Robots were not as relatable as other characters from previous books. I almost gave up at the half of the book. I was glad that I stick with iy and still stand it will become a classic for long time. Like previous book ot send us a message for interpratation. What qe get from it - it is up tto us. AI is a big topic nowdays and this can be seen as it is. Also it can be seen as metaphor to world that we live. Another modern classic from T.J. Klune

Cerulean Sea + Whispering Door are both so adorable and this was no different. Unfortunately it is impossible not to compare them, and Cerulean Sea was so good and well received that it is going to be hard to top! I thought puppets was cute but not nearly as good as the other two. Its advertised as a Pinocchio-esque story which does make sense, but there are actually no puppets, just robots 😂 Overall it’s a good read and would reccommend it if you liked the other two. The characters are amazing

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ERIE READER MAY 2023 EDITION

In the age of technology and the rise of artificial intelligence, sometimes it feels like the science fiction genre hits a bit too close to home. But in TJ Klune’s latest novel, In the Lives of Puppets, there may be some hope yet.

In the middle of a secluded forest in a home built into the trees lives Victor Lawson, a human, alongside three robots – Gio, his father; Nurse Ratched, a sadistic yet caring nurse machine; and Rambo, a small vacuum who is naïve but adorably lovable. Together, they have built a family home that, while small, has been enough for them and has kept them safe.

As he grows, Victor he becomes more adventurous, consistently visiting the scrap yards where discarded machines and other pieces are discarded after decommissioning, hoping to find something to salvage for parts. Along with Nurse Ratched and Rambo, this is where Victor discovers an android labeled “HAP,” whose battery is weak but still there.

Victor rescues Hap from the pile of other androids, all of whom are lifeless, and repairs him in his workshop, bringing him back to life, but with very little memory. When Hap unknowingly alerts robots from the City of Electric Dreams of Gio’s whereabouts, the family finds themselves in danger. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City, leaving the remaining family members to journey to save him.

Victor, alongside Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and their newest team member Hap, make the journey to the city to try and save Gio, the only father Victor has ever known, and learn a lot about the relationship between robots and humans along the way.

One of the most fantastic aspects of TJ Klune novels is how each character is so unapologetically unique and themselves throughout their character arch. Whether it is Victor the human who experiences a whole range of emotion he is not used to, or Rambo the small vacuum who learns to be brave even when he is scared, each character displays such incredible characteristics that it is difficult not to grow fond of each of them.

Klune’s writing is also unapologetically his, allowing readers a view into whole worlds he has built alongside emotions, problems, and solutions that each of his characters faces and overcomes. The strength of each character and their likability is evidence of Klune’s dedication to his writing and his creations – even Nurse Ratched, with her deadpan delivery and brutal nature, becomes one of the most loveable characters by the end solely because of these characteristics.

In the Lives of Puppets is a testament to the future, to knowing that it is not too late for us as humans to put more kindness into the world, and that even the hardest of hearts can learn to embrace emotion.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Many have, over the years, recommended that I read T. J. Klune's novels, insisting that I would love them wholeheartedly. <i>In the Lives of Puppets</i> was the first chance I had to do just that, and I can now say that they were absolutely right. This novel is charming, heartwarming, hilarious, and tragic. As I read, I would find myself giggling or beaming with joy. If I couldn't read it at a given moment, it was all I could think about. <i>In the Lives of Puppets</i> reminded me why I loved reading so voraciously when I was younger, and made me yearn to do the same again now.

All of the characters are so lovingly written, and so beautifully unique. Victor is headstrong, easily embarassed, but so determined to do what he believes to be right. Gio is gentle, but firm in his guidance, and reads as one of the most comforting father figures I've come across in a long time. Nurse Ratched, with her sardonic wit, reminds me so much of Glados from <i>Portal</i>, while Rambo has all of the anxiety and endearing earnestness of Claptrap from the <i>Borderlands</i> series, but without any of the arrogance or irritation. Hap (or Hilariously Angry Puppet) is so sincere in his awkward fascination of the world that he can't help but be charming.

The only thing that I struggled with was the pacing. The first 50% of this book is perfect. We are introduced to the world and the characters, and follow along as their world is forever changed in s brilliantly-paced narrative that never feels lagging, but always gives room for important moments to breathe. Following that, however, the pace grinds to a crawl between the 50-80% mark, then gallops towards the finish in the last chunk. That being said, while the second half of the book didn't quite have the vibrancy of the first half, I never regretted my time reading it. It is at once a solemn meditation on the ways humans can hurt each other and the world around us, and a joyous celebration of the way that love can bring even the most disparate of people together. I would happily return to this world and these wonderful characters for another 3 novels or more.

If you are looking to for a spirited, endearing, and unforgettable read, <i>In the Lives of Puppets</i> contains all of that and more. It's easily earned it's place in my list of favourite novels to recommend to others. If they're anything like this one, then I can't wait to explore more of T.J. Klune's works.

In the Lives of Puppets was an impulse pick for me, primarily chosen because I liked the cover and had heard good things about Klune's previous couple of books, and it left me asking myself 'why has it taken me so long to read one of TJ Klune's books?'. If In the Lives of Puppets is any indication of his storytelling capabilities then I am absolutely going to need to tear through his previous works.

In the Lives of Puppets was a heartwarming story about a found family comprised of an anxiety riddled Roomba named Rambo, a rather sociopathic nurse robot named Nurse Ratched (because of course the nurse robot's acronym was named Ratched XD), an inventor android Giovanni, and Victor, the only human in the group. Together they spend their days in the forest, living in a Swiss Family Robinson inspired treehouse, salvaging scraps, tinkering and creating new things, listening to music, and watching old movies.

Everything seems perfect for the group until the day Vic repairs a a second android who is dubbed Hap, or Hysterically Angry Puppet, by the group. Shortly after Hap is introduced to the family, Gio is taken captive by agents of the Authority, and the others set off on a journey to the City of Electric Dreams to rescue him.

"...happiness isn't something that can be sustained continuously, not without something to keep the fire burning."

I absolutely adored Rambo and Nurse Ratched! The pair of them were so well developed, with very distinct personalities, and they had me constantly cracking up. And watching the relationship between Vic and Hap develope had me alternating between grinning and crying. If I had to pick a least favorite character it would probably be Gio, only because I didn't connect with him as much as I did the rest of the main group.

Packed with humor and an overall theme that makes you question so many things about what makes us human, In the Lives of Puppets will probably be one of my top reads of the year.

I don't know how TJ Klune does it. He manages to build the most colorful worlds with thoughtful characters and the purest messages every time he puts pen to paper. In the Lives of Puppets is yet another success. Heart warming, sweet, and a sly yet timely commentary on today's society, I couldn't put the novel down, and was devastated as soon as I finished.

This story had my heart - in a kind of reverse Pinocchio a humanoid robot, Gio, assisted by a robotic nurse and a cute and harmless vacuum who doubles as a friend raise a human child, Victor, far away from other sentient lifeforms. They live in their happy little bubble until this bubble is ruptured by their finding a lifeform that shakes things up that Victor repairs. This sets events in motion that lead to Gio‘s abduction and complete reset as well as setting Victor and his friends on a quest to find Gio and bring him home. This book tells a beautiful story, heartwarming and hopeful. It can also be seen as a wonderful parable on the development of AI and the human potential for self destruction alongside the hopeful qualities of a heart, family and the inspirations the frailty of human life offers.

Vic lives in with his father Gio, an android, and their two robot companions deep in the forest. Vic is the only human among their small and close-knit group. When Vic finds another android that seems to have been decommissioned and thrown away and repairs it, the new robot, known as Hap, changes their lives in ways they could have never expected, bringing up long buried secrets that lead Vic, Hap, and the two other robots on a trek beyond any of their wildest imaginations to fight for the family they have created for themselves.

This is a touching modern fairy tale, exploring themes around family and forgiveness.

Highly recommended!

Another beautifully written story by Klune. This story, more so than his previous adult stand alone novels, has more of an adult read. His comedic interjections made me actually laugh out loud and his ability to tug at heart strings is perfect. He encapsulates what it means to feel human and find a family.

This was a miss for me. I was wondering at 5% if I should DNF because I was bored, didn't care about the story, and found the too-quirky characters to be incredibly annoying (especially the middle-school bathroom humor that undercut every interaction). I was wondering the same thing at 12%. At 35% I realized I still felt exactly the same about it and decided to cut my losses and say that this book isn't for me.

Part if it may have been the narrator, as the voices he chose for each character tended toward the whiny and irritating. He also tended to overdo the drama. He also voices Vic very young, and he is written very young, and I have to keep reminding myself that it says in the text he's 21 because he seems about 14.

It's disappointing because I think I *could* have loved Rambo and Nurse Ratched if there hadn't been quite so much middle-school bathroom humor in their every scene. And they had a lot of scenes. I actually still don't have a very good sense of Vic, and he's the main character. But his extremely quirky robot companions get most of the lines and page time which is weird.

I read through the big twist / reveal and I think it was supposed to be heartbreaking, but I didn't really feel anything? I didn't feel Gio was there enough as a character to make me care about what happened to him. Which is the same thing I feel about Vic, now that I'm thinking about it.

Since my feelings about the story haven't changed from 5% to 35% I think I can safely say that they aren't going to and it's just not for me.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Tor/Forge, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

This book made me so happy the entire time I read it. The writing, world building and characters are all so unique and full of life, that I fell in love instantly.
Vic, Giovanni, Rambo, Nurse Ratched, Hap - even the other characters you meet along the way, all were so beautifully written. I loved the fresh take on Pinocchio, and the other subtle connections to other pieces of work. Another great one by this author for sure!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I think I should begin this by saying that this is not my typical genre, nor my preferred genre, so please don't look to this review as a source for how well this book fits the style, themes, etc. of said genre. In fact, this was the first book I have ever read about robots!

I do however love T.J. Klune's writing style, and I really enjoyed his last two published books. So, that is why I made myself read this even though I had a lot of doubts going in. And honestly, I am so glad I did. I ended up really enjoying this book. Even though it was about robots/machines, it all felt very human. I devoured it in 2 days.

I absolutely loved the characters - Rambo and Nurse Ratched make this book worth the read on their own. But, it is the love the characters have for each other that really pushes the narrative forward. The themes of loneliness and sacrifice really moved me. And, I was shocked at how invested I was in Victor and HAPS's relationship. However, I will admit, I was also terrified by how real this book painted the possible future of AI/human relationships - eek!

Overall, I will say, even if you are not a big Pinocchio fan (which I am not) or a lover of sci-fi, "robot fiction," technology fiction, etc. (which I am not), you should definitely give this book a shot. Like Klune's other novels, the book is truly beautiful, and I would definitely recommend it to others.

I also want to say thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance digital copy for review!

I have to start this review by noting that I absolutely adored both The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. They are some of my all-time favorite books. I think In the Lives of Puppets is a solid 4 stars, but it wasn't as compelling to me as those other two books. But that's still to say I loved it!

The cast of characters are all loveable and memorable, and Nurse Ratched was just hilarious. Rambo was quirky and maybe not the brightest, but loveable all the same.

The reason this book isn't 5 stars for me is just that the book felt slow, and I wasn't as compelled to pick it up and keep reading. It took me almost a month to read... which is not normal for me. That could be partly due to life circumstances, but I wanted a book that I couldn't put down and this book didn't quite scratch that itch for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for my honest review!

As charming as it is thrilling, Klune has one again given us a touching tale of found family and the lengths we will go to protect those we love, even those without a beating heart. Filled to the brim with lovable characters, from the neurotic Roomba Rambo, the sociopathic Nurse-bot Ratched, to our humble but very darling human protagonist Vic, Klune surrounds the reader with a group that they don't want to leave, on a grand adventure to save their adoptive father from the hands of a shadowy organization. The beginning at admittedly of a slower pace, but those who are willing to let the book flow into them, the current will eventually carry you to places that will surprise you, in wonderful ways. Also, I really appreciated the asexual representation, as it is shown early on that the book understands and appreciates the intricacies of the sexuality and its many shades, which as an ace person is a touching thing to read.

I will update the review with the link to on our blog as soon as I can.

I'd like to thank the publisher Tor Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review

In the Lives of Puppets is a dystopian, fantasy/sci-fi twist on Pinocchio where Vic, a human, must rescue his automaton father, Giovanni, from the Authority.
All with the help of his friends: Rambo the anxiety-ridden robot vacuum, a sociopathic Robot Nurse Ratched, and Hap - an automaton whose memory has been wiped of his previous designation and remains somewhat of an intriguing mystery.

TJ Klune always manages to keep family, love and acceptance at the heart of his stories all while transporting the reader into a fantastical story with obsession-worthy characters. I love the messaging that love and family does not need to look the same for everyone - and that we should love each other for our unique differences, not what makes us the same.

I flew through this book this weekend and my only wish is that it was longer! ♥️

It’s not fair to compare, or go in with certain expectations, but I absolutely adored Cerulean Sea, and really liked Whispering Door. So I went in with expectations that I would thoroughly enjoy this. Unfortunately, I did not. It started out really slow (something mentioned in the synopsis doesn’t even happen until like 30% or more?) and throughout the whole book, the pacing just felt off. I had both the ebook and audio from netgalley, and I tend to follow along with the ebook while listening - and I felt like the narration was so slow, it was taking ages for me to be able to turn the page, and I had it on 2x speed! It just felt super slow, and I admit, I always speed audiobooks up, but 2 or 2.5 is normally my sweet spot. 2x on this still felt so slow, and I really struggled through it (user error on the app made me think that was the max speed, but I eventually got it to 3x speed and it was more enjoyable at that speed).

So on top of the narration and plot both feeling slow, I just didn’t love the story itself as much as I wanted to. One of the characters is super quirky and perhaps that comes across better in print but I wasn’t a fan of it in the audio, the character just kind of annoyed me or made me cringe. Maybe it was the specific humour, I don’t know. The humour felt a bit young, but what do I know. There were some things I liked, but I think the things I disliked overshadowed the good things. I felt a couple times like I was supposed to be feeling certain emotions based on the writing, but it fell flat or missed the mark for me. I do admire TJ Klune as a writer and I really enjoyed the other ones I’ve read, but this one just didn’t work for me.

Well, I loved this one! This novel was definitely the heartwarming escapism I needed. While this one is more sci-fi given the androids and murderous robots inhabiting the world, if you've read Klune's other books, you will immediately recognize the satirical tone and the tropes of found family. While there are nods to Pinocchio, so much of this story was very unique. I loved the way it explored the autonomy and free will and all the characters. I did feel like there could have been more to the plot, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I had listened to audiobook of The House in the Cerulean Sea and the audiobook of this one is narrated by Daniel Henning as well. I thought he did an excellent job bringing the eccentric characters to life!

Thank you so much to Tor Books for the ARC and finished copies of this and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

****ARC REVIEW ****
Author: T.J. Klune
Title:In the lives of puppets
Publisher: @torbooks
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thankyou @netgalley and @torbooks for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest review

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?

Thoughts:
- this is my first netgalley approved book and I was so excited it was for this
- An odd quirky book with a little Pinocchio esque vibe that is so beautifully written that will give you all the feels
- screams love, family and humanity with themes of connection and free will
- amazing world building with perfect characters
- entertaining and great conversations between characters
- Gio is the creator filled with love
- Vic is the last human alive and was given to Gio to care for who has amazing relationships with his robot family
- Rambo is a funny little vacuum robot that gets excited about cleaning
- nurse ratched is a empathic nurse robot that flips between empathy and sociopaths
- hab is rescued from the scrap yard , an android responsible for wiping out the human race put back together by vic with humanity and a heart
- Beautiful book
Published 25 April 2023

Wow! This book was so different to what I usually read but I was absolutely hooked!

I don’t want to give away the story so I’ll just say that it’s the kind of story your wildest imagination could’ve dreamed up. Giovanni and his “son” Vic are such vivid characters I felt that I knew them. There’s moments of humour, witty dialogue and also moments of pain. For me it’s ultimately a story of found family and what you’ll do for those you love.