Customer Reviews

Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Guinan and Bennett create an entire world here, an alternate universe in which a talking robot designed to fight the wars of men can be lost to history. Every part of the story is researched and couched in reality, so the effect is disorienting and transporting. Meanwhile, the authors are exploring issues of technology, fame, warfare, communications, and more. The illustrations and Photoshop work are brilliant. Great work... I recommend it highly.

Despite the comment by J Stonebraker, who could quite possibly be a complete idiot, this is a great book. Yes, it is a work of historical fiction, but it is an incredibly detailed, beautifully executed work of fiction.

In retrospect the below "Hoax" review may be the most positive compliment paid to this book.

The fact that this book is so well executed, so convincing that a person will ignore common sense, a basic grounding in history and even the slightest knowledge of engineering to believe that Boilerplate was real only attests to the skill, talent and vision of the artist.

Boilerplate *History's Mechanical Marvel* by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett is a book that I am thrilled to have added to my library, not the least for the historical value, but certainly for the beauty of its contents and illustrations. What a wonderful gift for all age groups!

I genuinely feel pity for the person who returned this book as a hoax, but what a brilliant compliment to this masterful mix of fact and fiction. The author has created an alternate history that is so real and so compelling that any acknowledgment or wink-wink clues as to its fantasy would have taken away from it. It stays in character without deviation. This genre is so entertaining and fascinating (when done right), and especially in this case, where the fantasy only makes up 10% of it and you suddenly realize how much you've learned about actual history while being entertained. (If you're rusty on your history, re-learning about all the incredible events of the 1893-1917 era is worth the price of admission by itself.)

I found this book quite by accident when the author's booth at WonderCon was my family's last stop of the long, tiring day. It only took a moment of scanning through this stunning, high-quality book to understand its genius. Although I find the robot's face to be personally creepy, the concept, story, history, illustration, layout, and photo compositing are simply outstanding. I have never seen a higher quality book. If you like steam-punk, history, sci-fi, mockumentaries, fiction-as-reality, illustration, or high-concept, BUY THIS BOOK. It's a steal at Amazon's price. It's also endlessly entertaining, EDUCATIONAL, and inspirational. Bravo.

I had the opportunity to preview this book at Comic Con 09 and instantly loved it. Mr. Guinan was extremely warm when I met him and it wasn't hard to identify his passion for the Boilerplate works.

Great book, highly recommended!

Years ago I stumbled across the Boilerplate website and ordered the "book". What I got was a fun little black and white photocopied history of Boilerplate summed up in a few pages. Neat, but so tantalizing! I knew there was more story to be told.

But I never in a million years would have expected this much story! The sheer number of photos, paintings, and illustrations is staggering. The way Boilerplate is subtly woven into history is a treat as well, since the "light touch approach" allows the reader to actually learn a good deal of history along the way.

Besides praising the creators of this fantastic book, I really want to praise the publishers. I'm sure they were sold on the quality of the material, but the way this book has been put together speaks more of love. This is a handsomely prepared book that should withstand years and years of enjoyment. I'm so happy to have it in my library, and so proud to be able to share it with my friends.

Boilerplate is a beautifully illustrated work documenting an alternate history wherein a steam-powered robot joins in a variety of historic events. Think of Boilerplate as the steampunk version of the "Young Indiana Jones" TV show from years ago. Wonderful book. I'll keep an eye out for other works by this author.

This is a supercool book in the Steampunk genre. Boilerplate is a Victorian Age robot who has numerous adventures in the various wars of that time. The author's excellent use of Photoshop to place Boilerplate in historic photos is amazing! I highly recommend it.

Having met Anina and Paul at a recent convention, I can only say that Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel is just as impressive as the people behind it- they're clearly passionate about the subject manner, and the proof is in the proverbial pudding. The book is meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated, and I found myself excitedly reading every caption so as to milk as much detail out of the book as I possibly could.

As the one reviewer who failed to realize this was fictional proves, Boilerplate is amazingly well-executed; the integration of an anachronistic robot into historical events I already know and love is simply delicious. Purchase this book! Purchase several for friends, family and men on the street! I cannot recommend it enough.

-C