What a wonderfully original sci-fi novel!

A thousand years from now, mankind will possess the technology to take years-long journeys to the farthest reaches of the universe to colonize planets deemed habitable by long-range reconnaissance. Colonization begins with a “beachhead mission” comprised of several hundred colonists, the embryos needed to build a society, and an “expendable” person to undertake any mission posing a significant risk of death. Of course, it’s no big deal if the expendable dies. Mankind has developed the technology to fully replicate human beings.

In trouble on his own homeworld, Mickey Barnes volunteers to be the expendable for the mission to colonize Niflheim, a planet that long-range scans find habitable, but which turns out to be a snow-and-ice-bound hell with a barely breathable atmosphere and gigantic, hostile, metal-eating creatures living below the surface. Over the course of the mission, Mickey has died and been recreated six times, which is why he’s now called Mickey7. When Mickey7 falls into a tunnel inhabited by the creatures, he is presumed to have been killed and Mickey8 is created. But Mickey7 is not dead and there’s a strict prohibition against two duplicates living at the same time. Both being fully human, neither Mickey7 nor Mickey8 is willing to die. But in a cramped outpost where food is strictly rationed, how, and for how long, will they keep their secret?

Author Edward Ashton has done a wonderful job imagining and building the world of Niflheim and its fledgling human colony. He’s populated that colony with terrific characters, especially Mickey7, who narrates the tail with a charmingly cynical kind of gallows humor. Ashton’s descriptions are clear and evocative. His dialogue is realistic and engaging. And while he’s telling his very good story filled with risk and adventure, not to mention romantic entanglements, Ashton also manages to impart several messages about humanity’s foibles without being preachy or hitting readers over the head.

Mickey7 wins on two counts: originality and an engrossing story. For me, the mark of a memorable book is if I get annoyed when I’m forced to stop reading due to silly demands such as work or housecleaning. This novel drew me in within the first 25 pages or so and kept me engrossed until the very end with a mild but satisfying twist I didn’t see coming.

The originality is reality. While the novel takes place in a far, far future, it remains grounded in physical laws rather than positing FTL drives or wormholes or warping from galaxy to galaxy. Humanity has spread to many planetary systems during the gap from our time to the novel’s setting. The diaspora, as the narrator/protagonist calls it, was due to a scary event on Earth that figures into the story toward the very end. It wasn't nor is it now, an easy journey.

A good deal of the reality sense I got throughout the book was due to the narrator’s storytelling ability when he relates some of the history of the diaspora’s colonization some of which had less than stellar outcomes. Unlike other duplication novels I’ve read, this one does go into the psychological effects of such a technology should it ever exist as well as the ancient riddle about the Ship of Theseus.

There is an overuse of the now grown tedious F-bomb. Yes, authors, you can use it and still be published. Now that the point’s been made, how about exercising your creativity and finding some substitutes to this boring repetition? There is also some implied but not graphic sexual behavior.

This is a complete book rather than the lead in to a series. Even so, the author has created a fertile universe that I’d enjoy visiting again. In sum, I find the novelty of reality in a science fiction book set in the far future enticing.

Mickey is an Expendable. His job description literally is to be expendable. I love the idea of this and the reasoning behind it. There are some jobs machines just can't do as well as humans, but these jobs could be potentially dangerous for said humans…so, what do you do?

I liked Mickey as the narrator of the story. He's a bit quirky, funny, and a loyal friend. My only question is what happens next? I love a good standalone, but I really want to know what happens to Mickey and the colony on Niflheim.

I love that this book is set so many years in the future after so many advances in science and technology, but the basis is just humans doing what humans do best…Hostile takeovers, killing anything that they don't find useful, and destroying beautiful worlds to fit their own agenda. It's humanity.

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

A different kind of SciFi book. The characters were interesting and the story was intriguing.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #Danielle Steel, and #Random house for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a targeted ad from NetGalley describing this book as "The Martian meets Dark Matter". Hard to resist that description. While it's not as devour-able as either of those books it was still a good read.

My favorite sections were the flashbacks, which served as world-building devices to show how humanity got to this point and give little glimpses at other colony missions, both successes and failures.

I also enjoyed the relationship among the four main characters. At one point I was sure it would go in an annoying Young Adult romance direction, but it instead developed in a more realistic and mature way.

Mickey7 is that interesting cross between “hard science” fiction and space opera that has become popular with books like “The Martian”. The titular character is an “expendable” on a new colony of humans seeking to build a city on a planet they can Nelflheim. As an “Expendable” Mickey’s consciousness, experiences, and memories are uploaded to a central system, ready for download into a newly printed body when he is terminated. In practice, this simply means that Mickey is assigned to tasks which can easily be turned into a situation where he dies easily.
What is really interesting about the story, is how the author managed to blend the dangers of space exploration and colonization of other planets with underlying social commentary about religion, colonization in general, and what we define as sentience and intelligence. There is also some subtle commentary aimed at those in the military who often try to turn grey area situations into black and white solutions. Highly recommended to fans of Andy Weir’s books.

Mickey7

Oh Mickey Barnes, what a character you are! Your verbalized thoughts are amusing but, usually, spot on the situation you’re in. The dilemmas you find yourself in are when your humanity comes into play and is not totally understood by others….and your intentions are good.

The whole concept of an Expendable is one brought on by necessity for a dying planet yet is a perfect solution to the problems of space travel. Visualize an Expendable as a human version of Star Trek Next Generation Commander Data, a resource to be used in unusual, meaning lethal, circumstances but able to be re-used over and over.

I really enjoyed this book as I found the plot entertaining, progress of the tale moved along promptly and didn’t ask a reader to stretch the imagination too much

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

Mickey7 has so much potential. I love the world building. I'm not one that likes for the world to be slowly revealed, almost like the setting is as much a part of the plot as the actual plot.. Mickey7 does a good job of letting you know everything you need to know about the world the characters inhabit and then tells the story. I consider that a plus. Even better were the more detailed descriptions about the universe. For me, the world building was the best part.

Another PRO: There are so many ethical dilemmas brought up and I really enjoyed how the book worked through them. For example, the religious objection (I wont go into details to preserve the plot) was dealt with in a unique way that did not caricature modern religious readers. That's a big deal for me as a religious man. Too many books criticize modern religion, especially Christianity, with thinly veiled caricatures and straw man arguments. This is not a religious book in the least and it presents a believable, consistent, and unique belief system to bounce the moral and ethical problems off of. The discussion on the ethical ramifications of the plot is good, not great, but still good.

Con: The book just ends. I thought the plot was really developing and there was so much potential but then the plot just abruptly ends. The first 2/3 of the book were a 4 star, maybe even 5 star book. But the last 1/3 of the book and the way everything ended made the book a 3 star. You should still read the book though! It's a fulfilling, if not completely satisfying conclusion. It seemed like the author got tired of writing and just wrapped it up as fast as they could. I would have loved to see how the story unfolded after some revelations. I wanted to see the same level of detail and world building put into the universe be put into the conclusion and resolution of the plot. I would like to see a sequel but with how the book ended, I imagine they would have to retcon some things. Who knows?

I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed Mickey 7, which I read in one sitting. Good pacing, good dialogue, a well defined main character(s), good love story, and classic SF problem story. It certainly uses traditional SF tropes - recorded consciousness, cloning, colonization - but inventively. I liked the world building, for example, the explanation for the prejudice against “multiples”. The narrative is initially tricky as you sort out Mickeys but proceeds smoothly and compellingly. The flaws for me were a two-dimensional villain and too pat an ending, but not enough to detract from my strong positive reaction.

I’ve been in the mood for some good new science fiction and this book fit the bill perfectly. It’s a hip, fresh and fun space adventure with just the right balance of action, science and humorous touches. Very entertaining production.
So, meet Mickey7…the seventh reiteration of the same person, but no mere clone, he retains all the memories of his previous forms, he just gets reprinted, over and over again. Because he gets dead over and over again. Because he signed up for a crazy mission and now that’s his life.
Mickey is an Expendable on a colonization mission to a distant planet, in a distant future where colonization efforts are all the rage. This particular planet isn’t especially habitable, but has a lot of potential, and it’s up to a team of nearly 200 people to categorize and optimize this potential, so that it can be seeded with all the embryos they brought with them.
Mickey’s crucial to the mission, a sort of royal tester, in space. Mickey’s also the only one mad enough to volunteer for this position. Some of the colonists, the Natalists, including the mission’s commander, don’t even consider him a real person anymore, but are still aware of his inherent worth. The thing they don’t want, though, the thing no one really wants, including Mickey himself, are two Mickeys, and yet, following a mission snafu, that’s exactly what occurs. Mickey7, written off for dead, survives and comes back to find a freshly printed Mickey8 in his bunk. Shenanigans ensue…
The book is really too elaborate to describe as a mere clone comedy, though it did remind me of that recent blink and miss it Paul Rudd tv show where he also found himself sharing life with a clone, after a snafu. That production wouldn’t even be saved by Paul Rudd’s considerable (and doubled charm), but this one works and works well. It hits all the right notes in all the right respects, follows its internal logistics tightly and spins a fascinating and compelling narrative of wildly imaginative, well crafted future. Very respectable world building, very fun, dynamic writing. There’s so much to like here. I enjoyed reading this book very much. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.