The Automation

Book about the god Vulcan's Automata.

This article is about the 2014 novel. For other uses, see Automation (disambiguation).

The Automation

First edition

Author| Anonymous
Language| English
Genre| Fantasy
Publisher| SOBpublishing

Publication date

| July 7, 2014
Publication place| United States
Media type| Print (paperback)
Pages| 364
ISBN| 978-0692259719
Followed by| The Pre-programming

The Automation is an indie, mythpunk novel by an anonymous author using the dual pen names B.L.A. and G.B. Gabbler, about the god Vulcan's Automata which function off their human Master's souls.[1][2] Gabbler is known as the "Editor" and annotates the story, as if it was just a work of literature, through footnotes. B.L.A. is the "Narrator" and tells the fantastical story as if it were true.[3] The Automation is the first volume in a series called the Circo del Herrero Series.

## Plot summary

[edit]

Odys Odelyn is given a coin by a mysterious man named Pepin Pound just before the man kills himself. The coin is the inanimate form of an Automaton - a creation of the god Vulcan. She is one of nine such creations that the god has left on the earth after serving her previous purpose. Pepin had to kill himself in order to free her for a new Master. Humans with Automata are called Masters, and the Automata are activated by the Master's soul and are just another vessel for their Master, yet with the knowledge and memories of their previous Masters. There is a rogue Master, Leeland, wanting to collect all the Automata under one Master because he believes they are evil and create strife when held individually. The other Masters have banded together to protect themselves, but their organization is threatened when Vulcan hints at a new plan for his creations - one that has been using all their actions and feuds to further his grand designs.

The Narrator of the book claims to be a character in the story, though does not reveal their identity until the end. The Editor, Gabbler, claims to know the Narrator personally and believes the story to hold literary merit and contain half-truths. Their genders are kept hidden.

## Characters

[edit]

* Odys Odelyn – The character through whose eyes the reader learns about the Automatons.
* Odissa Odelyn \- Odys's twin sister, who is kidnapped so that the other Masters can control him.
* Maud \- Odys's new Automaton, activated by his soul upon first skin contact.
* Pepin J. Pound \- Maud's previous Master who committed suicide.
* Dorian Dandor \- Another Master who is blind and sees through his Automaton, Fletcher.
* Fletcher \- Dorian's Automaton who helps Dorian kidnap Odissa.
* Mother \- Her real name is "Gwendolyn" but she is the leader of the Masters who have banded against Leeland.
* Leeland \- The Master in love with Mother who kills Masters for their Automatons.
* Mecca \- The youngest Master, who is actually very old but does not grow up due to having his Automaton, Q.
* Q \- The Automaton and babysitter of Mecca.
* Bob \- A Master whose husband was killed by Leeland.
* Cestus \- Bob's Automaton.
* Madus \- The missing Automaton that no one knows what Pepin did with.
* Rosemund \- A Master who Odys and Maud have to visit at the end of the novel.
* Bulfinch \- Odissa's pet cat.

## Reception

[edit]

Publishers Weekly called the book "amusing," though noted that the meta nature of the novel could draw the reader away from the underlying story.[4] BookLife picked up the book for review and selected it for a complementary curation in PW Select.[5][6]

Tales of the Talisman gave The Automation 4.5 talismans out of 5, and observed that the characters "are being manipulated by the author and editor, who break the fourth wall in running commentary that bounces between text and the footnotes..." and that the story brings "the gods into the modern world."[7]

Author Adam Oster calls The Automation "a hard book to categorize. It’s a little experimental, a little goofy, and a little science-fiction-y, while also hosting a bit of Greek myth and hard boiled detective novel-style narration."[8]

The novel has also garnered many reviews from niche bloggers[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and verified reviews on Amazon.[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Automation (Circo del Herrero series, #1)". Goodreads. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
2. ^ Anonymous; B.L.A (July 7, 2014). Gabbler, G. B. (ed.). The Automation: Vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero Series (1 ed.). S.O.B. Publishing. ISBN 9780692259719.
3. ^ "G.B. Gabbler". Goodreads. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
4. ^ "The Automation: The Circo Del Herrero Series, Book 1". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
5. ^ "The Automation: The Circo Del Herrero Series, Book 1". BookLife.
6. ^ "Reviews: Fiction". PW Select: 33a. July 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
7. ^ Summers, David Lee (Spring 2015). "The Automation". Tales of the Talisman. 10 (4): 108.
8. ^ Oster, Adam. "Book Review: The Automation by G.B. Gabbler". Retrieved May 29, 2017.
9. ^ Chesebro, Colleen (September 27, 2016). "#BOOK REVIEW BY @COLLEENCHESEBRO OF "The Automation," BY AUTHOR @CircoFootnotes". Lit World Interviews. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
10. ^ "[REVIEW] The Automation by B.L.A. and G.B. Gabbler". Fishing For Books. July 24, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
11. ^ "The Automation – Shayneys Reviews". shayneysreviews.wordpress.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
12. ^ "The Automation Review (Comedic Fantasy) - Sci-Fi & Scary". Sci-Fi & Scary. September 22, 2016. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
13. ^ "Review: The Automation". Cristian Mihai. April 25, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
14. ^ "REVIEW: THE AUTOMATION by G. B. Gabbler". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
15. ^ "The Automation by BLA & GB Gabbler | Fabulous and Fun". Fabulous and Fun. December 1, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
16. ^ "The Automation: Vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero Series - Self-Publishing Review". Self-Publishing Review. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
17. ^ "The Automation: Vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero Series (The Circo del Herrero Series/The Blacksmith's Circus) by B.L.A. and G.B. Gabbler". Never enough books... February 28, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
18. ^ "#BookReview - The Automation by BLA and BG Gabbler". www.exballerina.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
19. ^ "Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The Automation: Vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero Series (Volume 1)". www.amazon.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* Author Website. "Further Annotations" (Website). `{{cite web}}`: `|host=` has generic name (help)
* Fictional Footnotes and Indexes (January 10, 2024). "Miskatonic University Press" (Website).
* BWW. "Anonymous Author Uses Two Pen Names for Debut Novel" (Website).
* Smashwords. "Interview with G.B. Gabbler" (Website).
* The FictionMags Index. "The FictionMags Index" (Index).
* Feminist Fantasy. "The Automation" (Website).

* v
* t
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Feminist science fiction

Writers by time period|

| 14th–15th century|

* Christine de Pizan (1364–1430)

|

17th century|

* Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673)

18th century|

* Marie-Anne Robert (1705–1771)
* Mary Griffith (1772–1846)

19th century|

* Mary Shelley (1797–1851)
* Jane Wells Webb Loudon (1807–1858)
* Annie Denton Cridge (1825–1875)
* Rhoda Broughton (1840–1920)
* Bertha von Suttner (1843–1914)
* Mary E. Bradley Lane (1844–1930)
* Elizabeth Burgoyne Corbett (1846–1930)
* Auguste Groner (1850–1929)
* Renée Marie Gouraud d'Ablancourt (1853–1941)
* Irene Clyde (1869–1954)
* Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935)
* Inez Haynes Irwin (1873–1970)
* Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain (1880–1932)
* Rosa Rosà (1884—1978)
* Miriam Allen DeFord (1888–1975)
* Aurora Bertrana (1892—1974)
* Anna Banti (1895—1985)
* L. Taylor Hansen (1897–1976)

20th century|

* Karin Boye (1900—1941)
* Stella Gibbons (1902–1989)
* Leslie F. Stone (1905–1991)
* C. L. Moore (1911–1987)
* James Tiptree Jr. (1915—1987)
* Alice Eleanor Jones (1916–1981)
* Shirley Jackson (1916–1965)
* Elisabeth Mann-Borgese (1918—2002)
* Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007)
* Doris Lessing (1919–2013)
* Marlen Haushofer (1920–1970)
* Françoise d'Eaubonne (1920–2005)
* Carol Emshwiller (1921–2019)
* Virginia Kidd (1921—2003)
* Judith Merril (1923–1997)
* Kate Wilhelm (1928—2018)
* Sonya Dorman (1924–2005)
* Angélica Gorodischer (1928–2022)
* Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018)
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* Fay Weldon (1931—2023)
* Nancy Bogen b. 1932
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* Marge Piercy (b. 1936)
* Joanna Russ (1937–2011)
* Margaret Atwood (b. 1939)
* Suzy McKee Charnas (1939–2023)
* Jutta Heinrich (1940–2021)
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* Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (b. 1942)
* Eleanor Arnason (b. 1942)
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* Elizabeth A. Lynn (b. 1946)
* Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006)
* Joëlle Wintrebert (b. 1949)
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* Roz Kaveney (b. 1949)
* Karen Joy Fowler (b. 1950)
* L. Timmel Duchamp (b. 1950)
* Charlotte Kerner (b. 1950)
* Leigh Kennedy (b. 1951)
* Stéphanie Nicot (b. 1952)
* Marleen S. Barr (b. 1953)
* Pat Murphy (b. 1955)
* Ellen Kushner (b. 1955)
* Montse Watkins (1955–2000)
* Joan Slonczewski (b. 1956)
* Mary Gentle (b. 1956)

21st century|

* Laura J. Mixon (b. 1957)
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* Rieko Matsuura (b. 1958)
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* Mari Kotani (b. 1958)
* Ïan Larue (b. 1958)
* Nicoletta Vallorani (b. 1958)
* Maureen F. McHugh (b. 1959)
* Lucie Chenu (b. 1960)
* Neil Gaiman (b. 1960)
* Melissa Scott (b. 1960)
* Nalo Hopkinson (b. 1960)
* Nicola Griffith (b. 1960)
* Gabriela Bustelo (b. 1962)
* Lola Robles (b. 1963)
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* Heidrun Jänchen (b. 1964)
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* Catherine Dufour (b. 1966)
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* Virginia Bergin (b. 1966)
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* Li-Cam (b. 1970)
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* Sheree R. Thomas (b. 1972)
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* Sabrina Calvo (b. 1974)
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* Hao Jingfang (b. 1984)
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* Aline Valek (b. 1986)
* Akwaeke Emezi (b. 1987)
* Nadia Chonville (b. 1989)
* Floriane Soulas (b. 1989)
* Xiran Jay Zhao (b. 1997)
* Benjanun Sriduangkaew (b. ?)
* Vandana Singh (b. ?)

Notable works by date|

| 15th century|

* The Book of the City of Ladies (1405)

|

17th century|

* The Blazing World (1666)

18th century|

* The Voyages of Lord Seaton to the Seven Planets (1765)

19th century|

* Frankenstein (1818)
* Man's Rights; Or, How Would You Like It? (1870)
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* NEQUA or The Problem of the Ages (1900)
* Sultana's Dream (1905)
* Beatrice the Sixteenth (1909)
* Moving the Mountain (1911)
* Angel Island (1914)
* Herland (1915)
* "Shambleau" (1933)
* "That Only a Mother" (1948)
* A Wrinkle in Time (1962)
* Memoirs of a Spacewoman (1962)
* "When I Was Miss Dow" (1966)
* "Aye, and Gomorrah" (1967)
* The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)
* And Chaos Died (1970)
* The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You (1971)
* The Word for World is Forest (1972)
* "When It Changed" (1972)
* Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home (1973)
* "The Women Men Don't See" (1973)
* The Dispossessed (1974)
* "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (1974)
* The Holdfast Chronicles (1974–1999)
* The Female Man (1975)
* Woman on the Edge of Time (1976)
* Houston, Houston, Do You Read? (1976)
* The Female Man (1977)
* Egalia's Daughters (1977)
* Up the Walls of the World (1978)
* The Eye of the Heron (1978)
* Star Songs of an Old Primate (1978)
* Kindred (1979)
* The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five (1980)
* The Vampire Tapestry (1980)
* "Souls" (1982)
* Native Tongue (1984)
* The Handmaid's Tale (1985)
* Brightness Falls from the Air (1985)
* A Door into Ocean (1986)
* Golden Days (1987)
* Lilith's Brood (1987)
* "Rachel in Love" (1987)
* The Gate to Women's Country (1988)
* Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (1990)
* Beauty (1991)
* He, She and It (1991)
* Chroniques du pays des mères (1992)
* "The Matter of Seggri" (1993)
* Parable of the Sower (1993)
* The Fifth Sacred Thing (1993)
* Brown Girl in the Ring (1998)

21st century|

* The Fresco (2000)
* Tales from Earthsea (2001)
* Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2004–2020)
* Bu Bu Jing Xin (2005)
* Fledgling (2005)
* Le Goût de l'immortalité (2005)
* Choir Boy (2005)
* Wombs (2009–2016)
* The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (2010)
* Who Fears Death (2010)
* Lavinia (2008)
* The Alchemy of Stone (2008)
* The Method (2009)
* "Six Months, Three Days" (2011)
* Ancillary Justice (2013)
* The Automation (2014)
* The Fifth Season (2015)
* Binti (2015)
* The Obelisk Gate (2016)
* All the Birds in the Sky (2018)
* This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)
* The Empress of Salt and Fortune (2020)
* When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (2020)
* The Future of Another Timeline (2021)
* Victories Greater Than Death (2021)
* Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak (2022)
* The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer (2022)
* The Daughter of Doctor Moreau (2022)
* Promises Stronger Than Darkness (2023)

Genres and concepts|

* Cyborg
* Feminist science fiction
* Gender in speculative fiction
* Single-gender world
* Women in speculative fiction
* Láadan (1982)

Essays,
anthologies,
critiques|

* Women of Wonder (1975)
* Aurora: Beyond Equality (1976)
* The Language of the Night (1979)
* More Women of Wonder (1979)
* How to Suppress Women's Writing (1983)
* "A Cyborg Manifesto" (1984)
* To Write Like a Woman (1995)
* "We Have Always Fought" (2013)
* The Geek Feminist Revolution (2016)
* Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora (2000)

Characters|

* L'Oiselle (1909)
* Jirel of Joiry (1934)

Publishers|

* Aqueduct Press
* Launch Point Press
* Onlywomen Press
* Regal Crest Enterprises
* Zubaan Books

Media|

* Forerunner
* The Witch and the Chameleon
* Janus
* Bitch Planet

Prizes|

* Sense of Gender Awards
* Otherwise Award
* Lambda Literary Award

Events and conventions|

* Wiscon
* Sad Puppies (2013–2017)

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