
The Automation
by AnonymousG. B. Gabbler (Editor, Abridged by, Adapted by, Afterword by, Compiled by, Continued by, Featuring, Footnotes by, Foreword by, Interviewer, Other, Other Adaptation by, Produced by, Translator, Annotations by, Interviewed By, Preface by, As told to, Epilogue by, Moderated by, Introductions and notes by, Other Primary Creator, Prepared for Publication by, Prologue by, Reviewed by, Revised by, Transcribed by, Translated with commentary by)B.l.a. (Narrated by, As told by, Based on a book by, Based on a story by, Based on a work by, Characters created by, Composed by, Compiled by, Concept by, Created by, Featuring, Foreword by, Preface by, Prologue by, Retold by, Revised by, Text by)
Format: Paperback
ISBN13: 9780692259719
Paperback|9780692259719
✨ Featured Offer
Brand New
$15.76
List Price: $19.99
🚚
See all 2 offers from $15.76 FREE standard delivery by: 28 Mar 2026
Overview
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.
| ISBN-13 | 9780692259719 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 0692259716 |
| Weight | 1.17 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 6.00 x 0.91 x 9.00 In |
| List Price | $19.99 |
| Edition | 1st Edition |
| Format | Paperback |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | S.O.B. Publishing |
| Published On | 2014-07-07 |
View All Offers
Sort by:
Price
Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
✨ Brand New
Seller details
Alibris
Sparks, NV, USA
Print on demand Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 362 p. Circo del Herrero, 1.
Free delivery by: 28 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Bonita
Santa Clarita, CA, USA
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Free delivery by: 28 Mar 2026