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Automatons #1
Automatons
Perhaps the world ended, and we brought it on ourselves. But only Joyce noticed the whimper.
And she might just be tits-out crazy.
Along with smarmy Sam, life's impossible tourist, a trucker's death draws Joyce down the last highway into the desert's beating heart. And at the Judgment Day Diner they will be caught up in a maelstrom of adultery, lies and hidden violence.
Intended for adult readers, Automatons is a stripping bare of the ways people stumble blindly down the same old paths, and how we find it so much easier to be humane to our technology rather than each other.
And she might just be tits-out crazy.
Along with smarmy Sam, life's impossible tourist, a trucker's death draws Joyce down the last highway into the desert's beating heart. And at the Judgment Day Diner they will be caught up in a maelstrom of adultery, lies and hidden violence.
Intended for adult readers, Automatons is a stripping bare of the ways people stumble blindly down the same old paths, and how we find it so much easier to be humane to our technology rather than each other.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
B.P. Gregory
32 books87 followersBP Gregory has been an archaeology student and a dilettante of biology, psychology, and apocalypse prepping. She is the author of five novels including the recently released Flora & Jim, about a father who’ll do anything to keep his daughter alive in a frozen wasteland.
BP Gregory lives in Melbourne with her husband and is currently working on The Newru Trail, a murder-mystery set in a world where houses eat your memories. For stories, reviews and recommendations as she ploughs through her to-read pile visit bpgregory.com.
BP Gregory lives in Melbourne with her husband and is currently working on The Newru Trail, a murder-mystery set in a world where houses eat your memories. For stories, reviews and recommendations as she ploughs through her to-read pile visit bpgregory.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 12, 2021
I'm coming to the keyboard cold. Usually I have something planned in my head, but this morning the thoughts haven't quite slotted together over this book yet. Let's press on and see what happens.
To lay out my approach here, I bought the omnibus of novels 1 and 2. I can never read books in a series back to back, so thought I would post a review for the first book now.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into here. I wanted to read one of Gregory's books and had a browse. I liked the sound of the second book, so started here.
Sigh. Another post-apocalypse book. What? Wait? Okay then.
My impression as I read Automatons was that the author may have started out with an idea or scene for this book, and rather than plan to write to genre, or write to marketability, etc, just started pouring themself into the manuscript. The result may be something one finds hard to define, with such a kaleidoscope of genres at play, but it comes across as a very genuine book.
In brief, the story follows two survivors of the apocalypse, Joyce and Samuel (definitely not Sam) as they somewhat muddle their way through the desert that remains, and find themselves in a small town struggling to stay alive in this harsh new environment. Technology and AI has come far enough that machines have become sentient, but they appear to be just as confused as the remnants of humanity with the recent changes. Perhaps more so.
As I read, the landscape reminded me a bit of the Fallout games. Throw in some of the wit and playful technological philosophy as seen in Codgerspace by Alan Dean Foster. Gregory's world is fully realised and consistent despite its frequent oddities.
And there's more to it as we pass into book 2. We aren't subjected to any cliffhangers to sell the next book, more that we have briefly visited a place that has vastly more to see. I hope that the author's genre plate-spinning skills continue.
So if you fancy a read that's very well written, and off the beaten track of definition, I can thoroughly recommend this one. Be you human or machine, it has something for everything. Hey, that's not a bad little title...
To lay out my approach here, I bought the omnibus of novels 1 and 2. I can never read books in a series back to back, so thought I would post a review for the first book now.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into here. I wanted to read one of Gregory's books and had a browse. I liked the sound of the second book, so started here.
Sigh. Another post-apocalypse book. What? Wait? Okay then.
My impression as I read Automatons was that the author may have started out with an idea or scene for this book, and rather than plan to write to genre, or write to marketability, etc, just started pouring themself into the manuscript. The result may be something one finds hard to define, with such a kaleidoscope of genres at play, but it comes across as a very genuine book.
In brief, the story follows two survivors of the apocalypse, Joyce and Samuel (definitely not Sam) as they somewhat muddle their way through the desert that remains, and find themselves in a small town struggling to stay alive in this harsh new environment. Technology and AI has come far enough that machines have become sentient, but they appear to be just as confused as the remnants of humanity with the recent changes. Perhaps more so.
As I read, the landscape reminded me a bit of the Fallout games. Throw in some of the wit and playful technological philosophy as seen in Codgerspace by Alan Dean Foster. Gregory's world is fully realised and consistent despite its frequent oddities.
And there's more to it as we pass into book 2. We aren't subjected to any cliffhangers to sell the next book, more that we have briefly visited a place that has vastly more to see. I hope that the author's genre plate-spinning skills continue.
So if you fancy a read that's very well written, and off the beaten track of definition, I can thoroughly recommend this one. Be you human or machine, it has something for everything. Hey, that's not a bad little title...
January 18, 2016
I've won Something for Everything the second book in the series through the GoodReads Giveaways, but the author was so kind to send me the first one to boot. Thank you so much, B.P. Gregory
I was in the process of reading "Something For Everything" when I got "Automatons" so I've decided to read "Automatons" in the first place to have the whole picture.
OK, maybe it was a strategic mistake because the plots of the novels are independent from one another and have only common basis in them.
Some chains of events from uncertain times flows into a far, unreachable future and reflects in it - that sort of implicit connection.
Well, "Automatons" has just been read, so the first review is about it:
This book is a well-written mix of dystopian sci-fi, adventure and for an I-don't-know-what reason I had the strong feeling of a western during my reading. Maybe because of the desert entourage.
We have a slew of strange things and personages in the book: talking devices, crazy people, awful plants and mysterious places - all of these create the feeling of an unpleasant or unnerving dream, like a hallucinogenic trip
All of these are interlaced with humor and philosophical questions such as the following: "What is the difference between human and machine consciences?";"Are not we just the biorobots, but with the most complicated and elaborated software onboard?", etc
Grim landscapes, dull perspectives, some kind of "communistic" awaiting for the bright and brand new future are what fill the book and therefore the reader with a depressive and pessimistic mood
"But, hey, this is dystopia, right???? Seek your romantic books on another shelf."
A good read for every amateur of apocalyptic books.
Now I'm going to finish reading the second one. Maybe I'll add something after my reading is done.
P.S. My favorite part of the book is when Ben puns about chickens.... I had to like the heavy guy in that very moment:)
I was in the process of reading "Something For Everything" when I got "Automatons" so I've decided to read "Automatons" in the first place to have the whole picture.
OK, maybe it was a strategic mistake because the plots of the novels are independent from one another and have only common basis in them.
Some chains of events from uncertain times flows into a far, unreachable future and reflects in it - that sort of implicit connection.
Well, "Automatons" has just been read, so the first review is about it:
This book is a well-written mix of dystopian sci-fi, adventure and for an I-don't-know-what reason I had the strong feeling of a western during my reading. Maybe because of the desert entourage.
We have a slew of strange things and personages in the book: talking devices, crazy people, awful plants and mysterious places - all of these create the feeling of an unpleasant or unnerving dream, like a hallucinogenic trip
All of these are interlaced with humor and philosophical questions such as the following: "What is the difference between human and machine consciences?";"Are not we just the biorobots, but with the most complicated and elaborated software onboard?", etc
Grim landscapes, dull perspectives, some kind of "communistic" awaiting for the bright and brand new future are what fill the book and therefore the reader with a depressive and pessimistic mood
"But, hey, this is dystopia, right???? Seek your romantic books on another shelf."
A good read for every amateur of apocalyptic books.
Now I'm going to finish reading the second one. Maybe I'll add something after my reading is done.
P.S. My favorite part of the book is when Ben puns about chickens.... I had to like the heavy guy in that very moment:)
April 20, 2016
Automatons
by BP Gregory
Sun-burned survivors in a doomsday desert struggle out from under the shadow of robot overlords that almost killed them with kindness. This apocalyptic romp by BP Gregory paints a prophetic picture of the end for humans and their artificially intelligent caretakers. Biting humor and sage-like observations do nothing to diminish the thrills and horror of this action-packed detox from the human addiction to technology. Gregory’s puckish descriptions of a stark, decaying world leave you disturbed but laughing while you shake the hot sand out of your boots.
Sun-burned survivors in a doomsday desert struggle out from under the shadow of robot overlords that almost killed them with kindness. This apocalyptic romp by BP Gregory paints a prophetic picture of the end for humans and their artificially intelligent caretakers. Biting humor and sage-like observations do nothing to diminish the thrills and horror of this action-packed detox from the human addiction to technology. Gregory’s puckish descriptions of a stark, decaying world leave you disturbed but laughing while you shake the hot sand out of your boots.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews