HOOLBOOM, Mike. The Steve Machine. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2008. First Edition. 8vo. Perfect bound into Wrappers. New. 173pp. Auden, bewildered and HIV positive, flees the small town of Capreol for Toronto, and attempts to create a life his new illness wonÌt stick to. He tries to become a stranger so that his illness wonÌt recognize him. He makes friends with people he doesnÌt like, visits bars he has no interest in, wears clothes he wouldnÌt wear even if that was his full-time job. In the midst of his personality makeover, he meets the mysterious television artist Steve Reinke, who creates videotapes that cure insomnia and uncover secret patterns in the stock exchange. But can SteveÌs art save his dying friends? Together, Steve and Auden set out on an adventure of love, loss and laughter, complete with guest appearances by Yoko Ono, the Lizard Man, Wrik the orgy master, Orlan and the cashier at Pizzabilities. This comic novel about aids is also a machine, like one of SteveÌs tapes. And thereÌs no need to ask the bookseller for an extra switch, pulley or button. This machine can be operated simply by reading it. Exactly what does this machine produce? That is the real mystery that lies between the covers of The Steve Machine.