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Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel
Meet Boilerplate, the world’s first robot soldier—not in a present-day military lab or a science-fiction movie, but in the past, during one of the most fascinating periods of U.S. history. Designed by Professor Archibald Campion in 1893 as a prototype, for the self-proclaimed purpose of “preventing the deaths of men in the conflicts of nations,” Boilerplate charged into combat alongside such notables as Teddy Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia. Campion and his robot also circled the planet with the U.S. Navy, trekked to the South Pole, made silent movies, and hobnobbed with the likes of Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla.
You say you’ve never heard of Boilerplate before? That’s because this book is the fanciful creation of a husbandand-wife team who have richly imagined these characters and inserted them into accurate retellings of history. This full-color chronicle is profusely illustrated with graphics mimicking period style, including photos, paintings, posters, cartoons, maps, and even stereoscope cards. Part Jules Verne and part Zelig, it’s a great volume for a broad range of fans of science fiction, history, and robots.
You say you’ve never heard of Boilerplate before? That’s because this book is the fanciful creation of a husbandand-wife team who have richly imagined these characters and inserted them into accurate retellings of history. This full-color chronicle is profusely illustrated with graphics mimicking period style, including photos, paintings, posters, cartoons, maps, and even stereoscope cards. Part Jules Verne and part Zelig, it’s a great volume for a broad range of fans of science fiction, history, and robots.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
11 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 7, 2019
It sounded like a genius idea: a robot appearing Zeliglike throughout historic events . . . but, the book never really took off. The layout and artwork is great, resembling a history textbook. We see Boilerplate posing with the Rough Riders, and taking on Jack Johnson.
And, the photos are well done; it's the rest of the book that's lacking.
I think the root of the problem is that Boilerplate is not a robot with a personality: he is simply a device, a tool, and a weapon. Perhaps if we'd heard his "thoughts" on the events he was taking part in it would have made all the difference.
As it is, this is really nothing more than a bland, altered-history, history textbook.
And, the photos are well done; it's the rest of the book that's lacking.
I think the root of the problem is that Boilerplate is not a robot with a personality: he is simply a device, a tool, and a weapon. Perhaps if we'd heard his "thoughts" on the events he was taking part in it would have made all the difference.
As it is, this is really nothing more than a bland, altered-history, history textbook.
March 5, 2017
I checked this out after seeing the artist in the documentary "24 Hour Comic." This is a cool book! And I could see how people would think it was real. The way Boilerplate is photoshopped into the historical images is very convincing.
September 9, 2010
Every critic hopes for the day that a small portion of greatness crosses their desks. This is no small portion, my fiends. This is the whole kit and kaboodle! When I cracked open Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel for the fist time, I was blown away. I have not felt this way about an illustrated book since the first time I laid eyes on Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein. Though the subject matter is drastically different – they are both pieces that were made with love, by people who are insanely talented. Every time I open Boilerplate it brings a smile to my face.
This illustrated book is not easily pinned to a genre. It is a healthy mix of Science Fiction, Steampunk and History. We follow Boilerplate, the first robot soldier – designed by Professor Campion in 1893, through his adventures in war and in peace. We see him battle along side Teddy Roosevelt, we witness rubbing elbows with folks like Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla and so much more.
This book is rich with history, gently woven with fiction and endlessly fascinating. I have read through it a couple of times and I am still picking up on new things. The period style graphics, the photos, the paintings… they are all done with such attention to detail that it is hard to tell what is physically real and what is illusion. The research that went into this book must have meant many sleepless nights for this talented husband-wife team.
Final Thoughts:
Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel is stunning, spellbinding and nothing short of brilliant. It is something I will read over and over and over. I cannot say enough about this book. It gets my highest praises and my highest recommendations. By hook or by crook, you MUST own this book. If you like Science Fiction, Strange Tales, Steampunk, Robots, the Victorian Era, History or if you simply like to smile!
(Read full review with links and interview here: http://sheneverslept.com/newsandrevie... )
This illustrated book is not easily pinned to a genre. It is a healthy mix of Science Fiction, Steampunk and History. We follow Boilerplate, the first robot soldier – designed by Professor Campion in 1893, through his adventures in war and in peace. We see him battle along side Teddy Roosevelt, we witness rubbing elbows with folks like Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla and so much more.
This book is rich with history, gently woven with fiction and endlessly fascinating. I have read through it a couple of times and I am still picking up on new things. The period style graphics, the photos, the paintings… they are all done with such attention to detail that it is hard to tell what is physically real and what is illusion. The research that went into this book must have meant many sleepless nights for this talented husband-wife team.
Final Thoughts:
Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel is stunning, spellbinding and nothing short of brilliant. It is something I will read over and over and over. I cannot say enough about this book. It gets my highest praises and my highest recommendations. By hook or by crook, you MUST own this book. If you like Science Fiction, Strange Tales, Steampunk, Robots, the Victorian Era, History or if you simply like to smile!
(Read full review with links and interview here: http://sheneverslept.com/newsandrevie... )
March 8, 2010
Great premise, terrible execution. Basically, it's "What if Forest Gump was a robot?" After about the 5th-6th historic event where they'd photo shopped the robot into a historic photo or piece of ephemera*, I got really bored. The sad part is that in going through my list here and thought that Scott Westerfeld's "Leviathan" was this book, or at least I thought that book was the one I'd read the hype about. They are both steampunk, but it turns out my confusion led me to read the more entertaining book first.
Two stars for the art and photos. Also, maybe I'm being picky but no mention of the provenance of the robot's name. Or even just making up an entertaining steampunk explanation for robot AI and verbal abilities. Boooooring.
*It's kind of like Kurt Anderson's "Heyday," where the writer aims for being like "Ragtime," but it just becomes ridiculous after awhile seeing a badly developed/unbelievable character rush around from historic event to historic event, meeting with celebrities. I always wonder if the author is in fact some kind of frustrated history nerd who would've been better off just writing a straight non-fiction title about the period they're trying to cover.
Two stars for the art and photos. Also, maybe I'm being picky but no mention of the provenance of the robot's name. Or even just making up an entertaining steampunk explanation for robot AI and verbal abilities. Boooooring.
*It's kind of like Kurt Anderson's "Heyday," where the writer aims for being like "Ragtime," but it just becomes ridiculous after awhile seeing a badly developed/unbelievable character rush around from historic event to historic event, meeting with celebrities. I always wonder if the author is in fact some kind of frustrated history nerd who would've been better off just writing a straight non-fiction title about the period they're trying to cover.
December 21, 2009
An example of when a very clever idea is suffocated by its own cleverly placed parameters.
This is a coffee-table-like book purporting to tell the story of the world's first robot, Boilerplate. It starts with the parents of the inventor and leads up to the incidents that caused him to create a robot (to replace human soldiers in battle). Along the way, the fictional people are treated as if they were real, with historical documents, excerpts from their letters, and photos. This continues throughout the whole book, from the Chicago Fair where Boilerplate was introduced, to the Spanish American War, and beyond.
Here's where the suffocation occurs: who wants to read a coffee table book on history? The reading soon becomes tedious as we bog down in explanations of the first time the U. S. interfered in Korea, for example. Or the endless sidebars, photos of people, and supposed letter excerpts. The lay-out is also very busy and doesn't allow us to read, so there is no narrative flow whatsoever (just like real coffee table books, though, huh?). There really isn't that much redemptive value by saying we are learning about history, because this is alternate history.
Awesome idea that might have been more enjoyable (at least by me) in the form of a novel.
This is a coffee-table-like book purporting to tell the story of the world's first robot, Boilerplate. It starts with the parents of the inventor and leads up to the incidents that caused him to create a robot (to replace human soldiers in battle). Along the way, the fictional people are treated as if they were real, with historical documents, excerpts from their letters, and photos. This continues throughout the whole book, from the Chicago Fair where Boilerplate was introduced, to the Spanish American War, and beyond.
Here's where the suffocation occurs: who wants to read a coffee table book on history? The reading soon becomes tedious as we bog down in explanations of the first time the U. S. interfered in Korea, for example. Or the endless sidebars, photos of people, and supposed letter excerpts. The lay-out is also very busy and doesn't allow us to read, so there is no narrative flow whatsoever (just like real coffee table books, though, huh?). There really isn't that much redemptive value by saying we are learning about history, because this is alternate history.
Awesome idea that might have been more enjoyable (at least by me) in the form of a novel.
November 11, 2014
This was a fun book but to be honest I did not read Boilerplate all the way through. It was fun to dip into over the course of several weeks but the structure and the idea became too tiring to read straight through. The concept – a ‘steampunk’ / sci-fantasy take on Zelig was well illustrated, in fact, that is where this book so clearly stands out – the illustrations of Boilerplate, like Allen’s Leonard Zelig, show up in the most unexpected places in history and the effort to conceive and execute the graphical history of BP are fantastic! However, like the Woody Allen movie the idea gets old fast and I found myself less and less impressed with Boilerplate’s adventures as the book went on. In all this was a fine idea that unfortunately went on a bit too long.
September 27, 2016
The concept here is brilliant, the artwork excellent -- but I found it hard to read. It's not a difficult or complicated book, but the idea is better than the text. If you dip in and do an episode or two (it's organized around the various historical events that Boilerplate was involved in) it's pretty neat, but they become a bit tedious if taken in bulk. The large format means the art, in the styles of periods -- engravings or photography -- is big enough to appreciate. I could almost give it 4 stars for its sheer awesomeness as a book-object, but have settled on 3 stars as best representing my overall impression. Great concept, but over-extended.
October 18, 2009
This is really a MUST read for anyone interested in history. I am truly enjoying it. I meet Paul Guinan at ComicCon and became interested in the book there. I came home and pre-ordered it, and have been reading it with great pleasure. I have read so many books about Napoleon that I should be able to give you his shoe size, and I did until this book feel well read on American history....as I said until I read "Boilerplate". The robot may not be real, but the facts are. And it's the facts mixed with fiction, which really make this a great read.The best book I have read so far this year.
April 12, 2010
This is quite possibly the COOLEST book!
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February 28, 2015
Interesting. Impressive use of photoshop
October 8, 2009
I don't realize it yet but this book pretty much changed my life.
August 2, 2017
Review title: Steampunk history graphic novel
Yes, you read it right: Boilerplate is all those things, wrapped up in a fun and fascinatingly well done package.
The book is a large format glossy-paper book (think Time-Life Library or DK illustrated non-fiction books) that tells the story of scientist and inventor Archibald Campion and his 1893 invention of a mechanical man, later nicknamed Boilerplate in the popular press. Campion invented the automaton (as Guinan and Bennett point out the word "robot" would not be coined until 1920) with the sincere and high-minded intention of convincing governments to replace soldiers with mechanical men like his to reduce the human suffering from wars. Introduced at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, alongside other eye-popping and mind-boggling inventions like the Ferris Wheel, electric streetlights, and Egyptian belly dancing (ok, strictly speaking not an invention and not new in 1893, it was a cultural revelation for US fair attendees), Boilerplate stood up and strolled about the grounds, and stood out but not above the many other new and seemingly impossible things on display.
After the fair, Campion made Boilerplate available to serve as a soldier during the Pullman Strike (never again, said Campion, would his invention serve the interests of business vs labor), as a policeman in Chicago's most vice-ridden neighborhoods (he proved incorruptible and was quickly removed from the deeply corrupt force), as an explorer in Antarctica, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and finally in battlefields from Cuba (alongside Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders) to Mexico (alongside Pershing in search of Pancho Villa) to Asia (Chinas Boxer Rebellion and the Russo-Japan War) and finally to the Conflict to end all Conflicts, fighting alongside Lawrence of Arabia and on the Western Front. Despite Campion's promotional efforts and Boilerplate's success in its missions (the authors are consistent in use of the impersonal pronoun "it", never "he" or "she"), no government adopted the concept and ordered more mechanical men, and in the aftermath of the first World War Campion destroyed the schematics and plans for his invention and swore never to build another. As he wrote to a friend in 1918:
And the last century has proven Campion right, as we now use mechanical marvels like flying and tank driven drones to conduct war ruthlessly, efficiently, and "safely" at long distance--except Campion and Boilerplate never existed! Obviously, there was no automaton in 1893 who could walk talk, and work with the strength of many men. Guinan and Bennett have created and embedded Campion and his invention into such a seamless and well-integrated psuedo-history that I am tempted to shelve this in history instead of fiction. Despite the engineering, computing, and artificial intelligence impossibility of Boilerplate, the historical, political, and cultural plausibility that the authors have created, by inserting Boilerplate into very real historical settings makes the fiction funny, endearing and sobering all at the same time. The photoshopping of Boilerplate into real historical photographs is done so well, including matching the color tones and focus of the original, that the illusion is always maintained. The authors even provide plausible reasons throughout the book why Boilerplate has disappeared from history since World War I.
What is the purpose of this elaborate ruse? While I don't know what the authors intended, they have created both readable fiction and truthful historical settings which could work to draw readers into learning more about the history behind them. There are thought-provoking points here about the inevitability of man's violence against man, regardless of the best intentions of science and technology to relieve suffering and eliminate war, and of the paradox of initial resistance to technological progress being overcome by gradual and seemingly silent and unnoticed assimilation; if you were an adult before the smartphone era, recall your reaction when you first saw a cell phone with a camera that could play games and run software, and think about how much you use yours today.
And while it may not be a classic, it is one of the coolest books ever.
Yes, you read it right: Boilerplate is all those things, wrapped up in a fun and fascinatingly well done package.
The book is a large format glossy-paper book (think Time-Life Library or DK illustrated non-fiction books) that tells the story of scientist and inventor Archibald Campion and his 1893 invention of a mechanical man, later nicknamed Boilerplate in the popular press. Campion invented the automaton (as Guinan and Bennett point out the word "robot" would not be coined until 1920) with the sincere and high-minded intention of convincing governments to replace soldiers with mechanical men like his to reduce the human suffering from wars. Introduced at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, alongside other eye-popping and mind-boggling inventions like the Ferris Wheel, electric streetlights, and Egyptian belly dancing (ok, strictly speaking not an invention and not new in 1893, it was a cultural revelation for US fair attendees), Boilerplate stood up and strolled about the grounds, and stood out but not above the many other new and seemingly impossible things on display.
After the fair, Campion made Boilerplate available to serve as a soldier during the Pullman Strike (never again, said Campion, would his invention serve the interests of business vs labor), as a policeman in Chicago's most vice-ridden neighborhoods (he proved incorruptible and was quickly removed from the deeply corrupt force), as an explorer in Antarctica, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and finally in battlefields from Cuba (alongside Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders) to Mexico (alongside Pershing in search of Pancho Villa) to Asia (Chinas Boxer Rebellion and the Russo-Japan War) and finally to the Conflict to end all Conflicts, fighting alongside Lawrence of Arabia and on the Western Front. Despite Campion's promotional efforts and Boilerplate's success in its missions (the authors are consistent in use of the impersonal pronoun "it", never "he" or "she"), no government adopted the concept and ordered more mechanical men, and in the aftermath of the first World War Campion destroyed the schematics and plans for his invention and swore never to build another. As he wrote to a friend in 1918:
"And how is it that an educated man such as myself may so thoroughly misunderstand the military and political minds? I now realize that nations would use armies of mechanical men to wage even deadlier and more destructive wars. I am infuriated by my own slow-wittedness. " (p. 128)
And the last century has proven Campion right, as we now use mechanical marvels like flying and tank driven drones to conduct war ruthlessly, efficiently, and "safely" at long distance--except Campion and Boilerplate never existed! Obviously, there was no automaton in 1893 who could walk talk, and work with the strength of many men. Guinan and Bennett have created and embedded Campion and his invention into such a seamless and well-integrated psuedo-history that I am tempted to shelve this in history instead of fiction. Despite the engineering, computing, and artificial intelligence impossibility of Boilerplate, the historical, political, and cultural plausibility that the authors have created, by inserting Boilerplate into very real historical settings makes the fiction funny, endearing and sobering all at the same time. The photoshopping of Boilerplate into real historical photographs is done so well, including matching the color tones and focus of the original, that the illusion is always maintained. The authors even provide plausible reasons throughout the book why Boilerplate has disappeared from history since World War I.
What is the purpose of this elaborate ruse? While I don't know what the authors intended, they have created both readable fiction and truthful historical settings which could work to draw readers into learning more about the history behind them. There are thought-provoking points here about the inevitability of man's violence against man, regardless of the best intentions of science and technology to relieve suffering and eliminate war, and of the paradox of initial resistance to technological progress being overcome by gradual and seemingly silent and unnoticed assimilation; if you were an adult before the smartphone era, recall your reaction when you first saw a cell phone with a camera that could play games and run software, and think about how much you use yours today.
And while it may not be a classic, it is one of the coolest books ever.
May 28, 2018
Cute. This book answers the question "What if Forest Gump had been a robot?"
Like some other reviewers of this book, the charm of seeing Boilerplate Photoshopped into various historical photographs wore off about a third of the book. But I was intrigued by all the actually history. Events and people I spot checked on Google held up. Minus Boilerplate, these things actually happened. I was most surprised by the account of the First Korean War - I didn't think we could actually do something that vicious and stupid, yet we really did. Having late 19th - early 20th Century history seasoned with a bit of robotics was fine by me. I just stopped reading most of the captions with Boilerplate and focused on the main text, fact-checking when I felt the need.
Because this book uses so much authentic history, it is both surprising and disappointing that the book has neither a concluding chapter that distinguishes fact from fiction, nor does it have a bibliography clearly citing sources. There is some citations in the text, but most of them aren't exact and some of them are clearly fake. Even a "suggestion for future reading" would have been nice.
It seems like the authors wanted to teach some history in a whimsical way, but then don't give readers a way forward. That's a sad missed opportunity. But if you're willing to do your own research, the book gives you some intriguing starting points.
Like some other reviewers of this book, the charm of seeing Boilerplate Photoshopped into various historical photographs wore off about a third of the book. But I was intrigued by all the actually history. Events and people I spot checked on Google held up. Minus Boilerplate, these things actually happened. I was most surprised by the account of the First Korean War - I didn't think we could actually do something that vicious and stupid, yet we really did. Having late 19th - early 20th Century history seasoned with a bit of robotics was fine by me. I just stopped reading most of the captions with Boilerplate and focused on the main text, fact-checking when I felt the need.
Because this book uses so much authentic history, it is both surprising and disappointing that the book has neither a concluding chapter that distinguishes fact from fiction, nor does it have a bibliography clearly citing sources. There is some citations in the text, but most of them aren't exact and some of them are clearly fake. Even a "suggestion for future reading" would have been nice.
It seems like the authors wanted to teach some history in a whimsical way, but then don't give readers a way forward. That's a sad missed opportunity. But if you're willing to do your own research, the book gives you some intriguing starting points.
June 10, 2019
As a fan of alternate histories, science fiction and, above all, robots, this book was a pleasant surprise when I stumbled across it. Guinan and Bennett weave an engrossing historical tale of a mysterious metal soldier and its exploits across the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Boilerplate is a novel, engrossing character and I am left with so many questions. Did he really talk? What did he sound like? What's the deal with his fuel cells? What really happened to him?
I want to know so much more about this robot's life, and I think that's the mark of a job well done in this well crafted attempt at a believable alternate history.
Boilerplate is a novel, engrossing character and I am left with so many questions. Did he really talk? What did he sound like? What's the deal with his fuel cells? What really happened to him?
I want to know so much more about this robot's life, and I think that's the mark of a job well done in this well crafted attempt at a believable alternate history.
May 14, 2020
Fantastic little story with some great pictures & illustrations. No better way to learn history than through the eyes of a robot who worked with Tesla, explored the Klondike, and helped dig the Panama Canal.
January 4, 2010
My parents used to have this beautiful set of Time Life books about the Wild West. They were wonderful, I would stare at them for ours, flipping through the pages, examining the pictures.
But I never actually read them.
Now that has changed. Sort of. Well, alright, not really. Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett certainly created a fine facsimile of one of those Time Life books though, and about a robot to boot.
The books fills in a missing part of history about an inventor named Archibald Campion and his automaton nicknamed "Boilerplate." The robot, invented to stop the human death toll in the line of battle, ends up gallivanting across the globe with people like Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla, Lawrence of Arabia, and more.
Artist/writer Guinan and writer/editor Bennett weave the robot so seamlessly into history, it's hard to believe that he wasn't there. He wasn't right? By the end, they'd done such a fine job collecting, compiling, and creating the artwork, photographs, and history of Boilerplate that I started to believe he was just a forgotten part of history. When I started I was certain this was just an alternate history book about a robot masquerading as a legitimate nonfiction book about a robot. Now, I'm not so sure. I could research it, but I was so immersed in the world of Boilerplate it might be a letdown to find out he didn't actually exist.
But I never actually read them.
Now that has changed. Sort of. Well, alright, not really. Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett certainly created a fine facsimile of one of those Time Life books though, and about a robot to boot.
The books fills in a missing part of history about an inventor named Archibald Campion and his automaton nicknamed "Boilerplate." The robot, invented to stop the human death toll in the line of battle, ends up gallivanting across the globe with people like Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla, Lawrence of Arabia, and more.
Artist/writer Guinan and writer/editor Bennett weave the robot so seamlessly into history, it's hard to believe that he wasn't there. He wasn't right? By the end, they'd done such a fine job collecting, compiling, and creating the artwork, photographs, and history of Boilerplate that I started to believe he was just a forgotten part of history. When I started I was certain this was just an alternate history book about a robot masquerading as a legitimate nonfiction book about a robot. Now, I'm not so sure. I could research it, but I was so immersed in the world of Boilerplate it might be a letdown to find out he didn't actually exist.
June 23, 2010
A marvelous tale of the first mechanical man created in the late 19th century. Equal parts art book, graphic novel, history text--this Gump like adventure has the mechanical man Boilerplate moving through history but not in a way that trivializes like Gump...but as a critique of the world man created as the 20th century burst into being. Created with the intention of freeing man from war, Boilerplate instead was misused like new technology often is. Can almost be read as a straight historic text as Boilerplate's interaction with history is presented in a thorough and fleshed out manner. Each event is presented in a historical context, given a full background with tasty famous people mixed in all over the place. From the Boxer Rebellion to Teddy Roosevelt's mythic charge up San Juan Hill to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, it's a delightful trip through time. Especially interesting to me was the original US/Korean conflict--known as the Korean Expedition of 1871. The art work is fantastic--original and recreations with Boilerplate inserted in history--historical photographs with Boilerplate inserted all seem to work. The work is effortless and never seems forced.
May 9, 2012
What I liked best about this book was how much history I learned. The years 1893 to the start of World War 1 aren't ones that I know a lot about, and this was a great way to put together a lot of information about culture, politics, art, science, and other bits of history in context with each other. I really enjoyed learning about that time.
I had no idea that the Russo-Japanese War showed how deadly and useless trench warfare was, given the new weapons, before it was tried again in World War 1. It really upsets me that the world had to learn that lesson twice.
Given what I have written above, I would have given this book four stars, but I really thought I that Boilerplate would have some personality or scraps of humanity... somewhere to hang my emotions. Instead he was all smooth metal and nothing stuck to his gleaming surface. So it's three stars. A really strong three, though.
I had no idea that the Russo-Japanese War showed how deadly and useless trench warfare was, given the new weapons, before it was tried again in World War 1. It really upsets me that the world had to learn that lesson twice.
Given what I have written above, I would have given this book four stars, but I really thought I that Boilerplate would have some personality or scraps of humanity... somewhere to hang my emotions. Instead he was all smooth metal and nothing stuck to his gleaming surface. So it's three stars. A really strong three, though.
July 14, 2011
This spot-on "history" book details the careers of inventor Archibald Campion and the robot he created in 1893. Campion's Mechanical Marvel (later dubbed "Boilerplate") was invented for the purpose of "preventing the deaths of men in the conflict of nations". As Archie tried to demonstrate Boilerplate's usefulness in dangerous situations, the pair ended up in just about every conflict of the period from the Boxer Rebellion to the Spanish-American War and met such luminaries as Lawrence of Arabia, Teddy Roosevelt, and Jack Pershing.
Guinan and Bennett manage a deadpan delivery in the text and the illustrations (stereopticons, cartoons, maps, paintings, and photos) This is a good capsule history of U.S. intervention into other nations from the Victorian Era to WWI...with a bonus robot.
Guinan and Bennett manage a deadpan delivery in the text and the illustrations (stereopticons, cartoons, maps, paintings, and photos) This is a good capsule history of U.S. intervention into other nations from the Victorian Era to WWI...with a bonus robot.
July 7, 2011
This very much qualifies as alternate history and retro science fiction, since it's about several technologies and devices that never were, in our reality.
Oddly, I found the style of the book to be somewhat frustrating, since the creators were so caught up in the whole "robot Forrest Gump" concept that they glossed over too many things. Both the robot and some of the innovations necessary to create him have consequences that are not addressed in the story, because those changes are not the focus of the tale.
So, while the story of a 19th-century robot wandering through American history is really cool, it felt like it could have been even better, with a bit more thoughtful treatment.
Oddly, I found the style of the book to be somewhat frustrating, since the creators were so caught up in the whole "robot Forrest Gump" concept that they glossed over too many things. Both the robot and some of the innovations necessary to create him have consequences that are not addressed in the story, because those changes are not the focus of the tale.
So, while the story of a 19th-century robot wandering through American history is really cool, it felt like it could have been even better, with a bit more thoughtful treatment.
September 21, 2011
This is a good book. It was very interesting in a steampunky way. I guess it was a little bit to much like a bad history book for me to give it more stars. It was a little hard on the suspension of disbelief that Boilerplate just happened to be at all those places with all those famous people. I did a lot of reading on this time period for my Master's Thesis and there was no way the robot was going to make all those wars/events/whatnot. It was almost like reading the summary of some bad steampunk Role Playing game (not that there is anything wrong with that).
But back to the point, while I have some reservations, overall this is an interesting and at times entertaining book.
But back to the point, while I have some reservations, overall this is an interesting and at times entertaining book.
June 16, 2016
I ran across this one at random, and couldn't help but give it a read.
The core concept: Dr. Campion, a brilliant scientist colleague of Tesla's, invents a Marvelous Mechanical Man. It romps through late 19th century American history.
Lovely illustrations and photo-manipulations, coupled with some effective verite quotations from "documents," make this a pleasant distraction. I did, on occasion, wish for a little more narrative and character development. It's just straight up history...plus a steampunk robot.
Still and all, the book has a delightful premise and is nicely executed. As a bit of whimsy to pass a rainy afternoon or to grace a coffee table, it's well worth it.
The core concept: Dr. Campion, a brilliant scientist colleague of Tesla's, invents a Marvelous Mechanical Man. It romps through late 19th century American history.
Lovely illustrations and photo-manipulations, coupled with some effective verite quotations from "documents," make this a pleasant distraction. I did, on occasion, wish for a little more narrative and character development. It's just straight up history...plus a steampunk robot.
Still and all, the book has a delightful premise and is nicely executed. As a bit of whimsy to pass a rainy afternoon or to grace a coffee table, it's well worth it.
November 28, 2019
For a mechanical soldier that finds itself in every conflict from Kitchener in the Sudan to the Boxer Rebellion to World War I, Boilerplate fails to fire his rifle once in anger. This robot-soldier spends all of his time in every engagement digging trenches, hauling supplies, or just standing around. More mechanical mule than soldier. However my three year old son loves this "robot book" with all of the over the top illustrations (grizzly bear wrestling Boilerplate; Boilerplate in the Arctic) so, that has been fun to look at all of the pictures to enjoy global adventures of this metallic Forrest Gump.
February 9, 2011
What a fun, fantastic book! Highly recommended for fans of history, alternate history, robots, or photo manipulation. By the time I finished this, I was half-convinced there really had been a Boilerplate. As I worked through the book, I received a touchup on my knowledge of late 19th and early 20th American history. The text and illustrations and photographs conveyed real historical information with a bit of robotic whimsy. I'll definitely be cracking Boilerplate open again in the future.
July 13, 2012
An odd but enjoyable book. It reads more like a textbook than fiction which I believe is the intent. After all, this is definitely high steampunk...ie, fiction as it should/could have happened. The book is full of photoshopped pictures of real people/places that the robot has been skillfully inserted into.
The book has a slightly textbook remote feel...I think more from a first person perspective or longer "diary" entries might have given it a more personal feel. But I have to say...it's hard to remember sometimes there WAS no Boilerplate!
The book has a slightly textbook remote feel...I think more from a first person perspective or longer "diary" entries might have given it a more personal feel. But I have to say...it's hard to remember sometimes there WAS no Boilerplate!
April 19, 2015
The story of a victorian era robot. An alternate history fantasy piece of whimsey. The artwork is incredible, the text not so. The artwork consists of reworked photographs and posters incorporating the robot "Boilerplate" and its creator Archie into historical situations, from 1883 to 1918, where the robot is lost in a WWI battle. The use of Photoshop and Illustrator are brilliant. The text on the other hand, is mostly slim recountings of history along with a paragraph or two telling how the robot figured in it. Buy the book for the visuals, which are stunning.
February 3, 2016
If I was just writing this review about the pictures it would be a solid five stars, but the text brings it down. The concept and pictures are imaginative and witty, but after the first couple of chapters it slogs into a history lesson - and one with a revisionist slant. I can deal with the viewpoint, but I can't forgive the authors for taking a topic with a potential for steampunk fantasy and grinding it to death,
I've only skimmed the companion "Frank Reade" book but the historical revisionism seems laid on with a trowel there.
I've only skimmed the companion "Frank Reade" book but the historical revisionism seems laid on with a trowel there.
April 5, 2010
The artwork in this book is fantastic. It's fun to see Boilerplate, a victorian era android, slipped into historical photos, Zelig-like. Unfortunately the book reads like a jr. high history textbook. I suppose it's a good way to learn a little history for those kids who are resistant, but the writing doesn't inspire nearly the excitement of the illustrations. It's too bad Boilerplate couldn't have a story worthy of its art.
August 12, 2016
Mock-non-fiction account of a mechanical man and his exploits in late 19th to early 20th century. Much like Forrest Gump, Boilerplate managed to get himself in all major event of the times and meet all the movers and shakers of the era. Created as a coffee-table book, it has a lot of pictures, sidebars, maps, graphics. Fascinating and fun read if you are into history as it has a lot of historical details and events that are factual.
May 22, 2015
Profusely illustrated coffee-table book about the adventures of a steampunk-era robot. This is not so much a novel as a mockumentary: Forrest Gump crossed with Frankenstein's monster. The robot is seamlessly photoshopped into many historical photographs and illustrations. This is a very dangerous book"," because it blurs the line between history and fantasy. I am impressed and appalled at the same time
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