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mary_c's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, and Medical trauma
Minor: Colonisation
ababytapir's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Genocide, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
araehop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
kellyofcali's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Body horror, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Torture
Minor: Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
singalana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
sarah984's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
spaceteapot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Minor: Genocide
marareading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A guy who is an "expendable" is on his 7th iteration of himself and something goes wrong. The whole book is about that one mistake essentially. It didn't feel very high stakes. It wasn't bad at all, it just isn't high action or high intensity.
It felt like a long conversation in space. Even when things with action did happen, the writing made it feel lack luster.
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
aromarrie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death and Blood
azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
**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
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail