In the Lives of Puppets

eBook, 399 pages

English language

Published April 25, 2023 by Tor Books.

ISBN:
978-1-250-21742-4
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3 stars (4 reviews)

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots-fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labeled "HAP," he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic …

4 editions

Review of 'In the Lives of Puppets' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

The forest is home to three robots: Father figure Giovanni Lawson, sadistic nurse robot, and a vacuum robot looking for love. It is also home to Victor Lawson, a human. It’s a family, hidden and safe.

When Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android called “HAP,” he discovers that Hap and Gio share a dark past filled with human predation.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their location, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Vic's family must travel across an unforgiving, otherworldly country to save Gio from decommissioning or reprogramming.

Despite conflicting feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: is conditional love possible for him?

Perhaps this is the fastest book I have DNF’d. As hard as it is for me to do, I can’t avoid it. It took me six chapters to realize I wasn’t able to finish... …

Review of 'In the Lives of Puppets' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Sadly, I didn’t feel as charmed with this one as I did with Klune’s previous books. This was compelling, but it had that air of being through the editor one too many times. I have to wonder what the previous version that he “felt the world wasn’t ready for” was like…

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3 stars