Second Voice Mechanica
For the love of the storyWe reimagine classic novels with new perspectives and settings, using AI as a creative partner to twist beloved stories into bold new tales.
What we do
At Second Voice Mechanica, we start from a simple place: we’re readers first.We love novels, we love talking about them, and we love the feeling of not quite being ready to leave a story behind.For each project, we choose a classic work of fiction and treat it like the world’s most committed book club. We both read (or re-read) the original, then sit down together to talk it through: what moved us, what jarred, which themes felt most interesting, and which questions the book leaves hanging in the air.From there, we start to play:
What twist on this story would be most interesting for us and for other readers?
Is it a different character in the spotlight? A shift in time or place? A hidden corner of the original world brought into focus? We look for the change that feels both surprising and true to the spirit of the book.Once we agree on a direction, we outline the adaptation and capture our thoughts on the original text and the new path we want to follow.Then we bring in our assistant: a carefully controlled workflow using artificial intelligence to draft the story, chapter by chapter. We guide it closely, nudging tone, structure, and detail, constantly checking back against the source material and our intentions. When it drifts, we course-correct. When it sparks something brilliant, we build on it.That gives us a first draft. From there, it becomes an editorial craft project. FX, our subeditor, works through the text line by line: sharpening sentences, tightening structure, deepening voice, and making sure the result feels like a polished, compelling book in its own right.The end result is not a gimmick or a remix for its own sake. It’s a way to spend more time in conversation with beloved stories: honouring the original, while daring to ask, “What if…?” and following that question all the way to a new work.
About us
Dan has been re-reading The Lord of the Rings for most of his life. On yet another return trip to Middle-earth, he caught himself wondering: why are works of art so fixed? What would this book feel like from Gollum’s point of view? What if, on a re-read, a novel could unfold differently?He took this half-formed idea to his friend FX, a dedicated reader and writer. FX listened, thought about it, and said: “That might be interesting for the reader… but very boring for the writer.” The idea went back on the shelf.Fast forward to 2025. Dan was using AI tools daily at work when a lightbulb went on: what if the “boring for the writer” part didn’t have to be boring? What if AI could handle the heavy lifting of exploring alternative angles on existing stories, while humans focused on taste, judgment, and voice?To test it, Dan tried adapting Dracula so that the vampire himself became the narrator. The results were surprisingly compelling. Buzzing with possibility, he took a draft to FX in a pub in South East London, expecting a principled rejection on behalf of writers everywhere.Instead, FX was intrigued. Rather than feeling replaced, he saw a new kind of collaboration: humans setting the direction, shaping the themes, and polishing the language, while AI became a tireless assistant in the background.That conversation became a partnership. Dan brings the product thinking, experimentation, and decades of happy reading; FX brings the writer’s craft, structural instinct, and editorial ruthlessness. Together, they built Second Voice Machina as a playground for readers who love classics enough to ask, “What if this story had taken a different path?” and actually go and find out.
Dan's favourite authors include:
Kazuo Ishiguro, Hilary Mantel, David Mitchell, George Orwell, Sarah Waters, Gene Wolf.FX's favourite authors include:
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