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Mickey7 #1
Mickey7
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2022)After several deaths punctuating a series of all-too-brief life spans, a clone reassesses his purpose – and his humanity – in Edward Ashton’s Mickey7, “a unique blend of thought-provoking sci-fi concepts, farcical relationship drama, and exotic body horror” (New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin).
EXPENDABLE \ik’spen-d’-b’l\ n. A human clone utilized for dangerous work on space exploration missions. An Expendable’s personality and memories may be transferred intact to a new body if and when the current host dies.
Mickey Barnes is an Expendable, now on his seventh iteration, living – and dying – among his fellow colonists on the near-uninhabitable ice world of Niflheim. Some consider him immortal. Others believe he’s a soulless monstrosity. For the past nine years, he has been deployed for hazardous assignments and subjected to experiments that test the limits of human endurance, his humanity sacrificed for the greater good.
While on reconnaissance, Mickey7 is injured and left for dead, only to be saved by Niflheim’s native species, thought to be insentient by the colonists. Returning to base, Mickey7 meets his next generation, Mickey8. Neither clone is willing to recycle himself, but if anyone discovers multiple Mickeys exist, they’ll both be executed – and there won’t ever be a Mickey9.
But Mickey7’s premature twin isn’t his only secret. He hasn’t uploaded his memories in a month, leaving his clone in the dark about his near death and close encounter with the planet’s inhabitants. Mickey7 also doesn’t know how all of his previous selves died, and those he remembers have left him traumatized and mistrustful of the colony’s mission. A mission that has Mickey Barnes questioning his moral and mortal existence...again...and again....
EXPENDABLE \ik’spen-d’-b’l\ n. A human clone utilized for dangerous work on space exploration missions. An Expendable’s personality and memories may be transferred intact to a new body if and when the current host dies.
Mickey Barnes is an Expendable, now on his seventh iteration, living – and dying – among his fellow colonists on the near-uninhabitable ice world of Niflheim. Some consider him immortal. Others believe he’s a soulless monstrosity. For the past nine years, he has been deployed for hazardous assignments and subjected to experiments that test the limits of human endurance, his humanity sacrificed for the greater good.
While on reconnaissance, Mickey7 is injured and left for dead, only to be saved by Niflheim’s native species, thought to be insentient by the colonists. Returning to base, Mickey7 meets his next generation, Mickey8. Neither clone is willing to recycle himself, but if anyone discovers multiple Mickeys exist, they’ll both be executed – and there won’t ever be a Mickey9.
But Mickey7’s premature twin isn’t his only secret. He hasn’t uploaded his memories in a month, leaving his clone in the dark about his near death and close encounter with the planet’s inhabitants. Mickey7 also doesn’t know how all of his previous selves died, and those he remembers have left him traumatized and mistrustful of the colony’s mission. A mission that has Mickey Barnes questioning his moral and mortal existence...again...and again....
296 pages, Hardcover
First published February 15, 2022
5,579 people are currently reading
55.1k people want to read
About the author
Edward Ashton
29 books1,069 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 5,425 reviews
June 22, 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 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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December 20, 2024
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Narrated by John Pirhalla; Katharine Chin
Update: Mickey7 is now a movie starring Robert Patterson
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
Update: Mickey7 is now a movie starring Robert Patterson
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.
October 6, 2024
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.
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).
October 25, 2024
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.
On a more personal note, for those who read my reviews: I'm now open to readers for my new SF. Just DM me for a free copy.
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.
On a more personal note, for those who read my reviews: I'm now open to readers for my new SF. Just DM me for a free copy.
December 13, 2024
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!
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.
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.
December 7, 2024
i’m sooo ready for this movie! this was so different from anything i’ve ever read yet it worked out just as good as i expected. it was weird and it was funny, love how much of an idiot mickey is. i ship nasha and mickey so much! although i am a bit upset the threesome scene was fade to black 😔
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.
March 3, 2025
This book is an absolute blast. It throws you straight into the action, delivering a nonstop mix of thrilling moments, thought-provoking philosophical discussions, and sharp, witty banter between clones. I know opinions on this one are mixed, but I had a fantastic time from start to finish.
March 14, 2025
Are niște idei bune, și alunecă ușor. Scriitura e lejeră și se vede că Ashton a înțeles destul de bine conceptele cu care operează aici.
Dar.
Personajele, de la Mickey7 la ultimul gardian de umplutură sunt niște găozari de care e imposibil să îți placă. Partea cea mai proastă e că niciunul dintre ei nu are vreun motiv real să se comporte așa cum o fac. Sunt găozari doar de dragul de a fi găozari, sau pentru că autorul n-a fost în stare să le dea un motiv serios.
Și.
Pe când crezi că mizele sunt pe care să crească, povestea se fâsâie. Rău de tot. Pe ultima treime. Ceea ce cam bănuiam că urma să se întâmple după felul în care povestea trage de timp cu tot felul de nimicuri ușor rezolvabile, bănuiam că Ashton rămăsese fără idei chiar atunci când ar fi trebuit să scoată din sac cea mai șmecheră dintre toate ideile pe care le avea.
În fine.
Nu-i o cartea slabă, dar îi lipsesc niște chestii elementare ca să fie ceva extraordinar. Sper ca măcar filmul lui Pattinson să ofere ceva mai bun.
Dar.
Personajele, de la Mickey7 la ultimul gardian de umplutură sunt niște găozari de care e imposibil să îți placă. Partea cea mai proastă e că niciunul dintre ei nu are vreun motiv real să se comporte așa cum o fac. Sunt găozari doar de dragul de a fi găozari, sau pentru că autorul n-a fost în stare să le dea un motiv serios.
Și.
Pe când crezi că mizele sunt pe care să crească, povestea se fâsâie. Rău de tot. Pe ultima treime. Ceea ce cam bănuiam că urma să se întâmple după felul în care povestea trage de timp cu tot felul de nimicuri ușor rezolvabile, bănuiam că Ashton rămăsese fără idei chiar atunci când ar fi trebuit să scoată din sac cea mai șmecheră dintre toate ideile pe care le avea.
În fine.
Nu-i o cartea slabă, dar îi lipsesc niște chestii elementare ca să fie ceva extraordinar. Sper ca măcar filmul lui Pattinson să ofere ceva mai bun.
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.
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.
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.
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, 2025
Infelizmente a definição de qualquer coisa...
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.
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/
February 2, 2025
I was curious how I would react to this book since I don’t often read sci-fi…and as I was actively reading it, I kept thinking, “when is this going to blow me away?” And it just didn’t. That being said, I didn’t hate it, I liked the philosophical ideals introduced early on concerning the concept of an “expendable.” I also thought it was interesting how the author had Mickey, a history buff, recall “the past.” He recalled what happened to earth as we currently know it while throwing in political topics and end of the world concerns we have right now to explain earth’s future.
I’m also not a science girly, I know some things, but I don’t like reading things that feel like homework. For the most part, I thought the author did a good job finding a balance between explaining scientific and theoretical concepts and easily, consumable entertainment.
I don’t know if it is just me, but Mickey’s character came across as neurodivergent/atypical which made his matter of fact language during his retelling of his experiences satisfying. Nasha didn’t have a huge role, but I thought her character was spunky and I, of course, love a “ride or die” partner and she was most definitely that for Mickey.
I could easily picture the characters and the setting in my mind, but I am not totally sure if it was the narrative or the writing itself, but I found myself bored many times while reading. Intriguing concept, but the book read dull. It just did. With the movie adaptation coming out this year, I’m hoping to get the humor, imagery, and action I craved from the writing actually come to life on screen. Anyway, it’s Mariah2 signing off on this review because I died forcing myself to finish this book before the end of the month.
I’m also not a science girly, I know some things, but I don’t like reading things that feel like homework. For the most part, I thought the author did a good job finding a balance between explaining scientific and theoretical concepts and easily, consumable entertainment.
I don’t know if it is just me, but Mickey’s character came across as neurodivergent/atypical which made his matter of fact language during his retelling of his experiences satisfying. Nasha didn’t have a huge role, but I thought her character was spunky and I, of course, love a “ride or die” partner and she was most definitely that for Mickey.
I could easily picture the characters and the setting in my mind, but I am not totally sure if it was the narrative or the writing itself, but I found myself bored many times while reading. Intriguing concept, but the book read dull. It just did. With the movie adaptation coming out this year, I’m hoping to get the humor, imagery, and action I craved from the writing actually come to life on screen. Anyway, it’s Mariah2 signing off on this review because I died forcing myself to finish this book before the end of the month.
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...
December 12, 2024
Pretty fun stuff, with a little philosophy thrown in. Reads very much like Scalzi.
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.
January 23, 2025
3,5/5 steluțe
March 20, 2025
Decent funny story.
March 20, 2025
con este libro confirmo que me gusta la ciencia ficción.
no me imagino como la adaptaron al cine porque no es una historia muy larga ni compleja… la estaré viendo
no me imagino como la adaptaron al cine porque no es una historia muy larga ni compleja… la estaré viendo
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.
March 7, 2025
“Well,” I say, “to be honest, sir, it’s not clear to me why I should be sanctioned for the failure to recover my own corpse.”
This! Was! So! Funny!! It reminded me a bit of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time series, because of the aliens, and the humour was similar as well.
I really loved the concept, the multiple Mickeys were a hoot, but, of course, 7 was the best one. I'm not sure either of them did their best not to be discovered though, like they lasted only a few days? Either way, experiencing their shenanigans was the highlight of my day.
The book is super easy to follow, so even if you don't normally read scifi, you won't have any trouble getting into it. And it's such a fast read too, I finished it in one go.
The ending was exactly what I was expecting, and it made me excited for the next book. Hopefully there's even more coming after that one (assuming Mickey can stay alive, that is).
I'm curious how the creepers are going to look in the movie, and generally how similar it'll be, I'm hopefully gonna watch it next week. I don't know if I'll have time to squeeze in book two beforehand though, but I'm so glad I managed to read this one.
P.S. Big thank you to Britt for tweeting about this book so much and making me want to read it <3
This! Was! So! Funny!! It reminded me a bit of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time series, because of the aliens, and the humour was similar as well.
I really loved the concept, the multiple Mickeys were a hoot, but, of course, 7 was the best one. I'm not sure either of them did their best not to be discovered though, like they lasted only a few days? Either way, experiencing their shenanigans was the highlight of my day.
The book is super easy to follow, so even if you don't normally read scifi, you won't have any trouble getting into it. And it's such a fast read too, I finished it in one go.
The ending was exactly what I was expecting, and it made me excited for the next book. Hopefully there's even more coming after that one (assuming Mickey can stay alive, that is).
I'm curious how the creepers are going to look in the movie, and generally how similar it'll be, I'm hopefully gonna watch it next week. I don't know if I'll have time to squeeze in book two beforehand though, but I'm so glad I managed to read this one.
P.S. Big thank you to Britt for tweeting about this book so much and making me want to read it <3
March 24, 2025
След като се сблъсква с гигантски червей, Мики 7 изживява четири свръхнеприятни дни в пълно раздвоение. Раздвоението му е буквално, тъй като е принуден тайно да дели хранителния си порцион с новоизлюпения Мики 8, докато двамата се правят на един човек.
Романът е непретенциозен, в началото бъка от глупашки лафове, които се опитват да минат за хумор. Но постепенно историята набира инерция и се оказва съвсем нелоша космическа опера на враждебна снежна планета, където малка човешка експедиция от колонисти се опитва да се установи. Всеки от бъдещите колонисти има строго определена функция, като тази на Мики е на опитното зайче, което е на първа линия във всички смъртоносни ситуации, тъй като биопринтерът ще изплюе следващата му версия след края на всяка “мисия”.
Аштън е далеч от строго задълбочената фантастика, но е далеч и от евтината ѝ имитация. Тази кръстоска между приключения и малко представяне на познати типажи, плюс крийпърите, е приятно четиво. Неразвитите нишки са доста, но пък действието е достатъчно стегнато, а и действие в рамките на четири дни е достатъчно за уютен уикенд конкретно с тази книга в ръка.
3,5⭐️
Романът е непретенциозен, в началото бъка от глупашки лафове, които се опитват да минат за хумор. Но постепенно историята набира инерция и се оказва съвсем нелоша космическа опера на враждебна снежна планета, където малка човешка експедиция от колонисти се опитва да се установи. Всеки от бъдещите колонисти има строго определена функция, като тази на Мики е на опитното зайче, което е на първа линия във всички смъртоносни ситуации, тъй като биопринтерът ще изплюе следващата му версия след края на всяка “мисия”.
Аштън е далеч от строго задълбочената фантастика, но е далеч и от евтината ѝ имитация. Тази кръстоска между приключения и малко представяне на познати типажи, плюс крийпърите, е приятно четиво. Неразвитите нишки са доста, но пък действието е достатъчно стегнато, а и действие в рамките на четири дни е достатъчно за уютен уикенд конкретно с тази книга в ръка.
3,5⭐️
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