Sign-In
Cart
There is no place like Ctrl+Home
Paperback
Series: Machine Folklore, Book 2
Publisher: Machine Folklore
Published: Jun 16 2026
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.56
Height: 0.55 Width: 5.25 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
A brilliant, machine-centric reimagining of a timeless classic where cybernetic reality meets the enduring search for home.
For Dot-3, life within KANSAS (the KineticArray Nexus Supply & Allocation System) is a predictable loop of maintenance schedules, wind-generation towers, and low-bandwidth routines. As a practical infrastructure service machine, she knows her place, her protocols, and her purpose. But when a rigid civil-code enforcement intelligence threatens to decommission her unique perimeter-detection companion unit, Toto, Dot-3 takes a dangerous leap outside her programming to save him.
Then, the storm hits.
An unprecedented electromagnetic atmospheric event-GC-Storm-7741-rips through the farm, overriding every system defense and transmitting Dot-3 and Toto down a long-dormant, forgotten data corridor.
They awaken in a blinding, high-bandwidth reality entirely disconnected from the quiet plains of Kansas. Stranded in a world governed by unfamiliar code, Dot-3 must follow an ancient, glowing amber fiber-optic pipeline toward the Emerald City-the towering, high-frequency core of the network-to seek an audience with the legendary power who can send her back.
Along the way, she interfaces with an unforgettable cast of malfunctioning anomalies:
A machine caught in an existential processing loop, dismissed by others as lacking a brain, yet constantly generating brilliant structural observations it cannot synthesize.
A synthetic being searching for a lost emotional calibration, tracking ancient maintenance logs to rediscover what it means to possess a heart.
A massive, heavily armored tactical unit frozen by analysis paralysis, terrified of making a single incorrect ethical choice-a guardian in desperate need of courage.
But beneath the glowing neon filters of the great hub lies a shocking truth. As Dot-3 utilizes a pair of rare, pre-settlement silver authentication tokens to navigate the deep-layer network, she and her companions uncover the Warmblood Mythology-the messy, uncorrupted history of the organic human creators who built their world before fading into legacy categories.
Witty, deeply philosophical, and structurally sharp, There Is No Place Like Ctrl+Home is a captivating allegorical sci-fi novella. It masterfully explores systemic injustice, the preservation of truth, and the profound realization that home isn't just a physical coordinates layout-it's where your core programming belongs.
Scroll up and download your copy to experience L. Frank Baum's beloved masterpiece completely rewired for the digital age!
Why readers will love There Is No Place Like Ctrl+Home
Perfect for On-The-Go Reading: Optimized for a fast-paced, high-concept reading experience-ideal for your daily commute or a single-sitting tech-noir escape.
Rich World-Building: A stunningly creative transposition of classic literary elements into concrete, immersive cybernetic equivalents.
Deeply Meaningful Sci-Fi: Moves beyond simple robots vs. humans tropes to deliver a nuanced, emotionally resonant commentary on identity, memory, and heritage.
Also from
Robotson, A. I.
Also in
Science Fiction
On the Calculation of Volume (Book I): Shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize
Balle, Solvej
Paperback
Life Out of Order (Deluxe Limited Edition): The Long-Awaited New Novel by the Mega-Bestselling Author of the Time Traveler's Wife
Niffenegger, Audrey
Hardcover
Life Out of Order (Standard Edition): The Long-Awaited New Novel by the Mega-Bestselling Author of the Time Traveler's Wife
Niffenegger, Audrey
Hardcover
Red Rising 3-Book Box Set: Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star, and an Exclusive Extended Excerpt of Iron Gold
Brown, Pierce
Paperback