Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1)

by Edward Ashton

The Martian meets Dark Matter in Edward Ashton's high concept science fiction thriller, in which Mickey7, an "expendable," refuses to let his replacement clone Mickey8 take his place.

Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.

Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous―even suicidal―the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.

On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.

Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.

That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.

• ISBN10: 1250275032
• ISBN13: 9781250275035
• Publish Date: 15 February 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250275035/mickey7

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

So, full confession time: I originally picked up Mickey7 because I was craving something similar to The Murderbot Diaries, and I thought this would be it. While it wasn't, I will admit that it ended up being a solid and thought-provoking read.

Mickey7 is what is called an Expendable. He's literally a disposable human, where the colony can simply print a new him when the current version dies, which is often, given that he's the seventh incarnation (so far).

While out scouting, Mickey7 found himself in a tricky situation. He fell down a deep hole. Rather than taking the time, energy, and risk to save him, his so-called best friend left him to die. The good news is: Mickey7 didn't die. The bad news is that Mickey8 was sitting in his bunk when he got home. And Expendables aren't allowed to exist together.

“Dying isn't any fun...but at least it's a living.”

If you like science fiction novels that make you think and question deeper truths such as reality, life, death, and the concept of self, then Mickey7 is a fantastic read for you. This novel blends many different thoughts, concerns, and subjects, creating a new science fiction novel in the process.

Admittedly, Mickey7 isn't the most involved science fiction novel I've read. If not for the debate about Mickey's identity, I might not have enjoyed it so much. I feel like many other hardcore science fiction readers may ultimately feel the same. However, this novel will carefully guide readers along on quite the journey for those not as used to the genre.

There are a lot of familiar concepts and even references strewn about Mickey7. For example, the majority of the story takes place on Niflheim. Sound familiar? Plus, the idea of replacing a person with another copy isn't exactly new. It just has a shiny new name and face here.

Still, I appreciated what Edward Ashton was trying to do here. It made a difficult concept pretty approachable and had a little bit of fun in the process. Gotta love it when your moral philosophy debate comes with a sense of humor, right?

In the beginning, I didn't like Mickey all that much. I'm not even entirely sure that I liked Mickey7 by the end, though he did grow on me. It says a lot about the writing that I was able to be enchanted by this story, despite not being all that sold on the leading character.
I would absolutely recommend Mickey7 to any other curious reader, especially if they're hoping for a more thought-provoking read.

Thanks to StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks