Title: In the Lives of Puppets
Author: T.J. Klune
Date/year published: 2023
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Science-fiction
Format: Hardcover print. I had forgotten I pre-ordered it and was delightfully surprised when the box arrived.
Why did I choose to read it: A fan of two of Klune’s previous books, “The House in the Cerulean Sea” and “Under the Whispering Door”, I knew I would want to read this one as well. As noted above, I pre-ordered a copy after reading the book’s synopsis.
Synopsis: Victor Lawson lives with three robots; the android that raised him, Geo, an outdated medical robot, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo, a Roomba with self esteem issues. Together the unlikely foursome are a found family. But when Vic repairs another android, Hap, and the authorities are alerted to the family’s whereabouts, Geo is kidnapped (robonapped?). Vic and his friends must go to Electric City to save Geo. As one would expect, there are adventures along the way.
Thoughts:
Many have said this is a modern retelling of Pinocchio. I could see that, but does that matter? How many times has Romeo and Juliet been retold?
Now that that’s out of the way, I enjoyed this story. Nurse Ratchet and Rambo were a great pair, one sarcastic and blunt, the other constantly fretting or behaving like a child (in a good way – innocent and full of wonder and amazement) The world Klune created was a foreign, yet familiar, futuristic world that was well defined, described, and easily imaginable. His forest world was fairy tale-esque while you could sense the grime and deterioration of machinery in Electric City. The difference between the two worlds was stark but bridged briefly by the time spent in the moving house.
Being set in the future, it had a different feel and flow than Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door. So, if you are expecting more of the same – a magical world disguised in the mundane happenings of everyday life – you might be disappointed. It’s very similar, but just different enough, you may feel slighted somehow, even if you enjoy it. Maybe it’s the touch of science fiction that alters it; we are talking about a family of robots and androids, after all. 😉
And of course there’s romance, (spoiler) between a human and an android. What did you expect when there’s only one human in the book? This had led to some crazy reviews and comments. Or maybe people are upset because Nurse Ratchet says Vic is asexual. Who cares? It’s a fantasy story. No one of any orientation is falling in love with androids. They don’t exist yet. Geesh. Some people take things way too seriously. Frankly I enjoy a good love story that isn’t mostly about sex.
Would I re-read or recommend it?
Re-read: Yes. I’ll probably re-read it at some point. For me it was a quick read the first time through, which makes it a good re-read when I’m not feeling well, or need something light and fun.
Recommend: Yes. But only if you enjoy fair tale like stories. They aren’t for everyone. Some readers like their stories grounded in reality. If that’s you, you might want to skip this one.
lisatrefsger.com 