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A review by angethology
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
3.5
"We're constantly being rebuilt; one board at a time. If you actually take on this job, you'll probably be rebuilt all at once at some point, but at the end of the day, it's really no different is it?"
[3.5 stars] Seeking to escape utopian planet Midgard (Earth), Mickey Barnes dares to sign up for a job that usually requires recruiters to draft convicts: an Expendable, on a beachhead colony to colonize the icy Niflheim. As an Expendable, Mickey becomes a jack of all trades, mainly doing all the dirty and dangerous work that would usually end in someone's demise. And this is where Mickey's advantage — or rather, curse — comes in clutch; like a video game, he's able to respawn as a new iteration of himself as much as he needs to. However, his somewhat immortal capability doesn't diminish the pain and fear he encounters in his (near)death experiences. Ironically, his "expendable" status makes him quite the opposite, yet he's often looked down on by a part of the crew. Mickey's usual terror of dealing with these missions, however, is replaced with a new one when his 8th clone exists at the same time as his 7th — and it's something that should have never happened.
Despite the interesting philosophical and heavy reflections on the meaning of one's identity in regard to having multiple iterations or clones of yourself, the book is overall quite funny and even has straight up "cornball" humor. In terms of tone, it reminds me of "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir. Mickey Barnes is a somewhat relatable character, being the soft-hearted antihero who admits himself that he's a mediocre person compared to his peers, and reduces his entire persona, to his main hobby or the "only" thing he's good at: history. He's also frustratingly pathetic to an extent (especially during the part before he joined as an Expendable), but the back-and-forth between his 7th and 8th iteration is quite hilarious at times. I do feel like this aspect should have been capitalized on more because despite the extremely high stakes, the main interactions present between them are "I'm scared I'll get caught," "I'm gonna starve." I also appreciate the emphasis on how advanced tech — even as Mickey is constantly denigrated and demoralized by the crew regardless of how much he's saved people — doesn't equate with advanced morals, and funnily he's more so objectified for it, in all ways possible. And the Ship of Thesseus analogy is my favorite.
It's not the fully fleshed book I want from a funny sci-fi book, but I still had a good time reading it and will be reading the sequel.
[3.5 stars] Seeking to escape utopian planet Midgard (Earth), Mickey Barnes dares to sign up for a job that usually requires recruiters to draft convicts: an Expendable, on a beachhead colony to colonize the icy Niflheim. As an Expendable, Mickey becomes a jack of all trades, mainly doing all the dirty and dangerous work that would usually end in someone's demise. And this is where Mickey's advantage — or rather, curse — comes in clutch; like a video game, he's able to respawn as a new iteration of himself as much as he needs to. However, his somewhat immortal capability doesn't diminish the pain and fear he encounters in his (near)death experiences. Ironically, his "expendable" status makes him quite the opposite, yet he's often looked down on by a part of the crew. Mickey's usual terror of dealing with these missions, however, is replaced with a new one when his 8th clone exists at the same time as his 7th — and it's something that should have never happened.
Despite the interesting philosophical and heavy reflections on the meaning of one's identity in regard to having multiple iterations or clones of yourself, the book is overall quite funny and even has straight up "cornball" humor. In terms of tone, it reminds me of "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir. Mickey Barnes is a somewhat relatable character, being the soft-hearted antihero who admits himself that he's a mediocre person compared to his peers, and reduces his entire persona, to his main hobby or the "only" thing he's good at: history. He's also frustratingly pathetic to an extent (especially during the part before he joined as an Expendable), but the back-and-forth between his 7th and 8th iteration is quite hilarious at times. I do feel like this aspect should have been capitalized on more because despite the extremely high stakes, the main interactions present between them are "I'm scared I'll get caught," "I'm gonna starve." I also appreciate the emphasis on how advanced tech — even as Mickey is constantly denigrated and demoralized by the crew regardless of how much he's saved people — doesn't equate with advanced morals, and funnily he's more so objectified for it, in all ways possible. And the Ship of Thesseus analogy is my favorite.
It's not the fully fleshed book I want from a funny sci-fi book, but I still had a good time reading it and will be reading the sequel.