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Mickey7 #1
Mickey7
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Science Fiction (2022)Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.
Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.
On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.
Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.
That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.
Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.
On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.
Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.
That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published February 15, 2022
About the author
Edward Ashton
21 books609 followersEdward Ashton is the author of the novels Mickey7, Three Days in April and The End of Ordinary. His short fiction has appeared in venues ranging from the newsletter of an Italian sausage company to Escape Pod, Analog, and Fireside Fiction. He lives in upstate New York in a cabin in the woods (not that Cabin in the Woods) with his wife, a variable number of daughters, and an adorably mopey dog named Max, where he writes—mostly fiction, occasionally fact—under the watchful eyes of a giant woodpecker and a rotating cast of barred owls. In his free time, he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students, and whittling. You can find him online at edwardashton.com or on Twitter @edashtonwriting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,330 reviews
March 1, 2024
If I die, you can always make another me.
When I saw the premise for this book, I knew it was going on my TBR posthaste. It sounds so interesting and unlike anything else I've come across before.
Mickey has the most unusual job: he is expected to risk life and limb to do dangerous work on the space colony. Dying is really no big deal since they can just pump out a new clone of him imprinted with his memories and personality. When a job goes sideways and the colony thinks Mickey7 is dead, they immediately create Mickey8. But the problem is that Mickey7 is still very much alive. Now the two Mickey's are in real trouble. They can't tell anyone that there are two of him running around, for to be a multiple is considered the ultimate abomination, one from which there is no coming back.
When I started this book, I had high hopes. Not only is the premise fabulous, but the writing at first glance feels fast-paced and conversational, making this an extremely easy book to get into. I was breezing through the pages, on the edge of my seat, waiting for the story to take a turn into something brilliant.
I kept waiting and waiting. And then I reached the end. Welp.
The problem is that the story never really goes much past the premise. In fact, most of the conflict comes down to the two Mickey's being hungry. The rest of the time is spent on flashbacks to Mickey's earlier reincarnations and digression on how other space colonies have done on different worlds. It's not that those aren't interesting, but they're just not what I was expecting.
The writing style also veers a bit towards the flippant side for my taste. It's lots of slang and jargon, thrown around to make the whole thing feel both casual and authentic. But it didn't quite ring true for me. I've seen comparisons of the narrator's style to Andy Weir, but this isn't The Martian. Mark Watney solves actual problems, while Mickey mostly sounds off.
Maybe my expectations were just too high. I thought this would be an insightful and thrilling story, taking me somewhere I've never been before. Instead, the whole story is pretty much the premise. It was a fast and decent read, but I can't help feel it fell short of its lofty potential.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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February 11, 2024
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Narrated by John Pirhalla; Katharine Chin
Far into the future we meet Mickey. Mickey7, to be exact. The original Mickey, and those that followed him, are dead. You see, Mickey became an Expendable, back when the original Mickey made a really unwise bet and had to leave his planet immediately. Being a history major, in a day and age where everyone has ready access to any history information they need, did not prepare Mickey for any type space mission related job. Sure, there are openings available on the space flight to Niflheim but Mickey isn't qualified for most of them. There is an opening for the lone Expendable though and no one has applied for that job. Despite the recruiter trying to talk Mickey from taking the Expendable job, due to the horrifying job description, Mickey takes it. How bad can it be?
It's bad! Expendables are expected to handle all the deadly missions. There is being a lab experiment, there is repairing things in a radioactive environment, no one wants to be your friend because you are going to die, everyone thinks you must have been an convict on death row and been drafted for the job because who would volunteer to suffer long, slow, agonizing deaths, over and over and over. Thanks to the ability to regenerate original Mickey's body every time a Mickey dies, a new Mickey is made and the past Mickeys' memories are uploaded to the new incarnation. Being "immortal" is no fun when you have to go through painful deaths into infinity.
But there's another problem. Due to Mickey7's best "friend" reporting him dead when he was just kind of lost, Mickey8 is already up and alive. That's not allowed and one of the Mickey's has to go into the recycler pronto. Instead the Mickey's settle on trying to both stay alive without being found out. Not only is Mickey not good at anything but useless history nonsense, he's also not good at being two Mickey's at once. Here's some advice for people in the future...learn a useful skill, don't be a Mickey! The audio version allows us to listen to Mickey vs Mickey spats, life and death is no fun when your worst enemy is you.
Pub Feb 15, 2022
Thank you to Macmillan Audio/St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Narrated by John Pirhalla; Katharine Chin
Far into the future we meet Mickey. Mickey7, to be exact. The original Mickey, and those that followed him, are dead. You see, Mickey became an Expendable, back when the original Mickey made a really unwise bet and had to leave his planet immediately. Being a history major, in a day and age where everyone has ready access to any history information they need, did not prepare Mickey for any type space mission related job. Sure, there are openings available on the space flight to Niflheim but Mickey isn't qualified for most of them. There is an opening for the lone Expendable though and no one has applied for that job. Despite the recruiter trying to talk Mickey from taking the Expendable job, due to the horrifying job description, Mickey takes it. How bad can it be?
It's bad! Expendables are expected to handle all the deadly missions. There is being a lab experiment, there is repairing things in a radioactive environment, no one wants to be your friend because you are going to die, everyone thinks you must have been an convict on death row and been drafted for the job because who would volunteer to suffer long, slow, agonizing deaths, over and over and over. Thanks to the ability to regenerate original Mickey's body every time a Mickey dies, a new Mickey is made and the past Mickeys' memories are uploaded to the new incarnation. Being "immortal" is no fun when you have to go through painful deaths into infinity.
But there's another problem. Due to Mickey7's best "friend" reporting him dead when he was just kind of lost, Mickey8 is already up and alive. That's not allowed and one of the Mickey's has to go into the recycler pronto. Instead the Mickey's settle on trying to both stay alive without being found out. Not only is Mickey not good at anything but useless history nonsense, he's also not good at being two Mickey's at once. Here's some advice for people in the future...learn a useful skill, don't be a Mickey! The audio version allows us to listen to Mickey vs Mickey spats, life and death is no fun when your worst enemy is you.
Pub Feb 15, 2022
Thank you to Macmillan Audio/St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
March 21, 2022
This was such a fun time!! Also, highly recommend this on audio, the audiobook was so well done! 🤯
I read this for a sci-fi reading vlog, which you can see here: https://youtu.be/uQL4pr2Z5Ac
I read this for a sci-fi reading vlog, which you can see here: https://youtu.be/uQL4pr2Z5Ac
August 31, 2023
4.5⭐
Yesss! WHAT. A. BLAST! 💥🚀
I adore Mickey Barnes and all the witty moments. There are many thought-provoking subjects and the author has that ability to make it feel light, humorous, and entertaining.
Mickey Barnes doesn't have the skill sets needed for the first colony ship. But he really really needs to get off of Midgard to Nilfheim. When a recruiter asks if acute radiation poisoning is something he'll enjoy, Barnes says yes.
The way they sell you on becoming an Expendable is that they don’t call it becoming an Expendable. They call it becoming an Immortal. That’s got a much nicer ring to it, doesn’t it?
As an Expendable, Mickey7 is tasked with handling hazardous or even suicidal jobs. One day while admiring stupid monkey-head rock, Mickey fell through a hole. His "friend" Berto isn't coming back for him. He's left in a dangerous creeper territory...he is after all an Expendable.
But as luck would have it Mickey7 made it back to the "dome" but someone was in his bed, crap... It's Mickey8.
Although Mickey was not alone on the planet, Mickey7 does have The Martian feel with sharp and witty dialog. I had so much fun! The audiobook adds extra enjoyment with John Pirhalla which really makes Mickey7's characters come to life.
🎬🍿Looking forward to the 2024 movie with Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, and Bong Joon Ho (Director of Parasite).
Yesss! WHAT. A. BLAST! 💥🚀
I adore Mickey Barnes and all the witty moments. There are many thought-provoking subjects and the author has that ability to make it feel light, humorous, and entertaining.
Mickey Barnes doesn't have the skill sets needed for the first colony ship. But he really really needs to get off of Midgard to Nilfheim. When a recruiter asks if acute radiation poisoning is something he'll enjoy, Barnes says yes.
The way they sell you on becoming an Expendable is that they don’t call it becoming an Expendable. They call it becoming an Immortal. That’s got a much nicer ring to it, doesn’t it?
As an Expendable, Mickey7 is tasked with handling hazardous or even suicidal jobs. One day while admiring stupid monkey-head rock, Mickey fell through a hole. His "friend" Berto isn't coming back for him. He's left in a dangerous creeper territory...he is after all an Expendable.
But as luck would have it Mickey7 made it back to the "dome" but someone was in his bed, crap... It's Mickey8.
Although Mickey was not alone on the planet, Mickey7 does have The Martian feel with sharp and witty dialog. I had so much fun! The audiobook adds extra enjoyment with John Pirhalla which really makes Mickey7's characters come to life.
🎬🍿Looking forward to the 2024 movie with Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, and Bong Joon Ho (Director of Parasite).
July 28, 2022
Mickey Barnes es un Prescindible, encarnado en la séptima réplica de su cuerpo, que vive y muere con sus colegas colonizadores en Niflheim, un planeta helado y casi inhabitable. Hay quien lo considera inmortal. Otros lo ven como una monstruosidad sin alma. Durante los últimos nueve años ha realizado toda clase de tareas peligrosas y ha sido el conejillo de Indias de experimentos que ponen a prueba los límites de la resistencia humana.
Ha sacrificado su humanidad por un bien mayor. Pero en el transcurso de una misión de reconocimiento, Mickey7 cae herido y es abandonado a una muerte segura. Sin embargo, una especie autóctona de Niflheim lo rescata. Cuando regresa a la base, Mickey7 se topa con su siguiente réplica, Mickey8. Ninguno de los dos está dispuesto a saltar a la recicladora, pero si alguien descubre que existen múltiples Mickeys ambos serán sacrificados… y Mickey9 nunca verá la luz. No obstante, su prematuro hermano gemelo no es el único secreto que esconde Mickey7.
Hace un mes que no sube una copia de seguridad de sus recuerdos, por lo tanto, su clon no tiene ni idea de lo cerca que ha estado de morir ni de su encuentro con los habitantes del planeta. Mickey7 también ignora cómo murieron la mayoría de sus réplicas anteriores, y aquellas muertes que recuerda lo han dejado traumatizado y le han hecho desconfiar de la misión de la colonia. Una misión que hace que se cuestione su moral y su existencia mortal… una vez… y otra.
Cuando empecé tenía muchas esperanzas. No solo la premisa es suculenta, sino que la propia prosa a primera vista se siente ágil con buen diálogo, lo que hace que este sea más fácil meterse en la historia.
Estaba esperando a sentir ese tirón, que se cumpla esa jugosa premisa, el enganche, la fascinación y esas ganas de seguir leyendo hasta que llega ese momento del clímax en la trama y suba como un cohete. Espere.. Y bueno, llegue al final..
Para mi el problema con esta lectura ha sido que la historia nunca va mucho más allá de la premisa. Buena parte de ella incluso se redujo y se limitó sin explorarse más.
La trama terminó siendo de un poco a bastante decepcionante, sobretodo al final. La mitad del libro fue algo lenta. Y las secciones de los dos Mickeys están bien, quizas le faltan un punto de estar mejor llevadas. Será por buenas ideas en este libro.
El resto son flashbacks de las reencarnaciones anteriores de Mickey y cómo les ha ido a otras colonias espaciales en diferentes mundos. No es que no sean interesantes pero no es para nada lo que me esperaba. No ha cumplido lo que esperaba leyendo la suculenta premisa que tenía.
Esperaba muchísimo más. No alcanzó todo su potencial, ni el que podría haber tenido, ni el que yo esperaba.
Se pasó por alto, y he de decir que demasiado para mi gusto en algo interesante como son otras formas de vida o raza nativa del planeta colonial. Diría que simplificándolo demasiado.
Esperaba algo diferente visto lo visto. Algo grande o una trama que digas "Oh sí, me gusta. Vamos allá" pero en realidad es un "Oh, pues se queda un poco mundano.." lo jugoso de la premisa sólo lo sentí en la propia premisa.
Había partes de la historia que podrían haber sido desarrolladas o al menos más exploradas.
La resolución de todos los conflictos y el final del libro para mi dejan mucho que desear.
El estilo de escritura está bien aunque a veces me pareció que forzaba un poco las cosas para que se sintiera auténtico. La mayor parte no funcionó conmigo. Me faltaron cosas, desarrollo pero sobretodo exploración. Terminó no siendo lo que esperaba.
Mickey es un Prescindible, como este libro. Se lee bien pero nada más. Ahí se queda y ahí lo olvidaré. Lo que podría haber sido y no fue.
Hubo partes y muy buenas ideas que me gustaron. Las suficientes para echarle un ojo a futuro material que saque el autor.
Ha sacrificado su humanidad por un bien mayor. Pero en el transcurso de una misión de reconocimiento, Mickey7 cae herido y es abandonado a una muerte segura. Sin embargo, una especie autóctona de Niflheim lo rescata. Cuando regresa a la base, Mickey7 se topa con su siguiente réplica, Mickey8. Ninguno de los dos está dispuesto a saltar a la recicladora, pero si alguien descubre que existen múltiples Mickeys ambos serán sacrificados… y Mickey9 nunca verá la luz. No obstante, su prematuro hermano gemelo no es el único secreto que esconde Mickey7.
Hace un mes que no sube una copia de seguridad de sus recuerdos, por lo tanto, su clon no tiene ni idea de lo cerca que ha estado de morir ni de su encuentro con los habitantes del planeta. Mickey7 también ignora cómo murieron la mayoría de sus réplicas anteriores, y aquellas muertes que recuerda lo han dejado traumatizado y le han hecho desconfiar de la misión de la colonia. Una misión que hace que se cuestione su moral y su existencia mortal… una vez… y otra.
Cuando empecé tenía muchas esperanzas. No solo la premisa es suculenta, sino que la propia prosa a primera vista se siente ágil con buen diálogo, lo que hace que este sea más fácil meterse en la historia.
Estaba esperando a sentir ese tirón, que se cumpla esa jugosa premisa, el enganche, la fascinación y esas ganas de seguir leyendo hasta que llega ese momento del clímax en la trama y suba como un cohete. Espere.. Y bueno, llegue al final..
Para mi el problema con esta lectura ha sido que la historia nunca va mucho más allá de la premisa. Buena parte de ella incluso se redujo y se limitó sin explorarse más.
La trama terminó siendo de un poco a bastante decepcionante, sobretodo al final. La mitad del libro fue algo lenta. Y las secciones de los dos Mickeys están bien, quizas le faltan un punto de estar mejor llevadas. Será por buenas ideas en este libro.
El resto son flashbacks de las reencarnaciones anteriores de Mickey y cómo les ha ido a otras colonias espaciales en diferentes mundos. No es que no sean interesantes pero no es para nada lo que me esperaba. No ha cumplido lo que esperaba leyendo la suculenta premisa que tenía.
Esperaba muchísimo más. No alcanzó todo su potencial, ni el que podría haber tenido, ni el que yo esperaba.
Se pasó por alto, y he de decir que demasiado para mi gusto en algo interesante como son otras formas de vida o raza nativa del planeta colonial. Diría que simplificándolo demasiado.
Esperaba algo diferente visto lo visto. Algo grande o una trama que digas "Oh sí, me gusta. Vamos allá" pero en realidad es un "Oh, pues se queda un poco mundano.." lo jugoso de la premisa sólo lo sentí en la propia premisa.
Había partes de la historia que podrían haber sido desarrolladas o al menos más exploradas.
La resolución de todos los conflictos y el final del libro para mi dejan mucho que desear.
El estilo de escritura está bien aunque a veces me pareció que forzaba un poco las cosas para que se sintiera auténtico. La mayor parte no funcionó conmigo. Me faltaron cosas, desarrollo pero sobretodo exploración. Terminó no siendo lo que esperaba.
Mickey es un Prescindible, como este libro. Se lee bien pero nada más. Ahí se queda y ahí lo olvidaré. Lo que podría haber sido y no fue.
Hubo partes y muy buenas ideas que me gustaron. Las suficientes para echarle un ojo a futuro material que saque el autor.
February 13, 2022
4.0 Stars
This was an entertaining sci fi novel that plays with the idea that employers so often treat their employees as disposable. The tone of the book was fairly light, but it still managed to be smart and witty. I often struggle with "funny books" but the humor in this one was on point. I found it funny without completely losing the serious themes of the novel.
Overall I really enjoyed this one. I think this will appeal to fans of John Scalzi and Dennos E Taylor. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for an accessible sci fi novel with humorous moments.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book via the Netgalley audiobook review program.
This was an entertaining sci fi novel that plays with the idea that employers so often treat their employees as disposable. The tone of the book was fairly light, but it still managed to be smart and witty. I often struggle with "funny books" but the humor in this one was on point. I found it funny without completely losing the serious themes of the novel.
Overall I really enjoyed this one. I think this will appeal to fans of John Scalzi and Dennos E Taylor. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for an accessible sci fi novel with humorous moments.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book via the Netgalley audiobook review program.
October 10, 2022
Bong Joon Ho making a film of it?! Steven Yeun, Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette starring?!?
Holy. Carp.
***
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Well, what can I say. I liked The End of Ordinary: A Novel well enough...inventive use of science, interesting personal stakes, but curiously flat. I wanted to read this book because I loved the science premise (remember Doctor Who's Gangers? My favorite slave race, narrowly displacing the Ood). Also because, well, look at the title of my blog and tell me why I might be interested in the story.
I was particularly taken by Mickey7's job on Niflheim, the planet where he...um...where the action takes place. Oh dear...the Spoiler Stasi will be after me...look, I'm kind of hamstrung here by the endless whinging of the spoilerphobes. So, let's just say, if the possibility of knowing something about a read will utterly devastate your pleasure in it, go somewhere else.
Mickey Barnes chose life as an expendable because, frankly, it was the best way to get on a colony ship away from Earth. This particular colony ship has religious nuts on it, however, and as is always the way with those sort of people, they've decided their imaginary friend doesn't like...really, hates, though for poorly explored reasons...expendables. They're abominations. After all, I thought to myself, once you're dead, their big bully in the...wait, they're on a a spaceship, where the hell is their gawd in such immense skies? how's she keeping tabs on 'em, some sort of spiritual Ring or Alexa?...anyway, your eternal torments are supposed to begin with death (unless, that is, you're one of Them, and even then it's not 100% guaranteed you'll get the post-mortem goodies). Mickey7, whose previous six deaths were pretty horrific, is still up for doing his job now they're on the ice planet Niflheim. Problem is he's gone and fallen into a crevasse. No one's going to bother rescuing an expendable. That's sort of the point of them...he'll be reconstituted into Mickey8, the cycle will continue.
Mickey7's luck is that he survives and makes his way back to the colony, somehow thinking they won't have reconstituted Mickey8. He's handed the religious nut in charge the lever he needs to bludgeon the colony into following his hate-filled plan for the colony to be expendable free. After all, their resources are strained to the limit and, even though expendables get less to eat and fewer material benefits than the religious nuts, they really can't afford another mouth to feed.
But someone please explain to me again how religion is a force for good and compassion in the world.
What results from this unprecedented situation is a kind of slamming-doors farce, with 7 and 8 agreeing to take on the task of splitting their Mickey-duties to both stay alive; needless to say, that fails. What made it fun to read, and the source of my four-star rating, is the sheer propulsive power of Author Ashton's use of Mickey7 as the first-person narrator. It was immediately clear to me that I was going to be investing in this character. His matter-of-factness was endearing to me, where a more emotionally fraught close third-person narration wouldn't have given me the impetus to keep reading.
The filmed version we can expect in, permaybehaps, 2024 is set to star Robert Pattinson and Steven Yeun. Brad Pitt's company is set to produce, and Bong Joon-ho is set to direct. IF, that is, David Zaslav's flensing knife spares the project now that Plan B Entertainment's new home Warner Brothers is owned by his philistine self. Star power isn't much to Discovery, they like cheap and flashy.
We'll always have the fun, funny, and very provocative-idea-laden book.
Holy. Carp.
***
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Well, what can I say. I liked The End of Ordinary: A Novel well enough...inventive use of science, interesting personal stakes, but curiously flat. I wanted to read this book because I loved the science premise (remember Doctor Who's Gangers? My favorite slave race, narrowly displacing the Ood). Also because, well, look at the title of my blog and tell me why I might be interested in the story.
I was particularly taken by Mickey7's job on Niflheim, the planet where he...um...where the action takes place. Oh dear...the Spoiler Stasi will be after me...look, I'm kind of hamstrung here by the endless whinging of the spoilerphobes. So, let's just say, if the possibility of knowing something about a read will utterly devastate your pleasure in it, go somewhere else.
Mickey Barnes chose life as an expendable because, frankly, it was the best way to get on a colony ship away from Earth. This particular colony ship has religious nuts on it, however, and as is always the way with those sort of people, they've decided their imaginary friend doesn't like...really, hates, though for poorly explored reasons...expendables. They're abominations. After all, I thought to myself, once you're dead, their big bully in the...wait, they're on a a spaceship, where the hell is their gawd in such immense skies? how's she keeping tabs on 'em, some sort of spiritual Ring or Alexa?...anyway, your eternal torments are supposed to begin with death (unless, that is, you're one of Them, and even then it's not 100% guaranteed you'll get the post-mortem goodies). Mickey7, whose previous six deaths were pretty horrific, is still up for doing his job now they're on the ice planet Niflheim. Problem is he's gone and fallen into a crevasse. No one's going to bother rescuing an expendable. That's sort of the point of them...he'll be reconstituted into Mickey8, the cycle will continue.
Mickey7's luck is that he survives and makes his way back to the colony, somehow thinking they won't have reconstituted Mickey8. He's handed the religious nut in charge the lever he needs to bludgeon the colony into following his hate-filled plan for the colony to be expendable free. After all, their resources are strained to the limit and, even though expendables get less to eat and fewer material benefits than the religious nuts, they really can't afford another mouth to feed.
But someone please explain to me again how religion is a force for good and compassion in the world.
What results from this unprecedented situation is a kind of slamming-doors farce, with 7 and 8 agreeing to take on the task of splitting their Mickey-duties to both stay alive; needless to say, that fails. What made it fun to read, and the source of my four-star rating, is the sheer propulsive power of Author Ashton's use of Mickey7 as the first-person narrator. It was immediately clear to me that I was going to be investing in this character. His matter-of-factness was endearing to me, where a more emotionally fraught close third-person narration wouldn't have given me the impetus to keep reading.
The filmed version we can expect in, permaybehaps, 2024 is set to star Robert Pattinson and Steven Yeun. Brad Pitt's company is set to produce, and Bong Joon-ho is set to direct. IF, that is, David Zaslav's flensing knife spares the project now that Plan B Entertainment's new home Warner Brothers is owned by his philistine self. Star power isn't much to Discovery, they like cheap and flashy.
We'll always have the fun, funny, and very provocative-idea-laden book.
November 26, 2022
Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)
by Edward Ashton
I can't tell you how much I loved this book! Many of the books on the Goodreads Science Fiction Nominated Books I have read, and are on my favorite list, and it was such a hard choice! Oh, man, very hard! But this was the one that had humor, great science fiction, action, so much wit, twists, touching moments, and so much more! This is a book that people that don't normally like sci-fi would like! That's why I voted for this book! This deserves a movie!
I can't wait for book 2 to come out!
It's about a guy desperate to get off world so he takes a job no one wants, an Expendable. That means that the ship keeps clone cells ready to pop out the next Mickey, that's the guy's name, when he dies. Which he dies often. Any potentially dangerous thing happening? Mickey to the rescue! Mickey dies? No problem, next Mickey ready!
Something happens that makes everyone think Mikey 7 died so when he is able to get back to the ship, Mikey 8 is there! Now they will both be eliminated if found!
Terrific and fun story! Read now!! Do yourself a favor!
by Edward Ashton
I can't tell you how much I loved this book! Many of the books on the Goodreads Science Fiction Nominated Books I have read, and are on my favorite list, and it was such a hard choice! Oh, man, very hard! But this was the one that had humor, great science fiction, action, so much wit, twists, touching moments, and so much more! This is a book that people that don't normally like sci-fi would like! That's why I voted for this book! This deserves a movie!
I can't wait for book 2 to come out!
It's about a guy desperate to get off world so he takes a job no one wants, an Expendable. That means that the ship keeps clone cells ready to pop out the next Mickey, that's the guy's name, when he dies. Which he dies often. Any potentially dangerous thing happening? Mickey to the rescue! Mickey dies? No problem, next Mickey ready!
Something happens that makes everyone think Mikey 7 died so when he is able to get back to the ship, Mikey 8 is there! Now they will both be eliminated if found!
Terrific and fun story! Read now!! Do yourself a favor!
March 2, 2022
Mickey volunteered to be an Expendable. It was the only job for which he was qualified, and he really wanted to join the mission to find a possible home for humans. Unfortunately, Expendables are assigned to the most dangerous duties and, when they inevitably die, they are replaced with exact replicas. Even his job recruiter thought that he was a moron for volunteering. Now he is version No.7. When Mickey7 falls into a deep hole, no one bothers to rescue him because that is pretty much his job description. Mickey8 is created while Mickey7 is in the hole. Inconveniently, Mickey7 escapes and there is literally not room enough for two Mickeys in this world.
This was fun, with a minimum of technobabble and a lot of banter between Mickey7 and Mickey8. They have to figure out how to hide the fact that there are two of them while they perform their job, share their single room and ration and date their girlfriend. There are also big, dangerous beasties called Creepers. The book has a light touch as it explores such themes as identity, immortality and genocide.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
This was fun, with a minimum of technobabble and a lot of banter between Mickey7 and Mickey8. They have to figure out how to hide the fact that there are two of them while they perform their job, share their single room and ration and date their girlfriend. There are also big, dangerous beasties called Creepers. The book has a light touch as it explores such themes as identity, immortality and genocide.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
January 8, 2023
A solid and fairly amusing tale of mishaps, callousness, and body-uncanting made horrifically, if exquisitely, normal.
I mean, the premise gives it almost entirely away: he's am expendable member of a colony crew, a designated dead man walking that can come back, and come back, and come back, being the canary for everyone else. If that isn't bad enough, or that he chose it as a slightly less bad choice than being broke elsewhere, he's treated like shit by command and his only bright spot is some pretty cool people who stand by him even as he dies, and dies again.
I'm thinking this might be a pretty good series as it continues on. Having extra copies of yourself is pretty fun and all, but only in how it makes everything so damn complicated.
I'll love to see how the tale will take it next time.
I mean, the premise gives it almost entirely away: he's am expendable member of a colony crew, a designated dead man walking that can come back, and come back, and come back, being the canary for everyone else. If that isn't bad enough, or that he chose it as a slightly less bad choice than being broke elsewhere, he's treated like shit by command and his only bright spot is some pretty cool people who stand by him even as he dies, and dies again.
I'm thinking this might be a pretty good series as it continues on. Having extra copies of yourself is pretty fun and all, but only in how it makes everything so damn complicated.
I'll love to see how the tale will take it next time.
November 19, 2021
Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.
Mickey7 follows an Expendable, who has the responsibility to carry out missions that are too dangerous for humans to perform. If Mickey dies, then a new body is regenerated with his memories intact. Mickey7 is working with a crew trying to colonize an Ice World called Niflheim, and he has already died six times, hence the name Mickey7. However, after many strange events, Mickey returns home, only to find a clone of himself, Mickey8, reporting for duty.
I was fortunate enough to receive an arc of this book from Rebellion Publishing, and I only requested it because I love the arc cover, and I am trying to read more Sci-Fi. I didn’t know much about this book or the author when I picked up this book. So what did I think?
I am pleased to say that I LOVED this book! The concept of being an Expendable, where your sole purpose is to perform life-threatening missions, just to be revived again, is fascinating. You would expect the offer of becoming an Expendable and thereby becoming immortal to be appealing. However, the major drawback is that you know you will die again and again, and often in excruciating ways.
I also loved how the theme of death and immortality is handled in this book. If a new body is regenerated, and your memories are uploaded to this new body, is this new entity “you” or someone else? And what about the soul? Can you keep your soul if you are revived? It is fascinating to see how different cultures and religions struggle to cope with Expendables since they don’t die!
Edward Ashton’s prose is accessible and easy to follow! The tone of Mickey7 is light and fun, which makes the story and the Sci-Fi concepts easy to grasp. In some ways, this book reminded me of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (one of my favourite reads of 2021). Although this story does get technical at times, I never felt lost or unintelligent. Ashton is very good at making this story accessible and enjoyable at the same time.
Mickey7 might not be the most complex or technical sci-fi book, but it is still entertaining and fascinating. Ashton cleverly mixes philosophical ideas, humour and complex themes in Mickey7, making this a memorable read. Mickey7 is one of my favourite reads of 2021! I absolutely loved this book! If you are looking for a place to start with Sci-Fi or enjoy Andy Weir, then Mickey7 is a must-read. I can definitely see Mickey7 becoming a huge success!
4.5 / 5 stars
A special thanks to Rebellion Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Mickey7 follows an Expendable, who has the responsibility to carry out missions that are too dangerous for humans to perform. If Mickey dies, then a new body is regenerated with his memories intact. Mickey7 is working with a crew trying to colonize an Ice World called Niflheim, and he has already died six times, hence the name Mickey7. However, after many strange events, Mickey returns home, only to find a clone of himself, Mickey8, reporting for duty.
I was fortunate enough to receive an arc of this book from Rebellion Publishing, and I only requested it because I love the arc cover, and I am trying to read more Sci-Fi. I didn’t know much about this book or the author when I picked up this book. So what did I think?
I am pleased to say that I LOVED this book! The concept of being an Expendable, where your sole purpose is to perform life-threatening missions, just to be revived again, is fascinating. You would expect the offer of becoming an Expendable and thereby becoming immortal to be appealing. However, the major drawback is that you know you will die again and again, and often in excruciating ways.
I also loved how the theme of death and immortality is handled in this book. If a new body is regenerated, and your memories are uploaded to this new body, is this new entity “you” or someone else? And what about the soul? Can you keep your soul if you are revived? It is fascinating to see how different cultures and religions struggle to cope with Expendables since they don’t die!
Edward Ashton’s prose is accessible and easy to follow! The tone of Mickey7 is light and fun, which makes the story and the Sci-Fi concepts easy to grasp. In some ways, this book reminded me of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (one of my favourite reads of 2021). Although this story does get technical at times, I never felt lost or unintelligent. Ashton is very good at making this story accessible and enjoyable at the same time.
Mickey7 might not be the most complex or technical sci-fi book, but it is still entertaining and fascinating. Ashton cleverly mixes philosophical ideas, humour and complex themes in Mickey7, making this a memorable read. Mickey7 is one of my favourite reads of 2021! I absolutely loved this book! If you are looking for a place to start with Sci-Fi or enjoy Andy Weir, then Mickey7 is a must-read. I can definitely see Mickey7 becoming a huge success!
4.5 / 5 stars
A special thanks to Rebellion Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
January 2, 2022
I received a free publisher's review copy on loan from Netgalley.
If you’ve read the book description, you’ve come close enough to having read the book. You’ve got the setup and the plot conflict. All that’s added is some bland backstory of Mickey Barnes’s earlier lives, a not-very-compelling description of the interactions between Mickeys 7 and 8, and a clever plan by Mickey7 to solve some key problems on Niflheim, including his own.
I was reminded of Murderbot a little when I first read the description of this book, because both lead characters are unlike these they live and work with, and they are expected to do the distasteful and dangerous work of space colonization. But that’s where the likeness ends. Mickey7 has an edge to his character, but doesn’t come close to the appeal of Murderbot’s sarcastic moroseness. Action scenes in this book didn’t raise my heart rate the way Murderbot’s did. This book felt to me like a good idea for a short story, padded out with a lot of material that doesn’t add anything—though it could have, if the writing had been more lively or added more insight into the characters.
Two Mickeys don’t add up to a wholly entertaining book.
If you’ve read the book description, you’ve come close enough to having read the book. You’ve got the setup and the plot conflict. All that’s added is some bland backstory of Mickey Barnes’s earlier lives, a not-very-compelling description of the interactions between Mickeys 7 and 8, and a clever plan by Mickey7 to solve some key problems on Niflheim, including his own.
I was reminded of Murderbot a little when I first read the description of this book, because both lead characters are unlike these they live and work with, and they are expected to do the distasteful and dangerous work of space colonization. But that’s where the likeness ends. Mickey7 has an edge to his character, but doesn’t come close to the appeal of Murderbot’s sarcastic moroseness. Action scenes in this book didn’t raise my heart rate the way Murderbot’s did. This book felt to me like a good idea for a short story, padded out with a lot of material that doesn’t add anything—though it could have, if the writing had been more lively or added more insight into the characters.
Two Mickeys don’t add up to a wholly entertaining book.
December 5, 2021
I’ve been in the mood for some good new science fiction and this book fit the bill perfectly. It’s a hip, fresh and fun space adventure with just the right balance of action, science and humorous touches. Very entertaining production.
So, meet Mickey7…the seventh reiteration of the same person, but no mere clone, he retains all the memories of his previous forms, he just gets reprinted, over and over again. Because he gets dead over and over again. Because he signed up for a crazy mission and now that’s his life.
Mickey is an Expendable on a colonization mission to a distant planet, in a distant future where colonization efforts are all the rage. This particular planet isn’t especially habitable, but has a lot of potential, and it’s up to a team of nearly 200 people to categorize and optimize this potential, so that it can be seeded with all the embryos they brought with them.
Mickey’s crucial to the mission, a sort of royal tester, in space. Mickey’s also the only one mad enough to volunteer for this position. Some of the colonists, the Natalists, including the mission’s commander, don’t even consider him a real person anymore, but are still aware of his inherent worth. The thing they don’t want, though, the thing no one really wants, including Mickey himself, are two Mickeys, and yet, following a mission snafu, that’s exactly what occurs. Mickey7, written off for dead, survives and comes back to find a freshly printed Mickey8 in his bunk. Shenanigans ensue…
The book is really too elaborate to describe as a mere clone comedy, though it did remind me of that recent blink and miss it Paul Rudd tv show where he also found himself sharing life with a clone, after a snafu. That production wouldn’t even be saved by Paul Rudd’s considerable (and doubled charm), but this one works and works well. It hits all the right notes in all the right respects, follows its internal logistics tightly and spins a fascinating and compelling narrative of wildly imaginative, well crafted future. Very respectable world building, very fun, dynamic writing. There’s so much to like here. I enjoyed reading this book very much. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
So, meet Mickey7…the seventh reiteration of the same person, but no mere clone, he retains all the memories of his previous forms, he just gets reprinted, over and over again. Because he gets dead over and over again. Because he signed up for a crazy mission and now that’s his life.
Mickey is an Expendable on a colonization mission to a distant planet, in a distant future where colonization efforts are all the rage. This particular planet isn’t especially habitable, but has a lot of potential, and it’s up to a team of nearly 200 people to categorize and optimize this potential, so that it can be seeded with all the embryos they brought with them.
Mickey’s crucial to the mission, a sort of royal tester, in space. Mickey’s also the only one mad enough to volunteer for this position. Some of the colonists, the Natalists, including the mission’s commander, don’t even consider him a real person anymore, but are still aware of his inherent worth. The thing they don’t want, though, the thing no one really wants, including Mickey himself, are two Mickeys, and yet, following a mission snafu, that’s exactly what occurs. Mickey7, written off for dead, survives and comes back to find a freshly printed Mickey8 in his bunk. Shenanigans ensue…
The book is really too elaborate to describe as a mere clone comedy, though it did remind me of that recent blink and miss it Paul Rudd tv show where he also found himself sharing life with a clone, after a snafu. That production wouldn’t even be saved by Paul Rudd’s considerable (and doubled charm), but this one works and works well. It hits all the right notes in all the right respects, follows its internal logistics tightly and spins a fascinating and compelling narrative of wildly imaginative, well crafted future. Very respectable world building, very fun, dynamic writing. There’s so much to like here. I enjoyed reading this book very much. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
January 19, 2022
When I originally read the description of this book it sounded pretty intriguing. I tend to like the books I've read that involve clones, and I thought it would be interesting to read about Mickey7 and Mickey8 trying to keep the fact that there are two of them a secret. Going into this, the story pulled me in right away and I was expecting it to stay that way, but as the book progressed the story began to get more and more mundane.
There were so many parts of this story that could have been built out and explored. There is the problem with the alien species they call creepers, there is the problem of cultivating food and sustaining life on the planet, there is the problem of Mickey trying to stay alive through all the dangerous jobs he does, and then the extra Mickey who shouldn't be there. This all boded well for lots of tension and intrigue. Unfortunately the story never really lives up to its potential, because as I said, it goes the route of becoming mundane.
We end up following Mickey around as he tends to duties on the colony, and interacts with a few other people, who, by the way, are never very well developed. The little tension that exists is over worrying when Mickey will be found out, because you know he will be, since there is no well thought out plan for how they will keep anyone from finding out. It's also funny how this is supposed to be two versions of the same guy, but from the moment I met 8, I disliked him. Maybe that's the way it was supposed to be? We are after all seeing things from 7s point of view.
The author chose to focus mainly on the question of whether all these clones were really the same person, or not, and whether the original Mickey even still existed. I liked that, but didn't feel like it dug very deep into finding answers to those questions. And while that definitely something that should have been addressed in the book, I wanted more. Just more of everything that I mentioned above. Overall, I didn't dislike this book, I enjoyed it to an extent which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. I was just a little disappointed in it.
Also, if you read the description that compares this book to The Martian and Dark Matter, I have to warn you that this book is nothing like either of those books, so don't go into it with those kind of expectations. In general, I think those sorts of comparisons end up hurting rather than helping a book, because there are certain expectations that have to be met, otherwise disappointment ensues.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
There were so many parts of this story that could have been built out and explored. There is the problem with the alien species they call creepers, there is the problem of cultivating food and sustaining life on the planet, there is the problem of Mickey trying to stay alive through all the dangerous jobs he does, and then the extra Mickey who shouldn't be there. This all boded well for lots of tension and intrigue. Unfortunately the story never really lives up to its potential, because as I said, it goes the route of becoming mundane.
We end up following Mickey around as he tends to duties on the colony, and interacts with a few other people, who, by the way, are never very well developed. The little tension that exists is over worrying when Mickey will be found out, because you know he will be, since there is no well thought out plan for how they will keep anyone from finding out. It's also funny how this is supposed to be two versions of the same guy, but from the moment I met 8, I disliked him. Maybe that's the way it was supposed to be? We are after all seeing things from 7s point of view.
The author chose to focus mainly on the question of whether all these clones were really the same person, or not, and whether the original Mickey even still existed. I liked that, but didn't feel like it dug very deep into finding answers to those questions. And while that definitely something that should have been addressed in the book, I wanted more. Just more of everything that I mentioned above. Overall, I didn't dislike this book, I enjoyed it to an extent which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. I was just a little disappointed in it.
Also, if you read the description that compares this book to The Martian and Dark Matter, I have to warn you that this book is nothing like either of those books, so don't go into it with those kind of expectations. In general, I think those sorts of comparisons end up hurting rather than helping a book, because there are certain expectations that have to be met, otherwise disappointment ensues.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader.
March 12, 2022
A quick and entertaining read. This is an engaging plot-driven novel that reads like a decent SF movie that doesn't want to get bogged down with anything too deep or depressing.
And yes, I am excited about this announcement:
https://www.space.com/edward-ashton-n...
And yes, I am excited about this announcement:
https://www.space.com/edward-ashton-n...
May 12, 2023
This book had a lot of pretty cool ideas, but unfortunately, I felt like none of them were fleshed out to their full potential. The ideas about achieving immortality through memories are interesting but nothing too original.
I wouldn't recommend this for fans of hard sci-fi. It's more for someone who just wants a fun, fast-paced story with more drama than action.
I will check out the movie when it's released, If for no other reason then to see some creepers tear someone to pieces.
I wouldn't recommend this for fans of hard sci-fi. It's more for someone who just wants a fun, fast-paced story with more drama than action.
I will check out the movie when it's released, If for no other reason then to see some creepers tear someone to pieces.
August 2, 2022
A fun romp. The humour isn't exactly high brow but Ashton makes it work. Not the most original premise of clones but Ashton does a good job of not adding any unnecessary ideas to make this a pretty solid and entertaining read. Though the idea that a woman would decide to go to bed with her long term lover and his clone within hours of discovering the clones illegal existence is quite the eye rollingly male fantasy.
December 11, 2022
Simple, lento, decepcionante.
March 18, 2022
Mickey 7 is an unexpectedly fun sci-fi novel that introduces us to Mickey, iteration number 7. We also meet Mickey8, and therein lies the "fun". Original Mickey is The Expendable of a colonization mission to a new planet. This means Mickey's consciousness is painstakingly downloaded, and when the worst happens, he can be brought back as a new Mickey. Life goes on. But we're only supposed to have one living Mickey at a time.
Imagine the possibilities of each mission having a thinking, reasoning and feeling someone who can do the work no mortal person would or should?
We need to test how a new disease found on a new planet might affect us? Send in Mickey, see how he dies, and test vaccines on him.
Yikes, there are creepers in the ice, and we don't know if they're friendly? Send in Mickey, he'll either get eaten or make new friends for the colony.
It's not a job for just anyone, for sure. Even though there can always be a new Mickey, we see the issues with the current Mickey fighting his innate survival instinct. It's wonderfully complicated and and an exciting idea to contemplate.
Coming off the high of Project Hail Mary, I was worried my next sci-fi novel would suffer from my impossibly high expectations. Oddly, and unexpectedly, Mickey 7 held its own with its unique ideas, interesting characters and intriguing ethical dilemmas. Plus, it was entertaining. I'm still not sure how the author pulled that off, given the uncomfortable theme and situations.
I received a copy of Mickey 7 from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I enjoyed the heck out of it, and hope there's a Mickey9 sequel in our future.
Imagine the possibilities of each mission having a thinking, reasoning and feeling someone who can do the work no mortal person would or should?
We need to test how a new disease found on a new planet might affect us? Send in Mickey, see how he dies, and test vaccines on him.
Yikes, there are creepers in the ice, and we don't know if they're friendly? Send in Mickey, he'll either get eaten or make new friends for the colony.
It's not a job for just anyone, for sure. Even though there can always be a new Mickey, we see the issues with the current Mickey fighting his innate survival instinct. It's wonderfully complicated and and an exciting idea to contemplate.
Coming off the high of Project Hail Mary, I was worried my next sci-fi novel would suffer from my impossibly high expectations. Oddly, and unexpectedly, Mickey 7 held its own with its unique ideas, interesting characters and intriguing ethical dilemmas. Plus, it was entertaining. I'm still not sure how the author pulled that off, given the uncomfortable theme and situations.
I received a copy of Mickey 7 from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I enjoyed the heck out of it, and hope there's a Mickey9 sequel in our future.
September 17, 2021
**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome**
Fans of the underappreciated sci-fi movie Moon, have I got a book for you!
(Also, if you haven't seen Moon, me equating the movie to this book spoils a pretty significant plot reveal in the film, so...oops? But also, it's been like 12 years)
The idea of using Expendables (people whose bodies die but whose consciousness is reuploaded) for planetary colonization is a great one, and I loved the backstory that explained why this 'verse hadn't used the technology to turn into a Scythian death-free "utopia." Also loved the stories of the various colonizations that failed or succeeded. I did have trouble believing that after 9 years that Mickey wouldn't know all 180 of the colonists on sight, especially given Dunbar's number.
Tonally, it's a good fit for fans of The Martian or The Murderbot Diaries, but I was hoping for a little more heft, probably because I enjoyed the premise and worldbuilding so much. I also blew through this book in two sittings after having a hard time getting into a host of other books, so extra points for that!
Would recommend to teens moving into harder sci-fi. (Reference threesome between 2 Mickeys and girlfriend wasn't explicit, but would keep me from giving to a 6th grader unless I really knew them)
Fans of the underappreciated sci-fi movie Moon, have I got a book for you!
(Also, if you haven't seen Moon, me equating the movie to this book spoils a pretty significant plot reveal in the film, so...oops? But also, it's been like 12 years)
The idea of using Expendables (people whose bodies die but whose consciousness is reuploaded) for planetary colonization is a great one, and I loved the backstory that explained why this 'verse hadn't used the technology to turn into a Scythian death-free "utopia." Also loved the stories of the various colonizations that failed or succeeded. I did have trouble believing that after 9 years that Mickey wouldn't know all 180 of the colonists on sight, especially given Dunbar's number.
Tonally, it's a good fit for fans of The Martian or The Murderbot Diaries, but I was hoping for a little more heft, probably because I enjoyed the premise and worldbuilding so much. I also blew through this book in two sittings after having a hard time getting into a host of other books, so extra points for that!
Would recommend to teens moving into harder sci-fi. (Reference threesome between 2 Mickeys and girlfriend wasn't explicit, but would keep me from giving to a 6th grader unless I really knew them)
July 22, 2023
7/10
Novela entretenida de esas que te dan ganas de leer de vez en cuando y la puedes disfrutar bastante, pero que si la analizas un poco y eres tiquismiquis, culpable, pues te das cuenta que cojea en muchos aspectos.
La trama principal está bien, el personaje de Mickey es de esos que está escrito para gustar, tiene muy buenas salidas y es fácil empatizar con él, pero su mayor problema es que le falta profundidad a casi todo el conjunto. Se pasa muy por encima en cosas interesantes, como la raza de alienígenas con la que se topan, entre otros muchos aspectos.
¿Recomendable? Pues bueno, como lectura ligera a mi me ha gustado y la he disfrutado, pero como algo más le falta y mucho. Al final dudaba entre 3 y 4 estrellas y se queda solo con 3 por ahora.
PD: Novela que seguro que si se lleva al cine podría triunfar, ya que tiene buenos mimbres para ello.
Novela entretenida de esas que te dan ganas de leer de vez en cuando y la puedes disfrutar bastante, pero que si la analizas un poco y eres tiquismiquis, culpable, pues te das cuenta que cojea en muchos aspectos.
La trama principal está bien, el personaje de Mickey es de esos que está escrito para gustar, tiene muy buenas salidas y es fácil empatizar con él, pero su mayor problema es que le falta profundidad a casi todo el conjunto. Se pasa muy por encima en cosas interesantes, como la raza de alienígenas con la que se topan, entre otros muchos aspectos.
¿Recomendable? Pues bueno, como lectura ligera a mi me ha gustado y la he disfrutado, pero como algo más le falta y mucho. Al final dudaba entre 3 y 4 estrellas y se queda solo con 3 por ahora.
PD: Novela que seguro que si se lleva al cine podría triunfar, ya que tiene buenos mimbres para ello.
August 14, 2023
This is a sci fi about a clone on a newly colonized planet. Mickey is subjected to repeated deaths as the crew’s “expendable” — sent to do all the nasty, dangerous jobs no one else wants to do.
Mickey #7 gets in a sticky situation where he’s left for dead, and the crew makes #8, and that’s a big no-no, and they’re trying to keep it a secret. It’s an odd book in that it’s not super heavy on action, and it doesn’t feel like a whole lot happens, but I enjoyed it. It’s more like a slice of life in an absurd situation. The writing voice was just snarky enough to click with me.
It reminded me a lot of “Red Dwarf” series 8 where Lister and Rimmer keep getting called into the captain’s office (that happens often in the book) and end up joining the Canaries (expendables). I need a nicer computer so I can make more “Red Dwarf” gifs.
It was a bit different, not too serious, and a nice addition to the science fiction genre.
Language: Mild
Sexual Content: Some innuendo and implied sex
Violence/Gore: Some monster violence and brawls; not graphic
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
*Reader’s Choice Nominee Fall 2023*
Mickey #7 gets in a sticky situation where he’s left for dead, and the crew makes #8, and that’s a big no-no, and they’re trying to keep it a secret. It’s an odd book in that it’s not super heavy on action, and it doesn’t feel like a whole lot happens, but I enjoyed it. It’s more like a slice of life in an absurd situation. The writing voice was just snarky enough to click with me.
It reminded me a lot of “Red Dwarf” series 8 where Lister and Rimmer keep getting called into the captain’s office (that happens often in the book) and end up joining the Canaries (expendables). I need a nicer computer so I can make more “Red Dwarf” gifs.
It was a bit different, not too serious, and a nice addition to the science fiction genre.
Language: Mild
Sexual Content: Some innuendo and implied sex
Violence/Gore: Some monster violence and brawls; not graphic
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
*Reader’s Choice Nominee Fall 2023*
April 5, 2023
Midgard is the Earth in Norse mythology, in case you were wondering. That is where Mickey is from. He needs to get off that planet. He has no useful skills, so he signs on as an Expendable on a colony ship going to Niflheim — in Norse mythology the cold, dark, misty world of the dead, ruled by the goddess Hel. So, potentially a nasty ice planet with a mysterious underworld.
And what are Expendables, you ask? He gets to do all the dangerous and deadly jobs on the ship and later the colony. And if he dies, the others wake up his next incarnation. We start with Mickey7. He does not die in the first chapter, but the others think so. And by the time he rescues himself with some help of an indigenous lifeform and gets back to base, Mickey8 has been woken up. Ops, not good. Because when the others find out, they both will most likely be offed. The expedition‘s leader hates Mickey‘s guts. What to do now? And what‘s going on with those lifeforms?
From the blurb I expected an action-filled novel, exploring the ecosystem and the sentient lifeforms on Niflheim. The beginning reminded me a little of Andy Weir in tone and my mind was heading in the direction of Project Hail Mary, just set on a planet.
However, that was not really the novel I got. There were suspenseful parts and action — Mickey7 had died six times previously (hence 7!) and some of those deaths are lived through quite graphically. There was an unexpected amount of Mickey‘s and the Union’s past, aka other colonies and why they failed. And very little character development for Mickey8. Somewhere around the middle of the book I started to wonder about uneven pacing and lack of meaningful plot progression. It did all come together quite nicely in the end, but I am not a total fan.
Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes.
Would I read the next book by the author? Most likely. There seems to be a sequel scheduled for Q1 2023. Oh yes, and this is supposed to be adapted for the big screen…
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.
And what are Expendables, you ask? He gets to do all the dangerous and deadly jobs on the ship and later the colony. And if he dies, the others wake up his next incarnation. We start with Mickey7. He does not die in the first chapter, but the others think so. And by the time he rescues himself with some help of an indigenous lifeform and gets back to base, Mickey8 has been woken up. Ops, not good. Because when the others find out, they both will most likely be offed. The expedition‘s leader hates Mickey‘s guts. What to do now? And what‘s going on with those lifeforms?
From the blurb I expected an action-filled novel, exploring the ecosystem and the sentient lifeforms on Niflheim. The beginning reminded me a little of Andy Weir in tone and my mind was heading in the direction of Project Hail Mary, just set on a planet.
However, that was not really the novel I got. There were suspenseful parts and action — Mickey7 had died six times previously (hence 7!) and some of those deaths are lived through quite graphically. There was an unexpected amount of Mickey‘s and the Union’s past, aka other colonies and why they failed. And very little character development for Mickey8. Somewhere around the middle of the book I started to wonder about uneven pacing and lack of meaningful plot progression. It did all come together quite nicely in the end, but I am not a total fan.
Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes.
Would I read the next book by the author? Most likely. There seems to be a sequel scheduled for Q1 2023. Oh yes, and this is supposed to be adapted for the big screen…
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.
January 4, 2022
This book was so cool! It was unique, funny, and I loved the witty writing style. The author writes as if he’s having a conversation with you. I’ve heard this book being described as a cross between The Martian and Dark Matter. I have read both those books and I would agree with that comparison.
Mickey7 is an Expendable. He’s the one you call when you have a dangerous job and the person lucky enough to have said job probably won’t return. When Mickey7 dies, he has the ability to regenerate with almost all his memories. Sort of like cloning. He is sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim.
On a routine mission, Mickey7 falls into a giant hole. His teammates weigh the odds and determine that it was too dangerous to recover him. Mickey7 was presumed dead. However, when he finally makes it back to base, he discovers someone sleeping in his bed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8. If his superiors get wind there are duplicates running around they will both be thrown into the recycler for protein.
Mickey7 struggles to keep this secret from his friends and his Commander Marshall. Meanwhile, there are numerous problems arising on the planet, primarily lack of resources, and the threat if curious monster bugs.
Will Mickey7 be able keep from dying long enough to keep both lifeforms alive?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.
Mickey7 is an Expendable. He’s the one you call when you have a dangerous job and the person lucky enough to have said job probably won’t return. When Mickey7 dies, he has the ability to regenerate with almost all his memories. Sort of like cloning. He is sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim.
On a routine mission, Mickey7 falls into a giant hole. His teammates weigh the odds and determine that it was too dangerous to recover him. Mickey7 was presumed dead. However, when he finally makes it back to base, he discovers someone sleeping in his bed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8. If his superiors get wind there are duplicates running around they will both be thrown into the recycler for protein.
Mickey7 struggles to keep this secret from his friends and his Commander Marshall. Meanwhile, there are numerous problems arising on the planet, primarily lack of resources, and the threat if curious monster bugs.
Will Mickey7 be able keep from dying long enough to keep both lifeforms alive?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.
April 23, 2023
4 out of 5!
I had a good time with Mickey Barnes and enjoyed being in his world.
I am learning that I am a more character driven reader and Mickey was someone that I quickly latched on to.
Edward Ashton had a way of writing this story so that you can't help but be along for the ride waiting to see what Mickey was going to get into next.
Now, I listened to the audiobook while I read along and the audiobook narrator (John Pirhalla) did a great job. There were added sound effects and everything. And because of the audiobook narrator I ended up loving the character Marshall.
The humor overall just worked for me.
Now, the only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is because there were a couple of chapters in the middle that dragged a little but other than that I loved every minute of this.
Definitely looking forward to reading book 2!
Video Review: https://youtu.be/1q20n74_LVo
I had a good time with Mickey Barnes and enjoyed being in his world.
I am learning that I am a more character driven reader and Mickey was someone that I quickly latched on to.
Edward Ashton had a way of writing this story so that you can't help but be along for the ride waiting to see what Mickey was going to get into next.
Now, I listened to the audiobook while I read along and the audiobook narrator (John Pirhalla) did a great job. There were added sound effects and everything. And because of the audiobook narrator I ended up loving the character Marshall.
The humor overall just worked for me.
Now, the only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is because there were a couple of chapters in the middle that dragged a little but other than that I loved every minute of this.
Definitely looking forward to reading book 2!
Video Review: https://youtu.be/1q20n74_LVo
January 24, 2023
Another one....
I really was expecting this to be at least a fun read, I saw all the hype this was getting not so much in book communities just generally - like theres some big names attached to the movie and book 2 is out so I was hopeful bc I wanted to start a new fun sci fi series.
Clearly this wasnt the case for me! The writing was fine but with this kind of concept I was hoping to get into more existential questions of what it means to have your value be rooted in dying for others, being a tool for the good of the whole. How would that chnage a person, but here we mostly see him snark at people that 'being an Expendable is hard actually'. Would love it if there was a little more dread since they can essentially wake him up with changes to his recorded personality or produce a new mickey after days of a previous mickeys death, to know you have given people such absolute power and they think you're an abomination??? Isnt that terrifying? I think it goes some of the way with exploring this concept with the ship of theseus argument but the focus is very clearly elsewhere and I dokt think this novel had the right tone (was more lighthearted? Not sure how to explain)
I honestly dont know how I got the impression that this was a book centred around themes but I kept expecting thIs book to do more than it was. Leaving my expectations to the side I will say I very much enjoyed the little worldbuilding flashbacks exploring the history of space colonies, by far the best part of the book.
The way information was fed to us that changes our view of characters was so weird, I dont mind being given information in retrospect but what's the point when it doesnt really clarify anything? With nasha we get fed some information in mickeys inner dialogue that was actually pretty interesting and brought to the forefront some conflicts unique to the world (although it essentially recreates modern day xenophobia and racism but we move!) Howverr this reveal doesnt mean anything, it doesnt really give you this moment of realisation as to why she behaves as she does. It doesnt impact her choices later in the book either really so what was the point?
Every character is there to fulfil some purpose, and fair that's the case it most books but you need to make them interesting characters as well. The religion introduced exists to create conflict for Mickey and the concept of being an expendable, truly what else do we know about Natalists? It's just another aspect of the story that's created to serve the plot. Why is it that over halfway through we get information about why multiples are so reviled? It just feels silly, things will happen and then a flashback appears to explain to is how we should feel or alternatively explain why the characters are feeling a certain way, makes the story feel very patchwork with bits being jumbled up and out of order.
Finally my biggest gripe with this book, the mickeys are DUMB, they are so so unbelievably stupid. We are told over and over the dangers of people finding out they are multiples, but neither of them put nearly enough effort in to their disguise, they'll both be in different spots of the ship AT THE SAME TIME, no attempts at communication or keeping their stories straight. One of them will mess up their cover and just say 'oh sozzz Haha' ??? Make a fucking effort, it's a miracle they were able to keep things under wraps for so long. Now this could have been a reflection on how dying so many times can make someone reckless with their survival, or desensitized to idea of their own death, but that wasn't a purposeful choice here, the author wanted to give us stakes but they fall flat because of how the characters behaved.
The characterisation issues continue with Nasha who existed to be the perfect partner with very little else defining her as a character and the only other female character is implied to also have feelings for Mickey of course, who wouldn't...
The final straw for me was no matter how stupid mickey is he is the only one who can figure things out, everything works out and theres no real consequences at all. Its not satisfying as a story and following him became very old very quick.
Overall this book is really held back in its tone, when reading sci fi that's so futuristic I'm expecting that society feels markedly different but excepting for the technology it honestly could have been set in the modern day, with modern day conflicts and a patriarchy that continues to be expressed in a very similar if not the same way it does now.
I do think I'll watch the movie because it's possible this will work better as a film and will benefit from charismatic actors. Gonna leave you with my most loathed quote from the book:
"What Eight is doing,” Nasha says, her voice a low, feline rumble, “is stealing away your woman. What’re you gonna do about it?"
Really hope the screenplay leaves out parts like this.
I really was expecting this to be at least a fun read, I saw all the hype this was getting not so much in book communities just generally - like theres some big names attached to the movie and book 2 is out so I was hopeful bc I wanted to start a new fun sci fi series.
Clearly this wasnt the case for me! The writing was fine but with this kind of concept I was hoping to get into more existential questions of what it means to have your value be rooted in dying for others, being a tool for the good of the whole. How would that chnage a person, but here we mostly see him snark at people that 'being an Expendable is hard actually'. Would love it if there was a little more dread since they can essentially wake him up with changes to his recorded personality or produce a new mickey after days of a previous mickeys death, to know you have given people such absolute power and they think you're an abomination??? Isnt that terrifying? I think it goes some of the way with exploring this concept with the ship of theseus argument but the focus is very clearly elsewhere and I dokt think this novel had the right tone (was more lighthearted? Not sure how to explain)
I honestly dont know how I got the impression that this was a book centred around themes but I kept expecting thIs book to do more than it was. Leaving my expectations to the side I will say I very much enjoyed the little worldbuilding flashbacks exploring the history of space colonies, by far the best part of the book.
The way information was fed to us that changes our view of characters was so weird, I dont mind being given information in retrospect but what's the point when it doesnt really clarify anything? With nasha we get fed some information in mickeys inner dialogue that was actually pretty interesting and brought to the forefront some conflicts unique to the world (although it essentially recreates modern day xenophobia and racism but we move!) Howverr this reveal doesnt mean anything, it doesnt really give you this moment of realisation as to why she behaves as she does. It doesnt impact her choices later in the book either really so what was the point?
Every character is there to fulfil some purpose, and fair that's the case it most books but you need to make them interesting characters as well. The religion introduced exists to create conflict for Mickey and the concept of being an expendable, truly what else do we know about Natalists? It's just another aspect of the story that's created to serve the plot. Why is it that over halfway through we get information about why multiples are so reviled? It just feels silly, things will happen and then a flashback appears to explain to is how we should feel or alternatively explain why the characters are feeling a certain way, makes the story feel very patchwork with bits being jumbled up and out of order.
Finally my biggest gripe with this book, the mickeys are DUMB, they are so so unbelievably stupid. We are told over and over the dangers of people finding out they are multiples, but neither of them put nearly enough effort in to their disguise, they'll both be in different spots of the ship AT THE SAME TIME, no attempts at communication or keeping their stories straight. One of them will mess up their cover and just say 'oh sozzz Haha' ??? Make a fucking effort, it's a miracle they were able to keep things under wraps for so long. Now this could have been a reflection on how dying so many times can make someone reckless with their survival, or desensitized to idea of their own death, but that wasn't a purposeful choice here, the author wanted to give us stakes but they fall flat because of how the characters behaved.
The characterisation issues continue with Nasha who existed to be the perfect partner with very little else defining her as a character and the only other female character is implied to also have feelings for Mickey of course, who wouldn't...
The final straw for me was no matter how stupid mickey is he is the only one who can figure things out, everything works out and theres no real consequences at all. Its not satisfying as a story and following him became very old very quick.
Overall this book is really held back in its tone, when reading sci fi that's so futuristic I'm expecting that society feels markedly different but excepting for the technology it honestly could have been set in the modern day, with modern day conflicts and a patriarchy that continues to be expressed in a very similar if not the same way it does now.
I do think I'll watch the movie because it's possible this will work better as a film and will benefit from charismatic actors. Gonna leave you with my most loathed quote from the book:
"What Eight is doing,” Nasha says, her voice a low, feline rumble, “is stealing away your woman. What’re you gonna do about it?"
Really hope the screenplay leaves out parts like this.
March 1, 2022
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2022/02/28/...
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton is light-hearted sci-fi romp, with space colonization, alien first contact, and even cloning themes to boot. Nothing really too new or deep to see here, but it’s undeniably entertaining!
The story follows Mickey Barnes, or the seventh iteration of him, to be more precise. He is an Expendable, the one job nobody wants but that every expedition needs, especially when you’re looking to colonize an inhospitable ice planet like Niflheim. Mickey’s job title is exactly what it sounds like—every time there’s a mission too dangerous, they send him in, and if he dies, they’ll simply regenerate a new clone of him, with his memories mostly intact. The reason he’s in this position is because the original Mickey had gotten himself in a bit of trouble on his home planet, and needed a reason to get off-world fast. A history major, he had few marketable skills and the only opening available on the Niflheim expedition was Expendable, a job one only takes willingly if they are crazy or desperate. Mickey was the latter.
But that original Mickey is long gone. The current iteration is Mickey7, which means he’s experienced six deaths—most of them of a violent or gruesome nature. By now he’s well aware of what it means to be Expendable, and how that might influence the way the rest of the crew perceives him. So, he shouldn’t have been surprised when he is left for dead after falling down a deep tunnel during a scouting mission on the planet surface. Only, he manages to survive, but by the time he makes his way back to the colony base, Mickey8 had already been created.
This leads to a predicament. The rules for Expendables are very clear—there can only ever be one version of Mickey in existence; any duplicates must be destroyed. Protocol would require either Mickey7 or Mickey8 to be disposed of in the recycler, but when the time comes, neither could bring himself or make the other go through with it. Risking it all, they decide to carry on in secret. They can continue their duties and social obligations, as long as one of them always remains hidden. However, as the two clones soon find out, pulling this off in a tiny colony isn’t going to be easy, especially when resource usage is carefully monitored and each person’s food intake is individually rationed and tracked.
Long story short, nothing turns out the way they’re supposed to, and Mickey7 ends up being his own best friend and foil. The humor and light-hearted tone of this book was easy to get into and the conversations between the Mickeys were a highlight, as you can imagine. Most colonization sci-fi stories tend to fall on the darker and grimmer side, and though there are parts of Mickey7 that are certainly very brutal and bleak, on the whole I would class this one more as a comedy, but not one that’s overly silly. Needless to say, it was quite the breath of fresh air, to have a book about human settlers on a faraway planet, but the main conflict isn’t at all what you’d expect.
Sure, there’s no great character or plot development, but the premise was fascinating and fun to read about. It even touches upon philosophical themes relating to death and immortality, though never heavy-handedly, keeping it humorous and light. The world-building was intriguing as well, especially the parts surrounding the concept of Expendables and cloning, including technology, history, and religion. And of course, this being a colonization sci-fi novel, it’s about survival. I enjoyed the ice world setting and the challenges it posed for our colonists. Admittedly, I would love to have seen more of Niflheim, but there are still plenty of secrets lurking beneath the planet’s surface that are eventually revealed.
I also had a great time with the audio edition, which I received for review. Narrated by John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin, the story was brilliantly performed and the personalities of the characters came through in the voicework. I would strongly recommend this book!
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton is light-hearted sci-fi romp, with space colonization, alien first contact, and even cloning themes to boot. Nothing really too new or deep to see here, but it’s undeniably entertaining!
The story follows Mickey Barnes, or the seventh iteration of him, to be more precise. He is an Expendable, the one job nobody wants but that every expedition needs, especially when you’re looking to colonize an inhospitable ice planet like Niflheim. Mickey’s job title is exactly what it sounds like—every time there’s a mission too dangerous, they send him in, and if he dies, they’ll simply regenerate a new clone of him, with his memories mostly intact. The reason he’s in this position is because the original Mickey had gotten himself in a bit of trouble on his home planet, and needed a reason to get off-world fast. A history major, he had few marketable skills and the only opening available on the Niflheim expedition was Expendable, a job one only takes willingly if they are crazy or desperate. Mickey was the latter.
But that original Mickey is long gone. The current iteration is Mickey7, which means he’s experienced six deaths—most of them of a violent or gruesome nature. By now he’s well aware of what it means to be Expendable, and how that might influence the way the rest of the crew perceives him. So, he shouldn’t have been surprised when he is left for dead after falling down a deep tunnel during a scouting mission on the planet surface. Only, he manages to survive, but by the time he makes his way back to the colony base, Mickey8 had already been created.
This leads to a predicament. The rules for Expendables are very clear—there can only ever be one version of Mickey in existence; any duplicates must be destroyed. Protocol would require either Mickey7 or Mickey8 to be disposed of in the recycler, but when the time comes, neither could bring himself or make the other go through with it. Risking it all, they decide to carry on in secret. They can continue their duties and social obligations, as long as one of them always remains hidden. However, as the two clones soon find out, pulling this off in a tiny colony isn’t going to be easy, especially when resource usage is carefully monitored and each person’s food intake is individually rationed and tracked.
Long story short, nothing turns out the way they’re supposed to, and Mickey7 ends up being his own best friend and foil. The humor and light-hearted tone of this book was easy to get into and the conversations between the Mickeys were a highlight, as you can imagine. Most colonization sci-fi stories tend to fall on the darker and grimmer side, and though there are parts of Mickey7 that are certainly very brutal and bleak, on the whole I would class this one more as a comedy, but not one that’s overly silly. Needless to say, it was quite the breath of fresh air, to have a book about human settlers on a faraway planet, but the main conflict isn’t at all what you’d expect.
Sure, there’s no great character or plot development, but the premise was fascinating and fun to read about. It even touches upon philosophical themes relating to death and immortality, though never heavy-handedly, keeping it humorous and light. The world-building was intriguing as well, especially the parts surrounding the concept of Expendables and cloning, including technology, history, and religion. And of course, this being a colonization sci-fi novel, it’s about survival. I enjoyed the ice world setting and the challenges it posed for our colonists. Admittedly, I would love to have seen more of Niflheim, but there are still plenty of secrets lurking beneath the planet’s surface that are eventually revealed.
I also had a great time with the audio edition, which I received for review. Narrated by John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin, the story was brilliantly performed and the personalities of the characters came through in the voicework. I would strongly recommend this book!
August 5, 2022
3.5 rounded up because I was amused at the end.
The MC is sort of the opposite of a Gary Stu, inept, not very intelligent, generally kind of clueless. I sort of found that endearing, he didn't make any obvious stupid decisions or ones that did not fit the character and sort of bumbled his way through the story.
There were some good thoughts on what you, you, without any obvious conclusions but generally this is what I would call a sci-fi beach read. Not literature but entertaining enough.
The MC is sort of the opposite of a Gary Stu, inept, not very intelligent, generally kind of clueless. I sort of found that endearing, he didn't make any obvious stupid decisions or ones that did not fit the character and sort of bumbled his way through the story.
There were some good thoughts on what you, you, without any obvious conclusions but generally this is what I would call a sci-fi beach read. Not literature but entertaining enough.
March 21, 2022
Esta novela de Edward Ashton nos presenta un futuro especulativo en el que los humanos abandonamos con éxito el viejo y confiable planeta en el que evolucionamos, para vivir y dispersarnos por todo el universo; colonizar y terraformar planetas donde sea posible. Gran parte de la historia asiente a las dificultades y muertes que a menudo se encuentran en las misiones de colonización, además de explorar los fracasos de expediciones pasadas relacionadas con habitantes conscientes hostiles de los planetas, el hambre o la guerra.
La narrativa que seguimos es la de Michael Barnes, quien es un colono destinado a vivir sus días en un mundo nuevo. A diferencia de sus compañeros colonos, no fue seleccionado para unirse al grupo de menos de 200 personas, no pasó el estricto y riguroso proceso de selección debido a su experiencia en biología, medicina u otras ciencias esenciales; él se ofreció como voluntario para ser el Prescindible. Como único solicitante para el puesto, fue aceptado y 2 días después dejó su mundo natal de Midgard y se dirigió hacia Niflheilm.
Mickey asume el papel de Prescindible, sabiendo que una gran parte de este rol incluye morir por el bien de la Unión y el bien de la Colonia.
Como Prescindible, es el único miembro de la Colonia que puede cargar su conciencia en el sistema periódicamente, y cuando inevitablemente muere, ya sea arreglando un respiradero radioactivo, probando una nueva medicina o cayendo por un agujero mientras busca vida en la topografía local hostil, tiene un nuevo cuerpo bio-impreso y su conciencia cargada. Después de un día o dos de sentir resaca por salir del tanque, pasa al siguiente trabajo y a la siguiente regeneración de sí mismo. De allí el nombre Mickey7; al comienzo de la novela se nos presenta la séptima versión de Mickey, quien narra el resto de la historia.
Si bien la novela trata algunos temas bastante serios y angustiosos como la muerte, el interminable vacío del espacio, el existencialismo, el hambre, y la clonación o duplicación, Ashton se las arregla para hacer malabarismos con estos temas pesados, sin que la novela caiga en los reinos de lo 'trastornador' o 'deprimente'. Se las arregla para evitar que nos angustiemos por colonizar otros planetas o ser arrojados al 'reciclador' para convertirnos en proteína para el consumo.
De muchas maneras, la novela es bastante divertida. Está llena de alegres intercambios entre personajes, divertidas frases y los típicos malentendidos entre amigos. La capacidad de Ashton para manejar las teóricas realidades de los desastres en los viajes espaciales interestelares y la colonización de otros planetas, además de mantener la historia liviana y entretenida, es impecable y brillante.
Hay muchos hilos de argumento en Mickey7, y aunque no todos alcanzan su máximo potencial, Ashton trabaja bien con los elementos de ciencia ficción y sus reflexiones más filosóficas. La historia termina justo cuando parece que debería empezar. A veces, la necesidad de saltar páginas para volver a Mickey y su clon es fuerte, lo que definitivamente muestra dónde radica la fuerza de la escritura.
Mickey es un personaje muy fuerte; más un antihéroe que uno tradicional, pero con una racha de bondad en él que se hace más evidente a medida que avanza la historia. Aceptó convertirse en un Prescindible, un trabajo que aceptó para poder escapar de su hogar donde estaba hasta el cuello de deudas. Mickey decide que morir infinitas veces en una nave espacial lejana es una mejor opción. Mickey es, en muchos sentidos, un tipo muy normal. Solía ser historiador, excepto que uno de esos no sirve de mucho cuando la gente está ocupada tratando de encontrar nuevos planetas para habitar. Tiene un amigo y una novia, y está contento con eso, hasta el día en que no muere cuando debe hacerlo y comienza a darse cuenta de su propio valor.
La inmortalidad es algo complicado de manejar para Mickey, incluso en su propia cabeza. Cuando se está entrenando para su nuevo trabajo, le presentan a “El Barco de Teseo”; la idea de que Teseo recorrió el mundo en un barco de madera y en el camino reemplazó cada tabla y cada clavo. Entonces, ¿el barco que terminó el viaje era el mismo barco que lo había iniciado? Mickey recuerda esta historia pero no puede explicarla adecuadamente cuando se le pide. El personaje al que intenta contarla le pregunta por qué no la recuerda si es tan pertinente para su vida, y Mickey no tiene respuesta. Solo cuando se encuentra cara a cara con Mickey8, Mickey7 se da cuenta de que puede reemplazar cada elemento en su cuerpo, pero eso no lo convierte en sí mismo.
En un sentido más general, los pensamientos de Ashton sobre la inmortalidad en la novela se resumen perfectamente por la forma en que se utilizan en la historia. El planeta en el que vive Mickey antes de su nuevo trabajo se llama Midgard, tal como los vikingos llamaban a la Tierra. El nuevo planeta-colonia se llama Niflheilm, uno de los nueve mundos de los mitos nórdicos. Una colonia fallida sobre la que lee Mickey se llama Roanoke, en honor al fallido asentamiento de los ingleses en América del Norte.
El uso de Niflheilm por parte de Ashton dentro de su narrativa enfatiza, no solo el escenario literal de un planeta sumergido en la nieve, sino también el temor a lo desconocido y la fuerte e inevitable verdad de que el planeta puede convertirse en la tumba de los colonos después de que algo allí los condene a todos.
Además, está el nombre de la nave, Drakkar, una palabra islandesa que tiene algunas connotaciones interesantes relacionadas con la sed de conocimiento, éxito o incluso poder sobre el Universo, el planeta o incluso entre las personas en sí. Seguramente Ashton eligió sus nombres cuidadosamente para poner énfasis deliberado en ciertos aspectos de su narrativa y forzarnos a reconocer todas las posibilidades de su futuro especulativo.
Todos estos nombres se lanzan sin ningún sentido de ironía, por personas que hace tiempo que han olvidado lo que realmente representan. Si Mickey viviera lo suficiente, o si cualquier Prescindible viviera lo suficiente, su propósito también sería olvidado. ¿Y cuál es, por tanto, el punto de continuar viviendo para siempre?
Reseña completa sin spoilers en mi canal de YouTube ➡ Maponto Lee 📚 Link aquí!
La narrativa que seguimos es la de Michael Barnes, quien es un colono destinado a vivir sus días en un mundo nuevo. A diferencia de sus compañeros colonos, no fue seleccionado para unirse al grupo de menos de 200 personas, no pasó el estricto y riguroso proceso de selección debido a su experiencia en biología, medicina u otras ciencias esenciales; él se ofreció como voluntario para ser el Prescindible. Como único solicitante para el puesto, fue aceptado y 2 días después dejó su mundo natal de Midgard y se dirigió hacia Niflheilm.
Mickey asume el papel de Prescindible, sabiendo que una gran parte de este rol incluye morir por el bien de la Unión y el bien de la Colonia.
Como Prescindible, es el único miembro de la Colonia que puede cargar su conciencia en el sistema periódicamente, y cuando inevitablemente muere, ya sea arreglando un respiradero radioactivo, probando una nueva medicina o cayendo por un agujero mientras busca vida en la topografía local hostil, tiene un nuevo cuerpo bio-impreso y su conciencia cargada. Después de un día o dos de sentir resaca por salir del tanque, pasa al siguiente trabajo y a la siguiente regeneración de sí mismo. De allí el nombre Mickey7; al comienzo de la novela se nos presenta la séptima versión de Mickey, quien narra el resto de la historia.
Si bien la novela trata algunos temas bastante serios y angustiosos como la muerte, el interminable vacío del espacio, el existencialismo, el hambre, y la clonación o duplicación, Ashton se las arregla para hacer malabarismos con estos temas pesados, sin que la novela caiga en los reinos de lo 'trastornador' o 'deprimente'. Se las arregla para evitar que nos angustiemos por colonizar otros planetas o ser arrojados al 'reciclador' para convertirnos en proteína para el consumo.
De muchas maneras, la novela es bastante divertida. Está llena de alegres intercambios entre personajes, divertidas frases y los típicos malentendidos entre amigos. La capacidad de Ashton para manejar las teóricas realidades de los desastres en los viajes espaciales interestelares y la colonización de otros planetas, además de mantener la historia liviana y entretenida, es impecable y brillante.
Hay muchos hilos de argumento en Mickey7, y aunque no todos alcanzan su máximo potencial, Ashton trabaja bien con los elementos de ciencia ficción y sus reflexiones más filosóficas. La historia termina justo cuando parece que debería empezar. A veces, la necesidad de saltar páginas para volver a Mickey y su clon es fuerte, lo que definitivamente muestra dónde radica la fuerza de la escritura.
Mickey es un personaje muy fuerte; más un antihéroe que uno tradicional, pero con una racha de bondad en él que se hace más evidente a medida que avanza la historia. Aceptó convertirse en un Prescindible, un trabajo que aceptó para poder escapar de su hogar donde estaba hasta el cuello de deudas. Mickey decide que morir infinitas veces en una nave espacial lejana es una mejor opción. Mickey es, en muchos sentidos, un tipo muy normal. Solía ser historiador, excepto que uno de esos no sirve de mucho cuando la gente está ocupada tratando de encontrar nuevos planetas para habitar. Tiene un amigo y una novia, y está contento con eso, hasta el día en que no muere cuando debe hacerlo y comienza a darse cuenta de su propio valor.
La inmortalidad es algo complicado de manejar para Mickey, incluso en su propia cabeza. Cuando se está entrenando para su nuevo trabajo, le presentan a “El Barco de Teseo”; la idea de que Teseo recorrió el mundo en un barco de madera y en el camino reemplazó cada tabla y cada clavo. Entonces, ¿el barco que terminó el viaje era el mismo barco que lo había iniciado? Mickey recuerda esta historia pero no puede explicarla adecuadamente cuando se le pide. El personaje al que intenta contarla le pregunta por qué no la recuerda si es tan pertinente para su vida, y Mickey no tiene respuesta. Solo cuando se encuentra cara a cara con Mickey8, Mickey7 se da cuenta de que puede reemplazar cada elemento en su cuerpo, pero eso no lo convierte en sí mismo.
En un sentido más general, los pensamientos de Ashton sobre la inmortalidad en la novela se resumen perfectamente por la forma en que se utilizan en la historia. El planeta en el que vive Mickey antes de su nuevo trabajo se llama Midgard, tal como los vikingos llamaban a la Tierra. El nuevo planeta-colonia se llama Niflheilm, uno de los nueve mundos de los mitos nórdicos. Una colonia fallida sobre la que lee Mickey se llama Roanoke, en honor al fallido asentamiento de los ingleses en América del Norte.
El uso de Niflheilm por parte de Ashton dentro de su narrativa enfatiza, no solo el escenario literal de un planeta sumergido en la nieve, sino también el temor a lo desconocido y la fuerte e inevitable verdad de que el planeta puede convertirse en la tumba de los colonos después de que algo allí los condene a todos.
Además, está el nombre de la nave, Drakkar, una palabra islandesa que tiene algunas connotaciones interesantes relacionadas con la sed de conocimiento, éxito o incluso poder sobre el Universo, el planeta o incluso entre las personas en sí. Seguramente Ashton eligió sus nombres cuidadosamente para poner énfasis deliberado en ciertos aspectos de su narrativa y forzarnos a reconocer todas las posibilidades de su futuro especulativo.
Todos estos nombres se lanzan sin ningún sentido de ironía, por personas que hace tiempo que han olvidado lo que realmente representan. Si Mickey viviera lo suficiente, o si cualquier Prescindible viviera lo suficiente, su propósito también sería olvidado. ¿Y cuál es, por tanto, el punto de continuar viviendo para siempre?
Reseña completa sin spoilers en mi canal de YouTube ➡ Maponto Lee 📚 Link aquí!
December 29, 2021
Mickey7 will possibly be my last book I finish this year and wow, what a great read to close the year off with!
I’ve read some great books in 2021 but it’s been a real rarity to be thinking about a book I’m reading while I’m running errands or sat at work, eager to get back to it. This book has that quality and I felt immersed and excited to continue the story every time I picked it up.
The titular Mickey7 is Mickey Barnes – the 7th iteration to be precise. The story is set in the future and humanity has left Earth to colonise other worlds on high risk missions to interstellar space, with no margin for error. Most of the people on board are the absolute elite of their fields in order to increase the chances of success, willing to work for humanity’s future exploring hostile biospheres and terraforming inhospitable atmospheres.
They’re not leaving our ‘old’ Earth (nobody’s heard from them for over 600 years anyway) – the world Mickey and the colonisers are travelling from is a third generation colony world, Midgard which is a pretty pleasant place. So it takes a certain sort of person to leave on a potentially apocalyptic mission, stuck for 9 years on a spaceship. Despite this, every position on the expedition this story focuses on was applied for by hundreds of people, except one – the expendable.
Each of these missions needs one expendable, who is usually conscripted or a convict. Their DNA and a lot of other vital information is taken at great expense and they are effectively cloned. The living expendable uploads their data as often as possible, a full map of their mind – memory, hopes, dreams, attachments. If the expendable dies, the next one is woken up from the tank and emerges the same person, completely indistinguishable to anyone who knows them. Mickey is the expendable and as you can guess, he’s already died 6 times.
The inhabitants of the ship believe Mickey to be basically immortal, and that’s the way they try to sell the job to would-be recruits. In the book we are reminded about Theseus’ ship – over time all its planks and materials were replaced until not a part of it was the same as the original. Is it still the same ship? And if it is, then why does it make a difference if it is replaced over time or in one go?
You might also think of Trigger’s Broom (not mentioned in the book!)
The concept of the expendable is introduced in the very first chapter, and it gets you thinking more and more about the philosophy of life and death as the book goes on. If the soul exists, does it disappear with the first Mickey? Should each Mickey be viewed as a different person, a continuation of the same? How would our loved ones in our own lives react to us dying if an exact copy of us could wake up the next morning and give the impression that nothing has ever changed?
There are a lot of thought provoking questions throughout that really add to the overall enjoyment, without making your brain hurt too much.
I think knowing how much to give your mind to think about is something Ashton is really successful with here. You always feel like he knows his science and is well researched, but he never tries to show off that knowledge at the expense of the story. It’s something in sci-fi especially that I feel many of even the most popular authors struggle to strike the right balance with. Too little science or explanation and it doesn’t feel believable, which can take you out of the immersion; too much, and you start to skim read or switch off.
This is finely tuned and the balance so well struck that I feel the need to emphasise how much I appreciated it when it came to the flow of the story. It literally can make or break an otherwise solid read.
The story itself is all in the first person perspective of Mickey7, him trying to survive in a job that you’re not really meant to survive in at all…
The colony is set up on the new planet as the story begins and continuing the Norse worlds theme after Midgard, this icy and barren landscape is aptly named Niflheim. The inhabitants are barely scraping by, and Mickey7 has fallen down a rather large hole.
A spanner is thrown into the works when he’s wrongly reported as dead, resulting in Mickey8 emerging from the tank by the time Seven has even returned home. Being a ‘multiple’ is a massive no-no and the two Mickeys know if they come clean, they’ll both be heading for the cycler.
This book can be pretty grim in places, despite a healthy dose of both light and dark humour, and the cycler is a particularly shiver-inducing piece of tech, that casts an ominous metaphorical shadow over events. Because food is scarce, the colony has to use every available nutrient. The cycler is extremely efficient at converting anything fed into it back into its base nutrients – a perfect recycling machine. A core component of the food rations is cycler paste, which is exactly as it sounds. It contains all the right nutrients, but isn’t appetising in the slightest. Waste is fed into the cycler and it comes out the other side as a viable nutritional source. This waste includes Mickey’s dead bodies. Waste not want not, eh!?
The book is about survival – for Mickey7 and for the colony, the main plot being Mickey7 and 8’s attempts to live and conceal their situation, as well as the colony’s attempts to thrive, led by the commander, Marshall. He’s a natalist – he believes expendables to be abominations, and an already tough life for each Mickey is made even tougher as a result. Despite this, and although he’s sort of the villain of the piece, he’s still just a person trying to do what he thinks is right and I think is a really well written character.
There is an enjoyable cast of side characters and Mickey himself has that everyman quality you can really relate to and admire in his narrative voice.
Ashton has the pacing of the book spot on and doesn’t waste time with needless exposition with the book at just over 300 pages, advancing the plot at a steady pace. He does however add enough worldbuilding to really add valued depth, and we experience some harrowing scenes of past Mickey’s, especially the unfortunate Mickey2. They really give you a bit of anxiety and make you wince reading them. We also learn about failed expeditions, some of the other colonised worlds and about Alan Manikova, an expendable who took over his planet with his multiples. Snippets of history like these were really fun and if the author ever writes a companion piece looking at some more of the individual colonies and expeditions I’d love to read it.
I won’t end the review giving away spoilers, but there was so much I enjoyed – including the life forms named The Creepers that have started picking off the security goons out in the snow. It helps that the writing style was just so readable and I had that feeling throughout of being in capable hands, with an author who knows just how to craft his tale so that you end the book wanting more, whilst having experienced a well rounded and satisfying story arc.
If Edward Ashton wants to further explore the world he’s created (as I do), the possibilities for more stories are endless. I’m genuinely gutted that there aren’t any more books for me to move straight onto now!
I highly recommend giving Mickey7 a read, my favourite sci-fi of the year
I’ve read some great books in 2021 but it’s been a real rarity to be thinking about a book I’m reading while I’m running errands or sat at work, eager to get back to it. This book has that quality and I felt immersed and excited to continue the story every time I picked it up.
The titular Mickey7 is Mickey Barnes – the 7th iteration to be precise. The story is set in the future and humanity has left Earth to colonise other worlds on high risk missions to interstellar space, with no margin for error. Most of the people on board are the absolute elite of their fields in order to increase the chances of success, willing to work for humanity’s future exploring hostile biospheres and terraforming inhospitable atmospheres.
They’re not leaving our ‘old’ Earth (nobody’s heard from them for over 600 years anyway) – the world Mickey and the colonisers are travelling from is a third generation colony world, Midgard which is a pretty pleasant place. So it takes a certain sort of person to leave on a potentially apocalyptic mission, stuck for 9 years on a spaceship. Despite this, every position on the expedition this story focuses on was applied for by hundreds of people, except one – the expendable.
Each of these missions needs one expendable, who is usually conscripted or a convict. Their DNA and a lot of other vital information is taken at great expense and they are effectively cloned. The living expendable uploads their data as often as possible, a full map of their mind – memory, hopes, dreams, attachments. If the expendable dies, the next one is woken up from the tank and emerges the same person, completely indistinguishable to anyone who knows them. Mickey is the expendable and as you can guess, he’s already died 6 times.
The inhabitants of the ship believe Mickey to be basically immortal, and that’s the way they try to sell the job to would-be recruits. In the book we are reminded about Theseus’ ship – over time all its planks and materials were replaced until not a part of it was the same as the original. Is it still the same ship? And if it is, then why does it make a difference if it is replaced over time or in one go?
You might also think of Trigger’s Broom (not mentioned in the book!)
The concept of the expendable is introduced in the very first chapter, and it gets you thinking more and more about the philosophy of life and death as the book goes on. If the soul exists, does it disappear with the first Mickey? Should each Mickey be viewed as a different person, a continuation of the same? How would our loved ones in our own lives react to us dying if an exact copy of us could wake up the next morning and give the impression that nothing has ever changed?
There are a lot of thought provoking questions throughout that really add to the overall enjoyment, without making your brain hurt too much.
I think knowing how much to give your mind to think about is something Ashton is really successful with here. You always feel like he knows his science and is well researched, but he never tries to show off that knowledge at the expense of the story. It’s something in sci-fi especially that I feel many of even the most popular authors struggle to strike the right balance with. Too little science or explanation and it doesn’t feel believable, which can take you out of the immersion; too much, and you start to skim read or switch off.
This is finely tuned and the balance so well struck that I feel the need to emphasise how much I appreciated it when it came to the flow of the story. It literally can make or break an otherwise solid read.
The story itself is all in the first person perspective of Mickey7, him trying to survive in a job that you’re not really meant to survive in at all…
The colony is set up on the new planet as the story begins and continuing the Norse worlds theme after Midgard, this icy and barren landscape is aptly named Niflheim. The inhabitants are barely scraping by, and Mickey7 has fallen down a rather large hole.
A spanner is thrown into the works when he’s wrongly reported as dead, resulting in Mickey8 emerging from the tank by the time Seven has even returned home. Being a ‘multiple’ is a massive no-no and the two Mickeys know if they come clean, they’ll both be heading for the cycler.
This book can be pretty grim in places, despite a healthy dose of both light and dark humour, and the cycler is a particularly shiver-inducing piece of tech, that casts an ominous metaphorical shadow over events. Because food is scarce, the colony has to use every available nutrient. The cycler is extremely efficient at converting anything fed into it back into its base nutrients – a perfect recycling machine. A core component of the food rations is cycler paste, which is exactly as it sounds. It contains all the right nutrients, but isn’t appetising in the slightest. Waste is fed into the cycler and it comes out the other side as a viable nutritional source. This waste includes Mickey’s dead bodies. Waste not want not, eh!?
The book is about survival – for Mickey7 and for the colony, the main plot being Mickey7 and 8’s attempts to live and conceal their situation, as well as the colony’s attempts to thrive, led by the commander, Marshall. He’s a natalist – he believes expendables to be abominations, and an already tough life for each Mickey is made even tougher as a result. Despite this, and although he’s sort of the villain of the piece, he’s still just a person trying to do what he thinks is right and I think is a really well written character.
There is an enjoyable cast of side characters and Mickey himself has that everyman quality you can really relate to and admire in his narrative voice.
Ashton has the pacing of the book spot on and doesn’t waste time with needless exposition with the book at just over 300 pages, advancing the plot at a steady pace. He does however add enough worldbuilding to really add valued depth, and we experience some harrowing scenes of past Mickey’s, especially the unfortunate Mickey2. They really give you a bit of anxiety and make you wince reading them. We also learn about failed expeditions, some of the other colonised worlds and about Alan Manikova, an expendable who took over his planet with his multiples. Snippets of history like these were really fun and if the author ever writes a companion piece looking at some more of the individual colonies and expeditions I’d love to read it.
I won’t end the review giving away spoilers, but there was so much I enjoyed – including the life forms named The Creepers that have started picking off the security goons out in the snow. It helps that the writing style was just so readable and I had that feeling throughout of being in capable hands, with an author who knows just how to craft his tale so that you end the book wanting more, whilst having experienced a well rounded and satisfying story arc.
If Edward Ashton wants to further explore the world he’s created (as I do), the possibilities for more stories are endless. I’m genuinely gutted that there aren’t any more books for me to move straight onto now!
I highly recommend giving Mickey7 a read, my favourite sci-fi of the year
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