This was a wild ride! The first quarter was a struggle for me because so much of it was about the technical detail of Mat’s limbs, but once Silvia was introduced the book hit its stride. Her character voice, and Mat’s in response to it, makes the book. The twist ending was totally a surprise, and also really satisfying.

3.5 stars

Years ago, Mat was a drone operator for the U.S. military. During one of his assignments, Mat accidentally killed a young child while taking out the nearby terrorists, and the misstep has haunted him ever since. Now, he's replaced his four limbs with high tech robotic replacements, which he uses to help save hostages, re-calibrating after every mission to try to minimize casualties as much as possible. On what should be a routine protect-the-package mission, things go haywire, introducing Silvia, a woman whose panic disorder has been weaponized. Now their mission has changed to try to take down the shadowy organization who did this to her.

This is a fast-paced, fun book that reads like a shoot-em-up video game (in a good way), but also handles mental illness with kindness and compassion. It's fun, it's sweet, it's imaginative, and I absolutely loved it.

What a fun cyberpunk romp! Reading Automatic Reload reminded me of how much I enjoy futuristic scifi books and that I don’t read enough of them regularly! The characters are intriguing and I was honestly surprised, in the best way, by how much fun they were. While there are serious moments, there is still a ton of great banter between them. I mean the cover kind of screams snark to me and it's delivered on a robotic platter.

The author told a lot in this book without making it feeling busy. They were able to introduce each character and make you care for them. I enjoyed getting snippets, which gave me an idea what was going on in their heads. They were all very unique and interesting in their own ways, and I really look forward to seeing them develop throughout the story. There were a couple of twists added to the plot which I loved.. I think this book was a great introduction to the authors work, and I loved what I read so I am definitely looking forward to the next book Ferret writes.

As long as you don’t expect too much from it, Ferrett Steinmetz’s Automatic Reload is a fun and exciting techno-action romp. Steinmetz’s premise—that in the near future, warfare and combat have evolved to be dominated by drone technology and augmented humans featuring AI-controlled cyborg-ish prosthetic limb weaponry—allows him to draw upon his programming background to geek out about the endless hours of maintenance and optimization that would presumably be involved if this sort of quasi-plausible future technology application were to be in place. This is refreshing, to a degree, as the nitty-gritty mundane details like this tend to be overlooked by many popcorn techno-thrillers. Steinmetz is clearly a fan of/influenced by Martha Wells’s excellent “Murderbot” series, and it feels like he is trying to establish a similar tone or vibe with this story, though he does not achieve the same level of success. This is more a testament to Wells’s work than a slight against Steinmetz, but the latter’s characters simply don’t ring through with the same gravity and humanity as the former.

The rom-com-y elements of Automatic Reload fall a little flat, in my opinion. I think this mainly stems from the fact that the two lead characters, while likeable, do not have realistic chemistry. It’s simply not believable that two people can meet and then be in love about 90 seconds later. Further, the emotional development of the characters and their relationships seemed to involve a bit too much “telling” vs. “showing,” even if it was nice to see the author attempt to humanize and normalize issues regarding PTSD and Anxiety. Additionally, the ending took an…interesting…turn, which I’m sure will be polarizing to readers, and the whole narrative toes a wee bit close to the line of “self-indulgent geekboy fantasy” at times, so readers who are repulsed by the likes of “Ready Player One” may want to steer clear.

Having said all that, if you’ve read the book’s jacket description and you’re interested, you should have a good sense of what you’re in for, and it’s still a fun read. It is blisteringly fast-paced, but a quick enough read that it doesn’t feel exhausting. If you’re in the mood for some lighthearted action entertainment with a few chuckles, give it a shot.

Three stars, worth a try.

https://lynns-books.com/2020/08/13/automatic-reload-by-ferrett-steinmetz/
3.5 of 5 stars
I loved the Mancer series by Ferrett Steinmetz and so when I saw the description for Automatic Reload it was something of a no-brainer that I wanted this book in my life. Here’s a short snippet of the original description to give you something of an idea:

‘Ferrett Steinmetz‘s quirky, genre-mashing cyberpunk romance Automatic Reload a high-octane adventure about a grizzled mercenary with machine gun arms who unexpectedly falls in love with a bio-engineered assassin.’

This was a very entertaining story, quick paced and high octane indeed. Steinmetz certainly does deliver a genre-mashing quirky romance and even with all the descriptions of guns and customised body parts he still manages to infuse this action story with plenty of warmth.

The story involves two key characters. Mat, a former soldier, now a mercenary who has been offered a job with a dream payout. If things go smoothly he’ll be very comfortable for quite some time (what could possibly go wrong?). Mat is the top in his field. This is a future where people can replace limbs with high grade weaponry andMat has gone for all four limbs. His attention to detail has ensured him an enviable reputation but, he suffers with guilt that means he likes to examine all the risks before taking action. Silvia is a genetically engineered assassin, almost inhuman in terms of strength, speed and agility with a panic disorder that makes her a little trigger happy. Silvia has been engineered almost beyond recognition by a ruthless company that will pull out all the stops to retrieve her when she goes AWOL and this is when Mat and Silvia team up.

What I will say about AR is it’s a whole load of fun. Steinmetz is really good with banter and also including all sorts of references that simply give you a buzz when you’re reading his stories. Automatic Reload isn’t necessarily a complicated plot, it’s really a boy meets girl story where the two people in question have their own hang ups and never believed that anyone would give them a second look again and so were overjoyed to find this unexpected second chance. It’s also a rescue mission, boy rescues girl, girl rescues boy, etc and more than that it’s a rage against the machine style plot that goes from fast to faster and promotes all round good feelings.

Of course all this out and out action does come at a slight cost. The characters are thinly drawn and the romance and love is almost instantaneous. That’s not really a criticism as it happens because for me lengthy descriptions and too much backstory would probably overload what is otherwise a very entertaining read that has a superhero or comic book feel to it and is a breath of fresh air.

I think the only issue that I really experienced is that there was a little too much information about the body hackers and all their tech. It wasn’t a problem as such but it did reach a point where I felt I understood the workings and wanted to move on.

I had no problems racing from cover to cover. This has plenty of action. Characters that are on the side of good, trying to do good things and a helluva lot of explosions – not to mention some incredibly creative thinking, particularly with the car scene – which I won’t spoil – but was great.

What I can say with absolute certainty is that Steinmetz is an author whose work I really enjoy.

I would rate this 3.5 of 5 stars

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. the above is my own opinion.

Automatic Reload by Ferrett Steinmetz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I came into this read with certain expectations. I've read five of his other novels and while many of them had serious moments, they were (on the whole) rather funny or even deeply amusing while also kicking major SF (or UF) butt.

This one, at least by the blurb, gave me a feeling like this would be a fast, furious, and funny romance with massive cyborg hardware wrapped in a romance.

What I found was a serious work met with quiet humor, an empathic romance born of anxiety, compassion, and shared threats.

How was it serious? It does wonders for the neurodiverse. Whether someone is anxious, depressed, or suffering from PTSD, I've rarely read a more comprehensive (and interesting) treatment. And it makes SENSE. Anyone that afraid of anything WOULD be a prime candidate for the full transhumanist package. And more, of course. Who needs a white matrix room when you can store all your guns IN your body. :)

Of course, I'm focusing on what makes this an excellent novel that will stay with me a while.

The other trappings are all kinds of awesome, too. It really IS a furious, high-octane shoot-em-up adventure, after all. And the romance is freaking sweet and hits all the right kinds of tones.

It's just not designed to be a laugh-a-minute tale. And I think it's BETTER for it. :)

Okay, so this one is on me. 😅

As a general rule, if an author refers to Glocks or "locks" in the first few pages, it's time for me to move on to another book. And although Ferret Steinmetz does nothing so pedestrian here, it's immediately apparent that the narrator of Automatic Reload is going to be talking about his guns-- well, his gun arms-- like, A LOT.

So setting aside that this book clearly isn't for me, it's mostly well-written, the futuristic weaponry follows a consistent logic, and the automated workplace sci-fi setting has some interesting twists to it. If you're looking for a book about a hyper-competent, socially awkward, cybernetically enhanced mercenary and you've already read all the Murderbot books, this should scratch that itch.

One caveat. The book veers into Ready Player One territory at points. Whereas Murderbot is obsessed with fictional TV serials, the protagonist in Automatic Reload is a big fan of movies from the 1970s and '80s. So it's only a matter of time before he's bonding with his wish-fulfillment love interest over their shared love of Harrison Ford movies (although somehow she's never seen Star Wars, which seems... dumb) and programming self-driving cars to yell out his favorite movie quotes.

If that's not the sort of thing that gets on your nerves, great! You'll probably have a lot of fun with this one. As for me, I can't say I wasn't warned! The book is pretty clear about it's intentions straight from the title. I just stuck around to see what happened.

Interesting characters. Intriguing plot. Dynamic prose. My attention was held the entire time. I enjoyed my time reading this one. I’d suggest this story to everyone who likes a more contemporary stuff.

Automatic Reload is the latest novel by author Ferrett Steinmetz and what appears to be his 6th novel overall. Steinmetz is actually one of the first authors I read when I came back to the genre, with his "mancer" series, which came recommended by an author I really enjoyed at the time. I enjoyed the first of that trilogy (Flex), but at the same time just found myself uninterested in continuing with the 2nd book when I tried it (The Flux) so I wound up DNFing it. But as I'd heard good things about one of his later novels, I was happy to give this novel a try when I saw in on NetGalley.

And I'm glad I did, Automatic Reload is a really interesting and pretty fun SF thriller. And I mean thriller - the basic plot features a protagonist narrator facing off and on the run from an implacable enemy through the use of lots and lots of military ordinance/firepower. It deals heavily with the theme of automaton and what becomes of a future in which automaton starts to replace human workers (the book very much follows an Andrew Yang-esque argument of future events), and not just in how the protagonist has literally automated his own arms and legs. It has a few of the tics that kind of turned me off from Steinmetz' first trilogy - a habit of trying to too hard to be clever with its narration to the audience - but those mainly go away after the first act and the result is a very solid scifi thriller.

-----------------------------------------------Plot Summary-------------------------------------------------

Mat is one of the best independent operatives in the world. You need someone rescued or some bad guys killed, Mat is your guy - provided he can pull off the mission with harming absolutely no innocent bystanders. Mat manages this through two special traits: first, he obsessive plans and re-plans every detail of his missions and even his life, going over every tiny failure with a fine tooth comb until he figures out how to prevent it from happening again.

Second, he purposely has replaced all four of his limbs with various sets of high tech prosthetics, armed to the teeth, and set to automatically fire and kill or disable any targets in his way faster than the human mind can even think. Whereas other operatives use stock robotic arms from expensive manufacturers or rely on the best technology, Mat custom tailors each of his limbs to work at the highest possible efficiency, to achieve his objectives without harm to any innocents whatsoever. It's an expensive way to work as an operative, but for Mat it's worth it.

But while Mat is the best, he's not the only game in town....or even the most dangerous. That label belongs to the IAC, a conglomerate of AI networks staffed with the best special ops agents and technology that works around the world and destroys anyone in their path. Mat has made it his goal to never ever come to the IAC's attention and to stay away from any missions involving them - because once you're on their radar, you don't get out alive.

But when Mat's agent Trish comes along with a mission where he will be incognito assisting other operatives transport a IAC property, the money on the line is so high he can't turn it down on principle. But of course, the mission soon goes horribly wrong, and Mat finds himself in the IAC's crosshairs, with no one but himself and the "property" - a genetically modified woman with panic disorders and insane powers - to rely upon. With just those resources Mat will have to do what he once considered the impossible: get away from the IAC, and no amount of preplanning will be enough to pull this off......

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I was struggling in how to write this review and the plot summary above without spoiling a key plot detail - the existence of Silvia, the second main character in this novel, an unwillingly genetically modified woman with panic disorders to go along with her super-powered physiology. Silvia only shows up at the end of this novel's first third, and is kind of a big spoiler to know about her ahead of time. But then I realized that she's not only on the book's front cover and own advertised plot description, but the tag line on the front cover also basically spoils part of her character traits. The advertising print even tries to advertise this novel as a romantic comedy! It's absolutely not in any way - there's moments of comedy and moments of romance, but anyone looking for a RomCom, even one with action, will not find that need met by this novel. But anyhow the point is that since the publisher isn't even trying to hide Silvia's existence, I guess I'm not going to either. Sorry.

Anyhow, on to the actual review! Automatic Reload is a really interesting and often fun thriller featuring the two main characters. It features a world in which automaton has replaced far more of human workers in all types of fields - including highly "specialized" ones like law and medicine for example - leading to some serious problems.* I should point out that this is the background for the story, and the story never fully directly interacts with this idea, instead interacting with the concept of the power and terror automaton indirectly. So you have Mat's narration about how his automatically operating arms eliminate targets and achieve objectives faster than any human ones, and the enemy often being automatically operating drones of various types, and Mat interacting with a smartcar system where every day car ownership has been replaced by AI versions of Uber, etc. And this works really well to showcase the theme of the powers and dangers of automaton throughout, and you can see Steinmetz' thesis of the problem really well.

I should also point out by the way that this setting is a future in which gender presentation is a choice instead of anything else, with the third major character in this novel being a woman (she/her pronouns) with who prefers to have a beard. It's a nice part of this future which doesn't really have much to do with this world, but I figured I kind of wanted to note it somewhere in this review.

*This worry was recently mainstreamed in the US by Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang, who very much feels like the type of person this book was written for. There are however, some serious data issues with this hypothetical future being a realistic look at what's actually happening.....but those are out of the scope of this review.*

Of course, this isn't exactly an ultra intellectual novel. It's a novel in first person narration of a dude who replaced his human arms and legs with replaceable metal limbs equipped with numerous kinds of death dealing technology, destroying a hell of a lot of things, and working with another enhanced human to try and escape and possibly fight back against bad guys. A different writer could've written this utterly straight, as a silly machismo thriller, but Steinmetz doesn't go there, with its narrator - Mat, our main character - being entirely self aware of how much it looks like he's compensating, Mat's still a bit annoying at first in how he does this honestly - the narration feels like it's trying to be to clever in winking to the audience about how ridiculous it all is - but as the novel goes on, that goes away as the book moves to an often fast paced thriller, albeit one with moments of lightness and romance in it as well (not nearly enough to be called a RomCom though) in between the ass kicking, hacking and blowing up of things.

It helps that our main duo is really interesting in their strengths and weaknesses, and I don't mean in a physical sense. Both Mat and Silvia may be physically strong, but they each suffer from mental illness - for Mat, that's a severe version of PTSD which has made him desperate to do his work - killing bad guys and helping people - without harming absolutely anybody, to the point of extreme....for when he does harm someone, his brain ties up in knots with flashbacks and panic attacks and he simply cannot cope. For Silvia, it lies in constant panic attacks over practically anything going wrong - and given the fact she's just woken up in a strange body she can't fully control with physical superpowers being hunted by an implacable enemy for who knows what, there's an awful lot that's gone wrong. Their mental illnesses make Mat and Sylvia a strong pair - as Mat understands personally what Sylvia is going through, and Steinmetz treats these illnesses well and respectfully with the seriousness they deserve. And in the moments Mat and Silvia are not dealing with their problems, they're fun in how they deal with stress or the things in front of them at any given moment, which makes them easy and fun to read about and follow.

Honestly, I've written far too many words for a review of a book of this type, but I'll sum it up basically as follows: If you're looking for a Rom Com, you're gonna be disappointed by Automatic Reload. If you're looking for a fun SF Thriller with interesting questions about automaton and solid characters trying to cope with mental illness? You're in good shape and you will definitely find yourself satisfied.

Automatic Reload by Ferrett Steinmetz, I had a hard time getting going with this book, just felt pulled in every direction without having a chance to get to know the character first. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book and I do think others will enjoy it.

Open up with a hostage situation that has the potential to go very bad, very quickly. Then introduce our protagonist, a former US military drone operator turned “bodyhacker” named Mat. Then introduce Mat’s pressing need to reduce ‘incidental damage’ (a side effect of his time as a drone operator), a nefarious international organization known as The Yak, and a job offer he can’t refuse. Throw in some PTSD, a rival body hacker who knows how to hold a grudge, and a bioweapon with panic attacks, and you’ve got yourself Automatic Reload.

Ferrett Steinmetz’s latest work is a thrilling combination of cyberpunk and romcom that is funny, sweet, and action-packed. Steinmetz does a great job immersing you in the not-too-distant future, building his new world while helping the reader understand how it sprung from our existing technology. He also tackles his characters’ battles with PTSD and panic disorder with sensitivity and understanding. Mat’s time in the service has left both physical and mental scars, and they’re never treated as a punchline but rather a fundamental part of who he has become. Likewise with Silvia, our genetically engineered WMD who fights throughout to push through her panic attacks and keep going, despite the incredible odds against them both. A couple of times those panic attacks cause real problems for our protagonists, but they’re never used as a McGuffin. They’re a part of her as much as Mat’s prosthetics are a part of him, and the author treats them all with the seriousness and respect they require.

If you’ve enjoyed Ferrett Steinmetz’s other works (The ‘Mancer Series, The Uploaded, and The Sol Majestic), you’ll enjoy Automatic Reload. Full of pop culture references and fast-paced action sequences, Automatic Reload kept me up late reading, excited to see what happened next.

This was a surprisingly fun science fiction adventure set in a future US where amputees can opt for awesome weaponized prostheses... and where the truly badass voluntarily replace limbs to become deadly cyborgs. Throw in a mysterious enemy creating biologically-modified superhumans, and you've got a whole lot of high-octane, blissfully ridiculous action. The main character, a quad-amputee named Mat, used to be a military drone pilot and suffers crippling PTSD after mistakenly killing a child on a mission. Now he's all but paralyzed by his need to hyper-analyze, hyper-plan, and do everything conceivable to minimize collateral damage. He ends up paired with a woman, Silvia, who has been rebuilt into a half-human, half-alien killing machine -- powered by her blindingly strong panic disorder. Together, these two broken weapons do the predictable thing and find a way to make each other whole. Look -- not much about this book is surprising. It's immediately clear what role the Ewan-McGregor-as-Roman-Sionis character, Donnie, will end up taking. You won't be shocked by the romantic plotline (this is NOT a romance novel, so don't worry; the love story is appropriately awkward and realistic and gratifyingly NOT explicit) or the ultimate outcome for our heroes. However, there's a pretty big twist at the end that definitely threw me back on my heels and made me reassess the entire book. Pick this one up if you like funny, flawed, tough characters facing impossible odds with courage and compassion, and if you like things blowing up.

5 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/automatic-reload-by-ferrett-steinmetz-review/

A cyborg with a conscience. A genetically enhanced assassin who suffers panic attacks. A love story for the ages—albeit kind of an odd one. A cyberpunk-romance about two heavily augmented badasses who take on the world, and have a breakdown when it gets to be too much. A couple that is more machine than man, but turn out to be more human than most of us.

I could go on, but you get the gist.

Mat is one the best at what he does—a black-market merc with a heart of silver (not quite gold, but close). A killing machine that would rather not have to, and manages to do his job without as much as possible. And does it far better than most humans. That’s because Mat is more than your average human. He’s post-human: a cybernetically enhanced body-hacker who uses his deadly, deadly augmentations to save innocent lives.

He’s the best at what he does for two reasons. One, because he maintains his equipment and preps for his missions with an OCD mentality. He lives and breathes cybernetics—always tweaking his limbs to improve performance and firepower, to minimize casualties rather than increase them, obsessively watching and rewatching video of his previous assignments to learn what he could’ve done better, who he could’ve saved. He takes posthumanism to the next level—a search for perfection.

And two, he never strays into the light of day. Mat is the big fish in his stretch of river, and he likes it that way. As such, he makes a point never to draw too much attention to himself. If any of the bigger fish from downstream noticed, they might fancy a trip up. And if any fishermen caught wind of him, they might stop by. But behind both the fish and fishermen, there’s a larger threat. The IAC—called the “Yak”. They’re the shark-man in this scenario. The uh… landshark. The government agency that makes body-hackers disappear forever. And Mat would do anything to keep off there radar. But, like everyone else, it appears this self-preservation has a price.

And that’s $3 million for two hours.

With the biggest score of his life on the line, Mat accepts a mission he knows is trouble from the outset. And it all snowballs not an hour in. When an unknown power attacks his convoy, Mat learns that the shipment he’s been contracted to protect isn’t a package at all. It’s a woman.

Enter Silvia: genetically engineered assassin and ultimate badass. And current prisoner of the IAC. The organization that no one wants to be at war with. The shadow cabal that Mat has done his best to avoid, his entire life. And two minutes after meeting Silvia he decides to throw it all away. And frees her.

But when the biggest score of his life turns into its biggest fight, Mat learns three things surprisingly quickly—one, he’s not the big fish anymore. Even with the IAC, the police and other body-hackers out to get him, it becomes clear that Silvia is the biggest fish. She’s Jaws and this is her movie. Two—whatever else Silvia may look like, the woman beneath the mask is ultimately more interesting than the assassin itself. With reflexes Mat would kill for but a self-confidence that provokes a panic attack every other action, Silvia is definitely more than meets the eye. And three—whatever else you might say about their issues, the two are infinitely better together than apart.

But will they be allowed to explore this budding romance in full, or will Jaws end like the movie—with the shark dead, the romance over, no chance of a sequel, and not a dry eye in the theater?

Automatic Reload is a cyberpunk-romance thriller—it’s what would’ve happened if Nicholas Sparks had authored Altered Carbon, only with more explosions and panic attacks. Written by ‘Mancer author Ferrett Steinmetz, it’s the action-adventure blockbuster I wanted, with the relatable stories I needed. No, I’m not talking about the government-trained assassin bit. Nor the cybernetic ally augmented super-solider. I’m talking about both. Mat only lost the first limb. Shredded in a military mishap, it was replaced with a prosthetic that promised better, faster, stronger performance than the original. From there it was easy to see the promise of posthumance. He quickly swapped out the old meat-suit for a fresh batch of new toys; a body that would manage to correct all the mistakes of the flesh that he couldn’t fix himself. Mat was after the power to safe others, only at the cost of himself.

Silvia didn’t choose her augments. Where Mat went with the body-hacker enhancement option, Silvia went the therapy route. Experimental, government, classified therapy. In hindsight, most of those should’ve been red flags. But at the time, she was desperate. Desperate to get on her own two feet, to get her life together—to please her family. The family that had done everything for her; her Mama, who both supported and belittled her, but loved her more than anything; and Vala, her sister, who lived and died for Silvia, fighting to build her up whenever their mother put Silvia down. Though the government reformed her body, they didn’t repair her mind. I guess that was Step B in therapy.

I related very well with each of these characters. While I know nothing about being a soldier, I know everything about depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and not feeling in control of your own mind. It’s an incredibly humbling, immensely frustrating experience. One that has you often desperate for a miracle cure: something that can fix you, fix everything, the dream of post-humanism. A role that Mat and Silvia fill perfectly. There is so never any chance of perfection in life—despite the fact that this is what Mat does, what he strives for day after day—it’s just a pipe dream. Silvia is about as far from perfection as one can get. Not only can she not control her mind, her body is suddenly alien as well. Before, neither has lived very well. But now, they are forced with a decision. Apart, the odds of survival are almost nil. Together… well, it’s higher. So, better together. Better together, but not perfect.

But life is never perfect, and death the only alternative.

TL;DR

An amazing cyberpunk adventure. Action-packed, romantically steamy, emotionally unstable, and more—Mat and Silvia represent a team that I’d love to see more of down the road. A few unique and unexpected twists later on in the story kept the plot intriguing, and never hard to read. I have very few complaints about this book. The story was great. The trials and travails faced within were both relatable and inspiring. Despite the leads being debatably “more-than human”, each demonstrated their humanity perfectly. It’s unclear whether the text argues more for or against transhumanism. I think it makes the case for posthumance, but urges restraint. But you can decide for yourself. My biggest issues were with the world-building—that we so rarely got a glimpse of the world outside the immediate story—though it’s a minor gripe. Truth is, I loved this book. Probably my best of the year thus far. Easily recommend.