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Circo del Herrero #2
The Pre-programming
[The crippled god of metallurgy, fire, and alchemy has many names and many faces—sometimes Hephaestus, Ptah, or Vulcan. He changes to suit his needs. And just like his names, his creations have gone through countless revisions. This time, he’s finally onto something—his Automata have turned the heads of other gods. They’ve noticed their pre-programmed potential. There’s a reason Vulcan didn’t scrap the Automata—a reason he left them in the care of humans all this time. They were just the beta testers for his most intricate windup toy yet…
Vulcan’s ancient Automata find their purpose rebooted in the second installment of the CIRCO DEL HERRERO/THE BLACKSMITH’S CIRCUS series. Their immortal human Masters will drop like flies—superfluous in the next round as the gods shuffle in a new deck of fateful cards. The Masters can choose how and when, but they will all die to free the Automata of their earthly chains. Odys and his Automaton, Maud, struggle to protect his twin sister from the plotting of his dual-bodied adversaries. But his sister, Odissa, finds herself a willing participant in The Blacksmith’s latest exhibition—could she be the missing cog to the god’s tightly wound machine all along?
In this thrilling sequel to THE AUTOMATION, the Narrator and Editor drag readers deeper into the dark history and even darker future of the Automata. When the subterranean god emerges with his postlapsarian blueprint, so will the truth about B.L.A. and G.B. Gabbler. Ideal for fans of Scott Hawkin’s The Library at Mount Char, Jo Walton’s The Just City, and all the way to Homer’s The Odyssey, THE PRE-PROGRAMMING is a literary outrage that dares you to keep reading between the lines and the footnotes.]
461 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 27, 2018
2 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
G.B. Gabbler
3 books83 followers*I put the foot in your notes. [The second half (maybe the better half, who knows?) of the penname for the author of the Blacksmith's Circus/Circo del Herrero series.]
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 7, 2019
The Pre-programming is an Urban Fantasy grounded in myth and populated with characters that are dark, quirky, and highly entertaining. This is the second novel of The Blacksmith’s Circus/ Circo del Herrero series, following The Automation.
These novels are written in a unique style, being presented as a manuscript penned by the mysterious BLA and annotated by an editor known only as Gabbler. BLA and Gabbler are as much a part of the cast of characters as Odys, Mother, or any of the others while the actual author remains anonymous. This might appear a bit gimmicky but it makes the concept that much more real and it’s easy to forget that BLA and Gabbler are fictitious. The third person omniscient narrative is astounding, mostly due to said narrator’s personality but the contradictions, questions, and extrapolations raised in the footnotes add dimension to the narration.
The plot of The Pre-programming is in constant motion and delivers plenty of blindsides as it rolls toward an impossible to guess at conclusion. One of the aspects of this novel that I enjoyed most was just how unpredictable it was. There is no way I can mention specific parts of the story without risking that I might reveal potential spoilers.
My only dislike in this novel is Dorian and Odissa’s relationship. I covered this in my review of The Automation but my opinion has evolved somewhat. Dorian and Odissa’s romance is a disaster of control issues, jealousy, and power struggles so toxic that it will give you radiation poisoning. I had difficulty reading them, and I’m having difficulty now assessing how problematic this aspect of the novel is since, even though the narrative doesn’t romanticise it, the only reason they’re in love is the goddess Venus herself decided they should be. On the other hand, one wouldn’t expect healthy relationships from this cast of characters, not when their normal lives include incest, theft, murder, and repeated suicide attempts. Difficult as it was to read, it fits the story overall and the relationship growth arc, with all its jaw-dropping twists and epic drama, is oddly satisfying.
Although The Pre-programming is a darker sort of Urban Fantasy, it’s not without humour. Apart from the more morbid comedy one often encounters in dark fantasy, the narrator and editor have a lackadaisical air that’s often funny to read. This aspect is also evident in minor details, like the spoiler edition FAQs in the beginning, the blurbs on the back cover, and this statement on the copyright page: ‘No animals were harmed in the making of this product. Except cats. We read aloud to them. They didn’t seem to like it.’
This novel is dark, unpredictable, and innovative, a unique gem for fans of Urban Fantasy and Greco-Roman mythology who appreciate a little sensationalism.
Book provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review
These novels are written in a unique style, being presented as a manuscript penned by the mysterious BLA and annotated by an editor known only as Gabbler. BLA and Gabbler are as much a part of the cast of characters as Odys, Mother, or any of the others while the actual author remains anonymous. This might appear a bit gimmicky but it makes the concept that much more real and it’s easy to forget that BLA and Gabbler are fictitious. The third person omniscient narrative is astounding, mostly due to said narrator’s personality but the contradictions, questions, and extrapolations raised in the footnotes add dimension to the narration.
The plot of The Pre-programming is in constant motion and delivers plenty of blindsides as it rolls toward an impossible to guess at conclusion. One of the aspects of this novel that I enjoyed most was just how unpredictable it was. There is no way I can mention specific parts of the story without risking that I might reveal potential spoilers.
My only dislike in this novel is Dorian and Odissa’s relationship. I covered this in my review of The Automation but my opinion has evolved somewhat. Dorian and Odissa’s romance is a disaster of control issues, jealousy, and power struggles so toxic that it will give you radiation poisoning. I had difficulty reading them, and I’m having difficulty now assessing how problematic this aspect of the novel is since, even though the narrative doesn’t romanticise it, the only reason they’re in love is the goddess Venus herself decided they should be. On the other hand, one wouldn’t expect healthy relationships from this cast of characters, not when their normal lives include incest, theft, murder, and repeated suicide attempts. Difficult as it was to read, it fits the story overall and the relationship growth arc, with all its jaw-dropping twists and epic drama, is oddly satisfying.
Although The Pre-programming is a darker sort of Urban Fantasy, it’s not without humour. Apart from the more morbid comedy one often encounters in dark fantasy, the narrator and editor have a lackadaisical air that’s often funny to read. This aspect is also evident in minor details, like the spoiler edition FAQs in the beginning, the blurbs on the back cover, and this statement on the copyright page: ‘No animals were harmed in the making of this product. Except cats. We read aloud to them. They didn’t seem to like it.’
This novel is dark, unpredictable, and innovative, a unique gem for fans of Urban Fantasy and Greco-Roman mythology who appreciate a little sensationalism.
Book provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review
April 23, 2019
On the one hand The Pre-Programming continues to do what it did well in The Automation, which boils down to a lot of really unhealthy relationships and interesting contemplation of the self. On the other hand, there is probably the most drastic left-turn that I have ever seen a series take, and I still don’t know quite what to make of it. I will probably keep an eye out for whatever comes next, just to figure out if that twist was worth it.
September 7, 2019
This sequel to
The Automaton
presents us with the same quirky narrative style, the same subhuman and/or godlike characters, and the same nothing really happens but it all happens through dialogue plot.
Our narrator is relentless here. It seems nothing is off the table as he creates and dissolves toxic relationships, characters, and plot twists as though his life depends on it. Everyone and everything we trusted or relied on (or even liked) in The Automaton is warped and ultimately discarded in this total massacre of the comfort zone.
I was, in a similar fashion to The Automaton, confused and disoriented throughout the whole novel. This was in part due to the strange style and constantly shifting aspects of the plot, but I also felt at times as though I’d missed something; I wasn’t understanding the reasons behind certain situations and circumstances, and I’m unsure whether I was supposed to.
There are interesting explorations of freedom, and what this means - do we have choice at all, or are we all pre-programmed robots destined to live out what the gods decide for us?
I continue to feel quite baffled at all this, but still eager to find out what’s next. That’s the power of the uniqueness this series has - you need to find out what the fuck is going on.
Our narrator is relentless here. It seems nothing is off the table as he creates and dissolves toxic relationships, characters, and plot twists as though his life depends on it. Everyone and everything we trusted or relied on (or even liked) in The Automaton is warped and ultimately discarded in this total massacre of the comfort zone.
I was, in a similar fashion to The Automaton, confused and disoriented throughout the whole novel. This was in part due to the strange style and constantly shifting aspects of the plot, but I also felt at times as though I’d missed something; I wasn’t understanding the reasons behind certain situations and circumstances, and I’m unsure whether I was supposed to.
There are interesting explorations of freedom, and what this means - do we have choice at all, or are we all pre-programmed robots destined to live out what the gods decide for us?
I continue to feel quite baffled at all this, but still eager to find out what’s next. That’s the power of the uniqueness this series has - you need to find out what the fuck is going on.
November 28, 2020
This review is for both volume one and two.
This book is a book and it need not be anything else. It’s meta literature that embodies how literature has evolved from epics to fanfiction. This is the point—it is a song to books and archetypes and plot devices. It’s not some silly “choose your own adventure” story. It’s not trying to be a video game or pander to film studios. It surpasses that while having something to say on all storytelling mediums. It shows a literary process no book-to-film adaptation could perfect—marginalia, overt editing, the speaking to the reader. This is a story best enjoyed in this form. The book.
However, it was written before a lot of the discourse on pronouns and gender had solidified as much as it has and the author has apologized (?) for some oddities on their website and in the beginning of their second book, basically saying they have changed their opinion on their choices. This just shows the book as a living work, as they have woven their decisions to change into the very fabric of the story. There is a potentially offensive joke told by a god about a trans character (Dorian) in the first volume, about how they are a woman trapped in a man’s body. It’s a joke purposefully stolen from Eddie Izzard, I think, and even Izzard’s understanding of trans-ness has evolved over time while still not fitting a clear-cut trans narrative. The joke was made more about sexual orientation than gender, though the joke could be read as it assuming a woman cannot have penis or that all male bodies must have one. It was clearly done to bolster the reference to Woolf’s Orlando being used. Dorian’s character uses the “he” pronoun and so does the narrator/editor for him, though it seems more likely Dorian might use a “they” if they had grown up in this time period or I could see Dorian using “he/they” in a twitter bio—accepting either and using “trans” as an umbrella term to include non-binary. This fits the author’s agenda here. In the second book (volume two), the editor and narrator state that they will use “s/he” less despite being cis and Dorian even gets to defend his trans identity and representation in his own words: “‘I don’t mind how I was born. I’m not this or that and I’m not half and half…’” This is in response to why he has never wanted to transition. Shortly after, the editor and narrator argue in the footnotes over how they have handled him/them. It is messy and complicated honesty. The fact that the gods claim to have changed Dorian’s sexuality is undermined when Dorian seems to have liked Odissa from the start. The gods in the machine are always so irrelevant that anything they “change” seems the most believable of all. They more so confirm things than cause, and who is to really say? The gods shape reality to begin with. It’s also not lost on me that, in order to make the author gender neutral we must use “they,” also encompassing both pen names in the act. Even when we learn of their genders towards the end of each volume, we are never sure they will stay who they claim to be and say as much. All that matter is we know they love each other and I welcome their fluidity. Much of the other sexualities explored are taboo topics, which myth has never shied away from, such as incest. It’s all commentary and has a twist much like Under the Pendulum Sun, if you know anything about that book. What they have to say on the topic ends up not being as disturbing as you might think.
I received both books in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a book and it need not be anything else. It’s meta literature that embodies how literature has evolved from epics to fanfiction. This is the point—it is a song to books and archetypes and plot devices. It’s not some silly “choose your own adventure” story. It’s not trying to be a video game or pander to film studios. It surpasses that while having something to say on all storytelling mediums. It shows a literary process no book-to-film adaptation could perfect—marginalia, overt editing, the speaking to the reader. This is a story best enjoyed in this form. The book.
However, it was written before a lot of the discourse on pronouns and gender had solidified as much as it has and the author has apologized (?) for some oddities on their website and in the beginning of their second book, basically saying they have changed their opinion on their choices. This just shows the book as a living work, as they have woven their decisions to change into the very fabric of the story. There is a potentially offensive joke told by a god about a trans character (Dorian) in the first volume, about how they are a woman trapped in a man’s body. It’s a joke purposefully stolen from Eddie Izzard, I think, and even Izzard’s understanding of trans-ness has evolved over time while still not fitting a clear-cut trans narrative. The joke was made more about sexual orientation than gender, though the joke could be read as it assuming a woman cannot have penis or that all male bodies must have one. It was clearly done to bolster the reference to Woolf’s Orlando being used. Dorian’s character uses the “he” pronoun and so does the narrator/editor for him, though it seems more likely Dorian might use a “they” if they had grown up in this time period or I could see Dorian using “he/they” in a twitter bio—accepting either and using “trans” as an umbrella term to include non-binary. This fits the author’s agenda here. In the second book (volume two), the editor and narrator state that they will use “s/he” less despite being cis and Dorian even gets to defend his trans identity and representation in his own words: “‘I don’t mind how I was born. I’m not this or that and I’m not half and half…’” This is in response to why he has never wanted to transition. Shortly after, the editor and narrator argue in the footnotes over how they have handled him/them. It is messy and complicated honesty. The fact that the gods claim to have changed Dorian’s sexuality is undermined when Dorian seems to have liked Odissa from the start. The gods in the machine are always so irrelevant that anything they “change” seems the most believable of all. They more so confirm things than cause, and who is to really say? The gods shape reality to begin with. It’s also not lost on me that, in order to make the author gender neutral we must use “they,” also encompassing both pen names in the act. Even when we learn of their genders towards the end of each volume, we are never sure they will stay who they claim to be and say as much. All that matter is we know they love each other and I welcome their fluidity. Much of the other sexualities explored are taboo topics, which myth has never shied away from, such as incest. It’s all commentary and has a twist much like Under the Pendulum Sun, if you know anything about that book. What they have to say on the topic ends up not being as disturbing as you might think.
I received both books in exchange for an honest review.
January 30, 2022
So, this is really turning into a series about a young woman, not her twin brother, who falls in love with her queer kidnapper and captor, but it’s a twist on Stockholm syndrome in that her captor is forced to fall in love with her through divine intervention back in book one and, instead of being the
August 5, 2020
Thanks to that nut-job Vulcan, no offense, B. L. A. and G. B. Gabbler initiates the slap bet on you when they decide to go all Geronimo with their characters. Not only is it bewitching and twisting as it sounds, but The Pre-programming is one hell-bent, bizarre book that will resoundingly question you: what the fudge just happened? With the growing Shakespearean concept: “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages,” you may feel like a Muppet being control and test in vulnerable waters. Vulcan too challenges your patience and endurance, and let you bear the fates of your comrade characters.
If you are a die-hard fan of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, then this biblical, Greek God infest with two backstabbing contortionists' base mythpunk with a spark on folklore, forbidden romance, science fiction, and LGBTQ is for you. Catapulting at a 400-pager, the structure for this volume has two books: Book Two defines the Revelation consisting of 10 chapters, and Book Three defines the Showdown consisting of 9 chapters. As Volume Two of this series, you can notice the harmonious marital conflicts between B. L. A. and G. B. Gabbler: they work their way to keep their storyline intact.
With a flair of dramatic effect, it’s a plot-driven read written from the third-person perspective. But Gabbler uses a first-person perspective to narrate the plotline in a story-talking way. Having freakishly unbelievable situations, B. L. A. and G. B. Gabbler often involve you in their plot as the Vulcan unleashes his son of a biscuit personality, not me Gabbler said it. The language use and the style are unique and casual, which oozes Gabbler's sarcastic humor. As an eventful read, it knows to throw you overboard with shocking turn of events. Book Two is more about revelation: it has a thick plotline that ooze in every word with surprising narrative mysticism, while Book 3 is something else. With a mélange of misfits, the storyline is drastically anticlimactic, which will make you realize and recognize a lot of unnecessary plot development. There is a deceleration by the end of the 8th chapter, which continues in the 9th chapter: this will depress you and make you lose interest. The ending is on a cliffhanger, and the storyline becomes unclear due to the change of identities among the characters.
With a callous personality, the unexpected rinse calculating her movements, yet she’s often misunderstood. One died for love, one died out of fear, one died without remorse, one died with honor, one died bravely, one died broken-hearted, yet one survived to tell the tale.
... continue reading in https://thebook-info.blogspot.com/202...
If you are a die-hard fan of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, then this biblical, Greek God infest with two backstabbing contortionists' base mythpunk with a spark on folklore, forbidden romance, science fiction, and LGBTQ is for you. Catapulting at a 400-pager, the structure for this volume has two books: Book Two defines the Revelation consisting of 10 chapters, and Book Three defines the Showdown consisting of 9 chapters. As Volume Two of this series, you can notice the harmonious marital conflicts between B. L. A. and G. B. Gabbler: they work their way to keep their storyline intact.
With a flair of dramatic effect, it’s a plot-driven read written from the third-person perspective. But Gabbler uses a first-person perspective to narrate the plotline in a story-talking way. Having freakishly unbelievable situations, B. L. A. and G. B. Gabbler often involve you in their plot as the Vulcan unleashes his son of a biscuit personality, not me Gabbler said it. The language use and the style are unique and casual, which oozes Gabbler's sarcastic humor. As an eventful read, it knows to throw you overboard with shocking turn of events. Book Two is more about revelation: it has a thick plotline that ooze in every word with surprising narrative mysticism, while Book 3 is something else. With a mélange of misfits, the storyline is drastically anticlimactic, which will make you realize and recognize a lot of unnecessary plot development. There is a deceleration by the end of the 8th chapter, which continues in the 9th chapter: this will depress you and make you lose interest. The ending is on a cliffhanger, and the storyline becomes unclear due to the change of identities among the characters.
With a callous personality, the unexpected rinse calculating her movements, yet she’s often misunderstood. One died for love, one died out of fear, one died without remorse, one died with honor, one died bravely, one died broken-hearted, yet one survived to tell the tale.
... continue reading in https://thebook-info.blogspot.com/202...
Want to read
May 4, 2021Ummmm is this purposefully based on a plot in Star Trek: Enterprise? Especially with Vulcan in there as well I cannot convince myself this is not star trek fan fic? I legitimately am watching the episodes with the automatons currently... SO WEIRD! I wonder if it was inspiration or what? Either way. I'm thoroughly intrigued ! 🧐
December 27, 2018
The gods make robots of us all eventually; we can't fight against our programming. It was always in my cards that I'd work on this book. Find out how my story is embedded into the fiction in this followup to THE AUTOMATION.
Print publication is on Agonalia, 2019.
Print publication is on Agonalia, 2019.
December 13, 2021
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
Welcome to book three of the August Indie Author Extravaganza (I am pretty sure the name changes each time).
The website has a new series that just launched, called “Cogs Rate Gods” where the Editor and Narrator talk about greco-roman gods
If you remember my review of the first book from last year, then you know pretty much everything I will be saying about this book, but I liked the first book a lot more so it was harder to ignore the issues I had with the characters. This cover is much more interesting to me though. I was drawn in from that alone.
So this book continues with the homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism. The transphobia is everywhere. A gay man is not a trans woman and is not “training” to “cut off” his dick. I wish I was making up this insult. It didn’t fit the characters or the story. Things went further dragging nonbinary people into the mix, but again transphobia not good rep. Femme men exist. I should not have to defend femme men. There is nothing wrong with being femme and there is nothing wrong with being nonbinary or trans. Seriously.
There were no repercussions for the terrible behaviors this time around. It didn’t feel like it added to the story since it felt so much more random than in the first book. I was intrigued by the story, but things got a little too much by the time I hit 200 pages. Now people were coming back from the dead and were immortal. So more suicide attempts and suicides on page happened. It lost its shock factor after the first book.
I have never been big on the god plots. At one point Odys made me think of Preacher. He just wanted to punch a god in the face. I understand. Vulcan is kind of a jerk. A lot of the feelings were anger or jealousy. There wasn’t a lot of emotional range. There was also a lot of incest (which honestly is really fun to read about when it adds to the story instead of feeling more like shock value. Odys/Odissa was enough for the fun factor. Add in the uncle and it was like what?).
So this just wasn’t the book for me. I still really liked the interruptions from the editor. At times those gave the story life. They helped drag me along when the plot got a little too convoluted for me to enjoy. The big twist at the end of book one kept popping up in this book, but it didn’t grow on me.
I did enjoy the first book, but maybe the first book was my fill of god drama. It might be worth picking up if you like immortals behaving badly and gods doing god things like meddling in the affairs of humans just for the fun of it.
I got an ARC of this book.
Welcome to book three of the August Indie Author Extravaganza (I am pretty sure the name changes each time).
The website has a new series that just launched, called “Cogs Rate Gods” where the Editor and Narrator talk about greco-roman gods
If you remember my review of the first book from last year, then you know pretty much everything I will be saying about this book, but I liked the first book a lot more so it was harder to ignore the issues I had with the characters. This cover is much more interesting to me though. I was drawn in from that alone.
So this book continues with the homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism. The transphobia is everywhere. A gay man is not a trans woman and is not “training” to “cut off” his dick. I wish I was making up this insult. It didn’t fit the characters or the story. Things went further dragging nonbinary people into the mix, but again transphobia not good rep. Femme men exist. I should not have to defend femme men. There is nothing wrong with being femme and there is nothing wrong with being nonbinary or trans. Seriously.
There were no repercussions for the terrible behaviors this time around. It didn’t feel like it added to the story since it felt so much more random than in the first book. I was intrigued by the story, but things got a little too much by the time I hit 200 pages. Now people were coming back from the dead and were immortal. So more suicide attempts and suicides on page happened. It lost its shock factor after the first book.
I have never been big on the god plots. At one point Odys made me think of Preacher. He just wanted to punch a god in the face. I understand. Vulcan is kind of a jerk. A lot of the feelings were anger or jealousy. There wasn’t a lot of emotional range. There was also a lot of incest (which honestly is really fun to read about when it adds to the story instead of feeling more like shock value. Odys/Odissa was enough for the fun factor. Add in the uncle and it was like what?).
So this just wasn’t the book for me. I still really liked the interruptions from the editor. At times those gave the story life. They helped drag me along when the plot got a little too convoluted for me to enjoy. The big twist at the end of book one kept popping up in this book, but it didn’t grow on me.
I did enjoy the first book, but maybe the first book was my fill of god drama. It might be worth picking up if you like immortals behaving badly and gods doing god things like meddling in the affairs of humans just for the fun of it.
August 30, 2020
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Pre-Programming
Author: G.B. Gabbler
Book Series: Circo del Herrero Book 2
Rating: 2/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, epic poetry
Publication Date: November 27, 2018
Genre: Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed
Publisher: SOBPublishing
Pages: 400
Synopsis: [The crippled god of metallurgy, fire, and alchemy has many names and many faces—sometimes Hephaestus, Ptah, or Vulcan. He changes to suit his needs. And just like his names, his creations have gone through countless revisions. This time, he’s finally onto something—his Automata have turned the heads of other gods. They’ve noticed their pre-programmed potential. There’s a reason Vulcan didn’t scrap the Automata—a reason he left them in the care of humans all this time. They were just the beta testers for his most intricate windup toy yet…
Vulcan’s ancient Automata find their purpose rebooted in the second installment of the CIRCO DEL HERRERO/THE BLACKSMITH’S CIRCUS series. Their immortal human Masters will drop like flies—superfluous in the next round as the gods shuffle in a new deck of fateful cards. The Masters can choose how and when, but they will all die to free the Automata of their earthly chains. Odys and his Automaton, Maud, struggle to protect his twin sister from the plotting of his dual-bodied adversaries. But his sister, Odissa, finds herself a willing participant in The Blacksmith’s latest exhibition—could she be the missing cog to the god’s tightly wound machine all along?
Review: For the most part this was a good sequel. The characters were well developed and the story was just as intriguing, but I had to dnf it at over halfway through because I couldn't get into the story. It wasn't for me, but it was definitely good and would be good for some people.
Verdict: DNF for me but maybe not for you!
Book: The Pre-Programming
Author: G.B. Gabbler
Book Series: Circo del Herrero Book 2
Rating: 2/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, epic poetry
Publication Date: November 27, 2018
Genre: Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed
Publisher: SOBPublishing
Pages: 400
Synopsis: [The crippled god of metallurgy, fire, and alchemy has many names and many faces—sometimes Hephaestus, Ptah, or Vulcan. He changes to suit his needs. And just like his names, his creations have gone through countless revisions. This time, he’s finally onto something—his Automata have turned the heads of other gods. They’ve noticed their pre-programmed potential. There’s a reason Vulcan didn’t scrap the Automata—a reason he left them in the care of humans all this time. They were just the beta testers for his most intricate windup toy yet…
Vulcan’s ancient Automata find their purpose rebooted in the second installment of the CIRCO DEL HERRERO/THE BLACKSMITH’S CIRCUS series. Their immortal human Masters will drop like flies—superfluous in the next round as the gods shuffle in a new deck of fateful cards. The Masters can choose how and when, but they will all die to free the Automata of their earthly chains. Odys and his Automaton, Maud, struggle to protect his twin sister from the plotting of his dual-bodied adversaries. But his sister, Odissa, finds herself a willing participant in The Blacksmith’s latest exhibition—could she be the missing cog to the god’s tightly wound machine all along?
Review: For the most part this was a good sequel. The characters were well developed and the story was just as intriguing, but I had to dnf it at over halfway through because I couldn't get into the story. It wasn't for me, but it was definitely good and would be good for some people.
Verdict: DNF for me but maybe not for you!
February 16, 2023
The Circo del Herrero series continues in this sequel to The Automation. Longer and more in-depth than the prior book, The Pre-programming really goes for it in this one. Of course, we have some return characters as well.
As I mentioned in my review of the first book, I find the style of writing and the pace quite confusing so I'm having trouble formulating the plot into a tidy description. With footnotes and complex topics, I can't see myself being able to put it all into a tidy blurb. What I can say is that the initial intrigue I had in the first book waned with this one. It ended up becoming something more out of my comfort zone than I could enjoy.
The pace felt faster in this one which was overwhelming with the amount of information required to understand the setting. Like the first book, there are no clearly marked chapters. I'm not sure if the ebook is any different in this regard. There were also parts that I found offensive, ultimately leaving me unsettled by the end.
This series is very unique. Even though it's not a genre I see myself latching onto, I'm glad I gave it a go.
A huge thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy of the book to read and review!
As I mentioned in my review of the first book, I find the style of writing and the pace quite confusing so I'm having trouble formulating the plot into a tidy description. With footnotes and complex topics, I can't see myself being able to put it all into a tidy blurb. What I can say is that the initial intrigue I had in the first book waned with this one. It ended up becoming something more out of my comfort zone than I could enjoy.
The pace felt faster in this one which was overwhelming with the amount of information required to understand the setting. Like the first book, there are no clearly marked chapters. I'm not sure if the ebook is any different in this regard. There were also parts that I found offensive, ultimately leaving me unsettled by the end.
This series is very unique. Even though it's not a genre I see myself latching onto, I'm glad I gave it a go.
A huge thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy of the book to read and review!
May 15, 2020
I received a complimentary copy.
Get ready for a new level of twists in the well written but longer read.
Get ready for a new level of twists in the well written but longer read.
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