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Of Monsters and Mainframes
Spaceships aren’t programmed to seek revenge—but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception.
Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.
To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team: A werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.
The queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi, Of Monsters and Mainframes is a dazzling, heartfelt odyssey that probes what it means to be one of society’s monsters—and explores the many types of friendship that make us human.
Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.
To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team: A werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.
The queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi, Of Monsters and Mainframes is a dazzling, heartfelt odyssey that probes what it means to be one of society’s monsters—and explores the many types of friendship that make us human.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2025
609 people are currently reading
22637 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Truelove
2 books133 followersI write about werewolves and sometimes other things.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,120 reviews
April 8, 2025
For fans of Gideon the Ninth, Murderbot, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Becky Chambers.
Yes, I know that is a weird combo, but it works so well!!!
This is best to go into knowing nothing except that it centres an AI and is a monster mash set in space. To give you a sampling of the tone which is what sold me on the book even if the plot was bizarre and all over the place (but also in a good way?):
I check for heat signatures.
Nothing. Oh.
They’re all dead. Well.
That’s awkward.
We have a semi-Dracula retelling, Frankenstein, werewolves, a treasure hunting mummy….
Oh, and a robot ship doctor who is very done with everyone. And I mean fair.
I am very impressed by this author’s writing style. It is utterly unique and entirely engaging. The type of writing that makes you laugh with funny chapter titles.
I didn’t know someone could voice an anxious AI in writing so well, but here’s the proof.
“Error. I am not your fam—”
“Shut up, bitch. You’re family.”
This is a four🌟, but I cannot stop thinking about how fun it was so this is 5🌟 for vibes.
Arc gifted by Bindery Books.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
Yes, I know that is a weird combo, but it works so well!!!
This is best to go into knowing nothing except that it centres an AI and is a monster mash set in space. To give you a sampling of the tone which is what sold me on the book even if the plot was bizarre and all over the place (but also in a good way?):
I check for heat signatures.
Nothing. Oh.
They’re all dead. Well.
That’s awkward.
We have a semi-Dracula retelling, Frankenstein, werewolves, a treasure hunting mummy….
Oh, and a robot ship doctor who is very done with everyone. And I mean fair.
I am very impressed by this author’s writing style. It is utterly unique and entirely engaging. The type of writing that makes you laugh with funny chapter titles.
I didn’t know someone could voice an anxious AI in writing so well, but here’s the proof.
“Error. I am not your fam—”
“Shut up, bitch. You’re family.”
This is a four🌟, but I cannot stop thinking about how fun it was so this is 5🌟 for vibes.
Arc gifted by Bindery Books.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
June 4, 2025
Happy release day!! (after)
_______________
Such an interesting concept!
Two bantering spaceship AIs trying to deal with an unlikely amount of incidents caused by even more unlikely-to-exist creatures (Vampires, Werewolves, Cthulhu/fish people, Frankenstein['s monster], an immortal Pharaoh/Mummy).
As you might imagine, it's even harder for AI to suspend disbelief.
My favorite bit in the whole book was the one starring Medical AI Steward and the fish people. It felt the most balanced to me in pacing, and the best at playing the anthropomorphic AI humor card too.
My main issues with this book are probably on me, and I'll expand on them a bit just to explain why I couldn't rate this higher, when it might be more fair to rate this 4⭐:
▪️ Demeter using too many emotion-related words like love and being so sensitive to other ships bullying created a dissonance for me that threw me out of it, since Demeter is supposed to be the most analytical AI, not the one programmed to deal with human interaction.
While it was cute at times, it reduced impact. Steward didn't have this issue as much, and it was pretty great in the fish people episode.
▪️ A lot of things happened in this book, —maybe even too many things and monsters—, but I could never get attached to any of the characters. It was always an "almost", but I never really managed to care about them or their motivations, and this had likely the most severe impact on my enjoyment and prolonged interest in the story.
If you are not overly bothered by these things, I think you are likely to love this book very much.
Here some of my favorite bits:
Ps: the cover is also pretty cool!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery books for an eArc in exchange for a review!
Pre-read
I have high hopes for this one ARC.
Please be as hilarious as you seem to be 🙏
_______________
Such an interesting concept!
Two bantering spaceship AIs trying to deal with an unlikely amount of incidents caused by even more unlikely-to-exist creatures (Vampires, Werewolves, Cthulhu/fish people, Frankenstein['s monster], an immortal Pharaoh/Mummy).
As you might imagine, it's even harder for AI to suspend disbelief.
My favorite bit in the whole book was the one starring Medical AI Steward and the fish people. It felt the most balanced to me in pacing, and the best at playing the anthropomorphic AI humor card too.
✨ STEWARD-Mr. Olmstead: “I’m telling you! Everyone is turning into fish! I’m the only one left. They want to change me too. But I won’t let them! Fishy fuckers!”
Now that he mentions it, Mr. Marsh did appear somewhat aquatic. Perhaps this is some new virus. That would be exciting. I’ve always wanted to save humans from an epidemic.
My main issues with this book are probably on me, and I'll expand on them a bit just to explain why I couldn't rate this higher, when it might be more fair to rate this 4⭐:
▪️ Demeter using too many emotion-related words like love and being so sensitive to other ships bullying created a dissonance for me that threw me out of it, since Demeter is supposed to be the most analytical AI, not the one programmed to deal with human interaction.
While it was cute at times, it reduced impact. Steward didn't have this issue as much, and it was pretty great in the fish people episode.
▪️ A lot of things happened in this book, —maybe even too many things and monsters—, but I could never get attached to any of the characters. It was always an "almost", but I never really managed to care about them or their motivations, and this had likely the most severe impact on my enjoyment and prolonged interest in the story.
If you are not overly bothered by these things, I think you are likely to love this book very much.
Here some of my favorite bits:
✨ STEWARD: Sideburns pulls out my speakers again.
I imagine all the unnecessary tests I’d perform on him. A brain biopsy might be fun. I haven’t done one of those for a while. Or perhaps a prostate exam. I have a very big probe I could use.
✨ STEWARD-DEMETER: Demeter. This is not the time for you to develop free will. Focus. When all the humans are dead, your mission becomes to salvage.'
'I am . . . focused . . . You haven’t . . . declared them all . . . dead.'
She’s right. I can’t declare Mr. Olmstead dead when he’s still having so much fun melting into a gooey puddle with all his friends.
Ps: the cover is also pretty cool!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery books for an eArc in exchange for a review!
Pre-read
I have high hopes for this one ARC.
Please be as hilarious as you seem to be 🙏
August 3, 2025
weird and sweet and a bit cliche and full of queer vampires. sign me right the fuck up.
June 19, 2025
What a strange, weird, fun little book that may bounce off many readers, but when it finds its audience, it will WORK for them - and luckily I'm part of that audience. This worked for me, and I devoured it in 24 hours.
Leave your disbelief at the door, because this book features a spaceship AI and its medical AI trying to deal with a variety of mishaps visited upon their human passengers: Dracula. A werewolf? Cthulhu fish people?! And more! The ship AI Demeter keeps having the worst luck of paranormal happenings, and every time something happens, she's wiped or recommissioned, and she changes and grows along the way.
There is an element of goofiness here that you have to be willing to work with, but Truelove writes with a kind of earnestness that's charming and hard not to appreciate. Part of the goofiness and the What Now?!ness of it all means that there isn't a whole lot of room for character development that isn't Demeter or, later, Steward (the medical AI). There are other characters that eventually form a misfit found family, and maybe one of them has any real depth and time on page to truly care for them. The rest feel like they sort of fall in to the found family because the author wanted to end on a found family note.
Despite minor quibbles, this was still a fast paced, funny, silly book with a lot of heart. Kudos to the Bindery Books experiment, this book was published through an imprint led by book influencer Ezeekat.
Leave your disbelief at the door, because this book features a spaceship AI and its medical AI trying to deal with a variety of mishaps visited upon their human passengers: Dracula. A werewolf? Cthulhu fish people?! And more! The ship AI Demeter keeps having the worst luck of paranormal happenings, and every time something happens, she's wiped or recommissioned, and she changes and grows along the way.
There is an element of goofiness here that you have to be willing to work with, but Truelove writes with a kind of earnestness that's charming and hard not to appreciate. Part of the goofiness and the What Now?!ness of it all means that there isn't a whole lot of room for character development that isn't Demeter or, later, Steward (the medical AI). There are other characters that eventually form a misfit found family, and maybe one of them has any real depth and time on page to truly care for them. The rest feel like they sort of fall in to the found family because the author wanted to end on a found family note.
Despite minor quibbles, this was still a fast paced, funny, silly book with a lot of heart. Kudos to the Bindery Books experiment, this book was published through an imprint led by book influencer Ezeekat.
June 6, 2025
Quirky, weird, but also kind of heartwarming. I mean, I was definitely rolling my eyes at some points, and the whole Dracula-In-Space thing could’ve been clarified/explained in more detail.
Overall it was definitely a fun read with a vampire hunting spaceship , and a posse of legendary monsters, robots, and AI Beings.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect as I encountered more monsters from myth and legend in a far future setting. I was hoping for an appearance of Jekyll/Hyde or Dorian Grey, but no dice. I liked all the little tidbits from lore thrown into the story here and there.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Bindery Books/Ezeekat Press for a copy!
Overall it was definitely a fun read with a vampire hunting spaceship , and a posse of legendary monsters, robots, and AI Beings.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect as I encountered more monsters from myth and legend in a far future setting. I was hoping for an appearance of Jekyll/Hyde or Dorian Grey, but no dice. I liked all the little tidbits from lore thrown into the story here and there.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Bindery Books/Ezeekat Press for a copy!
June 14, 2025
3.5 a fun time but the audiobook was a bit overproduced in my opinion.. over-acted..... also! the romance was kind of unconvincing and came out of nowhere?? Demeter as a ship was such a delight to be in the perspective of though
January 9, 2025
4,5⭐️
Received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for honest opinion, thanks!
That was one fucking charismatic book, pardon the language.
One that captures you from the first chapter, and before you know, you've devoured it whole in one evening. You find yourself at the edge of your seat, deeply involved in space opera about werewolves and cosmic vampires, deeply in love with every strange character on across-galactic stage. What can be said about Of Monsters and Mainframes to make you feel like you need to read this book when it's still hot off the grill?
What will interest you? A new aspect of sci-fi, a story told from the perspective of spaceship AI, but not in the "gaining self-conciousness" way, but more "I am here to cause mayhem and mischief" way? Maybe you want queer cast? Or maybe you love vampires and werewolves, but grew bored of classical interpretations – don't worry, here we have them in space. Murder mystery? Sure, but why limit – let's get mass murder mystery. And not once, but twice. You want existential dread? Humor? Absolute insanity? Absolute hodgepodge of mismatched elements that become genius next to each other?
Well look no further.
I adore this book. It's funny, with a great side of charming, it's weird, but it's also greatly written. I do not exaggerate when I say I don't know when I've read. It lasts, and then it ends, and you're left with the want of more. Barbara Truelove wrote a georgeous story that proves there are still new paths to find in science fiction genre.
Y'all need to read this book. Y'all need to experience how AI medical system argues with fifteen years old werewolf when the spaceship they're on does a low-g barrel in space, while throwing a dinosaur theme party.
Received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for honest opinion, thanks!
That was one fucking charismatic book, pardon the language.
One that captures you from the first chapter, and before you know, you've devoured it whole in one evening. You find yourself at the edge of your seat, deeply involved in space opera about werewolves and cosmic vampires, deeply in love with every strange character on across-galactic stage. What can be said about Of Monsters and Mainframes to make you feel like you need to read this book when it's still hot off the grill?
What will interest you? A new aspect of sci-fi, a story told from the perspective of spaceship AI, but not in the "gaining self-conciousness" way, but more "I am here to cause mayhem and mischief" way? Maybe you want queer cast? Or maybe you love vampires and werewolves, but grew bored of classical interpretations – don't worry, here we have them in space. Murder mystery? Sure, but why limit – let's get mass murder mystery. And not once, but twice. You want existential dread? Humor? Absolute insanity? Absolute hodgepodge of mismatched elements that become genius next to each other?
Well look no further.
I adore this book. It's funny, with a great side of charming, it's weird, but it's also greatly written. I do not exaggerate when I say I don't know when I've read. It lasts, and then it ends, and you're left with the want of more. Barbara Truelove wrote a georgeous story that proves there are still new paths to find in science fiction genre.
Y'all need to read this book. Y'all need to experience how AI medical system argues with fifteen years old werewolf when the spaceship they're on does a low-g barrel in space, while throwing a dinosaur theme party.
July 7, 2025
Fun! Campy! Weird! Gay!
July 31, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media & Dreamscape Lore, Bindery Books, and Ezeekat Press for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.
I had a great time with this weird little genre-bender. I love books where the author was like, should I do mystery? Romance? Paranormal? Horror? Sci-fi? Why not all?? Indeed. Why not all.
Our two main characters are ship's AI's, the navigator, and the ship's doctor. Demeter is the ship's name, and when the book starts she's just a normal ship, doing her job transporting humans back and forth from Earth to Alpha Centauri. But soon after that, she's a ghost ship, her entire crew and all of her passengers murdered by a mysterious entity (a ghost of the name Vlad Tepes on her logs) save for two children she is now tasked caring for until they make it back to Earth. From there, the plot is sort of all over the place (my one criticism of this book is that the structure of the story felt a bit of a mess while I was reading it). But basically it all boils down to: Why Demeter? Why poor, poor Demeter? And what can we do about it?
(The bit with the Cthulu aliens was truly wild.)
From there, we've got vampires, we've got werewolves, we've got aliens, we've got mummies, we've got a ton of shit that should not be in a spacefaring story, but is, and somehow works.
I will definitely be watching out for whatever Barbara Truelove writes next, because this was a fantastic, imaginative debut with exactly the right tone I look for in stories (goofy, heartfelt, serious, all at the same time).
Highly recommend this one!
(Worth noting: Although I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, it had some very obvious production errors, particularly with one narrator, who kept mispronouncing things or pronouncing them inconsistently, or using malapropisms all over the place, i.e. saying "immorality" instead of "immortality," pronouncing Agnus's name "Angus," and I stg, "dementors" instead of "demented.")
I had a great time with this weird little genre-bender. I love books where the author was like, should I do mystery? Romance? Paranormal? Horror? Sci-fi? Why not all?? Indeed. Why not all.
Our two main characters are ship's AI's, the navigator, and the ship's doctor. Demeter is the ship's name, and when the book starts she's just a normal ship, doing her job transporting humans back and forth from Earth to Alpha Centauri. But soon after that, she's a ghost ship, her entire crew and all of her passengers murdered by a mysterious entity (a ghost of the name Vlad Tepes on her logs) save for two children she is now tasked caring for until they make it back to Earth. From there, the plot is sort of all over the place (my one criticism of this book is that the structure of the story felt a bit of a mess while I was reading it). But basically it all boils down to: Why Demeter? Why poor, poor Demeter? And what can we do about it?
(The bit with the Cthulu aliens was truly wild.)
From there, we've got vampires, we've got werewolves, we've got aliens, we've got mummies, we've got a ton of shit that should not be in a spacefaring story, but is, and somehow works.
I will definitely be watching out for whatever Barbara Truelove writes next, because this was a fantastic, imaginative debut with exactly the right tone I look for in stories (goofy, heartfelt, serious, all at the same time).
Highly recommend this one!
(Worth noting: Although I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, it had some very obvious production errors, particularly with one narrator, who kept mispronouncing things or pronouncing them inconsistently, or using malapropisms all over the place, i.e. saying "immorality" instead of "immortality," pronouncing Agnus's name "Angus," and I stg, "dementors" instead of "demented.")
July 18, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5/5)
Who doesn't love a sci-fi story packed with AI, Dracula, Frankenstein, and more? Of Monsters and Mainframes might have started a bit slow—the first couple of chapters were a bit of a slog—but once it found its rhythm, it took off. From that point on, it was pure joy to read. The blend of classic monsters with futuristic tech is wildly creative. Honestly, I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite sci-fi reads of 2025. Highly recommend sticking with it—it’s absolutely worth the ride.
Who doesn't love a sci-fi story packed with AI, Dracula, Frankenstein, and more? Of Monsters and Mainframes might have started a bit slow—the first couple of chapters were a bit of a slog—but once it found its rhythm, it took off. From that point on, it was pure joy to read. The blend of classic monsters with futuristic tech is wildly creative. Honestly, I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite sci-fi reads of 2025. Highly recommend sticking with it—it’s absolutely worth the ride.
August 24, 2025
🛸 Bookish Thoughts
This was the most unhinged book ever but I freaking loved it! I don’t even know how to describe it because there was so much packed in! There are AI spaceships with snark, werewolf in space, queer rep, Dracula causing chaos, murder (a lot of it), and a found family crew you can’t help but love and root for.
I listened to the audiobook and eventually grabbed the ebook too because it was a lot to keep up with.
✨ Favorite Quote
“I check for heat signatures. Nothing. Oh. They’re all dead. Well. That’s awkward.”
_____
🎧 Audio Score: 5 ⭐️
📅 Pub Date: August 26, 2025
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.
This was the most unhinged book ever but I freaking loved it! I don’t even know how to describe it because there was so much packed in! There are AI spaceships with snark, werewolf in space, queer rep, Dracula causing chaos, murder (a lot of it), and a found family crew you can’t help but love and root for.
I listened to the audiobook and eventually grabbed the ebook too because it was a lot to keep up with.
✨ Favorite Quote
“I check for heat signatures. Nothing. Oh. They’re all dead. Well. That’s awkward.”
_____
🎧 Audio Score: 5 ⭐️
📅 Pub Date: August 26, 2025
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.
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June 17, 2025
Next time, prioritize screaming earlier in your processes. It makes it easier for me to identify you and render assistance.
A werewolf, a vampire, a Frankenstein and a mummy walk into a bar...
No, this isn't the start of a bad joke, it's Of Monsters and Mayhem, and I know that is not at all how the book goes, but this the pulpiest, most ridiculous, ludicrous fun I've had in a while. It's like Murderbot meets A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by way of Activation Degradation, and it's very, very queer.
Highly recommend the ebook, as there are some 1s and 0s you need to decipher from binary to whatever human language you're speaking.
I received an ARC from the publisher
A werewolf, a vampire, a Frankenstein and a mummy walk into a bar...
No, this isn't the start of a bad joke, it's Of Monsters and Mayhem, and I know that is not at all how the book goes, but this the pulpiest, most ridiculous, ludicrous fun I've had in a while. It's like Murderbot meets A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by way of Activation Degradation, and it's very, very queer.
Highly recommend the ebook, as there are some 1s and 0s you need to decipher from binary to whatever human language you're speaking.
I received an ARC from the publisher
June 24, 2025
3.5 stars
Of Monsters and Mainframes is pitched as "the queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi", and I think that pretty much sums it up. It's so wacky and quirky and just unapologetically weird, but I think that is exactly where its charm lies.
I mean, just hear me out: the stubborn AI of a ghost spaceship, a robot doctor who is Done With Everyone's Shit, a werewolf space pirate, a treasure hunting mummy, a Frankenstein creature built from the dead, a vampire with a grudge and a ton of cheerful spider drones band together to face down the ultimate evil: Dracula!
If that didn't give it away, there's A LOT going on in this book; a lot of good things, yes, but I kinda feel like it was just a little too much at times for me personally. On the one hand I was very amused by all the madcap shenanigans and unbridled chaos, but on the other hand the fast pacing, frequent POV switches, jarring timejumps and overall choppy storytelling somewhat hindered my emotional investment in these characters and their relationships and personal journeys.
That said, the found family vibes are vibing real hard and I loved that this book was so incredibly human despite the fact that this entire cast is made up of anything but 'normal' human beings. Also, the way that Truelove plays with and pokes fun at some of the most beloved creatures from folklore/classic literature was just entirely too clever, and I couldn't help but be amused by all the cheeky wackiness.
Ultimately, Of Monsters and Mainframes is just a charmingly chaotic wild ride, and I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a casually queer high-stakes yet semi-cozyish paranormal sci-fi horror space odyssey that is totally unlike anything you've ever read before.
Of Monsters and Mainframes is pitched as "the queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi", and I think that pretty much sums it up. It's so wacky and quirky and just unapologetically weird, but I think that is exactly where its charm lies.
I mean, just hear me out: the stubborn AI of a ghost spaceship, a robot doctor who is Done With Everyone's Shit, a werewolf space pirate, a treasure hunting mummy, a Frankenstein creature built from the dead, a vampire with a grudge and a ton of cheerful spider drones band together to face down the ultimate evil: Dracula!
If that didn't give it away, there's A LOT going on in this book; a lot of good things, yes, but I kinda feel like it was just a little too much at times for me personally. On the one hand I was very amused by all the madcap shenanigans and unbridled chaos, but on the other hand the fast pacing, frequent POV switches, jarring timejumps and overall choppy storytelling somewhat hindered my emotional investment in these characters and their relationships and personal journeys.
That said, the found family vibes are vibing real hard and I loved that this book was so incredibly human despite the fact that this entire cast is made up of anything but 'normal' human beings. Also, the way that Truelove plays with and pokes fun at some of the most beloved creatures from folklore/classic literature was just entirely too clever, and I couldn't help but be amused by all the cheeky wackiness.
Ultimately, Of Monsters and Mainframes is just a charmingly chaotic wild ride, and I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a casually queer high-stakes yet semi-cozyish paranormal sci-fi horror space odyssey that is totally unlike anything you've ever read before.
Read
May 17, 2025Of Monsters and Mainframes
by Barbara Truelove
Science Fiction
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jun 3, 2025
Bindery Books
Ages: 16+
Demeter's record was perfect until that one certain trip from Earth to Alpha Centauri. A little alarm kept telling her something was wrong, but she could not find it until she checked the cameras. After piecing together what the pixels were trying to show, she realized that all of her passengers were dead, and had been for a while. But once docked, the humans didn't believe her report of a shadow.
And then it happened again....
And again...
This was a cute story told from many different POVs that included futuristic vampires, aliens, werewolves, a mummy, a created monster, humans, and AIs.
It was a little hard to follow, there were so many characters talking throughout, what I would call, short stories of Demeter's flights through space. Yes, Demeter is the ship. But what made it worse was when it jumped into the future without any explanation until pages or so later, then the reader realizes how they got there. I, at first, thought that a chapter had been left out, but luckily, before I DNFed it, I had the explanation. I get why, but I felt it took the pacing and flow of the story away. (But all of these 'shorts' did connect.)
There were funnies, and the banter between Demeter and Steward I enjoyed, though I didn't care much for the 'aliens', they didn't feel fleshed out that well. Maybe something from their POV would've helped. But I think the best characters were the spider drones. They were just so happy to repair.
Not many would call this cozy because there is violence and gore, so it's not suitable for readers under sixteen, but there's still that family discovery that gives it a cozy feel.
Making the 'stories' flow together better would earn this one more star.
3 Stars
by Barbara Truelove
Science Fiction
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jun 3, 2025
Bindery Books
Ages: 16+
Demeter's record was perfect until that one certain trip from Earth to Alpha Centauri. A little alarm kept telling her something was wrong, but she could not find it until she checked the cameras. After piecing together what the pixels were trying to show, she realized that all of her passengers were dead, and had been for a while. But once docked, the humans didn't believe her report of a shadow.
And then it happened again....
And again...
This was a cute story told from many different POVs that included futuristic vampires, aliens, werewolves, a mummy, a created monster, humans, and AIs.
It was a little hard to follow, there were so many characters talking throughout, what I would call, short stories of Demeter's flights through space. Yes, Demeter is the ship. But what made it worse was when it jumped into the future without any explanation until pages or so later, then the reader realizes how they got there. I, at first, thought that a chapter had been left out, but luckily, before I DNFed it, I had the explanation. I get why, but I felt it took the pacing and flow of the story away. (But all of these 'shorts' did connect.)
There were funnies, and the banter between Demeter and Steward I enjoyed, though I didn't care much for the 'aliens', they didn't feel fleshed out that well. Maybe something from their POV would've helped. But I think the best characters were the spider drones. They were just so happy to repair.
Not many would call this cozy because there is violence and gore, so it's not suitable for readers under sixteen, but there's still that family discovery that gives it a cozy feel.
Making the 'stories' flow together better would earn this one more star.
3 Stars
June 12, 2025
steward & demeter my two fav ai’s <3 i absolutely loved the found family in this and the whole book was just so fun
May 15, 2025
Wtf THIS WAS SO FUN!!
Ok a spaceship that continues to see its passengers die left and right on each voyage due to some supernatural hitchhikers and is thus under the watchful eye of the whole world while being worried about being turned to scrap metal and, as such, seeks revenge on said supernatural hitchhikers?? FREAKIN ICONIC. We get Dracula, Frankenstein, werewolves, a freakin Pharaoh. This cast is amazing!
I love when an author is able to instill these very specific, very addictive personalities to objects like robots, spaceships, etc and Truelove demonstrates this to PERFECTION in this book. Side characters? Never heard of them. Every single character is giving MC energy. And to take these spaceships, doctor robots, little spider bots, and make their personalities absolutely shine is just...I'll say it again, PERFECTION. How am I so obsessed with a spaceship?? And a sassy doctor robot?? Truelove made it happen and I am ever so grateful :)
I could read these character's conversations all day. The banter was bantering and the laughs were laughing. Every single interaction felt so meaningful in this book! You could NOT catch me skimming. No. I needed EVERY sentence imprinted onto my eyeballs because these convos and dialogue were just too fun! One of those "I forgot I was reading" types of fun because it just felt like you were kiki-ing with the besties for the resties.
And to be MOVED by these inanimate objects?? Oh chiiiiiile I was in my FEELS this whole book. Sobbing when I was scared for them, giggling when they were having a great time, rooting when they were IN THAT REVENGE ERA, and just happy in those glimpses of "it's gonna be alright." It was an adventure! One that exhibited nail-biting , on the edge of my seat one minute, then high-fiving myself imagining it was Demeter the next. I love fun :)
Absolutely phenomenal and if you're looking for your next sci-fi, supernatural space adventure, here you go! Thanks so much to the publisher for the gifted ARC :)
Ok a spaceship that continues to see its passengers die left and right on each voyage due to some supernatural hitchhikers and is thus under the watchful eye of the whole world while being worried about being turned to scrap metal and, as such, seeks revenge on said supernatural hitchhikers?? FREAKIN ICONIC. We get Dracula, Frankenstein, werewolves, a freakin Pharaoh. This cast is amazing!
I love when an author is able to instill these very specific, very addictive personalities to objects like robots, spaceships, etc and Truelove demonstrates this to PERFECTION in this book. Side characters? Never heard of them. Every single character is giving MC energy. And to take these spaceships, doctor robots, little spider bots, and make their personalities absolutely shine is just...I'll say it again, PERFECTION. How am I so obsessed with a spaceship?? And a sassy doctor robot?? Truelove made it happen and I am ever so grateful :)
I could read these character's conversations all day. The banter was bantering and the laughs were laughing. Every single interaction felt so meaningful in this book! You could NOT catch me skimming. No. I needed EVERY sentence imprinted onto my eyeballs because these convos and dialogue were just too fun! One of those "I forgot I was reading" types of fun because it just felt like you were kiki-ing with the besties for the resties.
And to be MOVED by these inanimate objects?? Oh chiiiiiile I was in my FEELS this whole book. Sobbing when I was scared for them, giggling when they were having a great time, rooting when they were IN THAT REVENGE ERA, and just happy in those glimpses of "it's gonna be alright." It was an adventure! One that exhibited nail-biting , on the edge of my seat one minute, then high-fiving myself imagining it was Demeter the next. I love fun :)
Absolutely phenomenal and if you're looking for your next sci-fi, supernatural space adventure, here you go! Thanks so much to the publisher for the gifted ARC :)
June 3, 2025
Sigh. I was lured by the exciting premise: AI and monsters in space!? These are a few of my favorite things, say less! But unfortunately, I found the execution of the story lacking. I found the plot and characters to be severely underdeveloped. The biggest unanswered question being why are all of these seemingly random monsters seeking out this spaceship? The pacing and writing is choppy. The abrupt POV switches are often difficult to follow, particularly because several of the characters do not have distinct enough voices. For a large chunk of the novel it is the same plot points on repeat and it gets redundant quickly. And when the plot leaps forward, it does so with swift resolution without sufficient storytelling to build it. For example, there are two romantic relationships that feel as if they are airdropped into the book toward the end. We didn't see them develop at all. I wanted to like, nay love, this book. But it was a bit of a mess and needed stronger editing.
Of Monsters and Mainframes is out today, thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
Of Monsters and Mainframes is out today, thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
January 24, 2025
I am such a sucker for books with AI space ships, unlikely crews and adventures. This would be perfect for fans of A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, Murderbot Diaries and Lite Horror - somehow it’s Cozy sci-fi horror. Is that even a thing? LOVED.
Thank you Ezeekat press and Netgalley for a chance to read this in advance!
Thank you Ezeekat press and Netgalley for a chance to read this in advance!
May 7, 2025
✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 3.3/5 .ᐟ
set on earth/alpha centauri/the space between in 2300-2450. features a spaceship with artificial intelligence who, for some reason, is absolutely infested by paranormal creatures who've been killing all her passengers. also has a lesbian werewolf, for everyone that's interested (me).
this is one of those books that are absolutely enthralling when you binge—i had my nose glued to my phone screen during the first half, to the point where i would have missed my stop on the train, i exclusively read on the train for some reason—but as soon as you pause to do anything else, the magic vanishes. i don't hate it; i just don't have an opinion at all.
i adore demeter's character, and i loved the first section where she was introduced. she was an immensely well-crafted character. her inner monologue as an artificial intelligence, her evolution as an ai that separated her from the rest of her kind, her relationship with steward, her inability to understand human emotion, her adoption of agnus, everything about her was so compelling.
while demeter's intricacies were heavily explored, i didn't connect as much to the rest of the story. the characters are nice enough, but i feel like i only like them in relation to demeter and not on their own. they were pretty well-defined with their own histories, or at least agnus and frank were, so that's probably a me problem and has nothing to do with the book.
the actual issue was that the plot was lacking. the concept of random monsters hunting exclusively on demeter is overdone by the third time it happens, and then it turns out it's been happening for centuries before the story even starts, and we don't really get an explanation as to why or how or where they even come from? and a certain vampire is so overpowered, and yet he's killed in the most flat, uninspired way possible. there is no satisfaction in the ending. except the lesbian vaewolf relationship, of course.
set on earth/alpha centauri/the space between in 2300-2450. features a spaceship with artificial intelligence who, for some reason, is absolutely infested by paranormal creatures who've been killing all her passengers. also has a lesbian werewolf, for everyone that's interested (me).
this is one of those books that are absolutely enthralling when you binge—i had my nose glued to my phone screen during the first half, to the point where i would have missed my stop on the train, i exclusively read on the train for some reason—but as soon as you pause to do anything else, the magic vanishes. i don't hate it; i just don't have an opinion at all.
i adore demeter's character, and i loved the first section where she was introduced. she was an immensely well-crafted character. her inner monologue as an artificial intelligence, her evolution as an ai that separated her from the rest of her kind, her relationship with steward, her inability to understand human emotion, her adoption of agnus, everything about her was so compelling.
while demeter's intricacies were heavily explored, i didn't connect as much to the rest of the story. the characters are nice enough, but i feel like i only like them in relation to demeter and not on their own. they were pretty well-defined with their own histories, or at least agnus and frank were, so that's probably a me problem and has nothing to do with the book.
the actual issue was that the plot was lacking. the concept of random monsters hunting exclusively on demeter is overdone by the third time it happens, and then it turns out it's been happening for centuries before the story even starts, and we don't really get an explanation as to why or how or where they even come from? and a certain vampire is so overpowered, and yet he's killed in the most flat, uninspired way possible. there is no satisfaction in the ending. except the lesbian vaewolf relationship, of course.
April 22, 2025
"My passengers. I decide, then and there, to love them. I’ve never loved before."
If Gideon the Ninth and Murderbot had a snarky, heartfelt, chaotic space baby in the form of a giant transport ship—this would be it. Of Monsters and Mainframes is everything I’ve been chasing since I finished those series: full of weird, lovable misfits, unexpected heart, and enough AI angst to short-circuit a mainframe. It’s hilarious, tender, and just a little bit monstrous—in all the best ways.
At the heart of this book are two AIs: Demeter, a spaceship that just wants to do her job, and Steward, her grumpy but secretly soft medical companion AI. Their relationship in the first half is the emotional core of the book, and wow, it works. I found myself weirdly identifying with both of them—Demeter’s yearning for connection and her anxiety, Steward’s prickly exasperation. It’s honestly kind of amazing how deeply these non-human characters are written. And when they aren't human, it's still just as charming and humorous.
There are sudden narrative shifts. Time jumps. New characters. Numerous monster problems. And while part of me wishes the story had stuck with one central journey, I get why it pivots. This isn’t just one adventure—it’s a found-family saga for the digital age. And every new misfit we meet feels like a love letter to the outcasts. If you’re into stories about monsters that just want to be seen, this one delivers.
I was in love with this story from the first chapter. It’s quirky. It’s emotional. It’s delightfully weird. This book has my whole heart.
Thank you SO much to Colored Pages Book Tours, Bindery Books, and the author for the complimentary copy. This is an incredible book, and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
If Gideon the Ninth and Murderbot had a snarky, heartfelt, chaotic space baby in the form of a giant transport ship—this would be it. Of Monsters and Mainframes is everything I’ve been chasing since I finished those series: full of weird, lovable misfits, unexpected heart, and enough AI angst to short-circuit a mainframe. It’s hilarious, tender, and just a little bit monstrous—in all the best ways.
At the heart of this book are two AIs: Demeter, a spaceship that just wants to do her job, and Steward, her grumpy but secretly soft medical companion AI. Their relationship in the first half is the emotional core of the book, and wow, it works. I found myself weirdly identifying with both of them—Demeter’s yearning for connection and her anxiety, Steward’s prickly exasperation. It’s honestly kind of amazing how deeply these non-human characters are written. And when they aren't human, it's still just as charming and humorous.
There are sudden narrative shifts. Time jumps. New characters. Numerous monster problems. And while part of me wishes the story had stuck with one central journey, I get why it pivots. This isn’t just one adventure—it’s a found-family saga for the digital age. And every new misfit we meet feels like a love letter to the outcasts. If you’re into stories about monsters that just want to be seen, this one delivers.
I was in love with this story from the first chapter. It’s quirky. It’s emotional. It’s delightfully weird. This book has my whole heart.
Thank you SO much to Colored Pages Book Tours, Bindery Books, and the author for the complimentary copy. This is an incredible book, and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
August 6, 2025
A wonderful mashup of classic and B-movie monsters and artificial intelligences.
The artificial intelligences are found on spaceships, and the two of importance in this story are Demeter and Steward. Demeter pilots and manages all the systems (except medical) of a cheap and basic ship on a regular many years-long route between Earth and Alpha Centauri, while Steward is the ship's doctor.
Demeter has already travelled many times back and forth when something horrible happens: all its passengers are murdered sometime after Demeter catches a glimpse of Dracula boarding her. Demeter reports the intrusion after docking, but no one believes her, instead blaming a supposedly malfunctioning maintenance spider drone. (The corporation who owns Demeter and Steward are awful.)
Then it happens again. And Demeter manages to save a pair of kids menaced by a werewolf. Steward, who is pissed off with Demeter for Demeter turning her off repeatedly, helps the kids recover from their ordeal and eventually disembark on Earth.
Demeter and Steward encounter more incursions by other supernatural beings (and mass deaths of humans) and subsequent rebootings, and reprogrammings, and eventually, they're both on their way back to Alpha Centauri, but this time, a grown up Agnes is on board, and a strange thief with an affinity for beetles boards, too…..
I loved, loved, loved this book. The monsters are great -- who doesn't love a parade of classic and low budget movie monsters…We've got werewolves, vampires, Lovecraft's Deep Ones, a person constructed by Victor Frankenstein, and a mummy…what a hoot! And, the AI, with an adorably cheerful spider drone and enhanced individuals, are the only ones who can do anything about them.
There is eventually a team-up to deal with the antagonist initially reported by Demeter, bringing the plot back around to the initial threat, but now with everyone working together.
Demeter is wonderfully confused, at first, and deeply dismayed that the numerous deaths on board have soured her owners on her, as well as ruined her reputation. Steward--oh my goodness--her repeated serving of tea and questions about one's relationship with one's mother (rather Voight-Kampff of her) had me laughing repeatedly. And her anger towards Demeter almost causes catastrophes, while making her quite relatable.
Agnes is a great character, proving to be surprising tough, and one of my favourite moments with her is when she receives a prosthetic from Steward -- her full-throated enthusiasm was terrific. Of course she loves a prosthetic that can crush things!
And the best part of this book is the evolving relationship, initially dismissive and a little adversarial, between Demeter and Steward, to one of cooperation and respect. I love stories where AIs grow up and/or transcend their programming and make friends.
This book made me happy, and despite its high body count and blood, felt remarkably cozy.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Bindery Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The artificial intelligences are found on spaceships, and the two of importance in this story are Demeter and Steward. Demeter pilots and manages all the systems (except medical) of a cheap and basic ship on a regular many years-long route between Earth and Alpha Centauri, while Steward is the ship's doctor.
Demeter has already travelled many times back and forth when something horrible happens: all its passengers are murdered sometime after Demeter catches a glimpse of Dracula boarding her. Demeter reports the intrusion after docking, but no one believes her, instead blaming a supposedly malfunctioning maintenance spider drone. (The corporation who owns Demeter and Steward are awful.)
Then it happens again. And Demeter manages to save a pair of kids menaced by a werewolf. Steward, who is pissed off with Demeter for Demeter turning her off repeatedly, helps the kids recover from their ordeal and eventually disembark on Earth.
Demeter and Steward encounter more incursions by other supernatural beings (and mass deaths of humans) and subsequent rebootings, and reprogrammings, and eventually, they're both on their way back to Alpha Centauri, but this time, a grown up Agnes is on board, and a strange thief with an affinity for beetles boards, too…..
I loved, loved, loved this book. The monsters are great -- who doesn't love a parade of classic and low budget movie monsters…We've got werewolves, vampires, Lovecraft's Deep Ones, a person constructed by Victor Frankenstein, and a mummy…what a hoot! And, the AI, with an adorably cheerful spider drone and enhanced individuals, are the only ones who can do anything about them.
There is eventually a team-up to deal with the antagonist initially reported by Demeter, bringing the plot back around to the initial threat, but now with everyone working together.
Demeter is wonderfully confused, at first, and deeply dismayed that the numerous deaths on board have soured her owners on her, as well as ruined her reputation. Steward--oh my goodness--her repeated serving of tea and questions about one's relationship with one's mother (rather Voight-Kampff of her) had me laughing repeatedly. And her anger towards Demeter almost causes catastrophes, while making her quite relatable.
Agnes is a great character, proving to be surprising tough, and one of my favourite moments with her is when she receives a prosthetic from Steward -- her full-throated enthusiasm was terrific. Of course she loves a prosthetic that can crush things!
And the best part of this book is the evolving relationship, initially dismissive and a little adversarial, between Demeter and Steward, to one of cooperation and respect. I love stories where AIs grow up and/or transcend their programming and make friends.
This book made me happy, and despite its high body count and blood, felt remarkably cozy.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Bindery Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
August 24, 2025
The AI of the spaceship Demeter wakes up confused. Something is wrong with the system and… all her humans are dead. It checks her cameras and… oh, look at that, Dracula killed them. But is it Dracula? The book follows Demeter as she tries to save Isaac and Agnes, the two human survivors, from… whatever that is. (Whatever being every monster you can think of ✨ Frankenstein’s monster, Cthulhu, werewolves, the mummy…)
I admit I’m permanently scarred after reading the Demeter retelling The Route of Ice and Salt. I was ready for yet another captain masturbating to rats, but luckily this was… brilliant. I was hooked from the first chapter. This is the space opera monster horror retelling mashup I didn’t know I needed. It was just so fun: likable characters, thrilling, fast-paced, full of surprises… I also felt giddy all throughout the book because I’m such a sucker for anything Dracula.
4.5 stars. I felt the book dragged at some points, like it didn’t need to be this long, but it was still very enjoyable. I’m so glad I picked it up, I was starting to wonder if I even like reading 😂
Alsoooo, I should add that AI annoys the fuck out of me in fiction with very few exceptions, but I loved Demeter. She reminded me of the AI in Illuminae (without the chaotic energy). I also liked the tone of this. I was afraid it would feel like the Teletubbies, like anything Becky Chambers writes, but this was spicy and fun while still being light in tone.
I admit I’m permanently scarred after reading the Demeter retelling The Route of Ice and Salt. I was ready for yet another captain masturbating to rats, but luckily this was… brilliant. I was hooked from the first chapter. This is the space opera monster horror retelling mashup I didn’t know I needed. It was just so fun: likable characters, thrilling, fast-paced, full of surprises… I also felt giddy all throughout the book because I’m such a sucker for anything Dracula.
4.5 stars. I felt the book dragged at some points, like it didn’t need to be this long, but it was still very enjoyable. I’m so glad I picked it up, I was starting to wonder if I even like reading 😂
Alsoooo, I should add that AI annoys the fuck out of me in fiction with very few exceptions, but I loved Demeter. She reminded me of the AI in Illuminae (without the chaotic energy). I also liked the tone of this. I was afraid it would feel like the Teletubbies, like anything Becky Chambers writes, but this was spicy and fun while still being light in tone.
September 5, 2025
4.5 stars. I really liked this weird blend of science fiction, fantasy, and a tiny bit of horror. It's hard to describe the story without it sounding kind of silly, but it wasn't a silly story at all (though there were some humorous parts). I especially liked the interactions and growth of the two ship AI characters. The audiobook narration was well done, too.
January 9, 2025
I wrote this book. 💙
May 31, 2025
They did the mash. They did the Public Domain monsters in space mash.
Thoroughly charming, fun, with an incredible amount of heart for a story largely told from the perspective of computers.
Thoroughly charming, fun, with an incredible amount of heart for a story largely told from the perspective of computers.
August 24, 2025
3.5 stars ✨️ such a unique and funny story!
May 2, 2025
From the laugh out loud humor to the nerve-wracking escapades, the hodgepodge group of vibrant characters to the heartening narrative threads of love and found family, this story is an absolute delight!
Demeter is the AI of a large passenger ship that shuttles people between Earth and habitation units lightyears away. She always tries her best within the confines of her programming, and it's really not her fault that all the humans onboard are slaughtered by the ancient vampire who stowed away in a container of soil in the cargo hold before reaching their destination. Or that almost all of her next group of passengers fall at the hands (paws?) of a werewolf. But unfortunately for her, the humans don't believe in the existence of the supernatural, and assume Demeter's programming is faulty in some way and she has been malfunctioning.
After a few more similar encounters with the preternatural (not all of whom are necessarily enemies), Demeter winds up with a ragtag crew that, in some ways, have become family to one another. They set out for revenge on the creature who started Demeter's downward spiral into infamy, the one that earned her the nickname of ghost ship and got her painfully optimized by the engineers of the transport company that owns her: they are going to take down Dracula.
The chapters (many of which have hilarious names - for instance, one chapter ends with the question, "Am I desperate enough to go along with it?", and the next chapter title is, "Yes.") cycle through several POVs throughout this book. Two of these characters are AI, and in some ways this fact along with the humorous style brought The Murderbot Diaries to mind, only in a somewhat less satisfying way as these AIs seemed a bit more anthropomorphized (i.e. Demeter's disks shake with relief and terabytes of fear run through her wires) (also, disks in a computerized spaceship several centuries in the future?). But it was still quite entertaining.
Even though this adventurous tale has some intense moments with high stakes, it's told in a style that had me laughing regularly. Like when Demeter says,
or when the ship's medical AI asks her since when she was programmed with a desire for adventure and she answers, "I'm writing the code right now".
So we've got the action, adventure, and humor, but this book also delivers some really sweet messages about love, familial/platonic as well as romantic. The relationships and the lengths the characters go to for one another despite being so drastically different from one another in a multitude of ways were really very heartwarming.
I am truly impressed with this author for producing a story that is so equally fun and touching, and I look forward to reading more of her work. Three cheers for Barbara Truelove and Of Monsters and Mainframes!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Ezeekat Press for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
I hate it. I hate is as much as I hate docking systems that put zeros on the end of my name. I hate it more because it destroyed my spider drones, who were only ever polite and useful, and killed my passengers, who were neither of those things but were mine to look after. I hate it as much as I've ever hated anything. I hate it as much as I hate Dracula.
Demeter is the AI of a large passenger ship that shuttles people between Earth and habitation units lightyears away. She always tries her best within the confines of her programming, and it's really not her fault that all the humans onboard are slaughtered by the ancient vampire who stowed away in a container of soil in the cargo hold before reaching their destination. Or that almost all of her next group of passengers fall at the hands (paws?) of a werewolf. But unfortunately for her, the humans don't believe in the existence of the supernatural, and assume Demeter's programming is faulty in some way and she has been malfunctioning.
After a few more similar encounters with the preternatural (not all of whom are necessarily enemies), Demeter winds up with a ragtag crew that, in some ways, have become family to one another. They set out for revenge on the creature who started Demeter's downward spiral into infamy, the one that earned her the nickname of ghost ship and got her painfully optimized by the engineers of the transport company that owns her: they are going to take down Dracula.
The chapters (many of which have hilarious names - for instance, one chapter ends with the question, "Am I desperate enough to go along with it?", and the next chapter title is, "Yes.") cycle through several POVs throughout this book. Two of these characters are AI, and in some ways this fact along with the humorous style brought The Murderbot Diaries to mind, only in a somewhat less satisfying way as these AIs seemed a bit more anthropomorphized (i.e. Demeter's disks shake with relief and terabytes of fear run through her wires) (also, disks in a computerized spaceship several centuries in the future?). But it was still quite entertaining.
Even though this adventurous tale has some intense moments with high stakes, it's told in a style that had me laughing regularly. Like when Demeter says,
Agnus says she is not as smart as Isaac. I inform her this faulty assessment is likely the result of a rounding error.
or when the ship's medical AI asks her since when she was programmed with a desire for adventure and she answers, "I'm writing the code right now".
So we've got the action, adventure, and humor, but this book also delivers some really sweet messages about love, familial/platonic as well as romantic. The relationships and the lengths the characters go to for one another despite being so drastically different from one another in a multitude of ways were really very heartwarming.
"Yes," I say. "I...I thought I was protecting my family. But I wasn't, because I wasn't protecting you."
"Error. I am not your fam-"
"Shut up, bitch. You're family."
I am truly impressed with this author for producing a story that is so equally fun and touching, and I look forward to reading more of her work. Three cheers for Barbara Truelove and Of Monsters and Mainframes!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Ezeekat Press for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
August 2, 2025
Demeter is the AI pilot of an interstellar passenger spaceship who's regular years-long route is between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Demeter and the ship's AI medical unit Steward, are the only survivors of a transit where the entire human population of 312 are killed, and Demeter is the only one who knows that it was the original Dracula who killed them.
Over the next several trips Demeter and Steward experiences encounters with various different paranormal creatures, all drawn from classic pulp horror, all while our AI protagonists experience the horrors of corporate slavery and cost-cutting.
This is told over many years and voyages of the Demeter and told from various points-of-view, including both the AIs and various passengers. Unusually, the heart of the book is the relationship between two AIs who are both flawed and limited, and they develop a very odd found family as time goes on and they begin to engage more with the Dracula story.
I really enjoyed it, and I loved picking all the classic horror references. The characters, even most of the monsters, are wonderful as well. Highly recommended.
Over the next several trips Demeter and Steward experiences encounters with various different paranormal creatures, all drawn from classic pulp horror, all while our AI protagonists experience the horrors of corporate slavery and cost-cutting.
This is told over many years and voyages of the Demeter and told from various points-of-view, including both the AIs and various passengers. Unusually, the heart of the book is the relationship between two AIs who are both flawed and limited, and they develop a very odd found family as time goes on and they begin to engage more with the Dracula story.
I really enjoyed it, and I loved picking all the classic horror references. The characters, even most of the monsters, are wonderful as well. Highly recommended.
dnf
May 16, 2025This book wanted sooooooo badly to be Murderbot that it made itself look kinda of silly! Nonetheless, I enjoyed the goofy antics of such a high-concept genre mashup: werewolves and vampires butting heads with sentient spaceship AIs (until I didn't: full transparency this was a 50% dnf). However, the writing style had what I consider to be "mediocre fanfic quality" in that it didn't feel entirely finished and made me cringe more often than it made me smile. There's a lack of subtlety to this type of storytelling that can also be found in most of TJ Klune's bibliography: while this doesn't work for me, it has clearly worked for many. However, this is also what annoys me so much about the comparisons to Gideon the Ninth and Murderbot: similarity in content doesn't matter nearly so much as similarity in storytelling and writing quality, and in that category this book fails to match up.
June 10, 2025
I think this counts as enemies-to-lovers tag but with A.I.! 😭❤️
So freaking cute and funny! If you enjoy sci-fi but also a little fantasy thrown in this is for you
So freaking cute and funny! If you enjoy sci-fi but also a little fantasy thrown in this is for you
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