This book was quite an interesting concept, but it didn’t grasp my attention like O was hoping it would. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a advanced copy.

Big thanks to Net Galley and Penguin group for the ARC of this very fun read.

I originally started this book psyched that it was shorter and figured it would be a quick read but now I wish it was at least another hundred pages or so. The author brings you into the world immediately and the pace doesn’t slow until you finish the book.

Mostly thriller, with a little bit of sci-fi this was a very fun read.

Mason Coile’s William was a master class in dread, well-earned and unexpected plot twists, and genuine moments of shock, terror, and tragedy. Coile’s Exiles, forthcoming from G.P. Putnam's Sons in September 2025, is a similarly slim and structured, but doesn’t quite match its near-perfect predecessor.

Like William, Exiles grapples with what it means to be human using the contentious relationship between man and machine as the centerpiece. Despite its brevity, there is heart and depth here, especially when Coile presses his thumb on the bruise of the age-old question: what makes us human? Is it friendship, family, having nightmares, desires, or being born? By story’s end, there are no clear answers, which might in part be due to the lack of humanity found in the characters, both human and bot.

As a rather unlikeable person myself, I don’t need a novel’s characters to be likable, but I do need to care about them. Dana Gold, Exiles ’ icy protagonist is too slickly detached to get a grip on. While the stakes in Exiles are arguably higher than those in William, I found myself less invested in the outcome. Terrors abound in the vastness of space, but I struggled to relate to the tiny cast of characters.

Despite its shortcomings relative to William, Exiles still delivers twists, tragedy, and terrors. There are mysteries that gradually unfold, tableaus dark enough to have snuck into my nightmares—Dear reader, I swallowed this book whole in a single sitting and slept badly that night—and the sparse, but powerful prose I’m coming to associate with Coile's work. All in all, it made a beautifully matched thematic set with William and I'll be recommending this twisted pair of twin novellas to any and all techno-horror fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We're going to Mars and never coming back

The human crew of three are on a one-way trip to Mars, on a colonizing mission, Kang, the engineer, Blake, the pilot & crew leader, and last Gold, the medical officer and our MC. With them fast approaching Mars somethings are going awry, coms are silent, and upon arrival, they meet two of their robot assistants that seem to be short one, and that's only the beginning of their problems.

Holy smokes, that was an awesome short read! That ending was perfection!

This was fast-paced, claustrophobic, suspenseful, and a hell of a psychological thrill, and all under 250 pages. I fought sleep to finish this one and continued it as soon as I woke up. It was so good! Twists and turns, not knowing who is your ally and who is lying. Can't even trust your own eyes. I have my cast picked out for whenever they decide to make this a movie because it they absolutely need to!

This was my first book by this author, and definitely not my last, I have William sitting on my shelf, and now it has skyrocketed it to my immediate TBR.

I would love to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this awesome sci-fi thriller. I can't wait for more from them!

At its core, Exiles is a psychological thriller with sci-fi and dystopian elements. Not dystopian in the standard sense, but from an emotional standpoint.

Blake, Gold and Kang are astronauts, explorers setting out to what could very well be a suicide mission to Mars. Each of them have their own reasons, but they all bring their skillsets to the table to explore the Red Planet from a base named Citadel, built by three robots who also inhabit the base.

Shortly after arrival, things seem strange. The bots have gendered themselves and assigned themselves names. Sentient beings they are not - they have developed distinct personalities, feelings, and mannerisms that mimic those of humans. The dystopian feeling comes from this, but also the incredible emotional weight each character is under.

There are no failsafes and there is no big red button that will get the explorers home. No matter what happens, there isn’t really an escape plan. When Citadel appears damaged on arrival, with only two bots of the three there should have been, things begin to go sideways. Is the crew in charge or are the bots?

I felt like this mesmerizing, heartbreaking story ended with a kind of melancholy love. I have only read one of Coile’s other books, but everything about this one was picture perfect (except the length - I could have read this book forever).

The prose and storytelling was perfect. The pace was wonderful, offering just enough anxiety to make you want to find out what happens. Fans of thrillers of all kinds, sci-fi, and dystopian themes will love this book. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to check it out prior to publication.

Thank you NetGalley & Mason Coile for an ARC copy of this book.

This was so captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat it was a good blend of scifi and horror. There was such a great plot twist that I actually didn’t see coming! I liked the writing style a lot and I really liked the narrator as well. I actually wish this book was longer ! This book was so eering but enticing and just kept giving more and more!

As a long time avid reader of sci- fi horror I was excited to be picked to read and review Exiles by Mason Coile.

The cover grabbed me right away, setting up the spooky ambiance of travelling to our nearest neighbor to set it up for habitation. The book examines not only the horror of the possibility of alien life - which is what I was prepared for, but also the existential dread of leaving all of humanity behind on a one way trip.

My favorite part of this short book was the robots, who have been sent ahead to prepare the facilities our protagonists will inhabit for the rest of their lives. Themes of identity were explored in a new and interesting way.

I do feel the pacing of the book was off, with perhaps a tad too much introspection from our main character. I did enjoy the twists and turns through out the book, and the moments of suspense that had me on the edge of my seat.

A quick read, might even be doable in a single sitting, that takes you out of this world.

This was a fun read for me. Not because the plot or main character's psychology was fun in any way, but because there were so many twists that I kept thinking I had figured out that turned out to be incorrect, and because I'm still fairly new to mystery/horror reads like this.

From start to finish, I was kept constantly invested in seeing what would come next, and probably could have read it all in one sitting if I had the time. Both the plot twists and the psychological conflict the main character has to deal with throughout the story.

My only complaint was that the story is short, but not short story short. So it sometimes, like with how the robots seem much more human than they were programmed to be as "basic worker bots," has to be taken as true, without real explanation of how they have managed to basically disobey their programming.

Thank you to Putnam for providing this advanced reader copy through NetGalley.

Interesting. This book surprised me.

A blend of sci-fi, mystery, and horror, this story follows the three-person crew of the first manned mission to Mars. They're supposed to arrive and be greeted by the robots sent ahead of time to prepare their base, but when they finally get there, something is wrong. The robots are acting strange, and an alien threat lurks outside. Or does it?

It's a quick book, and you never have a chance to get bored. The mystery piqued my interest immediately, and the pace never lets up. I love sci-fi, but I don't love horror, so ultimately I think I'm not the target audience here. However, though this isn't the kind of thing I would go looking for to read, I did enjoy this story more than I expected to.

Menacing, captivating, psychologically-driven, Exiles is a one-way ticket to the Red Planet that will impress science-fiction, horror, and robotics/AI fans alike.

Blake is the crew leader and pilot, Kang, engineer, and Dana Gold, our medical officer and narrator. Each character was chosen for their skill set, but as their personality is revealed with well-layered backstory, we learn of deeper reasons.

Three robots skitter around the Martian landscape months before our warm-blooded cast. As designed by their carbon-based makers they set up the base and prepare the environment. Not as designed, they get bored, gender themselves and develop some version of sentience. The human dynamics at play in Exiles is fascinating, the robot dynamics, terrifying. Bots experience fear and loneliness, display emotional ticks and behave with fatalism and deception. To what degree can they mislead is a major question.

Messages from Earth take 8 minutes to send and receive. Crew members are allowed to bring one item in a locked twelve-inch-square metal box, their own sort of Pandora’s Box. Kang chooses a bottle of Makers Mark, Blake and Gold’s items are more intimidating and work a perfect groove into the plot. Bleakness and fear grow with every page of this wickedly innovative book. Coile maintains an impressively sensitive grip on the reigns at all points in the story evolving into a final scene will leave readers dead-eyed and staring into space.

"The light built into the front of my helmet fractures into shadow as it plays over the rock’s spikes and bumps, so that the wall at the end of the cave appears alive with motion. I’m pretty sure it’s only that."

A highly recommended read. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a review copy. (less) [edit]

Feb 27, 2025 [

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review: From NetGalley
Release Date: 9-16-25
Authors: Mason Coile; Andrew Pyper
No Spoilers

First, I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance. As promised, I will give you my honest review.

This book is amazing! The book hooked me from the beginning. It held my attention the entire time. This is a fast-paced science fiction quick read. The book is about a crew sent to Mars to prepare the first-ever colony. Once they arrive, they find their base half-destroyed, and their three robots sent to set up in disarray. All kinds of stuff are going on y’all. We got aliens, murders, alliances, and other kinds of stuff. It’s a who done it Sci-Fi, and it’s exceptional! The end is very satisfying too. I will definitely purchase a physical copy.

"Exile" by Mason Colie is a gripping sci-fi horror that completely pulled me in from page one. I devoured it in one sitting! At first, it gave me Aliens vibes, though it quickly took on its own eerie and suspenseful identity. The tension, the atmosphere, and the creeping dread kept me hooked throughout. And that twist at the end? Absolute perfection! I had a feeling about the main character’s fate, but the execution still left me stunned. Highly recommend for anyone who loves a fast-paced, mind-bending horror read.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m not really a sci-fi person because I find it’s sometimes light on the science and heavy on the fiction so I was hesitant to pick this up but I was very pleasantly surprised. Every single thing about the book felt possible which kept me in the story. Usually I’m able to guess a books ending after just a few chapters but this one had a good amount of twists the left me guessing how everything was connected. I loved how unreliable every single character in this book was and it kept me changing sides on who I was rooting for the entire time. Even up to the very last word of the book I was still wondering, is this really happening? I definitely recommend. The only complaint I have about it is that I felt like it was slow to start, which lost my interest in the beginning. I’m glad I stuck with it!

A riveting, tense whodunit on Mars. The dangerous setting only adds to the high suspense of finding out who is the culprit in unforgiving conditions. The setting itself place a critical role in the intensity of this well crafted and executed narrative with timely reveals.

Loved the pace and length of this book. It felt like it was written with no effort to lengthen it for no reason which is definitely refreshing.

The protagonist is well written and she was definitely messed up, which you could really believe and feel. In such a short story I changed my mind on what I thought was going to happen three or four times, twists on twists were great. I definitely recommend this book as a quick weekend read.

You’ve got an unidentified threat actively puncturing holes into your fledgling Martian base and it’s still less threatening to you than the idea of your male coworkers being sexist. What lacks in characterization is made up for with the atmosphere. Not to my taste, but a quick, interesting, thrilling read for fans of space horror.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the fastest I've read a novel in nearly 7 years. I really enjoyed its blend of mystery and sci-fi, and I loved that it dropped the reader right into the action. Many times, it made me think of the more horror-themed episodes of modern Doctor Who, a show I love. It was very fast paced and the unraveling of its mystery was engaging enough to keep me guessing the whole time, while also being twisty enough to keep me from being fully confident in any of my guesses. Loved it.

this was a short book with a lot of big ideas. In fact, I’ve been thinking about it much more than its length might suggest. Highly recommended.

Exiles by Mason Coile (pseudonym of Andrew Pyper) is a claustrophobic locked-room mystery set in the first colony on Mars. The story follows a trio of pioneers whose mission to establish a foothold on the planet quickly spirals into disaster. Confronted with catastrophic failure and worker bots that can’t even agree on what went wrong, the narrative twists and turns, immersing the reader in a desolate, apocalyptic atmosphere.

While the story is tight and gripping, it could have benefited from a bit more breathing room to further develop the characters. That said, it was an overall enjoyable, fast-paced, and spooky sci-fi romp.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recently finished William and I am obsessed, that was a fantastic work of art, and I know Andrew has passed, so I didn't think we'd see anything else from Mason, and that was a shame.

Then I saw this drop on Netgalley and I screamed, I had to read this.

This is a little different, having to do with Mars, but its still some really good isolation horror, which I LOVE.

Three crew sent to Mars to make preparations for the first "colony" of people to arrive, which means, lots of empty spaces with just those three and some robots that were sent before them.

But as I suspected when they got there, things were super fucked up, I love scifi, so I had a small feeling, there were two remaining robots left and a destroyed lab.

The two that are left, tell a strange story, of the third robot that went crazy, and possibly aliens.

But are things really as they seem, and can they trust the two remaining robots in what looks like a disaster zone??

As things get weirder, the crew have to battle the nightmare on base, along with the demons that some of them left back home.

This was a scifi horror that I actually really enjoyed.