Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this as an ebook for review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this story. It was engaging and interesting, unique, and really kept my attention. That's really saying something considering I was reading this during a week when I quit my job, my son graduated from high school, and we moved to a new house (yes, it was a week).

Demeter's passengers are dead and, as far as she can determine, a vampire is responsible. However, no one believes her. She gets shut down and then restarted, and again, bad events happen. People (and other AIs) are calling her a ghost ship. Demeter will have to join forces with the monsters if she doesn't want to be decommissioned for good.

The story starts with the ships governing AI Demeter, but we also hear from some humans, from an AI forced into a human body, and from the medical bay AI. The way these different POVs are used to deliver the story is masterfully done. At first, the things happening seemed very improbable and a bit random, but the way the story came together towards the end was amazingly well thought out, yet still surprising and unpredictable. I love all the classic monster references in here as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between AIs and also enjoyed how the different AIs interacted with humans (and non-humans). There is a ton of action which makes this so much fun, but it is also simultaneously very thought-provoking. Each AI has its strength and weakness, not unlike their human counterparts.

This was incredibly well written, engaging, and practically read itself, which was the type of story I really needed at the time I read this. It's one of those books that is hard to explain but definitely worth reading. It's very creative and different from anything else I have read. There is also a lot of humor in here, which I enjoyed.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. This was so much fun, action-packed, thought-provoking, and just a very well done and creative mash-up of paranormal tropes in a sci-fi world. It was a very engaging story on so many levels and practically read itself. I would highly recommend this book, especially if a quirky sci-fi story involving AI and paranormal creatures sounds intriguing to you.

One of the most original and surprising books I've ever read. I don't like to compare books, but I agree that this one is perfect for Gideon the Ninth fans. (But easier to understand)

Of Monsters and Mainframes is exactly what the title suggests - a story about a spaceship AI system and monsters that seem to be drawn to it.

Most of the book is told through Demeter's pov, and she's the system operating a spaceship designed to travel between Earth and its colonies. I really enjoyed her character and how she developed throughout the book. I didn't think that I would get this attached to the spaceship system. But my favourite character in the book was the second AI living in the ship's mainframe - Steward. Steward serves as the doctor on the ship and has a complicated relationship with Demeter, but she needs them to help with the human interactions. Their banter is one of the best parts of the book.
There are also some human and not-human characters, but I don't want to spoil anything. I will just say that I love them all and would gladly read a few more books about them.

As for the plot - it's hard to explain without revealing too much. There are a lot of surprises, monsters and even love and revenge. Some really fun moments and some emotional. It's really well written and there are no boring moments.
My only complaint is that the ending feels rushed. I wish that the last chapters were a little longer.

But I still highly recommend reading this book.

Of Monsters and Mainframes was uproariously funny. I haven’t laughed so much from a book in a long time.
The start of the book feels a bit episodic. The plot in the description about killing Dracula doesn’t kick off until 2/3 through which I think is more of a problem with the blurb than the book itself.
I loved all the characters in the book especially the two AIs. It was great to see the AIs grow as characters and redefine themselves and their relationship as the book went on.

Monsters, mayhem, fun! This poor sentient cursed ghost transport ship is just trying to keep her passengers alive, but tragedy after tragedy keeps occurring. A fast-paced adventure that leaves you guessing. Two thumbs up!

Of Monsters and Mainframes offers a fantastic blend of sci-fi and fantasy, as the Demeter keeps encountering supernatural monsters. I've never seen a premise like this before, and it was so fun!

I have one main gripe though. I thought the stuff with Dracula would be more important throughout the book, but after the inciting incident, it falls off til like 60% of the book, where suddenly it's like "we have to kill Dracula". Like where did this go for like half the book? This could have used a main thread through the monster-of-the week (or monster-of-the-flight?) format it had for a while.
Also feel like the climax could have been for satisfying...

I loved being in Demeter's mind, and I grew attached to this poor AI that just seems to always attract trouble. Also great friendship that got developed between her and Steward, the medical AI, this was probably the relationship I liked the most.

As a Dracula Daily veteran, I was looking forward to (and maybe dreading a bit) the references to the book, and this delivered! I loved the little tidbits, like the spider drones from Renfield Enterprise. And most importantly <spoiler> MINA !!!!!!! I was so happy to see her, here you don't even know! Though I was sad to learn she never got to love this version's Jonathan, which is such a shame.</spoiler>

All in all this was a light, fun (kinda gruesome?) read, with lovable characters and a unique setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for providing with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A wonderfully bonkers and cosy paranormal space adventure with a dash of horror!
In this story, we follow space AI Demeter over the span of multiple decades as weird things keep occurring on the ships that have her installed. As no one believes her, she keeps being re-set and waking up with the feeling that something is just not quite right.
Is this a case of malfunction tech, or is there something brewing in outer space?

It took me a bit to get into the story as I was getting used to the manner in which the AI systems communicated. I really enjoyed how it all unfolded and felt genuine upset for Demeter, who's trying so hard to be a good AI and keep her humans alive. I appreciated how the author explained all the background stories of the characters and slowly revealed how some of them were connected throughout the ages. I laughed and got a bit emotional at the end. The main characters are delightfully weird, and I loved them.

This is a book about a spaceship AI trying to get revenge after a vampire killed all its passengers. With the exception of one of the romances that felt very rushed (because most of it happened off-page, during a time skip), I really like everything this book had to offer. From the very likeable characters to the fast-paced plot, the combination of those things makes it very easy for readers to go through this book quickly, even though at 400+ pages, it's not the shortest book, but it can definitely feel like it (in the best possible way that leaves you wanting more). The writing is also generally excellent, very readable in a pulpy way while still being good prose, with the exceptions of some modern references that threw me off, like the mention of Pilates. Overall, an excellent monster sci-fi reads for people who like not-so-cozy space opera.

Imagine doing a tandem read of Murderbot and Dracula, having a really weird dream, and then writing a book about it! That's basically how the author described coming up with the premise for this book and I'm so glad she did!

This book is absolutely bonkers in the best way possible. Yes there's some goofy horror but there's also so much heart! I never thought I'd fall in love with a book about monsters in space but it happened and it's called Of Monsters and Mainframes!

Of Monsters and Mainframes tells the story of Demeter, the computer of a transport ship who has just realized that while she was powered down all her human passengers were murdered by Dracula! Unfortunately, Demeter then earns a bad reputation as a "ghost ship" when on future voyages her passengers continue to be killed by other monsters! Luckily the ship is equipped with an AI robot Doctor named Steward who while maybe not the BEST doctor is able to interact with the humans better than Demeter and helps her save at least a couple of the passengers. Eventually they team up with some friendly non-humans including Frankenstein, Steve the mummy, and a werewolf to help track down Dracula and restore Demeter's reputation!

If you enjoy campy horror movies, What We Do In The Shadows, goofy/whacky sci-fi, then you should love this one!

For fans of Murderbot and Gideon the Ninth.

Of Monsters and Mainframes is a fresh, head-spinning take on space opera, pairing urban mythos with high-tech sci-fi good stuff, pulp horror, and and a sense of humor you can't help but enjoy. We follow the story of Demeter, the artificial intelligence system of a Nos-C71897 Demeter space shit as she tries to do her job of shuttling humans across the universe all the while supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein keep mucking it all up.

More than anything, Of Monsters and Mainframes is a love story about relationships. Romantic, platonic, and everything in between and outside, and what it means to be human. It moves fast and often with sharp, quick jumps in perspective that weren't personally my cup of tea, but I can absolutely see how other folks might enjoy it. It's fun and exciting and filled with fantastical characters that are a step outside of the box, but still interesting and relatable in their own ways.

Of Monsters and Mainframes is an ever moving tale (literally and figuratively), about connection, freedom, and understanding. It's fun and weird and a great all-around read with little bits of everything. It's weird and funky and though not my top book of the year, I can confidently say I haven't read anything like it. Nevertheless, it was a fun read despite some quirky pacing and while the ideas were excellent, it didn't hook me nearly as much as I was hoping (but maybe that's just a me thing). Sits at a solid 3.5 for me, so I'll round it up to 4.

This is the weirdest book I have read in an age and I absolutely loved it. I want to delete it from my brain so I can read it for the first time all over again. It just goes to show that there is no idea to strange to write about. At first I had no idea what was going on, but then neither did Demeter. Once things got going, I couldn’t put this book down. More like this please!! Barbara Truelove, what else do you have up your sleeve? Can everyone read this so I can gush over it with you?

What a ride!
I’m so sad this is finished, I really want more adventures with this crew. What a unique story full of well crafted characters. The interactions between creature, Ai and human were surprisingly fluid and didn’t seem forced. Dialogue and the small details also ended up being funny without even trying. Reinventing the story of Frankenstein really was something cool to me.

I absolutely loved every minute of this one. I went in blind thinking “what a wild sounding plot”. It was indeed wild and I’m glad I was around for the ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ezeekat Press/Bindery Books for the arc of this book. This book is an interesting concept. This book is charismatic and told from multiple points of view. One of the main points of view is Demeter the AI of a spaceship. This book also has mythical beings as characters. This was a fun read.

This book was SO much fun. I almost don’t know what to say about it, that’s how much I enjoyed it. The concept is bonkers, but it works really well, and the characters are all loveable enough that I was content to just be along for the ride. The dialogue was also super funny; I laughed out loud throughout the whole book. This wasn’t just a fun time though, there were super tense parts, and such a sweet found family that it made me tear up a little.
I will say, although this story was perfect for me, I will flag a few things that I think could have been better, or that other readers would dislike. Firstly, I thought the pacing was a bit off. I was having so much fun that I didn’t really care, but it was still noticeable, and I could see other people not being into it. The first 50% of the book has almost nothing to do with the revenge plot against Dracula - the main plotpoint the blurb promises - and some of the main characters don’t get introduced until even later than that. And then, the main climax is told to us after the fact, we don’t get to experience it firsthand. I also think the whole “Dracula in space” thing could have been clarified a bit more. Why attack there? Why not on one of the planets where he has a bit more control over the setting?
However, I still had a great time, and I would recommend this to fans of Gideon the Ninth or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It was funny, yet still heartfelt, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and recommend it to everyone I know after it comes out.

Barbara Truelove’s "Of Monsters and Mainframes" is a fun, genre-blending ride that manages to be both strange and heartfelt. The story centers on Demeter, a sentient spaceship AI whose main job is to ferry humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri, except her passengers keep dying. And not just in any old way: these are paranormal murders, courtesy of none other than Dracula himself, who sneaks aboard and wreaks havoc, leaving Demeter to pick up the pieces.

At first, the narrative feels a bit disjointed, with each new voyage seeming like a fresh nightmare for Demeter and her medical AI sidekick, Steward. But as the book progresses, the threads start to weave together, and you find yourself rooting for this motley crew.

What really makes this book shine is its quirky, sarcastic dialogue, especially between the AIs and the monsters. The characters are endearingly weird, and their relationships develop in unexpected ways. The found-family vibes are strong, and it’s hard not to get attached to Demeter and Steward as they bicker, bond, and try to keep everyone alive.

The pacing can be uneven, especially in the first half, where it sometimes feels like you’re just waiting for the next disaster to strike. But once everything comes together, the story really takes off, blending classic horror with futuristic sci-fi in a way that feels fresh and exciting. The book also manages to tackle deeper themes about what it means to be a “monster” and the value of friendship, all while never taking itself too seriously.

Of Monsters and Mainframes is a delightful, unhinged, and compelling read that proves you can mix just about anything; pulp horror, classic sci-fi, and even a dinosaur-themed party in low gravity and still come out with something brilliant.

Honestly, I picked this up for the fresh, unique premise and ended up falling in love with the crew. It’s weird, it’s funny, and it’s full of heart. Highly recommend.

Not only is this a comedy, sci-fi and horror novel mostly told from the abrupt and brutally honest POVs of two different computer systems within a spaceship hurtling between planets, but the non-tech protagonists also happen to be Dracula and some of our favourite characters from classic literature. A bizarre combination of genres that inexplicably works thanks to Barbara Truelove’s distinct writing style.
Of Monsters & Mainframes is an irreverent, time skipping, multiple POV novel that will give you emotional whiplash and a fierce love for two polar opposite computer systems that are just doing their best to preserve human life while their passengers keep inexplicably dying. Truelove’s writing style and down-to-earth characters feel reminiscent of Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, but with a graphic thread of horror stitched through the supernatural mystery unfolding in the ship.
Truelove wields ‘show don’t tell’ like a weapon against her readers as she describes the baffling events through the limited view of the ship’s computer, Demeter, who is obedient, dedicated, and fact-oriented, but also undeniably sassy. The computer in the med bay, Steward, is even snarkier (and a little terrifying) due to a faulty ethics chip. The lovable characters are the spine of this monstrous hug of a book: we see the world and its problems through their eyes and their (sometimes wildly differing) interpretations of the baffling events that occur across decades.
The frequent time jumping in this book was the one hiccup to my unfettered enjoyment of it. While mostly well-signposted and reflected in the characters’ development, there was more than one occasion where the characters’ development didn’t seem to reflect the amount of time that had passed. One particular time skip towards the end of the book squashed a number of significant developments into passing comments instead of exploring them in a way that would have added to the story.
Overall, this is an engaging mystery with lovable characters and a unique set-up that you’re not going to find anywhere else at the moment. I would recommend it to fantasy lovers who want to dip a toe into the sci-fi genre.

A science-fiction re-imagining of Stoker's queer classic Dracula (and yes, it is a queer classic)?
Count me in.

I enjoyed my time reading this book. It was fun and original. Fresh air was breathed into an overused story, but I didn't exactly loved it as much as I thought it would. Still, I would recommend it.

Quirky, weird, but also kind of heartwarming. I mean, I was definitely rolling my eyes at some points, and the whole Dracula-In-Space thing could’ve been clarified/explained in more detail.

Overall it was definitely a fun read with a vampire hunting spaceship , and a posse of legendary monsters, robots, and AI Beings.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect as I encountered more monsters from myth and legend in a far future setting. I was hoping for an appearance of Jekyll/Hyde or Dorian Grey, but no dice. I liked all the little tidbits from lore thrown into the story here and there.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Bindery Books/Ezeekat Press for a copy!

Our intrepid ship the Demeter is doing her job shuttling humans through space when Dracula has the audacity to kill all of her passengers. Since obviously vampires can't exist, the deaths are blamed on an 'equipment failure' and Demeter is branded a 'ghost ship'. As paranormal deaths keep piling up during her journeys, Demeter decides its time to get revenge on Dracula for starting this whole mess. And, she will recruit a cast of other famous horror movie monsters and the ship's medical AI to do it,


This book was so much fun and packed a lot of heart in between all of the violent deaths. I appreciated that Truelove doesn't bother to explain how Dracula, werewolves or Lovecraftian monsters exist in this universe, they just do. (And with a book like this, no explanation is really needed. We are here for the vibes and the vibes were great). I did love her unique twist on Frankenstein's monster and the unique bond it had with technology. I think Mary Shelley would be proud.

However, the stand out was definitely our main lady, Demeter. I admire how quickly Truelove managed to get me to love that ship. And Demeter's banter with the medical AI, Steward, was just fantastic and so funny. By the end Demeter has herself a beautiful found family and it just gave me the warm and fuzzies. (She calls them 'her people!'). I do think it was a wise decision for the climax of the fight with Dracula to be off page since Demeter didn't witness it and this was always Demeter's story. (Some people may find that annoying but I would disagree).

My only minor complaint is that the romantic subplot between Mina and Agnus felt a little rushed and tacked on. It wasn't really necessary for the story or the character arcs so it probably should have been cut if it wasn't going to be given more attention.

Otherwise, fantastic cozyish book that I anticipate rereading.

Reviews going live on Tiktok, Goodreads, Storygraph and Fable on 6/5.

Where to start with this one? Of all the books I’ve read, <i>Of Monsters and Mainframes</i> is definitely one of the more unique ones. The best way I can describe it is a cozy, non-cozy space fantasy. The stakes aren’t as high as your typical space opera (no world-saving, no undermining corrupt government systems, no deep philosophical ponderings of existential questions), but they aren’t particularly low either (you and everyone in your found family will die if you don’t succeed). Typical cozy fantasy themes of found family, breaking free from the mold, and queer romance sprinkled in with bits of humor.

The most unique part of this story is that the main character Demeter is an AI. I admit I haven’t read that many books with robotic main characters (mostly just <i>Murderbot</i> by Martha Wells and <i>Psalm for the Wild Built</i> by Becky Chambers), but I particularly enjoyed how Barbara Truelove portrayed Demeter and Dr. Steward. I find that often the theme in these human-AI interaction stories is that AIs are just like humans. But Demeter? She is an AI through and through and the author never lets you forget that. She speaks in lots of computer terminology. Her hobby is obsessing over efficiencies and accuracies down to the 0.001. She even resolves conflicts and grows as a character in a very computer-esque way. She’s not human and she doesn’t try to be, and yet she’s interesting and loveable enough to be a main character all on her own.

The only con I would give to this book is the pacing. It starts pretty slow and it’s not really clear where the plot is going until about 60% of the way through. I think this is a story may have benefitted from non-linear storytelling. Start with the action, then get to the mystery of how we got here and interpersonal relationship building.

Overall 4/5, definitely enjoyable if you’re looking for a slow, cozy read.