{"product_id":"book-1ea2","title":"The Machine Stops","description":"\u003cp\u003eA haunting vision of the future written in 1909, The Machine Stops follows Vashti and her son Kuno in a world where humanity has retreated underground, living in isolated pods entirely dependent on a vast, all-powerful Machine that fulfills every need - communication, food, ideas, comfort. When Kuno begins to question their total reliance on technology and longs to experience the Earth's surface, his mother dismisses him as dangerous and eccentric.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the Machine is beginning to fail.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEerily prescient, Forster's short story anticipates the internet, video calls, social media dependence, and the slow erosion of human connection - over a century before they existed. A must-listen for anyone who has ever wondered how much of ourselves we've surrendered to our screens.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Author's Republic","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":51193097552176,"sku":"BD1ea2","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/1ea2-Square-cover.jpg?v=1773678404","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-1ea2","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}