In The Lives of Puppets

by T. J. Klune
Published by Macmillan audio, Tor Publishing Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, LGBT, Science Fiction
Format: ARC, Audiobook, eBook
five-stars

Heaven, I’m in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek – lyrics by Irvin Berlin

Oh, my heart!

I had both the kindle and audio version of this book and I have to say that the narrator of the audiobook knocked it out of the ballpark with his narration! So well done!

This book was full of heart and soul. In a grove of trees lives a family made up of fatherly inventor android Giovanni (Gio) Lawson, Nurse Rached, a sadistic nurse machine, Rambo, and a small vacuum desperate for love. A human, Victor (VIC) Lawson, lives there as well. They live in safety until the day Vic salvages HAP, an unfamiliar android. Unfortunately, HAP and Gio share a history of hunting humans.

The family is in danger when HAP alerts robots Gio’s whereabouts and he is taken to a factory in the City of Electric Dreams. Gio’s small family decides to risk all and go looking for him to save him from decommissioning and/or reprogramming. What ensues is a journey full of risk, sacrifice, heart, and family.

They may be robots, but they are a family who want to stay together, they care and show their humanity. This book and the audio version were simply brilliant. I loved the characters, their distinct personalities, their struggles, their discussions, and their journey.

T.J. Klune has such a creative mind. This book had me thinking of The wizard of Oz and Pinocchio. The characters were off on a journey, one who is timid gains courage, there is a father/son relationship, and there is one who is tough but has a heart.

The banter was adorable and had me smiling. This book evoked emotions and was thought provoking. It’s about family, community, humanity, and love. I am not a big fantasy or Science fiction reader, but I love T.J. Klune’s writing. I enjoyed being on this adventure with his characters. I also loved the diverse representation in this book. For me Nurse Ratched and sweet Rambo stole the show!

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

five-stars

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