Mickey7
Ratings168
Average rating3.6
I thought Mickey7 would have been full of hijinks, but it instead consisted of Mickey8 sleeping all the time, both Mickeys being hungry, and histories of colonization and exploration that didn't interest me.
Go read “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir for more fun with new life forms.
I have mixed feelings on this one. I struggled with the characters, including Mickey. His view on people doesn't vibe with my own. His choices that lead to him becoming an expendable are not ones I'd make, but I guess I understand. Most of the supporting characters are worse, except maybe Nasha.
For me the thing that kept me picking the book back up was the story itself. There is a bit of a mystery and I wanted to know what happened. Mickey did grow on me as the book went along. He had some interesting character growth. The book explores a lot of ideas about what is self.
I guess there is a sequel, but I'm not likely to pick it up. I am fine with this as a stand-alone.
Delightful read! Very quick but lots of fun. The idea of an “expendable” is very clever and a lot of fun. I wish they had spent more time musing on the philosophical implications of Mickeys life but I dont think thats really the point of this book. Its a fun little space adventure with a jovial (at times) main character that is a lot of fun to watch go through all the countless struggles of space/colony life. The science was very accurate too which is always a nice plus!
I was a little disappointed. I thought the premise was interesting, but did not reach the potential I had hoped for. The author touched on the philosophy of being immortal through “copies,” but could have gone much deeper. The plot of Mickey's past deaths wasn't as interesting as I had expected. The world building with Mickey's explanation of historical events was probably the most creative writing here, but they also hinted at what happened next so clearly it was almost a spoiler. With that said, it's an easy read, interesting concept, and just fun enough it didn't feel like a waste of time. 3/5 tubes of cycler paste.
The direction in the last pages comes out of nowhere, but besides that random philosophical last act, this was a fun read.
Mickey7 delivers a clever and refreshing take on immortality, blending dark humor, philosophical musings, and gripping sci-fi adventure into an unforgettable story. Mickey, is a "disposable" human - a clone meant to die repeatedly on behalf of the colony he serves. What makes the novel shine is Mickey’s internal monologue: sarcastic, self-aware, and deeply human, it pulled me into his world and letting me grapple with the weight of being both invaluable and expendable.
The treatment of immortality is fresh and thought-provoking. Rather than romanticizing it, Ashton explores its psychological toll and ethical dilemmas, adding layers of complexity to what might otherwise be a straightforward sci-fi premise. Mickey’s struggles with identity, purpose, and his uneasy relationship with the people who rely on his expendability make for an engaging and emotionally resonant read.
What sets Mickey7 apart is its tone, fun and irreverent without shying away from darker themes. It’s a story that feels just bleak enough to keep you on edge, but its sharp wit and fast-paced narrative make it suitably entertaining. Whether you’re drawn to sci-fi for its ideas, its characters, or its action, this book delivers on all fronts. Mickey7 was a standout read that balances humor, depth, and adventure in equal parts.
Light science fiction with an enjoyable plot. What does immortal mean and is a copy really you? Humorous and quick paced. Read it if you want a good story that lightly touches on complicated moral issues.
nunk hubiera leído esto, not even in a million years si no es q mentero x lererbo q la próxima nueva peli d bong joon ho está basada en esta historia...
su punto más alto sin duda es el dilema moral y psicólogico por el que pasa el protagonista, pero me perdió cuando él interactúa más a profundidad con los demás personajes q vaina más cliché y aburrida
pero aún así se mantuvo lo suficientemente interesante para q lo pudiera terminar (usé un text to voice)
espero con ansias esa adaptación, seguro va dura
Mickey is an expendable, a clone designed to complete dangerous tasks in service to the colony, but when a mission goes wrong he'll discover a whole lot more than he bargained for. Ashton has written a fun and interesting sci-fi novel, which I generally enjoyed. Unfortunately the plot sometimes got bogged down by an alternating timeline of info dumps and redundancy, but overall I liked the characters, setting, and plot.
Extremely fast read due to it's casual/conversational writing style. It's got a pretty interesting premise, but it doesn't really go much beyond said premise. I'd go as far to say If you read the synopsis you already understand 75% of the book.
There is a plot of sorts, but it's pretty underwhelming and not the focal point of the novel. It's a fun read though and I had a few chuckles, but ultimately wish it had more depth.
This was a fun read. Not exactly what I expected, but that's not a bad thing. If you're looking for a bunch of scifi lore on the trials and tribulations of humanity colonizing different worlds, told around the main story of this main characters shenanigans on his colonizing mission, and you love loads of sarcasm, this will be great for you. It certainly worked for me.
This book started out fun and the voice was great, but the focus lingered way too long on Mickey absolutely failing in every way to stay hidden and not long enough on the entire plot, which was basically shoved into the last 50 pages. The antagonists were interesting but barely described and the solution that works in the end is ridiculous.
If you enjoy Scalzi you will enjoy this SciFi tale. Not quite as accomplished as him but the vein is similar and there is a lot to like.
Funny! Mickey is immortal by virtue of being able to make a backup of himself that can be downloaded into new clone bodies. He has thus far died 6 times, which makes his current body Mickey7. Death is a pretty regular occurrence when you're the official Expendable on an interstellar colony ship that landed on a hostile planet. When he's assumed to have died a seventh time, and Mickey8 steps out of the cloning vats, that's when his troubles really begin, though.
This book is a fun spin on the whole “what makes you yourself?” question in SF that's also coming up when you discuss Star Trek transporters, mixed in with a good dollop of other issues, this book was a ride.
Found it hard to put down and kept being drawn back in.
An excellent story about practicalities and ethics of cloning and differing societal structures (and sometimes their demise). Also some very good insights into the Ship of Theseus problem on a practical level.
A good read. I am looking forward to the next installment.
On space ships going to new planets to colonise, there are certain jobs that are really dangerous. Things like... experimenting to see if the new vaccine for local hazards is working or not, fixing a thing that will expose you to lethal radiation, exploring new places with unknown hazards, etc. Now, you want to send the best and the brightest to colonise, right? Essential people. Plus, you don't have unlimited space, so it's not like there is room for unlimited amounts of disposable red shit cannon fodder. The solution is having this one guy. He isn't special or the brightest, nor is he an expert at anything. He doesn't need to be. His biological data will be copied, his brain regularly downloaded and saved. When shit needs to be done, he does it. He dies. Then we just print a new copy, upload his brain and be done with that shit. We still have him for the next time. Mickey is this guy, but then... what happens when they accidentally make a new one without the old one being dead first? This idea is so cool from so many angles. How do you deal with yourself? Will people see you as still the same person or someone else? How much difference does it make to have a couple days extra experiences compared to an identical copy without those? Yet.... we get a bunch of boring stuff in a short book about the technicalities of eating. Yes. How these two people divide the rations of one person amongst them. And sharing a girlfriend. I mean sure, rationally you know those things would matter, but at the same time, do we really need to hear about Mickey whining about the same thing continuously, meanwhile many actually potentially super interesting aspects get ignored. The tone doesn't help either, it often goes into that UWU funneh Whedon-speech pattern. I read they are making a movie and that makes sense. It will be whacky and current and probably kind of entertaining. (With Robert Pattinson, what?) If you like [a:Andy Weir 6540057 Andy Weir https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382592903p2/6540057.jpg], you will absolutely love this. I am so-so on him (liked [b:The Martian 18007564 The Martian Andy Weir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.SY75.jpg 21825181], disliked [b:Project Hail Mary 54493401 Project Hail Mary Andy Weir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597695864l/54493401.SY75.jpg 79106958]), which puts me in a place where I don't LOVE this, but I was fine with it. I'm definitely reading the next book. Why? Because I want to see more of the world and them possibly exploring the ideas properly. It wasn't a bad book either, just not at its full potential yet. I would recommend it as a quick, fun little thing.
Not life changing, and it kind of petered out at the end. But man, I got a ton of enjoyment out of this colonization with clones story. Looking forward to future installments, tons of potential with the world building done here. I think the movie is gonna be killer!
Much appreciation to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me a chance to read this early.
After finding out about Bong Joon-ho's announcement for his next film, a sci-fi thriller starring Robert Pattinson, an adaption of Mickey7, I immediately sought out the source material. There are some unfortunate issues with the pacing, but the story was original and understandably easy to adapt to the screen.
My only gripe with the flow of the book were the chapters dedicated to various flashback, including a few info dumps ones. There were many times where I was itching to zero in on certain characters/situations and the following chapter broke away from the tension to reveal a second hand in the story. Bits and pieces that felt unnecessary to me. By the end of the book, I've found myself detached from the experience.
What I actually thought was interesting outside of these chapters was the author's prose. He did a great job showing rather than telling through the POV's internal dialog. Worldbuilding in a sci-fi relies on storytelling with this technique.
Overall, with its rough edges, Mickey7 makes a unique impact on the sci-fi genre.
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Audio read by: John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin
I've been itching for a good Sci-Fi read and I finally found one.
Mickey7 is an expendable. He is the 7th iteration of the original Mickey Barnes. He does the jobs no one else will or can do and in the process he dies, usually not in a quick and painless way.
Out on a sweep mission, looking for creepers that inhabit the planet his people are establishing a colony on, Mickey7 ends up at the bottom of a hole and left for dead. He ends up finding his way back to the Dome only to find Mickey8 asleep in his bunk.
The colonists are already leery of him, as they see his position as being against the laws of humanity, despite understanding the necessity of it. If Command finds out there are multiples of him, they will both be scrapped and Mickey7 has an aversion to being killed.
What follows is a well-written, fun and chaotic journey as Mickey7 and Mickey8 try to stay under the radar. Throw in some Creepers, flashbacks of Mickey's previous lives and you get a Sci-Fi that is screen worthy.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.