In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

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From the Publisher:

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

I really, really enjoyed this one! Klune has this way of making, what I felt was, a very action packed and plot driven novel still seem very quiet and contemplative. Set in a dystopian future, our characters always seem to be on the verge of grave danger and yet, still find humor and joy throughout their days. If anyone can write a whimsical, dystopian love story, it’s Klune. Full of adventure in a futuristic setting, at it’s heart, In the Lives of Puppets is a magical story of found family, loyalty, acceptance, and love.

If you’d like to add this wonderful novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

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I recently listened to the latest episode of Smart Podcast, Trashy Books where Becky Chambers spoke of wanting to write a book that would be like “sending a hug out into the world.” Chambers definitely delivered that warm hug with A Psalm for the Wild Built. In a world that has turned the corner from near climate devastation, a monk has found themselves wanting to make a vocational change and start a new journey as a tea monk. After a slightly rocky start, Dex becomes one of the most popular tea monks in the area. Helping people talk through their struggles and sadness, finding the perfect cup of tea to meet their needs, and traveling from town to town is both exciting and emotionally draining. When Dex begins to feel overwhelmed, they strike out on a spontaneous journey to find an old hermitage in the mountains. Along the way, they encounter a robot. A real, honest-to-goodness robot named Mosscap who has  just met his first real, honest-to-goodness human. Together, the two begin a journey that will take them into the unknown wilds of Panga, and the unknown territory of a robot and human friendship. 

This is such a lovely story set in an imaginative new world. Panga, the world’s one continent is carefully divided into areas for human living and carefully protected wildlife. Balance between the humans and the living world has been found and the people now treat their world with reverence and respect. Chambers has created a world that understands the need for tech for things like communication and data storage, and strives to learn from the devastation that an oil-fueled civilization had on the planet. 

Dex and Mosscap are wonderful and interesting characters. Together, they explore what it means to be human, what it means to evolve, and what it means to be brave. Mosscap is a gentle and enthusiastic robot who loves to learn about everything. Absolutely everything! Their fascination with Dex’s belongings and confusion about many of their actions played out in a delicate balance between child-like wonder and old-soul wisdom. Dex is an incredibly relatable  person who could be from any planet and from any time. Dex is struggling to find their place in the world, their purpose in life, and unsure of why they never feel fulfilled. 

I loved this little book and can’t wait to see what Chambers comes up with next in the series. Will there be more adventures with Dex and Mosscap? Will we get to meet other robots? Explore more of Panga? I know I’ll be watching for book 2.

If you would like to add this lovely novella to your bookshelf, you can find ordering information here: 

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.