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ababytapir's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Easy to read, an enjoyable sci fi adventure set on a new planet that doesn't make you think too hard, but does contain a sprinkling of ethics around cloning and colonisation. The main character is kinda dumb and I enjoyed that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Genocide, and Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Terminal illness
Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Violence, War, Animal death, Medical trauma, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Excrement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gore, Torture, Dementia, Genocide, Self harm, and Terminal illness
samspencer23's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Eating disorder
sarah984's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book started out fun and the voice was great, but the focus lingered way too long on Mickey absolutely failing in every way to stay hidden and not long enough on the entire plot, which was basically shoved into the last 50 pages. The antagonists were interesting but barely described and the solution that works in the end is ridiculous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
Minor: Confinement, Blood, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Cancer, Racism, Sexual content, Vomit, and Excrement
azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I received a proof copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury detail, death, cancer, medical trauma, suicide/suicide ideation
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A fast-paced and highly enjoyable space adventure that is a great balance of science, humour and ethics.
In a distant future where advancements in scientific technology have helped or really forced humanity to colonise the stars we follow Mickey Barnes, the Expendable of the team on a colonisation mission to the ice planet Niflheim. An Expendable is an individual who has signed on to put themselves forward for any and every life threatening task that needs doing and when they expire their body is regenerated anew with all memories intact.
We first meet Mickey in his 7th iteration out on a scouting mission when he gets stuck and left behind, presumed dead. Except he doesn’t die and this oversight finds him coming face to face with Mickey8, the 8th iteration of himself when he returns to base, a big problem since duplicate Expendables are against the rules. They both agree to keep the double situation a secret – which is of course not an easy feat when part of a small population living in a confined dome on a hostile planet.
**I received a proof copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury detail, death, cancer, medical trauma, suicide/suicide ideation
--
A fast-paced and highly enjoyable space adventure that is a great balance of science, humour and ethics.
In a distant future where advancements in scientific technology have helped or really forced humanity to colonise the stars we follow Mickey Barnes, the Expendable of the team on a colonisation mission to the ice planet Niflheim. An Expendable is an individual who has signed on to put themselves forward for any and every life threatening task that needs doing and when they expire their body is regenerated anew with all memories intact.
We first meet Mickey in his 7th iteration out on a scouting mission when he gets stuck and left behind, presumed dead. Except he doesn’t die and this oversight finds him coming face to face with Mickey8, the 8th iteration of himself when he returns to base, a big problem since duplicate Expendables are against the rules. They both agree to keep the double situation a secret – which is of course not an easy feat when part of a small population living in a confined dome on a hostile planet.
"There's a certain peace that comes from knowing without a doubt what's going to happen to you. The possibility that I might survive this morning is a source of anxiety as much as it is a source of hope."
The straightforward and easy flowing plot meant I flew right through this book.
Mickey is a such fun and likeable protagonist with an engaging voice, and a personality that will make you laugh and want to facepalm in equal measure. The chaos of having 2 of him around made it all the more enjoyable. However, despite the mostly light tone of the story there are still some very dark moments that unfold.
The narrative alternates between showing his current situation and him relaying the past events which led him there, including showing us the extents an Expendable has to go for the job as well as insights into the expansive wider universe within the story and its history.
I really loved was that while we were following the happenings of this live colonisation project, we were also drip fed accounts of past missions that had varying degrees of success. Though I do wish we could have gotten a little more than just snippets of these.
"The thing about disasters in interstellar space is that some of them are fast, and some of them are slow - but either kind can leave you really, really dead."
The science and technology was really interesting and despite getting a little technical at times it was never too overly complex as to unsettle the story. Furthermore, we also come across a handful of side characters and the relationships they each have with Mickey were really well written and brought to light some deep conversations on philosophy and morality.
Overall, this would be a fun read for sci-fi lovers and those looking to get into the genre alike.
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Blood, and Suicide
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