Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (2023), 432 pages
Description
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots, fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled "HAP," he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio, a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
In the Lives of Puppets is T. J. Klune's latest novel, something always worthy of anticipation. This one takes its inspiration from the Pinocchio story and should be fantastic. Except, as I mentioned to my daughter, who also read it, I felt like I missed something and, as such, did not enjoy it as
One thing in the novel that did not disappoint is the captivating characters. As within his other books, Mr. Klune knows how to create characters that do nothing but charm your socks off. This time, his best characters are two robots, Rambo and Nurse Ratched. For me, they made the story. They made me laugh out loud, cheer out loud, cry a little, and laugh some more. Sure, Victor and Gio are also adorable, but their robotic friends are perfect.
What I did not enjoy about In the Lives of Puppets is the distressing impression that it lacks the ending of hope and peace that his other books had. Don't get me wrong. It has a good ending, but I was missing that lovely rush of optimism I felt upon finishing The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. In actuality, I think the end is rather bleak.
Also, I have the strange sense that I missed something. It is as if there is a message I missed in reading it. Perhaps this is because I wasn't satisfied with the ending. All I know is that the story lacks that something special that made me fall in love with Mr. Klune's previous novels. I still loved In the Lives of Puppets because anything Mr. Klune writes is wonderful, and he created Rambo and Nurse Ratched. It is just that I would rank this the lesser of the three novels of his I read.
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much as I wanted.One thing in the novel that did not disappoint is the captivating characters. As within his other books, Mr. Klune knows how to create characters that do nothing but charm your socks off. This time, his best characters are two robots, Rambo and Nurse Ratched. For me, they made the story. They made me laugh out loud, cheer out loud, cry a little, and laugh some more. Sure, Victor and Gio are also adorable, but their robotic friends are perfect.
What I did not enjoy about In the Lives of Puppets is the distressing impression that it lacks the ending of hope and peace that his other books had. Don't get me wrong. It has a good ending, but I was missing that lovely rush of optimism I felt upon finishing The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. In actuality, I think the end is rather bleak.
Also, I have the strange sense that I missed something. It is as if there is a message I missed in reading it. Perhaps this is because I wasn't satisfied with the ending. All I know is that the story lacks that something special that made me fall in love with Mr. Klune's previous novels. I still loved In the Lives of Puppets because anything Mr. Klune writes is wonderful, and he created Rambo and Nurse Ratched. It is just that I would rank this the lesser of the three novels of his I read.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: Previous to reading this book I had read Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea" (loved it), "Under the Whispering Door" (loved it), and "Tales from Verania" (liked it). I ended up
This book is set in the future where a robot, Gio, has raised a young human boy, now older, named Victor. Victor finds another decommissioned robot in the scrapyard named HAP. This find triggers a series of events that reveals secrets that Gio has kept from Victor and Victor ends up on an unlikely adventure to the City of Electric Dreams.
Compared to Klune's normally flawless writing style, this book felt a bit off to me. It starts slow and a lot of the sex robot jokes and the heavy theme of sexuality throughout the book seemed a bit jarring when taken with the other themes of family and love. This was almost like a blend of the prevalent sex jokes of the "Tales of Verania" and the themes of love and family of "Cerulean Sea" and "Whispering Door".
Additionally, although I grew to love the quirky characters here, at points they felt over-characterized. Rambo was just sooo ignorant and naive, and Nurse Ratchet was sooo serial killer crazy...etc. It just took me awhile to fall in love with them and really engage with them. This is another thing I haven't had an issue with in Klune's previous books.
I did enjoy the adventure Vic and crew had on their way to the City of Electric Dreams; this is where things really started to pick up for me (I think that was about halfway through the book). The overall world-building and plot seemed a bit tired. The whole "humanity is taken over by the AI they created" theme has been done sooo many times before. There were some small twists to the theme and story that helped this book not to feel completely stagnant.
The book was easy enough to read and there is a lot of goofy humor in here that had me chuckling. The story leaves you feeling happy and hopeful. I enjoyed the book but just didn't fall into it and love it as much as other recent Klune novels.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't as amazingly awesome as Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door were. It took me a bit to get into the story and engage with the characters. I also felt like the world-building was a bit lacking. It's a fun read though and if you enjoy the whole "what it means to be human" in a world of robots, you'll probably enjoy this. I did love the humor and the crazy characters. I am eager to see what Klune writes next.
Thoughts: Previous to reading this book I had read Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea" (loved it), "Under the Whispering Door" (loved it), and "Tales from Verania" (liked it). I ended up
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liking this story a lot but not loving it as much as I loved Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.This book is set in the future where a robot, Gio, has raised a young human boy, now older, named Victor. Victor finds another decommissioned robot in the scrapyard named HAP. This find triggers a series of events that reveals secrets that Gio has kept from Victor and Victor ends up on an unlikely adventure to the City of Electric Dreams.
Compared to Klune's normally flawless writing style, this book felt a bit off to me. It starts slow and a lot of the sex robot jokes and the heavy theme of sexuality throughout the book seemed a bit jarring when taken with the other themes of family and love. This was almost like a blend of the prevalent sex jokes of the "Tales of Verania" and the themes of love and family of "Cerulean Sea" and "Whispering Door".
Additionally, although I grew to love the quirky characters here, at points they felt over-characterized. Rambo was just sooo ignorant and naive, and Nurse Ratchet was sooo serial killer crazy...etc. It just took me awhile to fall in love with them and really engage with them. This is another thing I haven't had an issue with in Klune's previous books.
I did enjoy the adventure Vic and crew had on their way to the City of Electric Dreams; this is where things really started to pick up for me (I think that was about halfway through the book). The overall world-building and plot seemed a bit tired. The whole "humanity is taken over by the AI they created" theme has been done sooo many times before. There were some small twists to the theme and story that helped this book not to feel completely stagnant.
The book was easy enough to read and there is a lot of goofy humor in here that had me chuckling. The story leaves you feeling happy and hopeful. I enjoyed the book but just didn't fall into it and love it as much as other recent Klune novels.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't as amazingly awesome as Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door were. It took me a bit to get into the story and engage with the characters. I also felt like the world-building was a bit lacking. It's a fun read though and if you enjoy the whole "what it means to be human" in a world of robots, you'll probably enjoy this. I did love the humor and the crazy characters. I am eager to see what Klune writes next.
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LibraryThing member oldandnewbooksmell
Three robots - fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine named Nurse Ratched, and a small anxiety-filled vacuum named Rambo live with human Victor Lawson in the houses they’ve built into the branches of the trees in a forest - hidden and safe.
When Victor,
Together, the makeshift family must journey across the country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.
Another amazing, beautiful, and touching found family novel from TJ Klune. I wrote down so many quotes from this novel (mostly from Nurse Ratched). I read over 100+ books a year and rarely do they make me actually cry - this one succeeded and therefore, it received 5 stars from me. And, like every year a new TJ Klune book comes out, this will be hard to beat for my choice of book of the year.
This is another book that, though it’s listed as SciFi/Fantasy, I can see so many people enjoying this. It does deal with Victor being the last human on Earth and the complications of loving those with an extremely complicated past, but it’s still a soft, found family read for me.
In the Lives of Puppets has an unforgettable cast of characters and the writing of Klune will make you care about an assembled group of robots and their human companion in a way I didn’t think would be possible.
I love this book and will be so highly recommending this to any and all for years to come.
*Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
When Victor,
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Nurse Ratched, and Rambo find and repair an android with the label “HAP”, they learn of the dark past Gio and their new friend share. After getting back online, Hap unwittingly alerts robots from their past life to their current whereabouts and they capture and take Gio back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams.Together, the makeshift family must journey across the country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.
Another amazing, beautiful, and touching found family novel from TJ Klune. I wrote down so many quotes from this novel (mostly from Nurse Ratched). I read over 100+ books a year and rarely do they make me actually cry - this one succeeded and therefore, it received 5 stars from me. And, like every year a new TJ Klune book comes out, this will be hard to beat for my choice of book of the year.
This is another book that, though it’s listed as SciFi/Fantasy, I can see so many people enjoying this. It does deal with Victor being the last human on Earth and the complications of loving those with an extremely complicated past, but it’s still a soft, found family read for me.
In the Lives of Puppets has an unforgettable cast of characters and the writing of Klune will make you care about an assembled group of robots and their human companion in a way I didn’t think would be possible.
I love this book and will be so highly recommending this to any and all for years to come.
*Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member krizia_lazaro
This is my first TJ Klune and I absolutely loved it. She is a master. The story is about freedom to be yourself, love and humanity. The story is a crossover of Pinocchio and Swiss Family Robinson. I would love to see this in Studio Ghibli aesthetic.
Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the
Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the
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ARC copy in exchange for a review. Show Less
LibraryThing member ladycato
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.
T.J. Klune has a masterful way of etching realistic, complex characters and emotions into his works. In the Lives of Puppets showcases his talents again, though is not as strong as some of his previous novels.
In this future-set sci-fi and fantastical work,
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.
T.J. Klune has a masterful way of etching realistic, complex characters and emotions into his works. In the Lives of Puppets showcases his talents again, though is not as strong as some of his previous novels.
In this future-set sci-fi and fantastical work,
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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.
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LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
I have adored TJ Klune's books that I have read so far and while I did enjoy this one, it felt a little off his usual writing for me. The sexual tension between the main character and the robot didn't quite feel right at first, but I did love the humour that Rambo and Nurse Ratched bring!
I
(Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.)
I
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recommend this book, but I do urge everyone to read some of Klune's other works as well!(Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.)
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LibraryThing member bibliovermis
I've read and enjoyed a lot of TJ Klune's work, but this one missed the mark, for me. I thought the story was styled as "uplifting" but was, in fact, utterly depressing; the humor wasn't very funny (which was also depressing); and that the references were a little too wide ranging for any kind of
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focus (we've got Pinocchio, Oz, some Frankenstein, and that's just the start!). Others seem to really love it so I'm very willing to believe that I am the problem. Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Raised by an android and with only two quirky robots for company, Victor Lawson doesn't realize how unique he is: he may be the only human left on Earth. When he and his friends discover another android in a scrapyard, a chain of events unfolds that leads to Victor's father being taken away. Vic
So, I found this a really interesting and engaging read, but I'm still not sure if I would say that I liked it. There are a lot of parallels and homages to Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, though I wouldn't call it a straight retelling. I think some parts of that work really well, but the connections to puppets seem pretty forced to me, including the title. I didn't need the romance that Klune throws in in order for the story to work, and I never really bought into it. I liked the worldbuilding, especially the treehouse home at the beginning of the story. And I thought the ending was strong. All in all, I'd recommend it to those intrigued by the description, or to fans of this author.
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and his companions set of on a quest to rescue his father, but even if they can reach him, he may not know them when they find him. Oh, also, all of the other machines are going to want to kill Victor if they recognize him as a human...So, I found this a really interesting and engaging read, but I'm still not sure if I would say that I liked it. There are a lot of parallels and homages to Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, though I wouldn't call it a straight retelling. I think some parts of that work really well, but the connections to puppets seem pretty forced to me, including the title. I didn't need the romance that Klune throws in in order for the story to work, and I never really bought into it. I liked the worldbuilding, especially the treehouse home at the beginning of the story. And I thought the ending was strong. All in all, I'd recommend it to those intrigued by the description, or to fans of this author.
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LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
Klune’s word wizardry has given birth to several of the most delightfully quirky and endearing literary characters I’ve encountered in a few years. This imaginative adventure explores a smorgasbord of relevant topics that range from artificial intelligence and the meaning of humanity to coping
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with grief. There are also wonderful messages woven throughout the book, including a vivid reminder that the past does not have to define the future. Unfortunately, the saga simply dragged on a bit too long for my taste, and the final few chapters left me unfulfilled. Having said that, I suspect I will remember some of the book’s vivid antics, enchanting characters and important takeaways for a long time to come. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
I am not a fan of science fiction and not much of a fan of fantasy...but everyone I talked to at my library was singing its praises loudly. It just goes to show clearly that if everyone liked the same thing there would never be enough to go around. I'm not sure if this book can even be placed in
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the Sci-fi or the fantasy category. It is a futuristic type setting...but somehow it seems the author is trying to get a different message across...I'm just not sure what that message was. Maybe it's something different for every reader. The story is filled with more hope, love, and pain than you might think a story set in a future scene where robots rule the world could ever possibly be. The story centers around a young human, Victor, who lives in the wilderness with a family of robots, led by his father... the inventor, Gio. When Victor is 19 years old, he restores an android and gives it some wood-covered arms and legs to protect its exposed inside metal workings. The android names himself...Hap. While he has no memory of his past life, his programming hints at a reality Victor has never experienced first-hand, and indirectly leads to evil forces finding them. These forces are intent on killing those that are like Victor thus forcing Gio to go back to the "City of Electric Dreams" where he’ll be reprogrammed to do their evil bidding. What I did bring away from the story was that none of us goes through life unscathed, and we are not unchanged by those who love us and who we love in return. Love is the main theme that runs through this book...parental love... familial love...and romantic love as we see Victor's, who is asexual...connection with Hap. Although it wasn't my usual choice of books, I had to give it 3 stars...not because it was a mediocre book, but in recognition of the author's ability to actually pull this scenario off and do it rather well. I was amazed at how many different genres this book has been placed in... everything from fantasy, science fiction, fiction, humor, and even gay fiction with an emphasis on M/M romance. Kudos to the author! Show Less
LibraryThing member rmarcin
Another heartwarming book from TJ Klune.
In this one, an android, Gio, creates Vic, a boy. In the forest, other robots work to rescue another android by giving it a heart - Hap. However, Hap alerts others that Gio is helping humans vs. hunting them. Vic and his friends set out to rescue Gio from
As Vic, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo - a unique family - work together, a story of love and family and trust emerges.
A bit of a homage to Pinocchio.
In this one, an android, Gio, creates Vic, a boy. In the forest, other robots work to rescue another android by giving it a heart - Hap. However, Hap alerts others that Gio is helping humans vs. hunting them. Vic and his friends set out to rescue Gio from
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the City of Electric Dreams, where his mission had once been to hurt humans. As Vic, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo - a unique family - work together, a story of love and family and trust emerges.
A bit of a homage to Pinocchio.
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LibraryThing member Mav-n-Libby
This book started off amazing. It was hilarious and somehow felt familiar and just overall enjoyed it. The robots' humor was so funny. But as the book continued, it sort of just fell apart for me. The humor wasn't quite the same. It took me a little to get through. In the afterward, it said
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something about changing the book because the world wasn't ready for it. I would love to know originally what the book was about that changed. Maybe that's the piece that was missing for me? I'd still recommend this book to people, but maybe audio book would be better. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dianekeenoy
It took me awhile to get into this book but I stayed with it and I'm glad I did. The characters were incredible like his previous books. This family of mismatched robots, Nurse Ratched, the nurse; Rambo, a little vacuum and Giovanni Larson are raising a boy, Victor in the woods far away from
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civilization. Victor and his cohorts find a decommissioned android in the scrap pile and decide to give him a heart. When Victor's father, Giovanni, is taken back to the City of Electric Dreams, the others follow to rescue him. Some parts set in the City weren't my favorite but I stayed with it. T.J. Klune has an imagination that produces books that are a joy to listen to! Show Less
LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan
You know, how some books just stay with you for a while. This is one of those books. It is a cross between Pinocchio and Steven Spielberg’s AI, but with a happy ending and a ton of heart. Hap is the last living boy. The world has been taken over by robots. He survives out in the woods with his
This is my first TJ Klune book. I see why his stories are beloved. This was engrossing. And I didn’t mind when I had to listen to section repeatedly because I missed something. Sometimes I listened to them again because they made me laugh. There is tongue in cheek comedy like the vacuum that is named Rambo (probably a Rumba from our time), and the nursing box named Ms. Ratchet. This book is just fun. But it also makes you think. Both at AI and what could happen, and at what it means to be human, especially when there are no other humans around to learn from.
I loved this book. I have many others by this author in my collection that I look forward to reading. I know he is considered controversial to some, and I understand and respect those feelings.
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father Gio, with no knowledge that he is fully unique. Upon accidently alerting the AI overlords that he is alive, dangerous adventure begins to find humanity within the metal and wires of artificial life. This is my first TJ Klune book. I see why his stories are beloved. This was engrossing. And I didn’t mind when I had to listen to section repeatedly because I missed something. Sometimes I listened to them again because they made me laugh. There is tongue in cheek comedy like the vacuum that is named Rambo (probably a Rumba from our time), and the nursing box named Ms. Ratchet. This book is just fun. But it also makes you think. Both at AI and what could happen, and at what it means to be human, especially when there are no other humans around to learn from.
I loved this book. I have many others by this author in my collection that I look forward to reading. I know he is considered controversial to some, and I understand and respect those feelings.
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LibraryThing member deslivres5
In the Lives of Puppets is a lovely, quirky, heartfelt dystopian tale from T.J. Klune!
It's the singularity on steroids, with the "puppets" in the title actual robots, AIs, androids, etc. with a human mixed in.
Shades of Pinocchio and WALL-E with queer representation.
I listened to the audiobook
It's the singularity on steroids, with the "puppets" in the title actual robots, AIs, androids, etc. with a human mixed in.
Shades of Pinocchio and WALL-E with queer representation.
I listened to the audiobook
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narrated by Daniel Henning who does an amazing job bringing Rambo, Nurse Ratched, HAP, Victor and Gio to life. I especially loved that little vacuum, Rambo. Adorable! Show Less
Awards
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — April 2023)
Physical description
432 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
125021744X / 9781250217448