Author: Edward Ashton
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Released: February 15, 2022
Received: NetGalley
Warnings: Graphic death

So, full confession time: I originally picked up Mickey7 because I was craving something similar to The Murderbot Diaries, and I thought this would be it. While it wasn’t, I will admit that it ended up being a solid and thought-provoking read.

Mickey7 is what is called an Expendable. He’s literally a disposable human, where the colony can simply print a new him when the current version dies, which is often, given that he’s the seventh incarnation (so far).

While out scouting, Mickey7 found himself in a tricky situation. He fell down a deep hole. Rather than taking the time, energy, and risk to save him, his so-called best friend left him to die. The good news is: Mickey7 didn’t die. The bad news is that Mickey8 was sitting in his bunk when he got home. And Expendables aren’t allowed to exist together.

“Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.”

If you like science fiction novels that make you think and question deeper truths such as reality, life, death, and the concept of self, then Mickey7 is a fantastic read for you. This novel blends many different thoughts, concerns, and subjects, creating a new science fiction novel in the process.

Admittedly, Mickey7 isn’t the most involved science fiction novel I’ve read. If not for the debate about Mickey’s identity, I might not have enjoyed it so much. I feel like many other hardcore science fiction readers may ultimately feel the same. However, this novel will carefully guide readers along on quite the journey for those not as used to the genre.

There are a lot of familiar concepts and even references strewn about Mickey7. For example, the majority of the story takes place on Niflheim. Sound familiar? Plus, the idea of replacing a person with another copy isn’t exactly new. It just has a shiny new name and face here.

Still, I appreciated what Edward Ashton was trying to do here. It made a difficult concept pretty approachable and had a little bit of fun in the process. Gotta love it when your moral philosophy debate comes with a sense of humor, right?

In the beginning, I didn’t like Mickey all that much. I’m not even entirely sure that I liked Mickey7 by the end, though he did grow on me. It says a lot about the writing that I was able to be enchanted by this story, despite not being all that sold on the leading character.

I would absolutely recommend Mickey7 to any other curious reader, especially if they’re hoping for a more thought-provoking read.

Thanks to StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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