The Automatic Detective

By: A. Lee Martinez

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Even in Empire City, a town where weird science is the hope for tomorrow, it's hard for a robot to make his way. It's even harder for a robot named Mack Megaton, a hulking machine designed to bring mankind to its knees. But Mack's not interested in world domination. He's just a bot trying to get by, trying to demonstrate that he isn't just an automated smashing machine, and to earn his citizenship in the process. It should be as easy as crushing a tank for Mack, but some bots just can't catch a break.

When Mack's neighbors are kidnapped, Mack sets off on a journey through the dark alleys and gleaming skyscrapers of Empire City. Along the way, he runs afoul of a talking gorilla, a brainy dame, a mutant lowlife, a little green mob boss, and the secret conspiracy at the heart of Empire's founders - not to mention more trouble than he bargained for. What started out as one missing family becomes a battle for the future of Empire and every citizen that calls her home.

©2008 A. Lee Martinez (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Martinez tickles the funny bone in this delightful, fast-paced mishmash of SF and hard-boiled detective story.... Eccentric characters, all of whom are clever twists on stereotypes, populate a smart, rocket-fast read with a clever, twisty plot that comes to a satisfying conclusion." (Publishers Weekly)

“This combination sci-fi/hard-boiled detective story is a hoot….Narrator Marc Vietor approaches the story with a classic noir tone that is hilarious.” (AudioFile)

Average

This was just a regular somewhat futurist story. Nothing exceptional, in fact the author seems not up on technology.

Charmingly retro

The concept is pretty simple, but clever. "Hey, what if we took the hardboiled detective thing, and stuck in in a 'futuristic' city--or what people thought the future would look like back in the early 1960s?" It really commits to bringing these elements to life. On the one hand, you have an unflappable, keen-eyed detective; an honorable but restricted police chief; a wickedly intelligent, sexy, and dangerous femme fatale; a number of lowlife thugs; and a simple crime that unravels to a big conspiracy. On the other hand, the detective is a robot, the police chief is a rat mutant, the femme fatale is a genius inventor, the thugs have mind control, and the big conspiracy is...well, I guess you'd have to read it.

Mack is a fun lens to see the world through, and his allies are all pretty likeable as well, but it got really hard to keep most of the villains apart because they're all pretty same-y.

There's intentionally a lot of "zee-rust" on the science fiction, though--ideas that have become obsolete before coming to fruition. For example, there's a weird contradiction that you need a computer the size of a room to analyze Mack's main processor, and yet his computer itself is barely the size of a basketball. There are also a lot of "mutants" but the idea of mysterious radioactive goop bestowing superpowers went out of fashion with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

But the overarching mystery leaves a lot to be desired. By taking the hardboiled detective mystery out of the real world, it becomes a lot harder to follow the mystery. Every time Mack goes to a new location, he has to describe it, because Empire City is completely different, and while that gives you a lot of time to admire the scenery it makes it really hard to try to think things through and solve the mystery alongside him.

Sci Fi meets Raymond Chandler detective novels

A robot develops a glitch the gives it sencience ... or at least enough so that the government has it on probation till it can decide if it qualifies as a part of humanity. It makes a life by being a cab driver and going to the psychologist whose job it is to determine if it is evolved enough to qualify for citizenship, but otherwise doesn't really involve itself in human issues. One day it happens upon a sleazy character bothering the only humans it cares about, it's next door neighbors and their two children .... and the family's disappearance a little later forces it to try to find them --- in the process completely turning its life upside down and unearthing a major secret with global and interstellar implications, and ultimately realizing it's a better detective than cab driver. All in all an enjoyable listen.

Great time killer, great narration, good book.

If Philip Marlowe were a futuristic robot... naah. Not really. Noir for sure. But a bit too heavy on the Sci Fi to really work as I expected. Still an enjoyable oddity and a fine narration made this a good time killer listen.

The Adamatic Detective

Perry Mason of robots. I'm looking forward to a sequel. Mac's last name should be changed to Mason, Mac Mason.

Full on film noir

I didnt think it was possible to do maltese falcon style film noir with robots, mad scientists, inventor dames, and mutant rodents. It is. I had to stop a couple times to bask in it. The voice actor is superb. There are a few bits at the end where I think he mixed up accents, but thats a minor issue.
This is great.

Great fun!

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure what I expected from the review, but I was pleasantly surprised as I listened. I'm a hardcore science fiction fan and long-time aficionado of the gritty detective mysteries of old. Martinez combined the two in a way I really enjoyed and Mr. Vietor brought it to life wonderfully. The end sounded like it could be the beginning of a series. I'll be watching.

fantastic

I thought the story of Mack megaton would be kinda of dumb and cheesy and it may be . however I got sucked into the story and A. Lee made me a fan of their books

Masterful narration

The amazing deadpan delivery coupled with a fantastic sense of humour made this book at the light to listen to. One of my favourite authors!

Absolutely loved it!

Narration was excellent. The story had me hooked after the first chapter. If any novel needs a movie, it's this one. I wish there was a sequel to enjoy the characters again!