YAY! Normally, you don't really care for the second book, or movie, in a series. My apologies to people who love The Empire Strikes Back ;). But this is a great book! Understandably, the colony is in a bit of a lull in their building, but there is of course a problem which Mickey can solve, or can he? And, without getting killed? I really like that he connects with essentially 2 alien species and they both call him on Humanity's bullshit :) They do not necessarily become fans of us or pledge to change their ways, we are obviously NOT superior. Very fun that Speaker made up an origin story on the spot just to mollify the silly humans :)

Keep it up!

ANTIMATTERS BLUES is one heck of a sequel to MICKEY7! The novel delves deeper into the relationship between Mickey and the creepers on Niflheim, while introducing a few new (nightmarish) creatures. This is a planet I would never want to visit. Never. Which speaks to the phenomenal world-building throughout the book. Ashton created a world that is as plausible as it is horrible—low oxygen, aggressive parasites, unpredictable cold and warm periods, highly-intelligent sentient life forms that can eat through metal—and there were a few sections that I was uncomfortable reading because they were just so vivid and grisly. Like I said, I never want to visit Niflheim.

I especially enjoyed the miscommunications and misunderstandings between humans and creepers, specifically Speaker. Even when Mickey and Creeper were communicating clearly with one another, things were often misinterpreted based upon their own culture’s norms. I’m still a bit confused over the concept of ancillaries, but that’s okay, because I’m pretty sure the characters in the book were confused too!

If you love MICKEY7, first contact/colonization novels, unexpected heroes, and laughing out loud.

I received a free e-ARC of this book via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank St. Martin's press for providing a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. Antimatter Blues is the sequel to Mickey7, a novel I very much enjoyed. Mickey Barnes is done with the Expendables program and just wants to live out the rest of his days with minimal stress, attending to rabbits. However, when he uncovers a dire situation that could put everyone aboard the ship in danger, Mickey Barnes must make some tough decisions. There is alot to love in this sequel. The humor is prevalent throughout the book. Even in the most dire of situations, Mickey Barnes is able to keep his humor. This is ultimately a critical attribute of his. We have a protagonist who is used to fibbing and we get to see how these exaggerations have consequences and how he deals with these. Antimatter Blues further explores the alien species introduced in the first book and expands on this universe. We get to witness additional aliens and this adds layers to the tension and dynamic between characters. It also adds to Mickey's problems. He is faced with dilemmas of magnitudes which he's never faced. I enjoyed the conclusion. I felt it did the characters justice and it wrapped up the themes introduced in the first novel very well. I highly recommend this novel. It was funny, engrossing, and ultimately satisfying.

Antimatter Blues is a hilarious and fast paced story that'll get you hooked into the story from start to end.

Mickey Barnes is asked to retrieve an antimatter bomb that he hid among a group of creepers. If he doesn't go get the bomb, there could be dire consequences for everyone that lives under the dome. So with trepidation, Mickey sets out to get the antimatter bomb, only it isn't where he left it! Now he has to track down where it is and bring it back before winter.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It had a lot of fun, witty banter with the characters. A lot of action throughout as well. I have not read the first in this series, but this second book has me wanting to go pick up the first book to get some of the back story.

Thank you #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me the ebook #AntimatterBlues to read and review.

I read the previous book, Mickey7, within three days. I read the sequel in two. I was enamored with the pace, the tone, and the characters themselves. I love how blissfully unaware Mickey seems to be, while being intelligent and hysterical at the same time. So I was terribly excited to read this sequel and it did not disappoint. I can't wait to put this book on recommendation lists once I've ensured our library purchases it.

I'm a sucker for a good character driven plot, and Edward Ashton is on my radar now. The mix of hard science with lines so silly I had to stop and reread them was what sold me. I'll be coming back to this book.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I listened to the first book in this series and really enjoyed it so I was glad there was more! I love Mickey7. Probably not one where you can easily read without reading the first as you will miss out on a lot. Another great read though, definitely recommend!

Antimatter Blues
By Edward Ashton

Oh my, I loved Mickey7! It was my favorite book from 2022! So I was so happy to get this book from NetGalley! This didn't disappoint. Fantastic!
In book one, Mickey7 hid the bomb but told his boss that the aliens had it. He said they wouldn't use it if no one attacks. Now, his boss needs it as a power supply or they won't survive. Mickey7 looks where he hid it and its gone. He asks the aliens and they said they found it and bargained it off to the warring aliens to the south, to save themselves really. Now, Mickey7 has to travel with a handful of people to try and retrieve it. Probably millions of aliens to a handful of people. Ugh!
It's funny, suspenseful, non-stop craziness, unpredictable situations, terrific dialogue, and another awesome ending! This is a must read series! It's like Hail Mary and Murderbot had a child! That's the feelings I get!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book! Thanks!!!

A great sequel to Mickey7! Edward Ashton does a fantastic job of helping you remember the important details from the first book so you don't feel like you should have re-read it. This is a fast-paced, fun read for those that enjoy great character development. I'm hoping there will be another book in this series.

I hadn’t read Mickey 7 but immediately bought it and read it because this story was so engaging and interesting that I had to read more. I mean who hasn’t wondered how or why not make another “me” to continue doing the menial stuff. I just highly recommend his book and hope to read more from this author as soon as possible.

This already has lots of helpful reviews and ratings, and I don't have anything new to say + I liked book #1. So I'll just recommend this to scifi fans, and look forward to the next one.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

Edward Ashton's Antimatter Blues was so different fro Mickey7.
As I throughly enjoyed life from the point of view of an “expendable”, Antimatter Blues was nowhere near the same. Mickey7 really wasn’t an “expendable” here but just another citizen of the colony who can contribute to the colony’s success in the environment they find themselves.
Ashton was very successful in portraying everything in this world making it easy to understand the environment.

Wow. A fantastic sequel to Mickey7! Mickey continues to struggle with questions about his identity, while the colony faces another challenge only he can solve. I love how this sequel deepens the world building of Nefflehiem, especially as we gain deeper insight to the inner workings of the creeper civilization. Be sure to check out this book when it's published on 3/14. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this stellar read! Find more reviews on instagram@lahars_little_library

In this second (inter)stellar novel, Mickey and a ragtag team including an alien must work together to save the fledgling human colony. Great worldbuilding, intense action, and the wonderful humor from Mickey7 all work together to make this a fantastic read for fans of Sci-Fi and dark humor.

I waited for this book to read Mickey7, and as always, was happy I got to read them one after the other. In this case, it might not have made a huge difference. There are few enough characters, none of them change much over time, and the relationships stay more or less the same. Excepting, of course, the aliens. These books were very interesting for what they were, which was an exploration of cloning, and what the implications would be on death, which seems to become impermanent. The setting, a new outpost on an unfriendly planet with very limited resources and potentially hostile aliens is a nice, though plausibility-stretching background.

As much as I enjoyed the establishment novel in this two book series, Mickey 7, I disliked Antimatter Blues. I finished it over two weeks ago but held off writing this review because I couldn’t figure out how to explain my dislike without at least some small spoilers.

After mulling it for that time, I now know I cannot so please be forewarned that I touch on some mild spoilers or plot elements in my review below.

The previous novel had some deadly contact between the aliens and the humans. It resolved with the two species tacitly deciding to remain separate but also unaggressive. This second novel elevates the aliens from barely above NPCs to full players. This is accompanied by a silly Star Trek level element where the aliens, once wholly alien, not only having learned human speech but having done so using highly advanced technology that’s not even hinted at before.

And that’s the pit of the peach of my annoyance. Suddenly these aliens go from being insect-like in appearance and behavior to having technology more advanced than humans – at least in some aspects. We learn that the aliens can mine ore, refine the metal from it, forge and then machine it precisely. They have the ability to monitor human electronic communications and also have highly advanced electronic knowledge. All this is suddenly plopped onto this novel with no hints from the last.

However, the only view we have of the aliens is, like in the novel before. They live in their bare burrows lacking even furniture. The supposedly intelligent humans never even wonder among themselves where the mines are or where the ore refining is going on or how the machining’s done or what else the alien tech has to offer. Instead, we get the attitude that, like Mickey 7, the humans are dealing with disposable, giant insects that lack any element of interest whatsoever.

After a bit of an introduction, the humans accompanied by a human speaking alien set off on an overland road trip that had so much potential but none of which is realized. The lack of human interest in the alien tech and culture persisted throughout the journey sinking to the point that one human especially started calling the advanced alien an insulting name. None of the other humans on the voyage objected.

I finished this novel because I was committed to doing so having gotten a galley or pre-publication copy. If not for my commitment, I’d have abandoned this one as soon as the name calling started. It did pick up a bit in the last act that sadly only lasted a few pages. There is also a hook at the end that may be the start of book 3 in the series. Again, sadly, the book series structure has been set improperly. Had this book been one of discovery and alliance with the first alien group and then the third being conflict and exploration, it’d have great potential. However, as it stands, there is no wonder or joy whatsoever in this second Mickey outing and from this reader anyway, only a sense of lost life for having taken the time to read every word.

Mickey7, and now this sequel, Antimatter Blues, is what I think is considered cozy sci-fi. I read Mickey7 last year and was pleasantly surprised to see a sequel! Such a lighthearted, funny, adventurous, and fast-paced read. Mickey7 returns in his retirement as an Expendable to, once again, try and save them all.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

I really enjoyed the first book (Mickey7) so I didn’t want read too much about this one ahead of time. It does a great job of re-introducing you to the characters without feeling like you’re re-reading the first book again. I wasn’t sure if this was a sequel or just a Mickey7 type story going into it but I’m glad it went the way it did, continuing on the first book.

I think some people think this genre might not be for them but I think this would be a great recommendation for those folks. It seems to have a bit of something for everyone.

Overall, a well rounded sequel with some good comedic relief and characters that I grew to care about.

This is a follow up to Mickey 7. I loved Mickey 7 and recommended it to several sci fi fans who also loved it. So I was excited to revisit Mickey in Antimatter Blues. I was not disappointed. This story is just a quirky and fun as the last. The colony is running out of power and needs to get back the bomb Mickey left behind so they can use the antimatter for fuel. Mickey is once again pressed into service as the diplomatic negotiator with the local life forms.
And so the fun begins. Enjoy!
This is a review of an advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Not as much of the sarcasm and humor as I remember from the first book, but this was a great continuation and wrap up of the original story. Worth reading as a duology.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Niflheim is enjoying the summer weather, but winter is coming and the antimatter fuel is running low. Commander Hieronymus Marshall believes that Mickey is keeping the colony’s creeper neighbors from using the antimatter bomb they have in their possession. But Commander Marshall wants the antimatter bomb retrieved to use its fuel to keep the colony alive.

When Mickey catches a glimpse of himself in the lower corridor, he wonders if the commander is creating copies of him even though Mickey tendered his resignation as the colony’s Expendable some two years earlier.

Soon, however, that becomes a moot point as the commander asks him to retrieve the antimatter bomb from the creepers [that would be the bomb Mickey hid at the end of the first book]. It’s an assignment far more difficult that Marshall knows.

Will Mickey agree to the assignment? And what do the creepers have to do with the bomb?

=========

Second in the author’s Mickey7 series, the saga of Niflheim continues with sufficient backstory for readers new to the series. Told from Mickey’s point of view, the unfolding story, with its fast-moving plot, draws readers into the telling of the tale from the outset.

Strong world-building and well-developed characters are a highlight of this series; the snarkiness, the unexpected plot twists, the complexity of each character . . . all are strengths in the telling of this tale. Interactions between the characters reveal the interplay between the colonists and contribute to the depth of the narrative. Additionally, the development of the creepers is both intriguing and delightful.

The narrative, both compelling and imaginative, remains true to the original story’s propensity for examining ethical quandaries. In the evolving narrative, the characters address questions of personal identity and responsibility as well as those relating to one’s loyalty, both to self and to others.

As the story races along toward a satisfactory denouement, readers are likely to find themselves wishing for another visit with the quirky colonists of Niflheim.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#AntimatterBlues #NetGalley