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!]

Gabbler Recommends: Travel Light, by Naomi Mitchison

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I am going to start this new thing called “GABBLER RECOMMENDS” (also searchable as a tag “category” — see the side bar). It will showcase items that both BLA and I enjoyed. Feel free to recommend interesting books/novelties/artifacts to us in the comments below. There’s probably a lot we haven’t tried.

***CORRECTION*** BLA tells me that s/he has tried everything and therefore should make it clear that it’s only ME who needs help in my cultural development. Perhaps BLA is right. After all, I backed THE AUTOMATION. Ahem.

But to the post!

Gabbler recommends… Travel Light.

Why? Because this novel has nice dragons in it. Not all need to be slain. This novel weaves together various myths and magical creatures into one beautiful fairytale-like story. It was a very quick read (very short), and worth your time.

A Burlesque Translation of Homer from the Public Domain Review:

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homerHilarious! One of the best “Evoking of the Muses” since…since…well, BLA’s, I must say. See the entire work at PDR. – Gabbler.

For Mecca:

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…And for those of you who stumble across this blog and haven’t read our book and are like “WHY THE HELL DOES THAT SAY MECCA?” Take a chill pill and let us assure you that Mecca is a character in our novel. We do not mean the Islamic pilgrimage site. Although, his name does mean that.

Doing some research to better understand those Automata-creatures that BLA created:

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Reading Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms by Teun Koetsier and Marco Ceccarelli (Editors):

“Automata make their first appearance in Homer, in a form that is strikingly similar to those described in On Automaton-Making. Hephaestus is depicted creating self-moving tripods to serve the gods on Olympus (Homer Iliad 18.373-381 [16]). This passage from the Iliad is the inspiration for the later automaton, when what was once impossible and divine becomes possible through the human application of mechanics [17]. Certainly, the form of automaton seen in Heron and Philon would seem to be a conscious emulation of this passage…The most likely context for the display of the automata described in On Automaton-Making, given their size, is that of a symposium, particularly in the case of the moving automaton described in the first book, especially considering its Dionysian theme. There is also a clear parallel created between the three wheeled automata of Heron and the tripods of Hephaestus [16] when they are presented in a sympotic context.”

BLA just gave a shake of the head and told me, “You want to know why some of Heron’s automata theories and musings don’t make much sense? Because Vulcan wouldn’t let such secrets be spread so easily. The exactness of machines now is nothing compared to what the gods once allowed. And I’m not talking about divine machines here. I’m talking about man-made things. Even if made from god-made secrets.”

Why doesn’t Vulcan/don’t the gods have a greater role(s) in THE AUTOMATION? Because this (SO this):

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Wired.
Wired.

Seriously. I don’t think I’ve seen a good “Greco-Roman Myth” movie since…Troy? And even then there were literally no gods in that movie. None.

And for all of you thinking about mentioning 300, no. We will NOT be talking about that homophobic movie that calls Athenians “Boy Lovers” when Spartans were also “Boy Lovers.”

Like I said, no good Greco-Roman “myth” movies lately. That’s why we should, um, maybe stick to them in books. Like, oh, I don’t know THIS ONE.