Book Review: The Automation by B.L.A. and G.B. Gabbler (Anonymous)

“It was a traveling circus. It was no grand thing, but it turned out to be a very special display…”

Anonymous, The Automation

Review:

This was an experimental read for me if there ever was one. Absolutely intriguing and wild, but also confusing. However, I believe that’s the point.

Given how chaotic I found both the plot and the narration (told by the narrator with comments from the editor in the footnotes (both fictional, by the way)) insanely hard to follow, I’ll leave descriptions up to the Goodreads summary. Perhaps this is something I would absorb more audibly rather than reading with my eyes. I would have trouble putting it all into words given I’m not quite sure what to mark as spoilers. It’s quite intricate. There is also a website with a detailed FAQ on the book and characters which I think is a nice touch.

Ultimately, I’m not sure how I feel about all of this. It was interesting, that I can say with confidence. Whether or not I enjoyed it is still up for debate. It’s stuck with me though, so I suppose that’s what counts. My biggest issue was how unclear the chapters were marked. I’m somebody who has trouble stopping mid-chapter, so I read this faster than I might have not knowing where to put it down. That can be a good or bad thing depending on who’s reading. For me, I think I would have taken in more with clear pauses so I could digest each section.

Readers super into mythology and detailed presentations will eat this up. I’m mostly left baffled, but I do like branching out of my comfort zone.

A huge thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy of the book to read and review!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The concept of the book. This was a new kind of science fiction for me.
• Interesting characters.

What I didn’t like:

• Unclear chapters. Again, I’m not sure if this is an issue with the ebook version.
• While it was interesting to read something completely different than I’m used to, I don’t think this is the kind of science fiction I’d seek out on my own.
• I found it difficult to keep everything straight.
• It broke the fourth wall too much. I was too aware that I was reading a book.

Afterthoughts:

From what I understand, there is a combination of books one and two coming out. If this sounds like a genre you like, be sure to keep your eye out!

Where to buy the book: