I listened to the audiobook of The Suitcase Clone by Robin Sloan, initially not realizing that it is a novella. I also didn't know that it would refer to Sloan's book Sourdough, which I read a couple years ago. I don't think it is necessary to read Sourdough in order to enjoy The Suitcase Clone, but it certainly gave more meaning to the story.

The storyline here is intriguing: Jim, with only heartbreak and a sourdough starter to show from his recent time overseas, is searching for his place in this world, or maybe he just needs an adventure. Approached by a mysterious man in a restaurant, Jim ends up back in Europe on a mission to smuggle grape vines and starter from a prestigious vineyard in order to bring them back to the States so the mysterious man can graft them to American vines to start his own Napa Valley vineyard. Like in Sourdough, this unusual vineyard starter and the vineyard itself take on lives of their own that go way beyond mere personification.

As in every Robin Sloan book, the word choice is exquisite. I picked up this (audio)book purely because it is a Robin Sloan. The ending leaves the door open for a follow-up novel. Could The Suitcase Clone be a prequel to the next Robin Sloan book? Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

Tying together too seemingly disparate works. The Suitcase Clone takes a throwaway line from Sourdough and creates its own little magic world out of it. Excited to see where the Penumbraverse goes from here.

After loving Sloan's Sourdough and not enjoying any part of the Penumbra books, I was curious but excited to jump in and see how this story, said to join the books, would play out.
Sloan has a true gift for melding innovation of technology with aspects of life you have to experience with your own two hands. I thought the premise behind The Suitcase Clone was really intriguing, each character making me curious in different ways. In that way, it took me back to Sourdough. However, I almost always have trouble following Sloane's dialogue scenes and this was no different.
The Suitcase Clone was a good addition to the Penumbraverse, adding value and little Easter eggs throughout. I wished for more context, but I have a feeling Sloan's upcoming work may circle back. I am looking forward to Robin Sloan's future books in this little universe of his.
I received an ALC courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillian Audio of this book. The narrator was great, very skilled at differentiation between characters and accents. Thanks.so much for the opportunity to listen to this story ahead of publication in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A jaunt into the world of suitcase cloning, with a hint of the fantasic. The story is well-written, but main character James could never quite capture my attention. This was my first foray into the Penumbraverse, and perhaps it's just not the 'verse for me.

In the novel Sourdough, there's a throwaway line where someone asks Lois if she knows about suitcase clones. From that brief reference springs this prequel novella, set in the 80s. It was promised that it would unite all of Robin's major works in a single "Penumbraverse." But it's far more connected to Sourdough than Mr. Penumbra. It's deep into the book before the crossover become explicit, and even then, it left me with more questions than answers. But also with the feeling that Robin Sloan wasn't done with this world.

As for the story itself, when Lois visits the Cafe Candide kitchen in Sourdough, she learns of a Jim Bascule who, decades earlier, baked sourdough like hers. This is Jim's story--not about the sourdough, really, but something that happened just after.

In anticipation of the novella, I revisited Ajax Penumbra, 1969; Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore; and Sourdough. I'll be honest, you really don't need to do that to read this latest, though doing so is a pleasure in it's own right. As delightful as it is, I didn't love The Suitcase Clone quite as much as the other books in this series. I think that's because it's a little more removed from the main action of the stories we already know, and because it's not nearly as complex. But the other reason is because it takes place far away from the San Francisco/Bay Area settings that Robin writes so well. Now, I'm biased, because I live in San Francisco, and Robin is among the very best in writing about this city.

However, I don't want to be guilty of damning with faint praise, because I'll drop everything to read anything at all that Robin produces. He is a truly idiosyncratic talent, and his work gives me so much joy. As noted above, it seems as though Robin isn't even close to being done playing in the Penumbraverse. There is very overt foreshadowing. I can only hope that it will be another full-length novel and that he won't make us wait too very long!

This is my first Robin Sloan book. I was pleasantly surprised. I was in love with all the characters. I loved the idea of it all. The intrigue of stealing vines and propagation. I wonder if it's the wine lover in me or the true crime lover. But either way. I loved this book. I hope there's another book to come. That ending was just too good! I wanted so much more. I didn't know it was a novella. So good.

Thank you, Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook
Thank you, Robin Sloan for this book
Thank you, Pavi Proczko for the incredible narration!

This was a really fun interlude between Mr. Penumbra and Sourdough. I loved the former but wasn't a fan of the latter, so I was a little hesitant going into this. I think it was just the right length and created a likeable and believable link between the worlds, while leaving the reader wanting more.

I don't exactly agree with the publisher's assertion that this is “the story that definitively bridges the world of Sourdough to that of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.” This novelette [longer than a short story; shorter than a novella] tends closer to Sourdough, I think. Like that novel, which I read in 2018, I'm rating this piece a perfectly respectable but not mind-blowing 3 stars. I rated Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore 4.5 stars when I read it in 2014. I'm trying to decide whether I dare reread Penumbra. Will it hold up for me? [It didn't for one of my bookish friends.] Maybe I should reread Sourdough again, as well—I remember liking it more than my “I'm not mad I read it, but I'm not going to rave about it either” rating would indicate. I even bought a hardcover copy of it somewhere along the way.

Regardless, if you're a Sloan fan, you should definitely read The Suitcase Clone. Even if you aren't a generally a short story (or slightly longer short story) fan—as I generally am not—this piece is plenty entertaining and certainly a quick read. There's a surprising level of intrigue and adventure for such a short piece.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio (for their production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux), for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected August 2.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC!

I've been a huge Robin Sloan fan since his first novel, Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, which I've now read probably 6 times. So of course, I love the fact that he continues to dip into the well of 'Penumbra-adjacent stories'. And while this book definitely has more of a connection to the author's second novel, Sourdough, it's all in the same universe, and I love it.

The character development in this book is really quite good for a novella, and it definitely stands strong as a book of its own, even if you're not familiar with the related works of the author. The narrator does a great job of capturing the atmosphere and the essence of the story. A really nice piece of work all around.

Some interesting elements, but ultimately way too weird. I quit before finishing it.


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Well I am now immediately picking up Robin Sloans other two so I can be fully immersed in Penumbraverse. This was an unexpected joy of a book! I’m excited to experience the other two and do a re listen to this one to grasp the connection but without knowing anything about the other two I thought this was a treat