pgs: 139 pages
Dewey: F ROW
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
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REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
In a long-ago war, the all-powerful A.I. ruler of the Voluntary State of Tennessee--Athena Parthenus, Queen of Reason--invaded and decimated the American Southeast. Possessing the ability to infect and corrupt the surrounding environment with nanotechnology, she transformed flora, fauna, and the very ground itself into bio-mechanical weapons of war. Marcia, a former captain from Kentucky, experienced first-hand the terrifying, mind-twisting capabilities of Athena's creatures. Now back in the Commonwealth, her retirement is cut short by the arrival of federal troops in her tiny, isolated town. One of Athena's most powerful weapons may still be buried nearby. And they need Marcia's help to find it.
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Genre:
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Short Reads
Genetic Engineering
Post-Apocalypse
Dystopia
Artificial Intelligence
Militaria
Cyberpunk
Genepunk
Dieselpunk
Biopunk
Adventure

Why this book:
Caught my imagination. A southern US science fiction book that doesn’t have anything to do with the South winning the Civil War…Yeah, I’m in. Sick of that other alt-history crutch.
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Favorite Character:
The Silo Operator mecha-organic is giving off R2D2 vibes.

Favorite Concept:
And mathmagic...cool. Provided I don't have to remember algebra or calculus to follow the story.

Giant, steampunk war machines controlled by AI that took their creator's brains as control units. Bad assed.

The worldbuilding was first-rate. Would love more stories set in this world. And the further adventures of Marcia. Though perhaps this was the last of her contribution to the overall story of this world and others in other places would take up the story now. Definitely interesting. And the whole question of what happened to the rest of the world or even just the rest of the continent is left open.

Tropes:
Robot hero: Definite R2D2 vibes off the Silo Hand. If the Commodore had tried to force Marcia into the bathysphere I wonder if Silo would've stopped him? I get the impression that he would have.

Hmm Moments:
The Blimp Bears...Air Bears, whatever, they sound horrifying.

Rock monkeys, sky bears, coal moles, and more, the biopunk is awesome.

Calling the Ball:
Wonder if the little ones are being sucked in to repair and reanimate one of the Commodores.
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Pacing:
Well paced.

Last Page Sound:
The author didn't do what I think he just did, did he? That’s pretty messed up if he did, awesome, but messed up.

I do love a well-written story that makes me think. This one does. This one is.

Questions I’m Left With:
Well, that's going to take some digesting and thought. If the cyborg soldiers weren't compatible and the dependents weren't compatible, but Marcia was, why did it agree on taking the Captain? It's a good story. Can't help feeling like I missed the point if there was one.

Conclusions I’ve Drawn:
I figured that was who was behind it all.

Maybe it was the dependents' plan all along. Their way of dealing with the Commodore and incapacitating him at the same time.

Things I’d Like to See:
More stories set in this world.

Author Assessment:
For as short as this was, it has me thinking more about it than many recent novels I've read that were five or six times its size. Would definitely read more by this author in this one of his worlds or in another.
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This is my first exposure to Christopher Rowe's work, not being a big consumer of short fiction, but the high-concept description of the story fascinated me, and I was impressed enough to hunt down "The Voluntary State" almost immediately after I finished. Why was I impressed? What it boils down to is that Rowe does a fine job of giving you post-singularity weirdness, emotional regret, and a sense of a past conflict that is really not past, and does so in a very economical package; sometimes less is more. ( )