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The Automation: Vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero Series (Volume 1)

by Anonymous

Series: The Automation (book 1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations
1251,606,798 (3.5)None
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 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 Automation is a this-world fantasy that reboots mythical characters and alchemical concepts. Auto is similar in style to Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, but with a story more like Gaiman's American Gods. Its ideal place would be on the same bookshelf as Wilson's Alif the Unseen and Pullman's Northern Lights¬--though it wouldn't mind bookending Homer, Virgil, and Milton, to be specific.… (more)
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Showing 5 of 5
The Automation was a unique, niche book.

I did not enjoy this book, but it's not a bad book. For me, this book was wildly confusing with the two narrators and the foot notes on almost every page. The plot jumped all over the place and the chapter titles and stanzas just threw me for a loop. There was so many explanations and pieces of information that I didn't need in the foot notes. It felt like the editor had actually left their notes to the author in the book.

I had to force myself to finish this book. I didn't want to leave it as a DNF because I was oddly curious about how this story would end. Unfortunately, it was a really tough read for me.

What I did like about this book was that it had a strong background in classical literature and poetry. The Odyssey is one of many books you could pull some references from. Unless you get a lot of the references, this book could go right over your head.

I also thought the plot was very intriguing. The automated souls (like Maud) were really interesting and I felt like the Mother and her gang felt very John Wick.

Overall, this book is definitely niche and did not fit well with me as a reader. It's still a really good book and I'd highly recommend reading it if you want an indie novel that's different.

One out of five stars. I hate giving books one star reviews because of the bad mojo behind them, but honestly this book was not something I enjoyed as a reader. That's just my personal opinion!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ( )
  Briars_Reviews | Aug 4, 2023 |
You can find this review at LenaMayBooks

“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…”

I chose to take an excerpt from the author’s description of the book simply because this book is near impossible to describe. This work of fiction is filled with peculiar characters of the human, automation and God variety. The main character isn’t necessarily the main character, the narrator isn’t just the narrator and as the reader, you’ll be involved in this story whether you like it or not.

“The Automation” is written in the most unorthodox style I have ever seen. At first I absolutely hated it, please don’t talk to me as I’m reading; I want to be lost in the story, not involved in it. Why is the narrator talking to and about the author? What the hell is going on here?
As I dived farther into the story, I found myself totally engrossed in the plot, invested in the bizarre characters and then in fact, wishing there was more when I turned the final page. I particularly enjoyed the air of mystery that surrounded the narrator and his unusual way of telling this story. Like I said…unorthodox.

I only really had two issues with this book and the first can’t be helped. There are a crazy number of footnotes from the “editor” and reading The Automation on a kindle, I was unaware of them until the end. I felt that I missed out on some of the humor that was set in place. The other issue is with a certain character that I felt missed the mark a bit. Dorian starts out in the story with certain personality traits and by the end of the book he was a totally different person with no explanation as to why. I felt that he was forced into being something that wasn’t natural to his character.

If you’re up for a bit of an adventure and okay with not knowing the whole truth until then end….and maybe not even then….well…you know the drill.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review* ( )
  lenamaybooks | May 31, 2018 |
*The author provided me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review*

My Recommendation:

I have read some really interesting books before, but never one like The Automation. The beginning of the book was a mishmash of ideas and thoughts. My understanding is that the book is written in a style paralleling an epic Greek poem. There are footnotes throughout the text. At times, the narrator speaks directly to the reader. Frankly, I felt the style was confusing. I did read a number of the footnotes and did chuckle at the comments. I am deliberating on whether the author was clever or simply straining to fill in the back narrative. I still can’t decide.

I had to soldier through because I had agreed to read the book. Normally, if I can’t get through the start of the book, I am finished. But I felt like there was something here, I just had to find it.
The Automation is based on a great idea. I enjoyed the fantasy element of the automaton being an inanimate object that takes human shape. So, when you meet the protagonist, Odys Odelyn, it is on the street where he meets an unusual man. Pepin Pound gives Odys a coin and then commits suicide in front of Odys. Understandably, Odys is upset by the incident. Later, when he awakens in his apartment, a strange woman named Maud, has appeared. Maud is an automaton who has possessed his soul. Many pages later, it is discovered that all of them are controlled by Vulcan, one of the Greek Gods from mythology.

The story spirals into twists, turns, too many subplots, and eccentrics who are unusual and strange. But you only find this out if you can plow through the slow pace of the book. It took me seven days to read this novel. Many times I had to backtrack to make sure I understood the plot. It is a pity because I felt the novel could have been a fun and interesting fantasy read. Some of the writing was engaging, but there was just too much of it!

All in all, the book was just too long. The author spent too much time wanting the readers to notice how clever he was. I was put off with the author remaining “anonymous.” GB Gabbler is billed as the “editor.” Even the blog, called “Further Annotations,” is strange and unusual. You know what? Some people actually like that. You will want to check it out and decide for yourself.

In my humble opinion, finishing the book with a cliff-hanger did not do it any justice. There were some strange sexual nuances going on with the characters that I am still puzzling over. This is definitely an adult book.

So here’s the bottom line, guys. Do you like strange and unusual books? Then, The Automation is for you.

My Rating:
Character Believability: 4
Flow and Pace: 3.5
Reader Engagement: 3.5
Reader Enrichment: 3.5
Reader Enjoyment: 3.5
Overall Rate: 3.5 out of 5 stars ( )
1 vote ColleenChesebro | Jan 2, 2018 |
If Tumblr and Epic Poetry had a novel-baby, it would be something like this book.

I like it. But then again my name's tacked onto it so I kind of have to. ( )
  Gabbler | Aug 29, 2014 |
↠↠ arc received, review to come ♡
  rjcrunden | Feb 2, 2021 |
Showing 5 of 5
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The Automation is really written by one person, not two.
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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 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 Automation is a this-world fantasy that reboots mythical characters and alchemical concepts. Auto is similar in style to Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, but with a story more like Gaiman's American Gods. Its ideal place would be on the same bookshelf as Wilson's Alif the Unseen and Pullman's Northern Lights¬--though it wouldn't mind bookending Homer, Virgil, and Milton, to be specific.

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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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