A big thank you to the author Michael Drakich, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

I loved this book. The main character is a robot named Jak. He is the last of his generation of war robots and is considered to be the "old man" of the fighting robots. He starts to question the reasons for fighting for his creators, but is limited in what he can do because every robot is programmed to self-destruct if they have thoughts or plans of rebellion.

He ends up rescuing a young human girl, after having been ordered to kill her father. Thus starts an epic adventure to return her to her people. It is a fascinating tale and I LOVED JAK. He was sooo cool and his transformation from mindless robot to caring friend was amazing.

The story is also a commentary about the pointlessness of war.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

well, this was different than i expected.

there was a nice little twist at the very beginning & some wry humor & then it got all philosophical & maybe a tad maudlin but not in a bad way.

Thank you for the early reading opportunity, though i know I'm a bit late to the show, I'm a slow reader...
So, this book was a well written interesting story with a (fairly humanistic) robot lead. As a big fan of Murderbot, and I, robot, it was a delight to immerse myself into something along that line again. There's nothing like AI and robots that can teach us better about humanity and empathy.
It was a very enjoyable read.

I really looked forward to reading a book from a warbot's perspective and Requiem for a Genocide did not disappoint. Jak did come across a bit more human than expected but it didn't detract from the story for me.

Jak's job is killing the enemies of Dalrea. unfortunately for Jak, Dalrea has a new enemy. Humans. So much for the retirement he was looking forward to.

I really don't want to give spoilers so I'll just say that I enjoyed this book immensely and I highly recommend it to modern sci fi fans.

I received a copy of this work from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when you take a bit of I, Robot, add a dash of Fahrenheit 451, throw in a warbot and mix thoroughly? Well, if you discover that this produces Requiem For A Genocide then you might be missing a large portion of the tale contained within. Despite sharing elements of all of the above, Requiem is really a story about humanity or at least empathy and the role it might play in governing the actions of the AI that advanced races will no doubt eventually develop. This is a thought-provoking book and one that has a surprisingly satisfying conclusion. Yes, it does require some significant suspension of disbelief, however one doesn't need to bring in mechanical assistance to reach the end. Overall, a very solid and enjoyable read. 8 out of 10.

While this reminded me of Murderbot Jax is a very different robot. For one thing he is all metal and built for war. That is something he hates and has high hopes for peace When he is called on to kill again a small human girl crosses his path. Follow his journey as he works to save Hannah and stop all the killing.

A really well written story that moved along at a good pace.

A nice twist having a Warbot as the narrator and making him more human than many humans.

I liked Requiem For A Genocide and I can see a lot of people loving this book.
To be honest I didn't love it because I went into it with certain expectations.
Sadly It was not what I expected and I was really disappointed.
Thank you netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was unable to finish this book In time due to a health crisis; however what I did read was very promising and was a unique take on sci-fi. I plan on finishing it eventually and will add it too my library upon release.

My thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of this science fiction novel.

Science fiction is always at its best when the tale that is told has a heart and a meaning. Aliens, robots, interstellar space, warp and worm holes look pretty and sound pretty in the head as you read, but stories that lack that heart, that larger meaning don't stay long in the memory. Requiem for a Genocide by Michael Drakich has heart and whole lot more.

The book starts simply. A robot, last of its series created at the beginning of a planetary war is faced with obsolescence as the robot begins to break down, and rumors that the repair bay for damaged robots is more shutting down down robots than fixing them up. Respected by his other robot peers, who sound more like extras in any human war movie, not computing mechanicals who fight wars, JAK037, known as Jak, tries to keep his comrades alive while facing a new reality and battlefront. Peace with their longtime enemies, but war with newcomers to the planet, a race known as humans.

Jak is an interesting character. Again, more of a grizzled sergeant in any war, but an interesting character regardless. From here the book changes as Jak soon becomes the protector of a young human, and after a programming change, decides to get her to safety even if he has to fight his own people, or anyone who gets in the way. Then the plot really gets going. A lot of things, probably enough to fill two books possible three happens. I won't ruin anything as it is fun to read and have it unfurl in front of the reader.

The writing is clear, with a few grammar problems, and some typos, but not enough to go crazy over. The plot is clear and moves along well. There is a lot going on, I'm surprised the story wasn't drawn out more, but I enjoyed it. The world is filled in as you go, and the humans could be described a little better, but again that is what sequels are for. I think there is a very strong reference to the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still, with a robot name and description seeming quite close, but it's a cute aside. I will be looking for other books by the author.

I'm not a big science fiction reader as it can sometimes get a little too technical for me and i'm not smart enough for that but i did like this one, this was more about the story than the science, i guess if you are an avid fan of science fiction you might enjoy the idea of free will that is brought up in this book but i feel like the author doesn't really delve that deep in the idea. It was fast paced and there was some really good tension along the way, In terms of character depth and development, there wasn't a lot going on for me, it seem there was a lot of focus on the plot amd getting our characters from point A to point B with a few breaks here and there. It got a bit tiring at times. There are two main characters and everyone who comes along is only there for a while but i will recommend it to anyone who want to dip their toes into science fiction and wants a story that is more plot focused than character focused.

A thoroughly enjoyable book. There was plenty of action and the characters kept you interested. I could not put this one down till I finished it.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Requiem For A Genocide by Michael Drakich

Racism is depicted by having robots having no free will and suffering discrimination in this book. The protagonist is an elderly warbot named Jak. He is the last of his kind. Warbots are cannon fodder in a long running war. As new models are brought online the older models are not repaired when damaged and then shut down or killed depending on your viewpoint. Jak finds himself free of the robotic laws and is forced to develop a personal ethics structure.
This book can be read superficially as an adventure and would be enjoyable. The author cleverly provides a duality to his storyline. I think Socrates would have enjoyed the book and the development of a values system.
I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

Everything I want in a good read!
It’s not every day that I read a book narrated by a robot. And JAK037, aka JAK, is not an ordinary robot. He is a warbot, designed for fighting in the conflicts between Dalreans and Carthians, the native inhabitants of the planet Mervos. Throwing human settlers into the mix of enemies presents some new challenges. as JAK discovers during their first encounter. I will say no more about the story line because it would be mean to spoil any of it.
The idea of a robot narrator was appealing, but the fact that he is a warbot made me wonder if the book would be just a succession of battles. I was delighted to discover that I was wrong. There is plenty of action and an exciting plot that made the book hard to put down, but there is much more to the narration. War necessarily involves violence and death, but JAK mourns the loss of his comrades and even regrets the deaths of some enemies.
The characters come across as warm and “human”, even the ones made of metal. The first-“person” narrative gives us a chance to see into JAK’s mind, and what I loved most about the book was his intelligent and down-to-earth philosophical musing about things like war, ethics, free will, and life in general. These were beautifully expressed in observations like “to truly enjoy a nice, sunny, breezy day the way a Dalrean can is beyond my ability, True life senses are just not in my makeup. Too bad. I bet it feels wonderful.” It makes me appreciate being a human just a bit more!
War and free will in particular present interesting challenges for JAK. He admires the various warring species doing acts of kindness as they recognize what they have in common, but like all robots he is bound by the laws built into all mechanical beings that force them to obey orders.
Of course, Isaac Asimov’s robot stories were the model for most modern robot SF. Requiem for a Genocide fits that model very well but is original and a delight to read. I think Isaac himself would give it five stars!
I received an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book from Netgalley and the author.

Review of eBook

Warbot JAK037, known as Jak to his friends, has only one mission: destroying Dalrea’s enemies. By luck or good fortune or perhaps his own skill, Jak survived many missions; he is the last of his kind still in operation.

Like many of his companions, the robots adhere to the laws instilled within him, but they wish for freedom. So when Jak hears rumors of peace with Carthia, he dreams of peace, of a Mervos without war. But his body is damaged, his battery cracked; his days are numbered. And as the Dalrean leaders simply turn off the older damaged robots, Jak has seen the ultimate genocide of many of his companions.

And then he learns that the peace is just a way of bring war to the humans.

But when he rescues a seven-year-old human, Hannah, he vows to return her to the humans even though he will need to travel past hostile Dalreans and Carthians to accomplish this. Will Jak find a way to return Hannah to the humans?


Told from Jak’s point of view, the unfolding story grabs the reader from the outset. Strengthened by a strong sense of place, believable characters, and an interesting premise that robots may find a way to bypass robotic laws, the story places its emphasis on the characters and how the robots feel about their existence.

The interplay of the robotic laws and the sentient robots’ desire for peace strengthens the reader’s empathy for Jak and his companions; the refusal of the Dalrea to repair some of the robots, turning them off instead, creates tension in the telling of the tale and gives an urgency to Jak’s self-appointed mission of returning Hannah to her people.

Jak’s interaction with Hannah is touching; the quirky characters they meet along the way give the story depth; the plot doesn’t have many twists, but the denouement is sure to surprise readers who will find it difficult to set this one aside before turning the final page.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Traanu Enterprises and NetGalley
#RequiemforaGenocide #NetGalley

The most pleasant surprise of Requiem for a Genocide is its transformation from an on-the-nose war story to the travelogue of a grizzled old man and a little kid, in the style of Logan or The Last of Us. Sadly, it falters under stilted dialogue and narration, and worldbuilding is often doled out as needed rather than building around the action. That said, the characters of Jak and Hannah are endearing, and the story has heart.

(reviewed in Sci-Fi Magazine)

DNF. I picked this one up hoping it would scratch a similar itch to Martha Wells' Murderbot series, felt that the narrative focused on telling rather than showing, and immediately dove into existential topics that made the book feel very bleak before the worldbuilding and characters were established. Lacking the humor of Murderbot to balance the darkness, it made it difficult for me to want to continue. This book could be a very popular read-a-like for those who enjoy mech stories and don't mind a darker tone, but it wasn't for me.

I have some serious issue with the narrative style. With the main character being a robot, I expected his perspective to be slightly different compared with how a human character would tell their story. He sounds way too simple, way too human. I needed more depth to his character, but overall it was a nice read. Interesting and brave choice of main character as well as nice diversity of side characters. Somehow I'm way too used with the main conflict. It's always some sort of war when it comes to machines. May be here I expected something different.