Of Monsters and Mainframes

Bookseller recommendation

“Space Opera meets monster mayhem in this absolutely hilarious, endearing, thought-provoking novel by Barbara Truelove. Everyone on staff has heard how much I love this book. It's the first book in a very very long time that made me hug it to my chest and squeeee with delight as soon as I finished it. Of Monsters & Mainframes explores familial love, monster love, and sentient ai love. The bulk of the novel takes place on a 300+ passenger "airliner" spaceship that travels between planets. Unfortunately, this spaceship has had a hard time delivering passengers alive and well through no fault of its own. As the mainframe tries to parse out what is happening to the passengers, and prove its innocence, it may just have figured out what it means to love. This is perfect for anyone wanting to escape our real world, laugh a lot, maybe squeeee a little and dare I say hug a book?”

— Christy • Quail Ridge Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Quite possibly a perfect audiobook! Read by brilliant voice actors, this is a clever and exciting story that hooked me from the start and kept its claws in me all the way through. ”

— Amelia • Imprints Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“Like a classic B-movie IN SPACE. Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy...the gang's all here. A fun cosmic adventure. A full cast makes the multi-POVs easy to follow, and the spaceship MC was funny and endearing. Yup, the robot is endearing. ”

— Laura • Annie Bloom's Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Um, a story told from the POV of a spaceship? Yes please!”

— Carey • Bobzbay

Bookseller recommendation

“This book is phenomenal. The AI narrators felt more human by the end than I thought possible. The storyline is so clever, and it made me laugh and cry like all the best books do. ”

— Kalli • Rediscovered Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Do you have fears of AI ruining the future? In this book, AI characters meet the horrors of our childhoods. The results are surprising, funny and profoundly comforting. Because if AI’s are trained based on humans they will retain our foibles, insecurities, and ultimately our empathy.”

— Cheryl • Last Chance Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“A beautiful and fun novel filled with an endearing cast of characters, an engaging plot, and some of my favorite writing of the year; I loved this book! Highly highly recommend consumming this book in audio format as they have different actors for the different characters and the perspective and voice for Demeter (the ship's AI) is so compelling. This book was funny, heartfelt, thought-provoking, and just beautifully written. It's perfect for fans of Becky Chambers or Star Trek and I will be recommending it to all the sci-fi fans in my life.”

— Annie • Country Bookshelf

Bookseller recommendation

“Your favorite horror characters mixed in with the chaos of AI spaceships with anxiety brings together this masterpiece of a fun book! ”

— Esha • Schuler Books

Bookseller recommendation

“If you're like me and were drawn in by the wonderful cover and title of this book, then do NOT miss out on this book full of monsters, mainframes, and delightful madness. This book had me cackling with laughter (plenty of genuinely scary/tense and emotional moments in it too) and gosh dang there are a lot of awesome, oddball characters (both manufactured and organic) that I shan't describe here to avoid spoiling your fun. If you're a horror fan, both in terms of books and movies, then you'll get to fully revel in the tremendous amounts of appearances, twists upon, and allusions to classic monster media that lurk in every nook and cranny of this book. Finally, the narrators are just superb throughout! The robot voices are done incredibly well and the occasional reading of binary were just such an absurd tidbit that made me laugh out loud every single time. Of Monsters and Mainframes is highly enjoyable and an excellent listen so check it out! ”

— Liam • Tsunami Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Told from the perspective of the AI on a spaceship, werewolves, Dracula... What more could you possibly want in one story? ”

— Sara • The Book Nook

Bookseller recommendation

“This was so much fun! I went into it not really expecting much, but it really has everything! I also love the way the AI characters were written. I grew so attached to them and all their quirks. This book was also exceptionally funny. I think this is a great book to through in your rotation if you're used to ready heavier topics.”

— Mariela • ILYSM Books

Bookseller recommendation

“The cover art got me, and I had to try it. I'm so glad I did. As someone who doesn't reach for SciFi often, I was pleasantly surprised. Sentient AIs, werewolves, vampires, oh my! Such a strange and wonderfully entertaining mashup! ”

— Elizabeth • Title Euphoria