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Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton

"This is gonna be my stupidest death ever."

Mickey Barnes is an Expendable, the person who's given any and every hazardous assignment on Niflheim--a new colony on a nearly uninhabitable ice world--so that the other, more mission critical colonists don't have to risk their lives. When he falls into an ice crevasse, his friend decides it's easier to declare him dead than try and rescue him, because he knows the colony will just bring him back as Mickey 8. Only Mickey 7 doesn't die. And now there are two of him. Which is a very big problem. 

"I've died six times in the past eight years. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, wouldn't you? ... If I die now, though, there won't be another me coming out of the tank. The other me is already here, and despite all appearances, Eight is most definitely not a continuation of me. Honestly, he doesn't even seem to like me very much."

It's easy to like Mickey 7. He's a flawed, funny, and wryly self-deprecating narrator. He enjoys reading the histories of other failed colonies and is in a relationship with Nasha, a fierce combat pilot. And despite his job as an Expendable, he really doesn't want to die again. I was definitely rooting for him to figure out a solution to his problem. I also really like that colonizing-another-world trope in science fiction, and this new planet they're trying to colonize has some pretty unique aliens they call creepers on it, which added some nice tension. There's also a bit of a mystery in this one involving the death of Mickey 6. Because of all of Mickey's introspection and past memories of his other deaths, this isn't quite as action-packed or as fast-paced as I thought it would be going in, but it's still very interesting and entertaining. And the ending is great! I'd give it 4 stars.

Happy Reading! 


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38 comments:

  1. Oh, I've heard of this one and in fact have it on my list of sci-fi books to look out for. Really pleased to hear you liked it.

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    1. I did. Mickey is a fun character and I liked reading about how he signed up to be an Expendable, and all his previous deaths.

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  2. That's an interesting premise! Glad to hear that you enjoyed reading it and it has a great ending. :)

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  3. I don't read much science fiction and I don't know why because I generally really enjoy it. This certainly sounds like one for the old reading list!

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    1. I've been trying to read more science fiction this year, because I do enjoy reading it, I just tend to gravitate to mysteries/thrillers and romances more.

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  4. Haven't heard anything about this one or its author, but it sounds like a fun book...going on the TBR.

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    1. It was an interesting, and I thought well-written, science fiction novel.

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  5. I've been reading more sci-fi lately, so this book is definitely on my radar. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. :)

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    1. If you get a chance to read it, I'd love to know your thoughts. :D

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  6. This is going to be my stupidest death ever, LOL!!

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  7. Oh my gosh that premise is AWESOME. I love how his buddy just leaves him to die lol.

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    1. It was pretty funny. There's a lot to like about this one.

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  8. Sounds like an interesting storyline. Thanks for writing about it.

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  9. I like the sound of this one, Lark! For some reason I'm getting a Dark Matter vibe? Maybe because there were many versions of the character in that story too. I think so anyhow. It's been a while since I read it. :)

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    1. I haven't read Dark Matter yet, but it's been on my radar for awhile, and it does sound like one I would like.

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    1. Mickey is a great character, which made this book very fun.

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  11. Too many Mickeys can be problem, I see.

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    1. :D The whole premise of this one makes me smile, but there's some thought-provoking ideas in it, too.

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  12. I'm with you and think this sounds like a good one. I'll have to add it to the list.

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    1. If you like character-driven science fiction then this is a good one.

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  13. This is definitely an interesting, unique premise. /and I am so curious about how they resolve the too-many-Mickeys situation — Verushka at Pop. Edit, Lit

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  14. The idea of multiple versions of yourself seems to have boundless possibility. It kind of reminds me of Blake Crouch's Dark Matter.

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  15. This does sound like it could be a lot of fun!

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  16. This sounds like it could be good. It probably won't show up at the book sale this year, but I will keep an eye out for it anyway.

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  17. Definitely not my genre but I absolutely love the sound of it. Mickey 7 sounds very entertaining.

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    1. Mickey was a fun character. I liked him a lot.

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  18. This one is new to me and it sounds like a fun read.

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