[“BLA and GB Gabbler” (really just a pen name – singular) are the Editor and Narrator behind THE AUTOMATION, vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. They are on facebook, twitter, tumblr, goodreads, and Vulcan’s shit list.]
Author: blablablaandgabbler
[BLA and GB GABBLER are two halves of the pen name behind the CIRCO DEL HERRERO series. Vol. 2, THE PRE-PROGRAMMING out now!]
Tweets of the Week: Ugly Duckling
Gods above! It’s the 1 year anniversary of THE AUTOMATION print edition!
[This] urban fantasy revolves around a fast and furious updating of Greek myth. In the distant past, the god Vulcan created a handful of Automatons–metallic but malleable beings capable of soul-sharing with a human being–to serve as protectors of humanity. Now the Automatons are distributed among an eclectic and decidedly eccentric bunch known as the Masters, some of whom are actively plotting against the others…” – Publishers WeeklyÂ
…[Like] any good epic tale, it might touch a nerve or two, which I do consider a good thing.” – David Lee Summers, Tales of the TalismanÂ
If Tumblr and Epic Poetry had a novel-baby, it might turn out something like THE AUTOMATION.” – [The Author]
Read it for freeeee:
Why is it that celebrating the first novel always reminds you about how you should be working on the second?
[“BLA and GB Gabbler” (really just a pen name – singular) are the Editor and Narrator behind THE AUTOMATION, vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. They are on facebook, twitter, tumblr, goodreads, and Vulcan’s shit list.]
GABBLER RECOMMENDS: Thug Notes YouTube Channel
#BLAThoughtOfTheDay: Only dipping your toe
Gabbler recently recommended Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis. I, however, have reservations about recommending the book (yes, I have read it too).
As someone who may be particularly knowledgeable about what it is to be a non-human animal, let me say this. While the fable itself is fine, and the scenario is certainly interesting (Hermes and Apollo give human intelligence to fifteen dogs they find at a veterinary clinic for a bet to see whether or not even one of those dogs will die happy), the story ultimately has little impact on how we understand our own said “intelligence” or the human-animal relationship.
Dogs were chosen as the subject for the experiment, and, since so, a population from a more diverse pool should have been employed. I was disappointed that no dogs from, say, a kill shelter were involved, no dogs from a dog fighting ring were involved, no dogs from the meat trade were even thoughts. The dog characters did not have diverse backgrounds, and how might that have changed the story? This was one way Apollo, Hermes, and Alexis himself avoided real dog-specific issues. None of the dogs really had to grapple with the higher forms of exploitation and oppression their own species faces every day at the hands of human intelligence. Instead, we get a thought about what dog culture might be if dogs could analyze it as such. But what is culture when in reality there are so few instances of allowing them to even exist together? Perhaps Alexis should have considered rez dogs or even wolves. They already have a social structure that need not be contrived.
The story focuses on the symbol of the collar and leash, dominance in a pack/household, the existential nature of dogs trying to be dogs despite a human mind. This dance around the real plights a canine faces in our world ultimately made it a too-comfortable read, and, I think, kept the humans in the story (and the humans reading the story) from being confronted with the evils and sadness “human intelligence” is capable of.
But the bet itself was cool. Gods should gamble more often. Oh wait, that’s all they do.
[“BLA and GB Gabbler” (really just a pen name – singular) are the Editor and Narrator behind THE AUTOMATION, vol. 1 of the Circo del Herrero series. They are on facebook, twitter, tumblr, goodreads, and Vulcan’s shit list.]
This post was updated in 2024.