Mickey7

June 14, 2023 4:59 PM

"Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there's a mission that's too dangerous--even suicidal--the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal...and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it."

Written by Edward Ashton.

Someone described this as a cross between Moon and the Murderbot Diaries, and that's pretty apt.

posted by adamrice (7 comments total)

Sounds interesting, and I liked Moon & Murderbot both; I'll get right on that and report back.
posted by Marticus at 7:25 PM on June 14, 2023

Read this recently and it's pretty good! Mostly a pretty straight-ahead action type novel with a few interesting setting and plot elements.
posted by that's candlepin at 9:30 AM on June 15, 2023

I agree, it's pretty good without being overly predictable. Started on the sequel, and it's amusing how it follows on from the ending of the first.
posted by Marticus at 4:12 AM on June 16, 2023

I enjoyed how everything was measured in calories! I read this really quick because I knew a movie was coming out. Really fun read.
posted by WedgedPiano at 12:05 PM on June 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've read them both now and liked them as fun, light reading-- especially once I realized what a lazy jerk Mickey actually is. It became a little easier to root for him once I accepted that. A few things you don't always see at this Kindle-Unlimited level of writing were that the colony has dumb bureaucracy, the supporting characters aren't perfect, and you get a slow unwinding history of how most of these colony expeditions are really bad ideas and everyone eventually dies. Upon reflection, the second book is even better than the first. You learn more about the alien ecosystem, more about the colonists, and a couple of surprising characters that you wouldn't have expected (including the protagonist) make smart choices and get to be actual heroes.
posted by seasparrow at 8:57 PM on June 16, 2023

Probably my biggest issues is how Mickey turns out to be a really good tactical/strategic thinker when his reason for being on the colony in the first place is patently terrible decision-making. Like, he cleverly outwits a hivemind through a series of actions that nobody else on the colony can see or anticipate. I totally enjoyed reading them despite this.
posted by that's candlepin at 9:20 AM on June 23, 2023

I immediately picked this up when I saw that WedgedPiano said it was being made into a movie and then the very next comment by seasparrow referred to it as a 'Kindle-Unlimited level of writing,' which I parsed as a pejorative whether it was meant that way or not.

I am working my way through the second book now, and I like them well enough. They are kind of reminiscent of the Waypoint Kangaroo books (which oddly haven't been posted on Fanfare, even though I'm sure I heard about them here on MF) in that they are both uhhh Kindle-Unlimited level of writing, and if you don't set your expectations too high they are great fun to read.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:05 PM on June 28, 2023