The Automation (Circo del Herrero Series – 1) by G.B. Gabbler
The capital-A Automatons of Greco-Roman myth aren’t clockwork. Their design is much more divine. They’re more intricate than robots or androids or anything else mortal humans could invent. Their windup keys are their human Masters. They aren’t mindless; they have infinite storage space. And, because they have more than one form, they’re more versatile and portable than, say, your cell phone—and much more useful too. The only thing these god-forged beings share in common with those lowercase-A automatons is their pre-programmed existence. They have a function—a function their creator put into place—a function that was questionable from the start…
Odys (no, not short for Odysseus, thank you) finds his hermetic lifestyle falling apart after a stranger commits suicide to free his soul-attached Automaton slave. The humanoid Automaton uses Odys’s soul to “reactivate” herself. Odys must learn to accept that the female Automaton is an extension of his body—that they are the same person—and that her creator-god is forging a new purpose for all with Automatons…
The novel calls itself a “Prose Epic,” but is otherwise a purposeful implosion of literary clichés and gimmicks: A Narrator and an Editor (named Gabbler) frame the novel. Gabbler’s pompous commentary (as footnotes) on the nameless Narrator’s story grounds the novel in reality. Gabbler is a stereotypical academic who likes the story only for its so-called “literary” qualities, but otherwise contradicts the Narrator’s claim that the story is true.
THE AUTOMATION is a this-world fantasy that reboots mythical characters and alchemical concepts. Its ideal place would be on the same bookshelf as Wilson’s ALIF THE UNSEEN and Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS—though it wouldn’t mind bookending Homer, Virgil, and Milton, to be specific.
And, yes, “B.L.A. and G.B. Gabbler” are really just a pen name.
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Author’s Bio
Editor of THE AUTOMATION, Vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. Spouse/partner/babysitter to The Narrator of said series (B.L.A.).
[Gabbler is the second half (maybe the better half, who knows?) of the pen name for The Author – singular – of the CIRCO series.]
This is technically a joint account for B.L.A and G.B. Gabbler because B.L.A doesn’t really do the whole on-the-grid thing and would rather make Gabbler DO ALL THE WORK.
My Review
DNF
Ody and his twin sister are hermits. While Ody is out an old man gives him a coin then promptly commits suicide. Although odd, Ody doesn’t think much of this until a strange, naked, gold woman said that she is an Automation created for a specific purpose. We learn that Ody is now the youngest person to be in control of an Automation and he is now getting a crash course in the power struggle between the other owners, one of which is his own father. Ody is now part of this insane world whether he is ready or not.
I have tried and tried to read this book. I’m sorry but it has sat on my headboard for months and it’s time I post some kind of review. I am sorry but I had a hard time with this book. There were some parts of the story that I liked, I found it humorous the other people that had the Automations. There were some quips added in but overall I was bored and irritated at the footnotes. It was ridiculous and pointless and I was about done with everyone. I had to call it quits at the middle of the book.
I have seen that several people just loved this book. By all means I would say to check it out. Just because I couldn’t get into doesn’t mean that it won’t be someone else’s favorite book.
I received The Automation from SOB Publishing for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
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