Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the Arc of this fun one!

Really enjoyed this sequel to Mickey7! I'm always a fan of sci-fi, but combining it with the thriller genre really kept me on the edge of my seat!
I really appreciated how well the author built up and explained the world and environments in a clear way that made envisioning the scenes so easy!
Great and fun read!

Now THERE are the aliens I was promised.

I am a huge fan of the sentient native life in this series. Their attempts to understand humans are absolutely precious. Their consistent underestimation of just how fucked up humans can be is adorable. It's so hard to say anything about this book without spoiling the best parts of it! But long story short, if Mickey 7 entertained you at all, Antimatter Blues will delight. Also I cried twice. Don't judge.

Holy moley, I loved this book. It ended tidily and I'm not sure if there will be a third, but I sure hope so! I just love how Edward Ashton writes, he's got heavy Andy Weir/Becky Chambers/John Scalzi vibes. Sometimes we need stories that will make us smile, and I know I will every time I pick up one of Edward Ashton's books. Well done. 6/5 stars

This is a great book for those that love dystopian and scifi. I do recommend reading this series in order as it’ll make the inside jokes more understandable.

What a fun follow up Mickey7! It was so great to be back in this world that Edward Ashton has created and seeing what kind of shenanigans Mickey is getting himself into now. We pick up two years after the first book and the progress the colony has made on the planet. Of course, something has happened and Mickey seems the one that has to help make it right. I really enjoyed having more interaction between the humans and the native lifeforms as they have to work together. While the stakes are high, the humor woven throughout the story really help to engage the reader and connect with the characters. While I didn’t quite love this as much as Mickey7, I still had a great time with it and if more Mickey stories are coming, I’ll definitely read them!

I really enjoyed Mickey7 so I was eager to pick up this follow up novel. Set after the events of the first book, I recommend reading the books in publication order to avoid spoiling yourself. Like the first, this was so fun and engaging. I often struggle with humorous books but this one worked for me. I liked it, but I liked Mickey7 more because it was a fresh concept at the time.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Antimatter Blues was a fantastic follow up to Mickey 7! Going into it, I wasn’t sure where the plot would go, and through the whole book, I was on the edge of my seat and biting my nails trying to figure out how the characters were going to get out of each predicament. I enjoyed the character relationships and most of all, I was completely shocked (pleasantly) at the ending! Thank you St. Martin’s press for this arc!

In this sequel to Mickey7 our titular character Mickey is still plugging along, kind of important, but not really 😉.

He’s got a new mission to complete…or else!!
Is he the best man for the job? Nope.
Does it matter? Also nope.

Unlike a lot of other sequels, this book very much reads like a continuation of the first book. Like if Mickey7 had been 600 pages, and the editor just chopped it straight in half, then you kind of get these two books. This isn’t a bad thing, just an observation. Since I gave it four stars I still obviously very much enjoyed this book, and will automatically read whatever Ashton puts out next.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This sequel was just as much fun as the first one! Mickey Barnes is still adjusting to his new non-expendable life two years after the events of Mickey7. A chance encounter and a serious of mishaps leads him once again into a race to save the planet. With a rag tag crew of old and new (Speaker!) friends, Mickey must track down a hidden antimatter bomb before time (and good weather) run out. Funny, fast paced, and clever - I could not put it down. Really hope there is a third one in the works! Thanks to NetGalley for a change to read and review this book.

Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton is a scify sequel that stands fairly well on its own which I can confirm mostly because I did not know that this is a sequel going in and still really enjoyed the story.
The Author has provided an atmospheric writing style and strong character to support a gripping plot that leaves the reader longing for more.
This will be a good reading experience for fans of the characters wanting to revisit them and for sci fy fans wanting an easy to jump into story.

I loved Mickey7 and could not wait to get my hands on the sequel! And it was worth it! Antimatter Blues continues to be funny and entertaining. All the characters we love from the first book are back and we get some new ones here and find out more about the world they're trying to live in. I love the narrative of this book more than anything else. It is so witty and I found myself laughing out loud. I was cheering the characters on in this new adventure and was waiting to see what would happen next. I hope this isn't the last we see of Mickey and his friends. I will read as many of these as there will be!
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All opinions are my own.

Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton

Pros: fast paced, good world-building, romance elements

Cons:

Due to a power decrease that means the colony won’t last through the next winter, Mickey7 is tasked with retrieving the anti-matter bomb he supposedly left with the creepers 2 years ago. But when he goes to get it, it’s not in the rock pile where he left it.

This is a fast paced continuation of Mickey7. I loved learning more about the new world and seeing a few more alien species. Mickey has to make a lot of difficult decisions and it’s fascinating seeing what he’ll do.

I loved Mickey’s relationship with Nasha. It was nice seeing a committed couple work together to save their colony.

There’s a fair amount of action as well as some attempts at diplomacy. I thought the author did a good job of showing that different species think in different ways and that communication isn’t always straightforward.

If you like light-hearted science fiction these books are fantastic.

THIS WAS BANANAS! And in a good way. This book did not suffer from the second book syndrome as duologies/series usually do. This book had higher stakes, more humor and alien wars. Who knew I could love it so much. The audiobook was great - great narration, tone, etc. So worth the read/listen - will be my favorite entertaining Sci-fi of the year for sure (this is not a space opera!).

Thank you so much to Mamillan Audio and St. Martin's press for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I was so happy when I received this ARC as I had an ARC of Mickey 7 too and thoroughly enjoyed it! This story continues about two years after the other book ends and I would definitely recommend reading the first book before this one. I honestly had no idea what kinds of trouble Mickey could be getting into this time, but it was so creative! I love all the witty banter thrown across the comms and inside jokes that the characters have! I really hope there’s more to come! If you’re into science fiction or dystopian, you need to check this series out!

This second book in the Mickey7 series isn't nearly as much fun as the first. It's good but not in the same class. Mickey7 has retired from dying, but he doesn't have any worthwhile work to do on the station. He tends the gardens and the food rabbits. Then he discovers that someone is using his clones to work in the reactor core. The station has been damaged and without a jolt of energy the settlement will run out of power. Mickey needs to go back out and retrieve the anti-matter bomb he stashed in the last book. Of course it has disappeared and this book is about his efforts to return it. It's a clever story but not thrilling.

This was such a fun read. Antimatter Blues is a science fiction story where you follow Mickey7, who is an expendable heading out to explore the new world for the human habitation. The world building was excellent. It was lighthearted, humorous, quest-like and the characters were easy to follow and enjoy. They each had their own charm.
When I got this, I didn't realize it was the sequel. I did eventually read the first book, so I would advise you to read it. This way you get a better understand of the world and characters, especially Mickey.

This one is definitely for all the science fiction lovers.

I loved Mickey 7 when I read it last year. It was a smart and wildly original story, so I was thrilled to find out it was getting a sequel. And I’m pleased to say Edward Ashton has done it again. Antimatter Blues is an excellent follow up. Mickey is now retired, no longer and ‘expendable’ but that doesn’t mean life is all rest and relaxation. Far from it. Given that what happened in the first book plays into the storyline of Antimatter Blues, I’m hesitant to delve too deep into the plot for fear of spoiling the first book for those that haven’t read it yet, which I most definitely recommend reading. But rest assured this adventure is every bit as smart, humorous, and action packed as that first book, if not more so. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Antimatter Blues.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RCK4GLD22LFZA/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel. I was super excited to get approved for this one as I thought Mickey7 was a cool concept. If you enjoyed Mickey7 then you will absolutely enjoy this one. I would give it a 4 star rating....it went by way too fast. Great job! Highly recommend.

Mickey 7 was one of my recent favorite novels. I was really excited to see the sequel pop up on NetGalley. This sequel follows the first book in the series and puts Mickey back at odds with his nemesis from the last book. The author once again does not disappoint with the plot and humor. A fun, fast read; great for sci-fi fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book.

The books that I cherish the most are those that take me on a heralding adventure, adds a hapless underdog, stirs up some hilarious dialog, and garnishes with some heart and humanity. Mickey7 was one of those books, and with Antimatter Blues, Ashton takes those ingredients to a whole new enjoyable metamorphosis.

This story continues to unravel all of the lies that Mickey had in place in the previous book to prove his role as a critical part of the colony. Through his charming witlessness, we follow him and his crew (Nasha, Berto, and a few others) as they fall into one dire situation after another with Mickey’s lead.

The humor here is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and interspersed with action and dire consequences to keep the pace up. The crew is pushed to their limits and met with unbeatable odds and new allies and foes. The world is strange out there, and they must traverse the treacherous lands to complete their mission.

One of my favorite parts of the writing here (besides the witty banter and everyone’s recall of Mickey’s track record of stupidity) is the method in which we learn that it’s not always the super-qualified or well-trained-mind that will come up with all the solutions. Sometimes it takes an unorthodox approach to achieve the best possible outcome. The character of Mickey isn’t a complete idiot, but when things look bleak, only someone of his history of bad choices and poor swindling that can dig out of the hole. His unwavering optimism embraces the ‘ignorance is bliss’ attitude and it fills the book with a little more light than would be otherwise.

Finally, the cherry on top was the finale of this story. No spoilers but I hope you enjoy it too.

Ashton has pulled off a 1-2 knockout so far. Antimatter Blues is a hilarious, spirited, and a purely enjoyable SciFi read! It’s a great heralding underdog adventure story with a unique cast of characters. If you enjoyed Mickey7 in the slightest, you’ll love this follow up.

Thanks to St Martins Press and Netgalley for the review copy!