More sci-fi-ish than anything I’ve read by TJ Klune, In the Lives of Puppets is the story of a human, Victor, who is raised by robots and machines in a remote, isolated forest. But these are not merely functional, unfeeling robots. Gio, his father of sorts, is a kind, thoughtful inventor and exactly the kind of old soul you want advice from; Nurse Ratched, and old medical robot, has a sharp wit and speaks fluent sarcasm; Rambo, a vacuum bot, was the adorable little brother type; and later we meet Hap, a bad boy robot with a questionable past, but whose storyline is key to the books themes of friendship, love, and forgiveness.

When Gio is captured and taken prisoner, the remaining foursome set out on an adventure to save him, marking Vic’s first time ever outside of the forest. Their quest is twisty and perilous, eye opening for Vic, and requires a lot of reflection on exactly what it means to be human.

To be clear, this is not a plot that would have appealed to me in the hands of any ole author, but Klune has a gift for writing endearing characters and weaving empathy and kindness into his stories, making them less about the details and more about the message. The details, which are always refreshingly creative, are just an added bonus!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Giovanni (Gio) Lawson, an inventor and android has created his own family, hidden from the world in a clearing in the forest. There with his human son, Victor they have spent two decades collecting and repairing scrap from a nearby junkyard, including two robots that are now part of their household, Rambo, a small annoying, but eager to please Roomba type vacuum cleaner and Nurse Ratched, a sociopathic nursing machine with a sarcastic turn of phrase. When Victor finds and secretly repairs an Android called Hap, he has no idea the danger he has placed his adoptive father into by exposing his hiding place and his past history. Vic, Rambo and Nurse Ratched will have to go out into the world on a dangerous journey to save Gio and Hap and the very existence of their family.

Set in a future world where humanity has been replaced by AI, this is a delightful tale blending elements of Pinnochio with other classic tales of adventure and survival. Although, I didn't connect with it as strongly as with 'The House in the Cerulean Sea', it is a creative and entertaining tale of love, adventure, courage and what makes a family. Lovely, tender writing with unusual characters you will come to love, even the annoying Rambo, who shows true bravery when it is most needed.

“To fix what is in disrepair sometimes means breaking it completely and starting over again.”

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!

I am going to be thinking about this one for a LONG time. I would say this is my favorite of Klune’s that I’ve read so far, and I loved all the elements that are inspired by Pinocchio. I loved how this story takes the elements of Pinocchio and flips them on their head.

Everything about this book worked for me. I was totally invested in learning about this strange version of our world, but what absolutely shines is the characters. Klune’s writing always features strong elements of found family, but this ragtag little crew is my absolute favorite. Vic, Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Hap are so delightful, but Nurse Ratched steals the show. She brought the driest robot humor and her screen messages often had me actually laughing out loud.

This book is full of mentions and callbacks to classic movies and literature, and I loved the way that they were woven into the story. It made the experience feel so authentic and like I was really reading about a real distant future.

What really gets to me is how a story with one human in our crew is a story that is so vividly human. I truly loved it, I cried and laughed, and I was rooting for Vic and the crew the whole time, even through my gasping sobs at the end.

What else could this be but a full 5⭐️ rating?

3.5 stars
Klune's re-imagining of Collodi's Pinocchio (but with robots instead of puppets) is weird, funny, heartfelt and beautiful.

The story follows Victor, inventor and human son of android Giovanni Lawson. The family which includes the vacuum Rambo and a nurse android (aptly named Nurse Ratched) live quietly and happily in the forest. However, when Victor finds a new android and brings him to life their peaceful world implodes and Giovanni is taken away. Victor, Nurse Ratched, Rambo and the android named HAP go on a journey to find Giovanni and maybe just save the world.

Personally I find some of Klune's books difficult to get into but as long as I have patience I'm rewarded and usually they become some of my favorite reads of the year. This book was a little different for me. I did enjoy it and I loved the comic relief Rambo and Nurse Ratched provided. However, I felt like there was something missing. I don't want to spoil anything but I wanted something more from the ending. Maybe I'm unfairly comparing it to Klune's previous books because this was not bad it just was not as good I was expecting or hoping.

I still highly recommend and existing fans of Klune's work as well as sci-fi enthusiasts will definitely enjoy!

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley

TJ Klune has a marvelous imagination and is able to "twist" a classic tale into a sci-fi/fantasy book that can be enjoyed by teenagers and adults alike. The themes of humanity, friendship, and family are spread throughout. The interjected humor was much appreciated.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! As a fan of Klune’s other books, I was so excited to get to read this incentive sci-fi/ fantasy queer retelling. In broad strokes, ‘Puppets’ follows the themes of Pinocchio but the story progresses in a unique direction all its own. If you were on the fence about reading a retelling of Pinocchio, don’t be. This is yet another charming addition to Klune’s collection and fans of his previous work will not be disappointed.

All of the three T J Klune books I have read so far have one thing in common - finding love, family and acceptance in the most unlikeliest of places. Having very much loved his other two works, this one fell a little short for me and somehow felt a lot of things were forced and not natural. Albeit I loved it to bits and enjoyed the reading experience.

The story tackles themes of family, identity, and forgiveness in a poignant and thought-provoking way. It's a unique and enjoyable read that will leave you with a new appreciation for what it means to be human and the power of connection.

TJ Klune has offered a modern Pinocchio story that tugs at the heartstrings and keeps the reader hopeful right to the end. I appreciated the dystopian feel to the story, with machines running the world and humans being nearly extinct and therefore extra valuable in their scarcity. Vic has been raised by Gio, an inventor living like a hermit in a wildly creative treehouse away from civilization. Robots and machines have taken over and Gio lives in fear of the Authority discovering that his beloved Vic is actually a human. While scavenging for parts, Vic uncovers Hap, a broken robot who was once tasked with destroying humans, and Vic aims to revive him and give him a second chance. As always, Klune has created a human dilemma of need and vulnerability within community that rings true for most of us. He has also surrounded Vic with a couple of the most endearing and entertaining supportive characters in Nurse Ratched and Rambo. A satisfying and enjoyable read for ages teen and up.

In The Lives Of Puppets
By TJ Klune

Review
This story is absolutely brilliant, I read this in one sitting. The characters were all so well developed and beautifully crafted. TJK hits you with all the feelings laughter, happiness, sadness in this extraordinary retelling of Pinocchio. One of my favorite lines, “We do not fight with swords. We do not fight with guns or bombs or biological warfare. To fix what is in disrepair sometimes means breaking it completely and starting over again.” Mr. Klune is a rockstar author & storyteller.




📚Expected April 25, 2023📚

❤️Thank you Tor, NetGalley, & the brilliant author TJ Klune. I’m super appreciative & gave my honest opinion❤️

In a word - amazing! A sci-fi take on the classic Pinocchio was more heart warming and touching that I ever imagined possible. A human raised by an android, a Roomba with anxiety, a nurse bot with a dark sense of humor, and a robot learning to feel embark on a journey to save the inventor Gio. By the end of this book, I was so deeply invested in every character - it’s one I won’t soon forget. Highly recommend

This book does indeed have plenty of faults, but I'm willing to overlook the majority of them because I loved Rambo and Nurse Ratched that much. I would not hesitate to read additional books that include them.

I loved TJ Klune the second I read House in the Cerulean Sea. So I was eager for a Pinocchio retelling from him. It didn’t disappoint!

I really enjoyed this book! I’m already a big fan of TJ Klune so I had pretty high expectations going into it and I was not disappointed! The book is such a charm, the characters brilliantly written as always, the story gripping and the world so colourful and fully imagined. I particularly loved how Hap, a decommissioned robot which Victor discovered early on in the book, has a dark past which he does not remember, but which all the characters have to face head on throughout the book, which I think really does leave a poignant message that someone’s past does not define them. The central romance is of course perfectly written as is expected with Klune, and the ending had me sobbing as always. Would highly recommend!

Everyone go out and read this book!!!!
I have enjoyed Klune's past books but this one is my new favorite!
This is a retelling of Pinocchio set in a world of robots. The plot is a bit out there and it is definitely a sci fi book where you need to suspend belief but for me, every part of this worked!

I loved the quirky cast of characters. Especially, Nurse Ratched and Rambo who were endearing and hilarious and I laughed out loud every time these two bantered or joked. Vic was a great main character and his journey of self discovery and transformation was interesting to watch unfold. The support he received from his friends was the true definition of "found family". As with all of Klune's books, this one tackled big concepts such as sexuality, technology, and humanity.

Overall this is the most bizarre and unique retelling I've ever read. I could see how it might be an acquired taste but the unique plot and characters just added to the impact this book had on me. I will be recommending this to everyone!

TJ Klune's writing keeps getting better. This queer retelling of The Adventures of Pinocchio is bursting with heart, family, and (ironically) humanity. I loved this cast of characters and how Klune leaned further into sci-fi with this new book.

Klune's previous two novels, The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, were both highly loved by me. I highlight this because I know what Klune is capable of bringing to the table, and I'm all about it.

There are times, however, that you can appreciate a writer's craft and yet a certain work may not hit the spot. I fear, for me, this is the case with In the Lives of Puppets.

The positives are indeed lovely. Once again, the author gives us whimsical, heartfelt characters that are easy to love and invest in. Quite honestly, I felt Nurse Ratched and Rambo 100% stole the show. Their banter, charisma, and loyalty were the epicenter of the themes I enjoyed: family, humanity, hope, and love.

That being said, I had a hard time getting behind the love story. I didn't think this relationship was brought to life in the way I have come to expect Klune to deliver. Many times, I was left thinking, "Ummm, ok. That's kind of weird." Or, "Yeah, no. I don't think so." It just lacked believability, and I wanted to FEEL it.

I also found it difficult to meld the worlds of the child-like innocence of these characters with the cringe inducing robot brothel, The Blue Fairy, and random raunchy comments from left field. Now, I'm not at all prudish OR easy to offend. The words themselves were not my issue. I just strongly felt it did not fit There is a time and a place, and the bawdy humor interjected missed both those marks. I had many times when I would physically wince and think, "Ewww. What?! Why? Oh ick." Sorry, it didn't work for me.

Final thoughts? A perfectly readable book that will be enjoyed by the majority of his fans. For me, the pros and cons were dished out in equal measure, and I felt it to be an ebb and flow experience. I was held enthralled only to then have to trudge through. A teeter-totter ride, that was more work than I would have liked. Not a bit of me, but still a fan.

(My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up)

Thanks to both the author and TOR Publishing for the digital ARC via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

TJ Klune's books never disappoint and In the Lives of Puppets is no exception. This is a heartwarming story about three robots who live in a treehouse along with a human, Vic. One day, when messing around in the junkyard that Vic and his pseudo-father Gio salvage pieces from to tinker with, Vic comes across HAP, an android. This discovery unspools a world of mysteries for Vic and the dark truth about Gio's hidden past. This book is about found family, love, and acceptance. I highly recommend reading it with a box of tissues nearby.

I am such a huge fan of Klune’s unique, whimsical writing style. His books make me feel like a kid again, and like the world is ok. Unfortunately .. this one did not turn out to be one of my favorites.

So let’s clear the air, this book is not about puppets, it’s about robots.. in a world taken over by them. Two of said robots did have me cracking up (Nurse Ratched & Rambo kept me invested).

This book definitely requires heavy use of your imagination. I recommend going into it knowing you most likely will not read it in one or two sittings.

Anyway, it’s a good book. There’s the classic Klune themes of love, hope, freedom and humanity. You will care for the characters. I just couldn’t help feeling like it was extremely drawn out!! And a bit odder than usual, even for TJ.

This both is and isn't what you expect.

With each book, TJ Klune takes another step down a path. It’s darker- but not in a bad way. Rather like the ocean. The lower down you go the darker it is, but that doesn’t change the wonder and life it contains.

As it says in the description, this is a queer retelling of Pinnochio. Instead of true puppets like we know them now this book uses machines and an apocalyptic future to tell the story. Instead of a world of humans with one living puppet, Klune flips the story on its head with one human surrounded by "puppets". What follows is a heart-wrenching journey with philosophical thoughts on each page.

Personally, this wasn't my favorite. It actually took me several weeks to finish. It has all of the talents that are a TJ Klune book, but the sci-fi nature of the story did not gel with me. The arguments of machine vs man and what is humanity have never interested me. Frankly, if it wasn't a Klune I would have DNF'd it. But the writing and the discussions (despite my dislike) were well done. I can't deny it a 4 stars as I truly think that is what it deserves. Maybe even a 5. I want to encourage all who are interested to read this book. If you don't like sci-fi, maybe give it a skip. But even then, look at me. I read it and still can really appreciate it.