TJ Klune's sci-fi take on Pinocchio does not disappoint!

Victor is a human who has been adopted by a robot named Giovanni, and after a seemingly simple mistake lands everyone in a calamitous amount of trouble, he must venture forth from his home alongside medical bot Nurse Ratched, sentient vacuum bot Rambo, and their new companion Hap to the City of Electric Dreams in order to get back what was lost.

This surprisingly post-apocalyptic take on a classic story is so imaginative, so full of weird and fun characters, and so heartfelt that I managed to overcome my initial skepticism of the premise. I wasn't sure how Pinocchio could be adapted into a setting full of robots etc. without seeming pretty tired or appearing to try too hard, but Klune does create a unique take on the story and throw in a few fun bits and twists for readers who are familiar with the original story.

I highly recommend this for any fans of Klune's previous works.

TJ Klune gives us his take on the tale of Pinocchio, where a non-human father creates a son, the only real boy in a world of machines. They live contentedly in their Swiss-Family-Robinson inspired home in the woods until Vic, the son, makes a discovery in nearby scrap yards that threatens their home, family, and his own existence. Accompanied by robots Rambo, Nurse Ratched, and burgeoning love interest HAP, Vic must make his way to the stronghold of the machines to save his father and his future. In the Lives of Puppets is an original and engaging read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of In The Lives Of Puppets by T.J. Klune.

This book is simply perfection. With each book I read of T.J.’s I’m amazed how he continues to write characters that are so lovable. This book is no different, it’s hard to pick a favourite character but I will. It’s Rambo.

Reading this book you sometimes forget that all but one character are robots because they are so lifelike.

There’s a brief reference to Wolfsong that I loved, granted you’ll only know it’s a reference if you’ve read it.

This is a book for everyone to enjoy and I can’t wait for it to get the hype it deserves.

Oh my goodness! Mentioning this book as masterpiece is not enough for me to express how much I adored this FREAKING FANTASTIC sci-fi experience, the mind bending, intelligent world building and perfectly crafted characterization blew my mind! It’s lovely combination of Swiss Robinson family meets Wall-E with Pinocchio vibes!

I think I should write another book to give all my honest praise! This fascinating and quirky journey is about family you choose and groovy kind of love!

Giovanni Lawson builds a house into branches of a groove of trees and invents a sadistic, sarcastic nurse machine Nurse Ratched ( definitely so much lovable than the original movie and Ryan Murphy’s series MC) and a small people pleaser vacuum cleaner doing everything to earn love called Rambo! Both of those robots should be turned into big screen characters! Glenn Close is my candidate as Ratched as Fred Armisen is my candidate for Rambo.( don’t forget to watch him on Wednesday)

Then one day a couple appears out of nowhere with a baby wrapped into rags, leaving him into Giovanni’s hands and they disappear as if they were never there!

Giovanni thinks this little boy is consultation price of universe for his loneliness so he raises him as his son and calls him Victor.

Vic, skinny young man, at the age of 22, enjoys salvaging and repairing robots. One day he repairs a strange android named HAP without having any idea about his origins. He realizes Hap shares a dark past with Giovanni. His secret mission to alert the robots about the hiding place of Giovanni destroys the small family and peaceful life they built in the woods.

Now Vic has to save his father who is sent yo his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams and he also has to confront feelings about Hap.

Such a lovely, adventurous, queery, fantasy meets sci-if!

I mostly enjoyed to read the dynamics and smart banters between characters and whirlwind, complex world building is well crafted!
Earning my visionary, love with strings attached five stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest feedback.

I have never read a book where I became emotionally attached to a talking Roomba named Rambo but here we are. I would expected nothing less from Klune. This book is endearing, funny, and incredibly imaginative.

Not my favorite of this author but I still really enjoyed it. I am just not a huge fan of this particular story. The other two books were more my cup of tea. For some reason robot stories never really excite me but the writing style was still great!

Another gorgeous, fun and heart-warming story from T J.

A young man and a collection of robots, all with very individual funny quirks and personalities, have to venture out from their safe hideaway in the trees to the big city (now ruled by robots who have taken over civilization) to rescue their father and creator.

Besides being a unique retelling of Pinocchio, I found elements of Star Wars, Star Trek, Toy Story, and Wizard of Oz. I literally laughed out loud at the comments of Nurse Ratched and Rambo, two wonderfully memorable characters. But mixed in with the humour are comments on what it means to be human, the special uniqueness that binds us all, and the importance of friends.

Beautiful.

Book Title: In the Lives of Puppets
Author: T Klune
Publisher: Tor
Publishing Group-Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Pub Date: April 25, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars!

Awww another great Klune cover!

This is my third TJ Klune story – read and enjoyed both "he House in the Cerulean Sea and "Under the Whispering Door".
The story is a retelling of Pinocchio and follows Victor, a human who was adopted by a family of robots. Victor’s robot/machine/android friends are: Nurse Ratched (a Nurse Registered Automation to Care, Heal, Educate and Drill) and Rambo the Roomba, a loyal vacuum. Giovanni, Victor’s dad, and HAP (a Hysterically Angry Puppet).

Love is always a part in TJ Klune's stories additionally his stories are whimsical and, heartfelt.
One reader described it as a -'cozy science fiction fantasy'.

Want to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group-Tor Books for this early e-Galley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 25, 2023

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC - this is more of a 4.5 for me (really wish Goodreads would allow half stars) as it was a bit long and dragged in places but it is a phenomenal story that brought me to tears - my heart is definitely still reeling from this book.

“I’ve never been more human.”
“Why?” Dad asked.
“Because I breathe, but I can’t catch my breath.”

Passages like this are why TJ Klune’s writing just captures your heart and mind and refuses to let go.

TJ Klune has a way of writing the most heartwarming, but also diverse characters.
This Pinocchio retelling features an anxiety riddled Roomba (named Rambo), a snarky, violent Nurse Robot (named Nurse Ratchet and who I pictured as Rosey from the Jetsons), Hap, and Victor.
In a post-apocalyptic future, this rag tag crew must venture into the City of Electric Dreams (Vegas) to save Gio.

The plot is somewhat slow moving, and has themes I've come to associate with Klune- found family and humanity.

I definitely recommend for fans of hos other stand-alone books: The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for an early copy for review.

Another heartwarming, hilarious tale from TJ Klune. The characters are so well thought out, the story was an exciting adventure and I absolutely loved the ending. Will be recommending this to anyone I can.

I was screaming when I got email notification that Tor approved my request this advanced copy on Netgalley.

T.J. Klune is my favorite author for achillean books. So, I had a huge expectation for this book. And he didn't fail writing this beautiful, heartbreaking, wholesome, cute story.

Just like his other standalone novels, T.J. Klune created his characters perfectly. He even combined Anxiety and Robot. And Made me want to protect him from his negative thoughts. Also, in this book There were so many characters that reminded me to Pinocchio. This book didn't lie, this was definitely a Pinocchio retelling. If you love Pinocchio, you would love this one.

The dynamics of the "Group" Were so amusing and cute. Their interactions and gestures are described in beautiful way. Also, HAP and Vic Were so perfect and cute. T.J. Klune once again wrote his characters' affections toward each other in slow burn romance. It was so nice to read how they cared and loved each other without telling them "I love you" first. They just knew.

The conflict itself was so impactful to the whole story. Made my heart broken and then, smile again.

Overall, It was so refreshing to read Robot + Queer romance with a slow burn development, but definitely didn't make me feel bored. After finished reading Cerulean Sea, Under The Whispering Door, and this book, I am so excited to read his next novels...

4.5 Klune does it again. The future is here and the future is not good. Klune answers the question of what makes us human in the most inventive of ways and you walk away rooting for everyone involved, his anthropomorphism of inanimate objects is just phenomenal. Rambo is my new favorite book character after the Antichrist in Cerulean.

Writing: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 3.5/5

A small and definitely diverse family (consisting as it does of three robots and a small human) lives happily in a dense forrest finding discarded electronic treasures in the local (and wildly gigantic) scrap heap and refurbishing them. Two successful refurbishments are now part of the family: Rambo — the ultra-loquacious, ultra-needy, and anxiety plagued vacuum robot; and the truly twisted and psychopathic Nurse Ratched (Registered Automaton To Care, Heal, Educate and Drill) — possessed of a dry wit and an “Empathy Protocol” she engages to hysterical effect.

When they find a damaged (and very handsome) robot in the scrap and manage to bring him back to “life,” it unleashes the force of the Robot Authority — the same group that wiped out all humans because they were busily destroying each other and the Earth. A rescue mission into the City of Electric Dreams with the “help” of a wild cast of characters along the way and a gay, interspecies romance (if you count advanced robots as a species) round out the tale.

I liked the characters and the humor — laughed out loud many times. I really liked the ongoing philosophical discussions and thoughts — plenty of existential considerations and an exploration of what it means to human, sentient, and / or conscious. Guilt, forgiveness, grief, and joy and what it means to experience those emotions. A scrutiny of Morality in a wide gamut of situations. And lastly, what does it means for a species to evolve? I also loved the well-integrated cultural references, especially to one of my all time favorite movies (Top Hat — yes!). The adventure sequences went on a bit too long for my taste, though I admit they included some pretty creative beings and mechanisms and I’m not really into ANY adventure sequences, so …

If you had told me last year that I'd be crying over how much I loved a tiny vacuum with anxiety, I... probably wouldn't have questioned that, to be honest. But I love this anxiously hopeful little idiot machine more than life itself. I truly don't know how Klune makes me love his characters so much but it never fails, and Puppets is no exception. Rambo and Ratched kind of stole the show for me in this story. They had me cackling out loud within the first four pages and I didn't stop.

Klune is great at infusing humor and *life* into his stories when tackling things that hurt and I often found myself silently crying while smiling when reading Puppets.

These characters and their relationships and how they saw humanity's flaws were beautiful and real and sometimes incredibly painful. It wouldn't be a Klune story without sending me into an existential crisis! I always adore the way TJ sees the world and I hope he continues making me cry for years to come.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, but then was there really any doubt that I would?

So, this is a retelling of Pinocchio (the book, not the movie) and I think that TJ did a fantastic job of retelling the story. I haven't read the book, but have seen the movie several times, so am familiar with the story. I really like how he retold it and the ways that he changed it (I'm trying to not spoil anything!).

All of the characters were great, obviously I loved Rambo, because you would have to be a monster to not love Rambo.

The reason I didn't give this a full 5 stars is because of two things;
1. I didn't find the ending overly satisfying. It was fine and I don't know what I would have preferred, but it just didn't quite work for me.
2. It was REALLY slow. Like, it was a good story, I enjoyed it very much, but it just did not grab me. Even once we got to the exciting parts, it was still slow.

Also, once again, TJ has included some easter eggs, which I always love. It's so nice to be able to pick up on little things that only folks who have read his back catalogue would notice.

Overall, enjoyed the book, not sure if I'll read it again or not? I will probably try to get the audiobook, as Daniel Hemming is narrating and he is fantastic.

There is no other author I have come across that can do found family quite like TJ Klune. This book is no different, it is full of those special connections we form to those closest to us regardless of blood relation.

In The Lives of Puppets follows Victor (a real, human boy) and his robot/machine/android friends.

There is Nurse Ratched (Nurse Registered Automation to Care, Heal, Educate and Drill) who is mildly sociopathic but also sincere and hysterical. Then there is Rambo the Roomba, an anxious but fiesty and fiercely loyal vacuum. Giovanni, Victor’s dad, who has created Victor. And finally, HAP (Hysterically Angry Puppet) a decommissioned android that Victor and his two friends found in a nearby scrapyard (HAP was briefly awake before his battery ran out when the found him), who may have been created to be something far more dangerous.

This book is marketed as a Pinocchio retelling and that is undoubtedly true, however, I also see bits of other famous works such as Frankenstein and The Wizard of Oz within these pages. It is an amalgamation of incredible stories and heart to ultimately end up with the truly lovely story contained within the ones of In The Lives of Puppets.

Klune takes a magnifying glass to the human experience and all of its flaws, joy, heartache and humor. As well as highlighting the importance the choices we make for ourselves and those we choose to surround ourselves with.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and especially Tor Publishing Group for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw a new T.J. Klune book available on NetGalley, I requested it without reading the description, which turned out to be a good choice because if I'd read the description I probably would have skipped it since I don't particularly like robot-centered sci-fi (or Pinocchio). Given that, I'm so glad I read <i>In the Lives of Puppets </i>. It has the feel-good hallmark of Klune's more popular book <i>The House in the Cerulean Sea</i> but with a slightly more cynical bend to it. <i>In the Lives of Puppets </i> takes place in the distant future where robots have taken over the world. Giovanni Lawson, one such robot, has managed to escape to the outskirts of civilization and with his human son (Victor), they build their own family until things go very, very wrong. Victor and his companions must travel to the City of Electric Dreams to rescue Giovanni and face the truth about who he is and what he has done to Victor's world.

Klune's created a really unique retelling of Pinocchio that asks some really good questions about our relationship with technology and humanity. It's not a perfect book--it can get a little goofy at times with the dialog between the robots and it loses the plot a bit once we meet the Blue Fairy--but overall it's worth the read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.

T.J. Klune has quickly become one of my favorite YA authors. Klune's focus on the idea of "found family" keeps me coming back to his books. His newest book, In the Lives of Puppets, is a retelling of Pinnochio that will leave you in tears of the best possible kind. In the Lives of Puppets is described by the publisher as "The Adventures of Pinocchio and Swiss Family Robinson meet Wall-E," and I must say this is an accurate description of this wonderful book. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an advanced e-galley.

First off, how TJ Klune managed to make me love a Pinocchio retelling is a an enigma to me. I have never been a fan of that story. On a list of fairy-tales it has always been pretty far at the bottom. However, TJ Klune's version had me rethinking my dislike of that fairy-tale and I know it is all to do with his characters. I have never loved a group of ragtag robots and a human more. Their banter and love for each other was adorable. Every line from Rambo and Nurse Ratched had me laughing or sighing. I could not get enough of them. Also, I always was highly intrigued to see where this story would lead, how it would end and who would fall in love. Love is always a big component of TJ Klune's work and I am here for it. This book did not disappoint. It was whimsical, heartfelt, hilarious and romantic. If you are looking for a cozy science fiction fantasy then this one will hit the spot. An absolute delight!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this Arc. Also as always my opinions and thoughts listed above are entirely my own.