In the Lives of Puppets: A No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and ultimate cosy adventure

by T.J. Klune

From New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, In the Lives of Puppets is a queer retelling of the Pinocchio tale, inviting you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.

‘A deeply stirring journey through a world of extraordinary robots’ – Chuck Tingle, Hugo-shortlisted author of Camp Damascus

*A New York Times, Sunday Times and Indie Bestseller*
*Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction*

In a small home, built into the branches of a tree, live a human named Victor and three robots. These are a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, a small vacuum desperate for love and attention, and a fatherly inventor-android named Giovanni Lawson. Together they’re a family, hidden and safe.

Then Vic salvages an unfamiliar android labelled ‘HAP’. He learns that Hap and Gio share a dark past, where they hunted humans. And Hap unwittingly gives away Gio’s location. Before they know it, robots from Gio’s former life arrive – to capture and return the android to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams.

The rest of the unconventional family must travel across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommissioning. Or worse, reprogramming. Along the way, Vic must decide if he can handle his feelings for Hap – even if they come with strings attached.

Inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful standalone fantasy adventure from the author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

_{In the Lives of Puppets was a No. 1 Sunday Times HB Bestseller w/c 24/04/2023.}

• ISBN10: 152908802X
• ISBN13: 9781529088021
• Publish Date: 25 April 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Tor
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Vic has spent his entire life in the woods – and the tree houses his father built. This has been the only world he's ever known. His only companions are the bots he's managed to salvage and repair, plus his father, of course.

One day, Vic and his friends come across a damaged android. Determined to give this android a chance, they bring him home and get him running once again. What they don't know is that in doing so, they are about to change their lives as they know them.

My Review:

Eee! I can't believe it's time to dive into another one of T.J. Klune's novels! To say that I was excited about In the Lives of Puppets would be the understatement of the century. If you love Klune's writing style but have always wanted him to play with a more dystopian setting, this is the novel for you.

Overall, I enjoyed In the Lives of Puppets. I don't think it's my favorite of his works, but it's still solid (and worth the read). I loved seeing his exploration of this world, which was expressed through Vic in many ways. I especially loved how Vic himself had to go through some exploration, again in many ways.

I loved the variety of characters in this novel, especially Rambo – they were my favorite. Read this book to enjoy a novel with a strong sense of character and humor alongside some bittersweet moments.

Highlights:
LGBT
Dystopian
Science Fiction
Androids/Robots

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[Terri M. LeBlanc]

My heart is so full after finishing In the Lives of Puppets. The world Klune presents is broken and sad, but so full of hope, love, and laughter. Vic relationships with his robotic friends - Rambo, Nurse Ratched and Hap - and his father, Gio, seep through the pages and grab you right by the heart. I will admit a more than a few tears were shed. And anyone with an aging parent will see hints of the struggles with memory loss in the final chapters. Love conquers a lot if one remembers, "Above all else, be brave!" 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.