In the Lives of Puppets is a queer Pinocchio retelling/sci-fi adventure saga that checked a lot of boxes for me—it was a really heartwarming story about found families. It featured complex, lovable characters (Rambo the anxious Roomba?!), and Klune’s signature humor and wit. It’s definitely one of those books that gives you the warm fuzzies.
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This one did take me longer than most of Klune’s books to get into—in retrospect, the first section of the book is *very* character-driven, and the later sections of the book are a bit more balanced between character and plot (which is my personal preference). That said, I still enjoyed it overall, and feel that the themes and representation that Klune incorporates are always a welcome addition to our world!

So, I gave this one 3 stars. This one just didn’t hit me the same way his other novels have. I loved it during some parts and was annoyed during others. Klune does an amazing job taking us on a journey to explore humanity, forgiveness, love, and family. The humor was a nice added touch, the banter between the robots was fun. But by halfway through, some of it was a little repetitive.

Overall, if you’re a Klune fan, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

“Home doesn’t have to be a place”

I’ve loved every single TJ Klune book I’ve read so far and, even though this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, In The Lives of Puppets had most of the aspects that I adore from Klune’s books.

In The Lives of Puppets floods us with the warm and cozy found family feelings. I love reading found families and Klune has definitely written some of favourites, and this books was no exception. Here we have a beautiful, quirky and unusual family: an android father (Giovanni), a human son (Victor), a sadistic, snarky but “secretly” soft nurse machine (Nurse Ratched), an anxious vacuum robot (Rambo) and, eventually, a human killing android (Hap). It’s beautiful seeing how Hap comes to be part of this little weird family, and how Vic’s humanity plays an important part in connecting all of them. Friendship, family and love, those are some of the main topics in this book.

In the Lives of Puppets is a Pinocchio retelling and it worked beautifully as such. It had enough components so that we can pick up that it’s a Pinocchio retelling, but it has a lot more to be its own story.

The queer representation here is great, as is the case for all of Klune’s books. We get an asexual MC and his sexuality is openly discussed, even if in a somewhat embarrassing way for Victor, and it’s done in a great way.

There was a lot that I liked about this book. The characters are lovable and wonderful. Klune’s usual humour and heart is splashed everywhere. The found family vibes was amazing and always makes me happy. However, my feelings about this book are also a bit confusing. I think there was something missing but I can’t figure out what it is yet. I believe that I could come to truly love this book after a reread, but for now I still enjoyed it a lot.

“and above all else, be brave”

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4,5 stars.

I’m a huge fan of Klune’s whimsical fantasy stories, so I had high hopes for this one, and it definitely delivered! I immediately fell in love with the cast of characters, my favorite probably being Nurse Ratched. I loved their interactions and the way they all worked to support each other and lift each other up!

This was much more of a sci-fi adventure than the cozy fantasy I was expecting, and I didn’t connect as deeply with the story as I was hoping, which is why it gets a 4,5 rating instead of a full 5 stars. However, the heart of the story and the emotional depth that I’ve come to love from Klune is definitely present. The story explores both what it means to be human and what having a heart means. There are plot twists (that I didn’t even see coming, which was nice) and the story has a good drive to it!

This book is beautiful and profound. I wholeheartedly recommend you check it out! Especially if you’ve enjoyed Klune’s earlier work, or if you love emotionally wrecking fantasy/sci-fi adventures.

Happy Pub Day to In the Lives of Puppets! And many thanks to Tor and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t usually like to post less than favorable reviews on publication day, but I’m making an exception this time because this might be my biggest disappointment of 2023. Not because it’s a terrible book, per se. It’s fiiiiine. But while I’ve seen many other exceedingly positive reviews for this book, to me, it’s just fine. And that made me so sad because of the emotional impact the other two Klune books I’ve read had on me. I expected to cry over an easy five star read, and I got … this

It wasn’t entirely bad. The characters were all very interesting, and some of their interactions had me laughing out loud. Their personalities and dialogue actually reminded me of a book I really love, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I found the balance of humor and poignancy also reminiscent of that series, and, as always, Klune’s writing about humanity and death and grief was simply lovely.

But I think the concept of the story was a bit too out there even for me (and I like weird stories). I didn’t find the Pinocchio references important and honestly think the story would have worked better without them forced in there. The plot wasn’t compelling, and alternated between dragging and feeling too rushed at times. Plus it never all fully came together cohesively to me. Additionally I didn’t understand the point of all the weird sexual and bodily function humor/comments. It almost read like a teenage boy wrote it.

Anyway, all of this to say that it didn’t work for me. However, given all the glowing reviews, maybe it will for you, especially if you like very unique stories involving robots, Pinocchio, or banter.

In the middle of the forest, we have a little friend/family of robots and one human named Vic. Vic repairs an old android named HAP and discovers a dark past between Gio his father and HAP.

Read along as Klune takes you on another adventure full of heart and creativity and find out how these robots survive on their way to the City of Electric Dreams.


I feel like I am the minority here but this book was just ok for me. I absolutely adore the message Klune was portraying in this book but it didn't keep me wanting more like a lot of his other books have done for me in the past. This novel was a NOVEL and it felt like it dragged on and on. It had parts in it that were way to cringe and inappropriate for my liking and finally when I made it to the end of this interesting story it ended up being a huge letdown for me.

Was this book extremely original and clever? HELL YES, and I know a lot of readers will absolutely love it. It just wasn't my cup of tea. My 3.5 stars are for the creativity and the message it gives to the readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So I’m one of those people that doesn’t read the back cover before I start a book. I look at the author, I look at the cover, I look at who has recommended it to me, and I dive in. So, imagine my surprise when I open this book to find a whole lot of robots?

After I read a few chapters, I look over the description of the book. As Klune says himself, it is a queer retelling of Pinocchio: a cozy, sci-fi fantasy. This is not typically my cup of tea. However, I am so glad that I stuck to my intuition and read In the Lives of Puppets because I absolutely loved it. The characters are so genuine, so easy to love, and so humorous. I genuinely did not think I was going to be able to fall for a human/robot romance, but color me surprised because I fell head over heels for Hap and Vic. Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Geo were genuinely some of the most lovable characters I have ever read. If you loved the found family in the Greencreek series, and you don’t mind a little extra sci-fi, this is definitely meant for you.

Add in all of the adventure, the crazy and bizarre characters they meet on the way, and genuinely heart dropping suspense towards the end. I may be surprised, but TJ Klune has done it again. Another five star read from me.

TJ Klune manages to make me cry with the craziest of concepts. 'In the Lives of Puppets' is Pinnochio, meets Wall-E, meets The Winter Soldier and I never would've thought to blend all of those elements but oh my gosh it's a masterpiece in literature. As always, Klune gives us characters that jump off the page. Within the first 5 pages I would kill for Rambo and Nurse Ratched. I had to take my lunch break early today so I could finish this book and cry in peace.
Amazing. Spectacular. I don't have enough positive adjectives for this book.

A robot apocalypse, a giant treehouse, and a ragtag family looking to save one of their own...what's not to love? As usual, TJ Klune writes a feel good story that examines what it means to love and be loved, even when most of his characters are made of metal and wire.

It's hard when you've read and adored a few books by an author, because there's just no way for one author to remain completely consistent for every reader. I loved House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, and a lot of that had to do with setting. The beginning of In the Lives of Puppets was promising (the treehouse! the Scrap Yard!), but lost it's charm as the book continued and the characters' world got bigger. The City of Electric Dreams felt under-described to me, especially when I was expecting another cozy setting from an author whose previous books were basically set in what can only be described as book cottage-core.

I also was less invested in the romance of this book than I was in previous outings. As always, I appreciated that there was some representation outside of your basic heterosexual romance. The main character was ace (hurray for diverse characters! Particularly since ace characters have so little representation in literature...this was nice to see), but his robot love interest Hap felt kind of underwritten. Also don't love the whole "I sort of want to kill you but also love you" trope.

I feel like I'm complaining a lot for a book that I actually really liked...so let's list some things I liked.

1. If I were a robot I would be Nurse Ratched. MORE DRILLING!
2. Rambo the Roomba was a Golden Retriever in a robot's body, basically, and I loved it.
3. I liked the message of the book and the premise. I loved the focus on found family, which seems to be a TJ Klune special.
4. It was a good apocalypse story and I would have liked to see more of the world/ find out if there were any other humans besides Vic.
5. Can I get a picture of the Blue Fairy? I want a picture of the Blue Fairy. I feel like imagination doesn't do them justice.

Would I recommend it? Yup. Is it my favorite TJ Klune book? Nope, but that's ok. I'll keep reading anyway.

In the Lives of Puppets is my third read for TJ Klune. Since I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, I had high expectations for this one. Klune does a fantastic job at creating the found family aspect that feels like a warm hug. This story followed the pattern of the other two where there were a ton of interesting elements that made me want to keep reading, but the found family part stood out the most. This novel has elements of a retelling of Pinocchio mixed with Wall-E, The Wizard of Oz, and many others that seem to have some influence. The story begins with android inventor Giovanni Lawson who, through a series of events, adopts a human boy named Victor (Vic). Together in their house also live a robot named Nurse R.A.T.C.H.E.D. (Registered Automation to Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill) and cleaner, Rambo. When Vic brings home an android named H.A.P (Hysterically Angry Puppet), a chain of events leads to Gio being taken and Vic sets out on an adventure.

As Victor is an asexual younger (I believe he was in his early 20s) human who grew up isolated among robots, it was interesting to see him navigate the world on his search for Gio. While the androids come along for the journey, there was a fun mix of personalities among the machines and human. The adventure to the City of Electric Dreams is slower and focuses a lot on the characters. The characters have distinct personalities, and I loved their banter. The humor in the story hits many different notes where I can see some of it not being for every type of reader. There were some moments where the humor does not land with me, but I did enjoy it overall. The characters in this story take a bit to build and connect with me, as a reader, where I did not find them captivating right away. They did grow on me a lot by the end, though, and I love how their connections developed.

The sole human in this novel provides a good thought experiment about how they fit into an android world and there are great explorations into how the androids may have some humanity. This was all well done while keeping the focus on the main group. The story had great emotion integrated into the writing and I loved each character’s journey. The side characters do sometimes steal the show away from Vic, but I do love that the main plot retains focus. Since I loved Klune’s other two novels, it was difficult not to compare them. This one does not quite surpass the other two but is still a great novel and keeps me being a fan of Klune’s work. Overall, I look forward to reading more from him in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Tor Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

TJ Klune does it again, an absolute beautiful masterpiece. This may have been my favorite one yet. I laughed, I cried, my heart broke, my heart was full... such a vast array of emotions transpired throughout.

The premise and the world that Klune created was fantastic, as always. Wonderful themes of adventure, found family, freedom and love... which Klune is a master of, are spectacularly done in this book.

The BEST PART OF ALL, is of course, the characters. From Vic, a curious, loving human (also cheers to the asexual rep), Nurse Ratched, an absolute sociopath yet sarcastic and caring nurse robot, HAP, a robot the gang found and brought back to life from the scrap yard, and my favorite, Rambo the Roomba who is a eager lil cleaner and lovable friend. THE CHARACTERS, were everything. I would read stories and stories and stories just to hear their banter. Klune has a way of creating characters that make them feel like friends.

This book was fantastic and I look forward to reading everything Klune puts out (and the back log of course). One of my favorite books of 2024.

Much has been made (especially in the advance publicity) of IN THE LIVES OF PUPPET's connection to Pinocchio. In fact, author T.J. Klune alludes to it and incudes several quotes from the Carlo Collodi 1883 novel THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO in his section introductions. The connection is an easy one to make, and could be seen as a re-telling/spin on the fantasy tale of a man-made puppet (Pinocchio) raised by humans. In Klute's version this becomes a dystopian fantasy/science-fiction world in which a human (Victor) is raised by androids/robots (the puppets).

While there are other similarities and homages to the Pinocchio novel throughout the story, readers may also find an equal number of connections to THE WIZARD OF OZ, SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON and THE MATRIX. More importantly, and a rewarding reason to even read this novel, is the bigger connection between the two. Both THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO and IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS serve as a metaphor of the human condition.

What makes Klune's novel work is the rich characterization on display, a trademark of his other work - - charming, heartwarming, funny, and often bittersweet. This story of a 21-year old human surrounded by machines considers the question at the heart/premise - - - what does it mean to be human? In the telling, there is much to reveal about human connections, forgiveness, father-son relations and unconventional love.

There's also a chilling reminder/warning of the limitations/dangers inherent in artificial intelligence. In this future world, the robots/androids have become smarter and somewhat more human-like, have decided that humans are too flawed to continue to exist, and exterminate them. Victor may be the only survivor, which makes his origins and upbringing even more ironic. The new order (The Authority) seems to have adopted the worst of human tendencies, made all the more awful by their lack of heart/empathy/emotion.

Those familiar with Collodi's novel may have fun spotting the Pinocchio homages: The symbol of the Authority is a fox and cat (important characters in Collodi's Pinocchio). Their airship is named The Terrible Dogfish (the aquatic creature that swallows Gepetto and Pinocchio). A Fairy plays a major role in Pinocchio's transformation, and the Blue Fairy makes it possible for Victor to seek the resolution he is after in the final chapters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an digital advance review copy.

TJ Klune continues to knock it out of the park, and this new novel is no exception! His characters are vivid, and this novel ponders the meaning of life and how robots and humans coexist. TJ is truly a genius, and every new release gets a wild cheer from me!

This story is told in third person and follows Victor, who was raised by Gio, an inventor. Victor is a tinkerer and excels at taking broken things that others have scrapped and putting them back together. Their world is dominated by robots and the Authority. This story had more of a dystopian Sci-Fi feel rather than fantasy to me.

I loved the characters especially the ones pieced together by Victor: Rambo the vacuum who is wowed by every tiny detail in the world but also afraid of it and Nurse Ratched, a medical robotic nurse who has a macabre sense of humor and is obsessed with drilling. We follow this group as Victor finds an android that still has a bit of life and succeeds in adding HAP to his merry band of companions despite his mysterious, nefarious past. When Gio is taken by the Authority, the group heads off on a quest to get him back and journeys out of their compound in the trees into a new and scary world.

The camaraderie between these characters and their discoveries of both beauty and horror in the world outside their bubble really made this book for me. Filled with concepts of found family, love and the power to make your own choices in life, I thought this story was absolutely delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

Happy publication day to this masterpiece! I have loved every one of this author's books and I simply devoured this one. It is a queer retelling of the Adventures of Pinocchio with quirky characters that will steal your heart, break it and then put it back together again.

The characterization in this book is what really made it for me. I loved all of the characters and their love and loyalty for one another. One of my favorite characters was Nurse Ratched. Her witty humor and jabs at Rambo were downright hilarious at times. I loved her mothering instinct toward Victor.

Even if your genre is not normally sci-fi, I urge you to try this one. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you will enjoy the lovely adventure between the pages of this book. You will laugh, possibly cry and then feel so much love an contentment at the end. Simply beautiful!

Special thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As usual with this line of books from the author, this was a wonderful book about the families that people make. In this case, it's about a man, the amusing robots who raised him, and a robot he chooses to save.

There was a lot of humor in this novel. Much of this humor involved the two robots that helped to raise Victor, although Victor's interactions leaned toward humor as well. It also tended towards sad, which should be no surprise. These two elements balanced fairly well in the novel.

I was a little surprised by the links to Pinocchio, but I did enjoy how the author weaved that story through one about robots. I also enjoyed the ace rep, which was also unexpected.

All in all, a great addition to this quirky line of books by T.J. Klune.

In this fanciful retelling of Pinocchio, a baby is shoved into Gio's arms as his parents flee, the mother promising to return for him when it's safer. But as the years pass, it's clear that no one is coming back for baby Victor. He loves his father, and his companions Nurse Ratched and Rambo. He f0llow's in Giovanni's footsteps, learning about the robots that now rule the planet, scavenging the dump nearby for new parts and any robots that can be salvaged with Gio's help. Then, one day, Vic finds a new android in almost perfect condition, and that find changed all of their lives forever. Gio is taken by a group of identical andriods and now Vic, his friends, and Hap (the rescued android) must travel to the City of Electric Dreams to rescue him.

I really love how TJ Klune flipped the script on the Pinocchio story--instead of Pinocchio wanting to be a real boy, he is one, and everyone around him is a "puppet". It's a distant future where everyone on the planwhile I et now is some sort of robot, and humans have been hunted to near extinction after almost destroying the planet.
It's a wonderfully told story, with the usual elements we love to find in a TJ Klune story--Vic himself is ace and attracted to men. Nurse Ratched is his wise cracking sidekick, keeping Vic grounded, Rambo is almost puppy-like as a little Roomba, cleaning and acting like a curious 5 year old. Hap is mysterious, almost dangerous, with a past that could harm all of them.
I really enjoyed this book, it's just so easy to lose yourself in the world that Klune has created.

Happy pub day to In the Lives of Puppets! I am a huge fan of TJ Klune, so when I received this ARC, I couldn’t wait to get started! Similar to House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door (two of my all time favorite books), In the Lives of Puppets features loveable characters on a unique quest. This book felt like a dystopian version of Pinnochio and Wizard of Oz. I was hooked from the first chapter and I am still thinking about it weeks later. I can already tell this will be one of my top books of 2023!

Thank you NetGalley and TOR Publishing Group for this eARC!

“Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that can change everything when you least expect it.”

Like the fairy tales of old, "In the Lives of Puppets" is a cautionary tale, a riveting exploration of humanity’s legacy through the eyes of a young inventor who is determined to rescue the missing part of the only family he’s ever known.

Klune never fails to bring together an endearing found family to love that’s made up of unique, quirky parts. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters we meet throughout the story.

Victor may be the odd man out, but he’s an integral piece that holds this family together. Vic is a sweet soul and brilliant inventor with a deep capacity to love. My heart broke for him and the riot of emotions he felt during and following Gio’s abduction. For the anguish, anger, and disorientation as his whole world was torn asunder. Vic experiences an existential crisis that forces him to reconsider his small world that suddenly becomes exponentially bigger as well as wonder what it really means to be human.

Gio kind of reminds me of Arthur ("The House in the Cerulean Sea") and Hugo ("Under the Whispering Door"): compassionate, understanding, and accepting of everyone. Exhibiting a quiet demeanor and insightful view of humanity. In light of his dark past, Gio’s character proposes important questions about life, choice, and forgiveness.

Hap is also a perplexing character to ponder over. Like Gio, his past is equally dark and in stark contrast to the “new life” Vic gives him rather than what he’d been programmed to be. His character is quite comical and easily adapts as new information is presented. All in all, a Hysterically Angry Puppet indeed!

Nurse Ratched is like the older sibling teasing their younger siblings just because. She’s a practical and brazen nursing unit with a penchant for dark humor. But she balances out the family so well that it’s hard to imagine it without her.

Rambo is an adorable and precious anxiety-ridden vacuum cleaner. He made me smile so much. I loved when he made a "Wolfsong" reference during his exciting discovery of an epic and awesome pinecone. That truly made my day.

"In the Lives of Puppets" is so much more than you could ever imagine that suggests a consolidated effort to do better for the one home we have and all who will eventually inhabit it. It seems like a plausible outcome - powerfully and passionately told in an accessible way - of what happens when kindness, compassion, and empathy are superseded by greed, hatred, and self-interest.

Vic’s journey was challenging and thought-provoking, alleviated by humorously frank dialogue exchanges and scenes. The story is kind of left open-ended. Uncertain but hopeful nonetheless. Overall, "In the Lives of Puppets" is sincerely a remarkable read.

Thanks again Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

I am rather late to the T.J. Klune party, having just read The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door last year. But he is already an auto-buy author for me, and I plan on devouring his back catalog soon. Wolfsong is on my shelf waiting for me, despite me always saying (like ALWAYS always) that shifter/werewolf stuff is not for me. But I'm excited to dive into that one because I know Klune's beautiful writing will transcend that genre bias I have and I will be all in for the entire series.

But anyway, back to In the Lives of Puppets. I've also always said that sci-fi/fantasy is not my thing, but now I add, "unless it's T.J. Klune." Are we noticing a pattern here? Basically, I will read anything this man writes and I will love it and it will sit in my heart and take up permanent residence there. Klune crafts the most delightful characters and tackles big themes with a deft hand.

In the Lives of Puppets gives us Pinocchio vibes mixed with a little Swiss Family Robinson and a splash of Wall-E. The plot brings us on a quest in the vein of The Wizard of Oz, with our main character travelling to a distant land with three friends in search of "home"." In Dorothy's case home was Kansas, but here home is not a place, but a person. And as is always the case with Klune, the heart of this story lies with its characters:

Nurse Ratched – she's crass, sarcastic, a little sociopathic, and a pure delight. In other words, she's who I want to be when I grow up.

Rambo – a sweet little neurotic vacuum with no brain/mouth filter and a love for everyone and I want him to come live with me now.

Hap – a big, broody lug of an android, wiped clean of his violent past programming and now devoted to protecting his found family.

Gio – Vic's android father, wise and loving but hiding many secrets.

Vic – the lone human in this band of misfits, struggling with the knowledge that his life is not what he thought it was, but knowing the power of a heart.

This book gets all the stars from me, and is destined to be one of my favorites of 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Tor Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.