Gun Machine
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | January 1, 2013 |
| Founder | Warren Ellis |
| Products | Hardboiled detective thriller novel |
Gun Machine is a hardboiled detective thriller penned by English writer Warren Ellis. Published on 1 January 2013 by Mulholland Books, the novel achieved status as a The New York Times Best Seller. The story centers on Detective John Tallow, who investigates a series of cold cases connected to a hidden arsenal discovered in a New York apartment. Ellis crafted this work as a deliberate contrast to conventional police procedurals, which he referred to as "bedtime stories."
The television adaptation rights were secured by 20th Century Fox TV in partnership with Chernin Entertainment.
Plot summary
During a disturbance call, NYPD Detective John Tallow’s partner is fatally shot, prompting Tallow to uncover an apartment wall filled with guns—each tied to decades-old unsolved murders. With the help of forensic experts Bat and Scarly, Tallow endeavors to identify the perpetrator.
The narrative also includes insights from The Hunter, the schizophrenic former owner of the firearms, who experiences New York both in its current form and as it existed before colonization. Tallow discovers that the arrangement of guns follows a symbolic pattern related to their victims, indicating an underlying motive behind their selection.
As the inquiry advances, it exposes a conspiracy involving a banker, the Assistant Chief of Police, and a private security CEO who manipulate The Hunter as an assassin. Following an attack on Tallow’s apartment, The Hunter is apprehended; the Assistant Chief faces charges, the banker escapes overseas, and the CEO takes his own life. While incarcerated and medicated with antipsychotics, The Hunter reveals that the gun collection represents a Native American wampum, designed to symbolically drive out European settlers and restore New York to its original state before industrialization.
Television series
In 2012, Ellis announced that Gun Machine television rights had been acquired by 20th Century Fox TV and Chernin Entertainment for series development. Ellis was slated to be executive producer alongside Dario Scardapane, Peter Chernin, and Katherine Pope. By April 2014, Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Studios obtained TV rights under its Xbox Originals initiative, with Ellis executive producing and Brett Conrad attached as pilot writer.
Trailers
Following publication, promotional trailers for Gun Machine were released, including one narrated by Wil Wheaton. These trailers were well received; for instance, io9 described the second trailer as "creeptastic."
Reception
Gun Machine received predominantly favorable reviews. The A.V. Club awarded it a "B" grade, while The New York Times praised it as a "pleasingly quirky crime thriller," although they found the conclusion somewhat "unsatisfying" due to its tidy resolution. Critics frequently commended Ellis's skillful character development, with The Independent highlighting it as "wonderfully fleshed out."