In "Mickey7" by Edward Ashton, listeners are taken on a high-concept science fiction journey that blends elements of "The Martian" with the intrigue of "Dark Matter." As an audiobook experience, the narrative unfolds in the vein of a thrilling sci-fi adventure, introducing Mickey7, an expendable crew member on a mission to colonize the icy world of Niflheim.

The premise revolves around the intriguing concept of expendables—disposable individuals sent on perilous missions. Mickey7, accustomed to the cycle of death and regeneration, faces a unique challenge when his replacement, Mickey8, threatens to take his place. The tension escalates as Mickey7 grapples with the need to keep his double a secret while navigating the challenges of survival on Niflheim.

The book's self-comparison to "The Martian" sets high expectations, and while it may not reach the pinnacle of that beloved work, "Mickey7" stands on its own as an entertaining and inventive sci-fi tale. Ashton successfully weaves a narrative that feels both timeless and fresh, combining classic science fiction themes with new and exciting elements.

The story's strength lies in its ability to maintain a delicate balance between suspense and humor, reminiscent of the survival struggles depicted in "The Martian." The audiobook format enhances the immersive experience, allowing listeners to become absorbed in Mickey7's world as he grapples with the challenges of his unique existence.

Ashton's exploration of themes such as identity, survival, and the consequences of scientific experimentation adds depth to the narrative, elevating it beyond a straightforward sci-fi adventure. The atmospheric setting of Niflheim, with its unsuitable atmosphere and curious native species, contributes to the overall richness of the story.

In conclusion, "Mickey7" is a captivating and entertaining sci-fi novel that delivers a compelling narrative with a unique premise. While not reaching the heights of its self-proclaimed comparison, it stands as a noteworthy work in its own right. I gave it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, appreciating its ability to blend familiar sci-fi elements with a fresh and engaging perspective.

This book was so much fun. Space travel takes time, and for most it is a one-way trip. Mickey just needed off his planet, and the only way to get out of trouble was taking a job as the expendable on a one-way trip to terraform a new planet. His job is to die. His conscience and everything that makes Mickey Mickey, is uploaded, preferably frequently, and when the crew need someone to do something dangerous, or something that will surely cause death, that is Mickey’s job.

We start this book with Mickey out on exploration. He is exploring a set of caves when he falls, and his friend/crew mate, says he’s not performing a rescue, and that Mickey can just pop the hatch and they will print a new one. This is Mickey’s job. He knows it, but he has this thing about purposefully killing himself. He can’t do it. With a little help of a giant fuzzy caterpillar, Mickey makes it back to base by morning, with minimal injuries. The only problem, when he makes it all the way to his bunk, and finds out Mickey 8 is in his bed, freshly regenerated. And while they are both the same person, they are both alive, and both hope to stay that way.
This book is both a look at the complications of technology like this, as well as the ethical and religious beliefs in this practice (it’s not preachy). But it is done with the whit and wisdom one would find in the Murderbot books. This book is funny, heart tugging, and will keep readers at the end of their seats at times. It is well thought out, flows at just the right pace and make you keep turning the page. This is a duology, but one could just read this book and be just fine. It has an ending, that works well, and will satisfy readers.

Great Murderbot type vibes on this story, with quippy humor and lots of heart. It’s like Martha Wells and Andy Weir had a baby, but in a less than creepy way. I definitely enjoyed the banter and the great interpersonal dynamics, especially considering that there are only like five characters.
Full review on YouTube

Enjoyed the story and the narrators. It was an interesting concept and I enjoyed the exploration of the concept, but I'm not sure that I would continue if it is a series. I liked the snarkiness of the main character.

I wanted to love this self-deprecating sci-fi, but it certainly left something to be desired. The main character, setting, and overall concept had a lot of potential, but the plot was plodding and the dialogue was repetitive. The writing style wore on my nerves with excessive asides breaking the fourth wall to deliver infodumps of exposition and there were a few head-scratching moments that muddled the characters' motivations.

Overall this was an entertaining enough read, and I enjoyed the direction Ashton took the resolution, but it's certainly not a new favourite.


Trigger/Content Warnings: death, medical trauma, body horror, bullying, restriction of calories, genocide, colonization, war

Mickey7 (Mickey7 #1) by Edward Ashton
Publication date: February 15, 2022

Date read: May 20, 2022



Mickey is an Expendable - the only employee on the space mission whose DNA and memories are stored for a procedure that will regenerate him if he dies. The Expendable's job on the mission is to do whatever dangerous or suicidal tasks that might come up - and after he dies, the next Mickey is created in his place. When Mickey7 is left for dead on a scouting mission, he miraculously makes it back to base, only to find that Mickey8 has already been generated. Since duplicate Expendables are forbidden, Mickey is left to figure out how to stay alive and unnoticed. But his personal problems aren't the only trouble on this mission, which has landed on a planet that is less hospitable than originally assumed. And with terraforming and farming going poorly, plus the native species showing violent interest, it might just be up to Mickey to ensure his people's survival.

The audiobook was narrated by John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin.

While I read a fair amount of sci-fi/fantasy, I don’t read a lot set in space; it’s just not my usual go-to. But this sounded intriguing, so I had to give it a shot.

Like any science fiction set in an alternate world, it takes a few pages to get used to the world-building, but it’s not too bad. It’s actually set in what is supposed to be our world, just a long way in the future. The technology is obviously crazy advanced, but the characters are all human.

I thought the characters were mostly really great, and Mickey was a lot of fun. He’s a little cavalier and silly at times, but also understands the stakes enough to take things seriously when needed. But he’s a really enjoyable character that was a lot of fun to follow.

I also liked the science and backstory of the Expendables - how they’re made and how it’s supposed to be different from just a clone. Mickey is supposed to still be the same person every time he is regenerated, but seeing the subtle differences between Mickey7 and Mickey8 was really intriguing. I actually really liked all the science in this book, especially when Mickey dove into the history of colonization of other planets and the reason why only one Expendable is allowed at a time. I also thought that the science center was explained in a way that made it sound plausible but also easy to understand.

There was only one scene that I didn’t really like and thought was unnecessary - and, yes, it was a sex scene. Mostly just insinuated and nothing was shown, but the characters involved just made it too weird for me.

Mostly, though, it was a really fun story with intriguing characters. I’m glad I read this one and I think that anyone who enjoys space-set science fiction will enjoy this one. There is also a sequel coming out in March 2023, and I definitely plan on reading it.

Note about the audiobook: the narrator sounds like a young Michael Douglas. I liked it. I thought the audiobook was really well down, and I like that they used a different voice for when he got comm messages. Made it sound authentic.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Trigger warning: death, animal attack, suicide (mentioned), gore, medical experimentation, parasitic infection

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Very interesting concept!

This was a bit of an unexpected read - or maybe the outcome was unexpected? But I did definitely enjoy it. With the idea of life being somewhat of a commodity (to some) Mickey 7 definitely held my attention and drew me in to the plot and characters.

I like a type of 'cocky' main character and I feel like that was Mickey in the best way. There were a lot of ins-and-outs to this with a lot of book-world history mixed in, at times it was a little bit much for me, but it did help flesh out the world of the story.

I'd be interested in reading next books in this series.

!Language and slight depiction of a more adult scene .

My rating: 3.8*

---
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy. All opinions are my own.

——
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio review copy. All opinions are my own.

Entertaining but not gripping.

Mickey7 is an “Expendable”. After bad gambling put him into debt to a loan shark, Mickey wanted to get off-planet quickly. His friend Berto is going on a colonization expedition and Mickey, having no special skills to offer a space mission, volunteers to take the only open spot– the job of an “Expendable”. That means he gets all the dangerous jobs that are likely to get him killed. The twist is that his memory is “backed-up” and he is brought back as a clone. Mickey figures he can “live with” this arrangement.

When Mickey meets the commander on the mission he learns that not everyone agrees with cloning, and the captain is a strong opponent. Other members of the expedition don’t like the idea much either, especially if they think the Expendable is likely to duck hard work if he can.

The expedition is exploring an ice world, Niflheim, where they have discovered large, vicious snow ‘worms’ they name Creepers. The ship already suffered damage on the journey and Mickey is now Mickey7. On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 falls through a deep ice crevice. He calls for his friend to rescue him, but Berto says it is too dangerous and he can just come back as Mickey8. Mickey7’s girlfriend is prepared to come to get him, but Mickey7 doesn’t want to put her at risk. Expecting to die, Mickey7 is surprised when he gets help getting back to base. Mickey7 slips into his room only to find Mickey8 in his, now their, small bed.

If it is discovered that there are two clones out at one time, the captain will surely kill them both. The pair must juggle their existence, sharing half-rations, rotating jobs, room time, and trying to avoid contact that would reveal their deception. Of course, it isn’t long before the juggling causes trouble. But there is more than just that. It appears that Mickey7’s exposure on the way back to base has had some strange effect on his neuron system. This causes problems at first but soon turns into a saving grace for Mickey7.

I found the story idea intriguing and wanted to really like it. Unfortunately, I didn’t find Mickey to be a very likeable character. Even though he volunteered to die for the expedition, he isn’t a self-sacrificing person. No, he is much more self-centered and his relationships seem shallow to me. I did like the twists near the end but I found the ending to be weak and unsatisfactory. The story has some entertainment value but didn’t pull me in. Others may find it more enjoyable.

Audio Notes: John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin share the narration performance and I liked their voices. Pithalla seemed to capture the weak nature of Mickey’s character while Chin conveyed the quirky natures of the female characters. The audio performance enhanced the story for me.

Source: 2022 NetGalley.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton was another in a series of fun science fiction reads for me. Ones that were not too dense but explored future ideas with enough gravitas to get me thinking, but not enough to bog me down. Mickey7 wasn't full of Earth and perspective-shattering ideas, but damn, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon or two.

The premise starts with Mickey Barnes, the titular Mickey7. He is the seventh iteration of himself—a clone of a clone, and so on. "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." Do you need someone to take a fatal dose of radiation, try out an experimental vaccine, or introduce themselves to a non-friendly planet entity? Mickey is your guy. That is why he gets paid the big bucks... errm. That is why he gets all the food! Wait, that isn't it either...Moving on.

Mickey7, having dealt with six violent or gruesome deaths, has a better idea of what death is than anyone else in his colony. Furthermore, because humans have different views of death, many in his colony shun him or want to sleep with him. It makes for odd working conditions for him.

While out on a scouting mission with his best friend, Mickey takes a tumble into a ravine through pure bad luck. It would be difficult to get him out, his friend tells him to open a vein and he would see him soon. Mickey is touched by the care that his friend is showing him in what could be his final moments. But Mickey stumbles along, for once refusing to die, and makes it back to the base colony. However, Mickey8 had already been created and had all his memories downloaded in his skull.

The colony and society have rules regarding the number of clones in existence, 1. It is also very biologically expensive to create new humans. When Mickey7 meets Mickey8, they decide that neither would like to die, and they will work together.

This can only end in tears.

The Mickeys work to keep themselves out of the recycler. But, they are not the only creatures on this planet, and things are about to get way more interesting for this couple of clones.

Mickey7 is a super fun book to read; there isn't a lot of development. The period it takes for the story to take place is relatively short. It is the Mickey's escaping one problem to throw themselves into another. But the way that Mickey is written is rather charming. He is a rather affable fellow who loves history. He has a long-term girlfriend, a great character who loves Mickey. His best friend is a chump.

I would certainly recommend this to those looking for some light science fiction. The idea of an expendable was enough to cinch it for me. Check it out.

I liked the idea for this book but while reading it wasn't really rooting for anybody. I felt like we didn't get to really know a lot of the characters. And its okay to have a book without fully likeable characters but then you have to make the plot super exciting to make up for that. I felt this book was really good at world building. The backstory and all the history of the other colonies was really interesting and well done. The main plot of the book felt lack luster in comparison. I was still intrigued enough to pick it up everyday but it was never at a point I couldn't stop reading. It was entertaining and a fun, short read but just not intense in any way.

Mickey 7 is a quirky book with great narration! Nothing super crazy but a different feel from the other spacey books of late. Mickey 7 wants to help find a new home for humans. Unfortunately, Mickey 7 falls in a hole as he’s an expendable (basically an uncared for laborer who comes back as a replica when he dies hence Mickey 7) Mickey 8 is now in the mix as it’s presumed 7 is dead. 7 gets out and now we have a problem. The two have to try to pull off the twin switch situation (think Multiplicity the movie if you’re old enough). All in all a good read or listen.

All the best and my opinion is unbiased
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

I was hooked by the premise of this book. Mickey7 by Edward Ashton has all the ingredients that I look for in a sci-fi story. I enjoyed Mickey7, but I just kept feeling like I could have liked it a bit more than I did. I'm not sure if it was me not feeling a connection to the characters or just an overall feeling that the book could have been executed a bit better. I would like to read future works by Edward Ashton. I truly think he was on to something really good here and overall the story was enjoyable. It could be that I am being a bit nit-picky here.

One thing I do know is that it was not the performance by John Pirhalla and Katherine Chin. I find myself getting nit-picky with narrators. There have been a long list of books that I start as an audiobook, only to stop after a few chapters due to the narrator just note fitting in with the story and I add switch to the ebook version. I think John and Katherine did an excellent job. The tone in their voices and the way the performed really brought this story to life. I would enjoy listening to other audiobooks by these talented artists.

I want to thank Edward Ashton, Macmillen Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange of my honest review.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Narrated by John Pirhalla & Katharine Chin
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: February 15, 2022
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton is a standalone journey about survival. Set in the future, humanity is faced with the need to find a new home in space. In order to accomplish this goal, people compete for positions in the new colony. There's one position, no one will want, unless they are really desperate (or conscripted)...the Expendable.

Here's where we meet Mickey7, who retells how the original Mickey had found himself in a situation on his home planet that was so bad he volunteered to become the Expendable. Mickey7 is fascinating! Not only has he done crazy, fascinating, suicidal things, he is also funny, sarcastic, and willing to do anything to stay alive!

At the opening, this book reminded me of Andy Weir's "The Martian", but it quickly diverged from that into a hilarious adventure! This book was also thought provoking. One of the most interesting questions for me was "is Mickey7 the same person as the original"? I could not get enough of this book! As much as I needed to know how it ended, I didn't want the story to end.

This is the first book I've read by the author and now I need to check out his other books! Mickey7 is definitely on my list of favorite books of 2022!

The narration by John Pirhalla & Katharine Chin was phenomenal! I highly recommend listening to the audio version because they bring the story to life!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Mickey 7 is an unexpectedly fun sci-fi novel that introduces us to Mickey, iteration number 7. We also meet Mickey 8, and therein lies the "fun". Original Mickey is The Expendable of a colonization mission to a new planet. This means Mickey's consciousness is painstakingly downloaded, and when the worst happens, he can be brought back as a new Mickey. Life goes on. But we're only supposed to have one living Mickey at a time.

Imagine the possibilities of each mission having a thinking, reasoning and feeling someone who can do the work no mortal person would or should?

We need to test how a new disease found on a new planet might affect us? Send in Mickey, see how he dies, and test vaccines on him.

Yikes, there are creepers in the ice, and we don't know if they're friendly? Send in Mickey, he'll either get eaten or make new friends for the colony.

It's not a job for just anyone, for sure. Even though there can always be a new Mickey, we see the issues with the current Mickey fighting his innate survival instinct. It's wonderfully complicated and and an exciting idea to contemplate.

Coming off the high of Project Hail Mary, I was worried my next sci-fi novel would suffer from my impossibly high expectations. Oddly, and unexpectedly, Mickey 7 held its own with its unique ideas, interesting characters and intriguing ethical dilemmas. Plus, it was entertaining. I'm still not sure how the author pulled that off, given the uncomfortable theme and situations.

I DNF'd this audiobook around the 30% mark. I just wasn't enjoying the way the author wrote. It all seemed very convenient and ridiculous, and I wasn't interested like I should have been based on the premise.

The narrator, however, was very good with multiple voices and creating engaging personas. The writing just couldn't keep up with him. I don't know that I enjoyed the added comms sound during conversations (it got to be too much), but I'd gladly try another book narrated by John Pirhalla. I'd probably skip a book written by Edward Ashton though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for allowing me to listen to this digital audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

What would happen if you could place your consciousness into a fully grown clone of yourself? What kind of work would you do? What if you were on a sub-lightspeed colony spacecraft? What if there could be more than one of you at the same time? These are the questions examined by Ashton in Mickey 7.

This book was such fun! I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, even if one or two of the secondaries were rather one dimensional. They were well played against the protagonist and made for a lively read. The setting was fairly original and the science base was realistic. Narrators John Pirhalla and Katherine Chin were engaging and brought the story to vibrant life.

“Mickey 7” gets four and a half stars. The banter was witty, the premise was interesting, and the plot was not straightforward. It was the right story at the right time for me.

#lightandfun #netgalley #macmillanaudio #EdAshtonWriting #JohnPirhalla #KatherineChin #KindlesAllTheWayDown #KatzAllTheWayDown #ifcatscouldread #booksandcats #catsandbooks #booksandcatstagram #catsandbookstagram

Mickey volunteered to be an Expendable. It was the only job for which he was qualified, and he really wanted to join the mission to find a possible home for humans. Unfortunately, Expendables are assigned to the most dangerous duties and, when they inevitably die, they are replaced with exact replicas. Even his job recruiter thought that he was a moron for volunteering. Now he is version No.7. When Mickey7 falls into a deep hole, no one bothers to rescue him because that is pretty much his job description. Mickey8 is created while Mickey7 is in the hole. Inconveniently, Mickey7 escapes and there is literally not room enough for two Mickeys in this world.

This was fun, with a minimum of technobabble and a lot of banter between Mickey7 and Mickey8. They have to figure out how to hide the fact that there are two of them while they perform their job, share their single room and ration and date their girlfriend. There are also big, dangerous beasties called Creepers. The book has a light touch as it explores such themes as identity, immortality and genocide.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

I’m sold any time I see a sci fi book with a vaguely interesting premise and a great cover. And this one has clones! Mickey is a replaceable human who takes on dangerous tasks as his group tries to populate a new world as part of their mission. When he is thought to be dead, he is replaced and then there end up being two Mickeys running around which… no one wants. I thought this one fun but I wanted a little more depth from it. I alternated listening to the audiobook and reading the ebook and I thought the audiobook was really great — there were a few touches to make it special.

Mickey Barnes signed on to colonize the ice planet Nifflheim as the mission’s Expendable. Whenever the team runs into a dangerous problem, they send Mickey to do it. If he dies, they can replace him with the next iteration with a regenerated body and his most recently uploaded memories. Having died 6 times so far, Mickey7 understands why no one else applied for this position. On a scouting mission, Mickey7 is left for dead but surprisingly helped back to the colony’s base by one of the native life forms on Nifflheim, which the humans call Creepers. It’s too late, though – he has already been replaced by Mickey8, and duplicate Expendables is abhorrent to the rest of humanity. Mickey7 and Mickey8 must pretend to be one person until they can resolve their <i>situation</i>, or else they’re both likely to be thrown into the recycler for protein. Mickey7 has one advantage, though – he is the only one who has had a friendly encounter with the Creepers. He might just be able to save both species and find a way to co-exist on Nifflheim.

John Pirhalla did an excellent job with the narration for this book. The story balanced between several genres well and was an entertaining read, if not without a few cringey moments. I am excited to learn that there will be a sequel – I hope we get to learn more about the Creepers and other native forms of life then. I think this story is a fairly light sci fi story that could be enjoyed by those who don’t usually read the genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Book received for free through NetGalley

I took out the book version and didn’t get a chance to start reading before the audiobook version was available. Thus this is for the audio version.

The narrator was good, the story was great, and I needed to know what would happen next. Overall a good read.