Synopsis

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 labelled “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 must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Review

Another lovely read from TJ Klune that makes you feel all the feelings. Don’t be mistaken into thinking that this is a cosy fanstasy romance like previous books though.

This is instead a sci-fi adventure quest inhabited by robots. Somehow, despite all the robots, it was a very human story, filled with love, forgiveness and family. Klune’s usual magical storytelling is out in full-force, with laugh-out-loud banter, endearing and fully realised characters and evocative worldbuilding.

There is also darkness and I always enjoy the way that Klune manages to flip you from feeling happy and excited, to exploring difficult and deep topics without de-railing the story or your attention. There were many moments that made me audibly chuckle, and others that really hit me in the heart.
If you are a big Klune fan, I am sure you will enjoy this one a lot.

Some minor niggles for me: the pacing wasn’t quite there (it was slow at times), and I wasn’t massively fond of how it ended (though I am not sure what I would have wanted instead), but none of those things were anywhere near enough to hamper my overall enjoyment at all.

ARC provided by Pan MacMillan and Netgalleyin exchange for an honest review – thank you.