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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I really, really tried to love this book, and it just didn't work for me. The shifting points of view every chapter was really annoying for me in this particular book and actually interrupted the action so much that I found that I was avoiding reading this book because of it.
challenging
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.
This is one of those books that reads like am action movie screenplay. There are some very interesting ideas in it, but when it comes right down to it it's all about the fight scenes.
The interesting ideas: the main (human) character is a historian who specializes in automatons of the ancient world. She has a personal connection to the topic through her grandfather. Little does she know that her academic obsession is about to turn into an Indiana Jones style run-for-your-life adventure!
I guess these automatons are a real piece of history, which I find fascinating. Look up "writing automaton" to see what one of these creations looked like- it's creepy and cool.
There's a secret history behind these things. About half of the story is told in flashback, as we see the awakening of an automaton- these creatures have consciousness, and maybe even souls. Each automaton has a guiding principle which is their prime motivation; for example; Honor or Knowledge.
The book is a quick read. Once the action starts, it's sort of a cross between The Terminator, The Mummy (Rachel Weicz edition) and Interview with a Vampire. I love the idea of secret supernatural histories, so I was an easy sell for this one. The characters are interesting and colorful, our heroine is kick-ass but in a way I could buy, and the setting is all over the globe from medieval Russia to Merrye Olde England to west coast USA to a mysterious mountain range somewhere on the Asian steppe.
It reads like there should be a sequel. The big fight at the end felt a bit too rushed for me, and since the concepts kind of fell to the wayside in service of action, I'd probably rate it closer to 3 1/2 stars. But it's a fun way to spend a few hours!
This is one of those books that reads like am action movie screenplay. There are some very interesting ideas in it, but when it comes right down to it it's all about the fight scenes.
The interesting ideas: the main (human) character is a historian who specializes in automatons of the ancient world. She has a personal connection to the topic through her grandfather. Little does she know that her academic obsession is about to turn into an Indiana Jones style run-for-your-life adventure!
I guess these automatons are a real piece of history, which I find fascinating. Look up "writing automaton" to see what one of these creations looked like- it's creepy and cool.
There's a secret history behind these things. About half of the story is told in flashback, as we see the awakening of an automaton- these creatures have consciousness, and maybe even souls. Each automaton has a guiding principle which is their prime motivation; for example; Honor or Knowledge.
The book is a quick read. Once the action starts, it's sort of a cross between The Terminator, The Mummy (Rachel Weicz edition) and Interview with a Vampire. I love the idea of secret supernatural histories, so I was an easy sell for this one. The characters are interesting and colorful, our heroine is kick-ass but in a way I could buy, and the setting is all over the globe from medieval Russia to Merrye Olde England to west coast USA to a mysterious mountain range somewhere on the Asian steppe.
It reads like there should be a sequel. The big fight at the end felt a bit too rushed for me, and since the concepts kind of fell to the wayside in service of action, I'd probably rate it closer to 3 1/2 stars. But it's a fun way to spend a few hours!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The cover art was the first thing that attracted me to this novel, but it was the premise introduced in the blurb that had me intrigued. A ‘race’ of avtomats, sentient beings made from ‘clockwork’ mechanics, are trying to survive in our world and discover the mystery behind their creation, while keeping their nature and existence a secret. This is of course not always possible and a woman finds her life linked to theirs.
The narration takes the form of two strands, one set in Peter’s past, the other following June in the present, each bringing slowly more and more details to the fore. I personally enjoyed this, and not just for the subject, although I do find it fascinating. The notion of having a ‘Word’ that directs your life for instance is a compelling one, as is the one of having an ’anima’. I do wonder what Wilson had in mind when he chose this word: the Latin for animation/life or Carl Jung’s unconscious mind, both really circling around the unspoken ’soul’. What drives you to carry on when you can exist forever? Likewise, how do you interact with others? Peter and Jane’s scenes were ok, but it was the relationship between Peter and Elena that stole the show. A friend mentioned that this story echoed the film ‘Highlander’ and I agree. Automats as ’super beings’, steeped in history, and yet limited by their very nature and need to hide in our world, dividing into two warring factions...
On the other hand, I feel the author just missed on creating something truly special. It is difficult to pinpoint. The character of Jane is perhaps a little too thin and could have done with more fleshing out, and the jumping from one location to the next often made me feel disconnected. In all, however, a good, entertaining, story.
The narration takes the form of two strands, one set in Peter’s past, the other following June in the present, each bringing slowly more and more details to the fore. I personally enjoyed this, and not just for the subject, although I do find it fascinating. The notion of having a ‘Word’ that directs your life for instance is a compelling one, as is the one of having an ’anima’. I do wonder what Wilson had in mind when he chose this word: the Latin for animation/life or Carl Jung’s unconscious mind, both really circling around the unspoken ’soul’. What drives you to carry on when you can exist forever? Likewise, how do you interact with others? Peter and Jane’s scenes were ok, but it was the relationship between Peter and Elena that stole the show. A friend mentioned that this story echoed the film ‘Highlander’ and I agree. Automats as ’super beings’, steeped in history, and yet limited by their very nature and need to hide in our world, dividing into two warring factions...
On the other hand, I feel the author just missed on creating something truly special. It is difficult to pinpoint. The character of Jane is perhaps a little too thin and could have done with more fleshing out, and the jumping from one location to the next often made me feel disconnected. In all, however, a good, entertaining, story.
Mixed feelings on this one. I get other reviewers calling it Robot Highlander, it fits well. I also got vibes of *Interview with a Vampire* with the Peter/Elena relationship.
Loved the idea and MC Peter. Didn't like the jumping back & forth in time.
The ending felt super rushed, like the author realized "oh shit, I need an ending", then dropped a nugget large enough to say the story isn't done yet. Not really a cliff hanger due to the rushed nature of the end, but I'm not sure it's intriguing enough for me to seek out the next book.
Loved the idea and MC Peter. Didn't like the jumping back & forth in time.
The ending felt super rushed, like the author realized "oh shit, I need an ending", then dropped a nugget large enough to say the story isn't done yet. Not really a cliff hanger due to the rushed nature of the end, but I'm not sure it's intriguing enough for me to seek out the next book.
This one was not for me. It had potential to be a good story, but it had more action than character development. People who are plot-driven readers would probably enjoy.
OVERALL AVERAGE RATING: 3.7
World-building: 3.5/5
Overall, the author’s world-building was adequate enough to make this hidden world of automatons believable. The author definitely tried to appeal to the senses in describing different sights, sounds, and texture. The mechanics of this world also seemed relatively logical. Although fairly immersive, I did feel like the world-building was lacking in just a little more detail. I felt like some specific things about the automatons, how they lived among humans and how they operated, were glossed over.
Characters: 4/5
I was very captivated by the different automatons in the story. I thought they each had compelling personalities and interesting backstories. One thing to note about this story is that it switches between two first person POVs: June (the human protagonist) and Peter (automaton). I don’t particularly care for fluctuating perspectives but it all worked out fine in this book. I do have to admit that I preferred reading the chapters where it was Peter’s POV. I felt that June was probably a little underutilized as a protagonist in this book. She didn’t seem to go through nearly as much character development as Peter did.
Plot: 3.5/5
The idea of trying to save a hidden race of automatons from going extinct was definitely interesting. Again, the story fluctuated between the past and the present, which seemed a little awkward to keep track of at first but it all started to make sense the further I got into the book. The author also included some historical references, which I thought was a fun little added feature. Where I felt like it was lacking was in the details. Like I said before, I felt like certain events were glossed over. The author had a tendency to just condense 10 years into two paragraphs, giving us cursory details about what happened to the characters in that chunk of time. If you don’t keep track of the dates in the story, you almost forget that a large span of time has just passed. On one hand, the chapters were short and digestible. On the other hand, I felt like there was definitely some opportunity for the author to have expanded the story a little bit. Also, there were definitely some things left unresolved in the end. Not sure if the author plans to write a sequel, but there certainly could be one based on those loose ends.
Writing style: 3.5/5
The writing was pretty clear, straightforward, and succinct. Overall, I enjoyed the author’s descriptive style.
Entertainment: 4/5
In spite of its flaws, this book was definitely entertaining. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking about how it should be adapted into an anime. It could even be done in a style similar to Full Mental Alchemist. I would totally be on board with that.
World-building: 3.5/5
Overall, the author’s world-building was adequate enough to make this hidden world of automatons believable. The author definitely tried to appeal to the senses in describing different sights, sounds, and texture. The mechanics of this world also seemed relatively logical. Although fairly immersive, I did feel like the world-building was lacking in just a little more detail. I felt like some specific things about the automatons, how they lived among humans and how they operated, were glossed over.
Characters: 4/5
I was very captivated by the different automatons in the story. I thought they each had compelling personalities and interesting backstories. One thing to note about this story is that it switches between two first person POVs: June (the human protagonist) and Peter (automaton). I don’t particularly care for fluctuating perspectives but it all worked out fine in this book. I do have to admit that I preferred reading the chapters where it was Peter’s POV. I felt that June was probably a little underutilized as a protagonist in this book. She didn’t seem to go through nearly as much character development as Peter did.
Plot: 3.5/5
The idea of trying to save a hidden race of automatons from going extinct was definitely interesting. Again, the story fluctuated between the past and the present, which seemed a little awkward to keep track of at first but it all started to make sense the further I got into the book. The author also included some historical references, which I thought was a fun little added feature. Where I felt like it was lacking was in the details. Like I said before, I felt like certain events were glossed over. The author had a tendency to just condense 10 years into two paragraphs, giving us cursory details about what happened to the characters in that chunk of time. If you don’t keep track of the dates in the story, you almost forget that a large span of time has just passed. On one hand, the chapters were short and digestible. On the other hand, I felt like there was definitely some opportunity for the author to have expanded the story a little bit. Also, there were definitely some things left unresolved in the end. Not sure if the author plans to write a sequel, but there certainly could be one based on those loose ends.
Writing style: 3.5/5
The writing was pretty clear, straightforward, and succinct. Overall, I enjoyed the author’s descriptive style.
Entertainment: 4/5
In spite of its flaws, this book was definitely entertaining. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking about how it should be adapted into an anime. It could even be done in a style similar to Full Mental Alchemist. I would totally be on board with that.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
I was so intrigued by the concept of the book, and the prose was very fascinating and vivid - definitely got me into reading it. However, the brevity of the chapters and bouncing back and forth between different cliffhangers and plot twists from different perspectives felt choppy to me, to the point that by the third act, I was just trying to be done with the book.
I felt that would-be interesting characters were treated two dimensionally, including many of the major players, and while I felt an initial spark with all of them, somewhere around halfway through it became difficult to empathize with everything being thrown at me, without much sense of the meaning of the events or any investment in the characters’ well being.
I feel there was room for exploration of Daoist philosophy, and maybe that was a major part of the book- but if it was, it was lost on me.
Tl;dr- fascinating concept, vivid descriptive writing, but dropped off by trying to do too much and abandoning otherwise interesting characters along the way.
I felt that would-be interesting characters were treated two dimensionally, including many of the major players, and while I felt an initial spark with all of them, somewhere around halfway through it became difficult to empathize with everything being thrown at me, without much sense of the meaning of the events or any investment in the characters’ well being.
I feel there was room for exploration of Daoist philosophy, and maybe that was a major part of the book- but if it was, it was lost on me.
Tl;dr- fascinating concept, vivid descriptive writing, but dropped off by trying to do too much and abandoning otherwise interesting characters along the way.