My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.13 with 222 ratings (as of 2/15/2022)

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

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.

On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.

Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.

That is, if he can just keep from dying for good. …Synopsis from Goodreads

200 Word Review

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

When selecting if I wanted to read Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, I read as far as “The Martian meets Dark Matter” before choosing to read it. I enjoy Sci-FI books that include a snarky attitude from the main character, and I was not disappointed.

Mickey7 is an “expendable”: a disposable employee who receives a new, regenerated body with most of his memories intact when he dies. Mickey has died six times already so, he might not like it, but he clearly understands his role in the expedition sent to colonize a new planet,

On a routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. Returning to base, Mickey7 meets Mickey8, his new clone. Duplicate expendables are universally loathed, and if discovered, they will most likely be thrown into the recycler with the real possibility a Mickey9 would not be created.

The tone of the book is light. Ashton nicely balances both light and dark humor and the novel’s serious themes. He does not waste words in world-building but allows enough information for you to get a good sense of the planet and the difficulties of the expedition.

If you enjoy witty, sometimes dark humor, then give this a read.

This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/15/22. When available, the review will be published on Scribd.com and, using Overdrive, will be rated in 9 libraries.

Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Print Length: 304 pages
ISBN: 9781250275035
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: February 15, 2022

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