A charming, funny, and eminently readable retelling of the legend of Pinocchio. Victor Lawson is a human raised by what he realizes much later is a creative android, his home in the middle of the woods with a neurotic Roomba and a sociopathic nurse droid for company (Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill - Nurse R.A.T.C.H.E.D). When their idyllic existence is interrupted by his discovery of a killer droid with its memory wiped clean, our protagonist must learn what happened to the rest of the humans on Earth - and what it means to be truly human and to truly love. Klune portrays an asexual/queer character with sensitivity and tact - this aspect of Victor's story is an important one, but not the primary or the overtly political point. Instead, the sly humor and pop culture references ("I aim to misbehave!" Nurse Ratched announces at one point) focus the story around who we are and who we can choose to be despite the circumstances of our birth.

I have enjoyed many of Klune's novels in the past, so I was very excited to receive a galley of In the Lives of Puppets from NetGalley. Puppets is a loose retelling of Pinochhio, but is set in a world inhabited mainly by androids ( I think calling them robots is too simple and have been getting ready for the next season of The Mandalorian). Even in this world, Klune manages to make you think long and hard about the humanity of yourself and others. The characters are lovely and you will want to take Rambo and Nurse Ratched home with you!

This was, to me, not on par with his other books in terms of story telling. The plot was forced and seemed to be trying to make a few too many statements on what is wrong with society today. It was also super cringey for there to be so much sex in a book with only one human in it.

Overall, I would choose any one of Klune's other books over this one.

Absolutely beautiful! TJ Klune never fails to mix deep human emotions with a great storyline that speaks to so many different things at once. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, and every other emotion. I feel in love with these characters and all their personality traits. (Nurse Ratched was probably my favorite). This is one that will have you feeling, wondering, and hoping for the best. Such a great book!

TJ Klune has done it again. I have seen this advertised as a Pinocchio retelling, but it is so much more than that. I honestly can't put into words how lovely this book is and how much I enjoyed reading it. I have not been disappointed by any of TJ Klune's books and if he keeps writing like this, I never will be. All I can say is that everyone who sees this book should read it.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝕀𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 ℙ𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕥𝕤
𝐓𝐉 𝐊𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐞
LGBTQ/Fantasy Fiction
432 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

In the Lives of Puppets tells of a world made up of robots instead of humans, except for one.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

I don’t feel I can find the words to explain the absolute genius storytelling that TJ Klune has accomplished with this book. The characters grab your heartstrings and feel like a glowing bout of the best hugs out there.

Right off the bat I was obsessed with Gio, Victor, a nurse robot, and a vacuum robot. Their personalities are so intriguing and industrious. Gio is super protective of Victor, who is his human son. Victor is so caring and will go to the ends of the earth to help those he loves.The nurse robot says the ruthless things but in a way that made me laugh throughout this adventure. She is a delight! The little vacuum is obsessed with cleaning, yet is somewhat vulnerable and easily taken in by the words of others.

Then Hap is introduced and brings a whole new aspect to Vicor’s life. These characters are so well thought out and their vibrant characteristics tip the chart as being wholesome and unique.

This is the only end of human life story I’ve read that is more touching than atrocious. Yes, horrible things have happened to bring an end to humans, but the majority of what is told shows that change is always a choice. It shows that good can prevail even when it seems impossible.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

In a little home built into a large tree deep in the forest, there live a little family of three robots: Gio the inventor, Nurse Ratched the funny yet sadistic medical android and Rambo the anxiety ridden and lovable vacuum.. Gio's son, Victor, also lives there. Victor is human. Together they live happily and safely until everything changes when Victor, Rambo and Nurse Ratched rescue an android they have never seen before labeled HAP. Soon Victor will have to face his father's past and the world outside the only woods has have ever known.

T.J. Klune has done it again. In my opinion, he is a master at writing the "found family" trope and it just makes my heart so full. He really takes the time to make you fall in love with the characters, believe in the bonds they have with each other and leave you rooting for them to win. This story is meant to be influenced by the story of Pinocchio and I loved the twist of having Victor be the one human, or "real boy", among the robots. I honestly never thought that I would feel so much emotion from a group of androids, but I laughed and cried throughout the book. Also, I don't know if T.J. Klune has stated this, but I wondered if Victor was neurodivergent. My son is on the autism spectrum, and I saw many of his characteristics in Vic. It was wonderful to see a character like him go on an adventure and be surrounded by so much love.

If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, definitely check this one out! Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I have put off writing this review in full to give myself time to wrap my head around all the reasons why I love “In the Lives of Puppets.” At this point, though, I am no less speechless than I was the moment I read the last word.

When I first read an excerpt, what drew me in was the characterization and sense of humor. Klune’s cast of characters, particularly those of the mechanical variety, had me laughing literally out loud several times, just in the opening pages. It is intensely quotable, and every few minutes I found myself wanting to share some of the lines I came across with my partner or friends. Before long, I cared deeply about each of the characters, and developed a sense of where I thought the story was headed - only for the plot to follow a possibility I never even began to expect. Balancing worldbuilding and foreshadowing with unique story beats is difficult, but Klune handled it masterfully. The twists were next level creative and also worked perfectly in-character and in-setting.

Another aspect of this book that I found beautifully handled was the romance-not-romance between certain characters of the story. Deep love organically developed, never feeling forced and always in line with the values and identities of the characters as we understand them. Surprisingly poignant and moving, the events were heavy in some moments, but perfectly placed levity prevented it from feeling emotionally burdensome and kept the emotion progressing forward.

5(thousand) stars! I believe this will be the best book I read in 2023 - I can’t imagine how it will be beaten. Thank you TJ Klune for bringing this story to the world. I’ll be coming back to it over and over again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Books for the eARC!

This was a sweet testimonial to friendship and freewill, but the romance between human and machine was a bit of a stretch for me.

One of the redeeming characters was Nurse Ratched. She was so witty and funny, I would have read a whole book dedicated to her character.

I actually think if you removed the romantic/sexual and graphic components, it would've made a sweet children's story about what makes us human and how our emotions are so important.

This is the third TJ Klune book I’ve read, and I was not disappointed. Each book is like a warm hug. In The Lives of Puppets draws from The Adventures of Pinocchio and explores themes of what it means to be human with a bit of caution about the future of AI. Like the other Klune books I’ve read, it’s mainly about connection, found family, and being true to yourself and who you want to be. If comforting, feel good fantasy is your idea of a pleasant escape, you won’t be disappointed.

I loved this book. This is very different in terms of speed of a story that I'm used to with Klune, but it contains all the humor, imagery, and character development that I love from him. I am so thankful for this advanced read, as he is one of my famous authors.

No one does LGBTQ literary fiction quite like TJ Klune. Another instant classic! Will definitely be recommending to a friend. Thank you netgalley!

T.J. Klune is one of my favorite authors, and In the Lives of Puppets is another amazing book by him. This story presents a whimsical, endearing, and adventurous retelling of Pinocchio with an amazing cast of characters. I love the movie A.I., and this book has similar themes of intertwining artificially intelligent robots with the Pinocchio story. The Blue Fairy (though very different from the one in A.I.) is even referenced in the book.

In the Lives of Puppets strengths lie in its diverse characters and setting (honestly the whole book was amazing). One of the main characters, Victor, is asexual, and I loved seeing that representation. His sexuality was never treated as a fault or hindrance which was refreshing to see, and as an asexual person myself I have nothing negative to say about the representation. A big theme of the book is accepting people how they are, and this is also seen through other characters such as HAP who stutters but this is once again not viewed negatively by the other main characters. The relationships between the characters as they travel to save Gio, Victor’s father, is what makes the book so magical.

Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in artificial intelligence, fantasy/sci-fi retellings, found families, or just good stories. It is only February, and I know this will be one of my favorite books of the year.

Thank you to Tor for an ARC in exchange for a review!

What can I say but another wonderful, emotional and heart felt book by T.J Klune!

I have loved all the books I have read by this author. My favorite is under the whispering door but this one gave it a run for my favorite spot.

This book- like all of TJ Klunes books- is heartwarming and funny. Found family never fails to get me and this found family is no exception! I would have liked to learn more about the aftermath of the ending, but I did love the focus on the characters and their growth throughout the book. I’d definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a light, heartwarming fantasy read!

Review based on a digital advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley. I was thrilled to have this request approved as I'm a adoring fan of both The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) and Under the Whispering Door (2021). Like both of those titles, this one features a quirky, inventive house on the cover...
Synopsis:
In a strange, labyrintine tree-house complex deep in the woods lives a robot, Gio, his oprhaned human son, Vic, and two robots Vic has created, Nurse Rachet, who likes to threaten violence in a variety of creative ways, and a repurposed Roomba named Rambo, who is the poster-child for attention-seeking naiveté. Vic and this crew of misfits go on routine quests to the garbage dump to gather supplies, and must avoid a series of robotic, oversized earthmovers who serve as guard dogs in this post-apocalyptic setting. One day, they discover something that changes everything...
What I loved:
Characterization. Klune develops charming, flawed, believable, funny characters, whether they're flesh-and-blood humans or creatures plucked from fantasy genres. They're such a rich variety of outcasts. Nurse Rachet's delightfully sinister split personality, for instance, is a highlight of the book, just as Lucy was in [book: The House in the Cerulean Sea. Here, Klune brings that substantial talent to androids and other reshaped characters from Carlo Collodi's original, The Adventures of Pinocchio.
Point of Confusion:
What I can't square in this LGBTQ+ text is the reinterpretation of Collodi's original Fairy with turquoise hair. In the original fairy tale her role is to keep Pinocchio on the moral path, presumedly so he would be worthy of transformation into a real boy. Klune's "blue fairy" is essentially non-human and amoral, a rather Oz-like creature behind a screen of illusions who resides in a pleasure palace that provides presumedly deviant sexual experiences to androids. I'm not able to square that with an LGBTQ+ text. He seems to be suggest that sex is deviant. I'm no prude, but I'm uncertain why a post-apocalyptic, post-human world would feature sex at all.
Overall:
Four stars for characterization, conflict, and a unique reinterpretation of a classic tale. It's also so timely, as the world continues to discover the newest technological revolution in AI that began in November, 2022, with the launch of ChatGPT and other mushrooming AI integrations in our daily lives.

In the distant future, a curious family lives deep in the woods: neurotic Roomba Rambo, Nurse Ratched the delightfully violent medical droid, kindly inventor Giovanni, and his adopted son Victor, the only human in the lot. When Vic rescues a new robot, Hap, from the junk yard and repairs him, he sets in motion a chain of events that will change all their lives. Victor's quiet life is suddenly roiled by dark secrets and danger as he's forced to confront both the past and the world outside the forest. It's sweet and all, but Nurse Ratched totally steals the show.

Very interesting and humorous Sci-Fi/Fantasy book by TJ Klune

The jokes in this book are hillarious. TJ Klune knows how to use the comedic relief.

Vic is a human who lives in the woods with his family of robots. His curiosity gets the best of him and sends him off on an adventure where he learns a lot about the world that was hidden from him. Vic is a grown man but is a bit naive since he has been sheltered by his family. He is shy but courageous.

I love the Sci-Fi Dystopian feel of this novel. It is unlike other book I read by the author and I loved it. I loved how we are exploring the idea of robots evolving and emulating the humans that created them. They make a society of their own and desire to make earth a better place then humans, but really just end up being just like humans. They develop feelings, emotions, a sense of humor, and a lot of sarcasm.

It was a lovely adventure. Highly recommend.

This is actual my first book by TJ Klune and I enjoyed it! This is a wholesome, found family, adventurous fantasy book and I find this genre rare. I haven't read a lot of wholesome found family books but this one really did a great job!

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

T.J. Klune has a masterful way of etching realistic, complex characters and emotions into his works. <i>In the Lives of Puppets</i> showcases his talents again, though is not as strong as some of his previous novels.

In this future-set sci-fi and fantastical work, the tale of Pinocchio is twisted around. Victor Lawson is a young man raised by a robot father. They live deep in the Oregon woods on the edge of a massive scrapyard where new things are periodically dumped. It was from there that Victor salvaged his two best friends, Nurse Ratched, a sarcastic and drill-ready healthcare bot, and Rambo, a childlike and neurotic little vacuum. In the dump, they make a new find--a barely-alive robot who, despite his aggressiveness, Victor resolves to rebuild and revive. Victor soon learns harsh truths about his father, his world, and himself.

I found this book incredibly slow to start. The banter between the robots is often fun, but sometimes feels overdone and annoying. Even so, I read on because I trusted that Klune would take the tale in interesting places, and he did. The conflict delivers numerous surprises and hits some poignant emotional notes.

In the Lives of Puppets is full of character and heart. I so enjoyed the time spent with our dynamic trio (Vic, Rambo, & Nurse Ratched); they were hands down my favorite characters because of how much heart they have and how much they love each other. The found family of these quirky robots was the foundation of the plot (imo) and Hap/Vic's relationship felt a little insta-love for me. I cherished their love - don't get me wrong - but it did feel underdeveloped compared to Vic/Rambo/Nurse Ratched. I loved how Vic's asexuality was so blatant (& educational!); also, how it was juxtaposed with some very raunchy robot talk (from Nurse Ratched & other characters later in the book). Overall, I gave this a 4/5 stars. I did really enjoy it but the premise (i.e. robots, pinnochio) just weren't my cup of tea. The writing is 5/5 & characters are 5/5! If I could, I would live in the forest with my robot crew forever!