I really liked this book. I thought it was smart and well written. My lazy comparison is to say it is like Andy Weir’s,The Martian in content, crossed with Isaac Asimov’s “i Robot” turned on its head, but the whole thing is more fun and edgier. Because I think it’s well written I know there’s more layers and thematic exploration to it than that, but I don’t think I need to go into all of that to convey how much I iked book.

I loved the author’s tone of voice immediately and I thought it was a very compelling writing style for the content. While this book did not entirely invent the space horror genre I thought I did a good job with telling an entertaining and interesting story.

Like other reviews, I will mention my one complaint is that the book was probably a little too short. We did not get a lot of time to sit with these characters before things started happening. I would not go so far as to say that I did not develop any attachment to them, but I will say that I wanted to see more happen before everything resolved.

I will also disagree with those who say that the ending was predictable, which don’t seem to be very many people. But I did not find it predictable at all. I was not surprised, but I did not see the twist coming, which made the whole thing pretty fun in the end.

All in all, cool book, fun read, would recommend to anybody who enjoys this genre. I really loved it. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy.

Interesting! The sense of dread and mystery throughout the book is good. It does have a lot of twist and turns that’ll keep you engaged but I think this book could’ve benefited from being a bit longer. It tried to do a lot for such a short book.

I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting, which isn't surprising considering I did the same with Mason Coile's William. A human crew of three is sent to Mars to prep for the first colony. They know this is a one-way ticket because they will never return to Earth. Three robots made the trip before them to set up their dwelling. When the crew arrives, the lab has been destroyed, the codes changed, and only two robots are there. The robots have changed too, and they both have disturbing tales to tell. This was fast paced, with multiple events going on at the same time. I absolutely loved it!

I could not read this book fast enough! There were so many dramatic things happening at the same time with jump scares and twists! However, it just needed an epilogue (or just one more chapter) for me to give it 5 Stars instead of 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy!

Exiles was an amazing thriller. The setting was so creepy and atmospheric without being too heavy-handed with the descriptions. The plot was fast-paced and kept you hooked. I enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it to a friend (and have).

"Exiles" is a tense, fast-paced locked room mystery set on the surface of Mars. Three autonomous robots have been sent ahead to assemble a habitat for the three astronauts who show up four years later, just to find a damaged set of buildings!

Perhaps it's not surprising, because, after all, once the robots were done building the hab, what were they supposed to do other than daydream, consider the existential nature of their situation, and imagine things on the hostile planet? Or is there an alien force that's been lying in wait for the astronauts, a force that has already attacked the habitat before they even landed and is still outside, lurking.

This was a great sci-fi horror novel. Highly recommended!

I don't know how to write this, but the exiles were a wild ride. Paranoia, the lies, the back stabbing second guessing I didn't know which way was up. Hell did not expect that ending, I'm writing this immediately after putting the book down, and I am at a loss of words in a good way.

Three people selected to start colonizing Mars but having Robots building a habitat for three years.

What space mission ever goes smoothly? Before even landing on Mars, things don't go as planned, but you have to follow protocol. Once landed, everything is wrong.

There is no "good guy", there are only terrible beings and the consequences of their actions. Which made this so much better. If I had the time, I could write a whole thesis on this.

If you like anything to do with the Alien franchise, this is up your alley.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mason Coile for this ebook

Once I picked it up, I couldn't put this book down. It was a tense, fast-paced, terrifying read that I loved.

Exiles by Mason Coile is a tense survival thriller set on the rugged wasteland of Mars that brings both thrills, frights, and a sense of unnerving melancholy. It is absolutely worth experiencing, and it will stay with you long after you close the cover.

The story concerns the first settlers on Mars arriving to a settlement preconstructed by androids, only to find the settlement heavily damaged, the surviving robots claiming that something is watching and waiting for the humans' arrival.

The book is tight, tense, and contains strong character moments. Without spoiling anything, the question of what exactly is watching them is fascinating and brings up questions that we will be wrestling with in the future as AI becomes more prominent.

If this sounds up your alley, don't hesitate to pick this up when it releases on September 16, 2025. It's a solid blend of sci-fi, horror, and character exploration that you won't be able to put down.

Very special thanks go to NetGalley and Putnam Books for a digital advance copy!

This book was quite an interesting concept, but it didn’t grasp my attention like O was hoping it would. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a advanced copy.

Big thanks to Net Galley and Penguin group for the ARC of this very fun read.

I originally started this book psyched that it was shorter and figured it would be a quick read but now I wish it was at least another hundred pages or so. The author brings you into the world immediately and the pace doesn’t slow until you finish the book.

Mostly thriller, with a little bit of sci-fi this was a very fun read.

Mason Coile’s William was a master class in dread, well-earned and unexpected plot twists, and genuine moments of shock, terror, and tragedy. Coile’s Exiles, forthcoming from G.P. Putnam's Sons in September 2025, is a similarly slim and structured, but doesn’t quite match its near-perfect predecessor.

Like William, Exiles grapples with what it means to be human using the contentious relationship between man and machine as the centerpiece. Despite its brevity, there is heart and depth here, especially when Coile presses his thumb on the bruise of the age-old question: what makes us human? Is it friendship, family, having nightmares, desires, or being born? By story’s end, there are no clear answers, which might in part be due to the lack of humanity found in the characters, both human and bot.

As a rather unlikeable person myself, I don’t need a novel’s characters to be likable, but I do need to care about them. Dana Gold, Exiles ’ icy protagonist is too slickly detached to get a grip on. While the stakes in Exiles are arguably higher than those in William, I found myself less invested in the outcome. Terrors abound in the vastness of space, but I struggled to relate to the tiny cast of characters.

Despite its shortcomings relative to William, Exiles still delivers twists, tragedy, and terrors. There are mysteries that gradually unfold, tableaus dark enough to have snuck into my nightmares—Dear reader, I swallowed this book whole in a single sitting and slept badly that night—and the sparse, but powerful prose I’m coming to associate with Coile's work. All in all, it made a beautifully matched thematic set with William and I'll be recommending this twisted pair of twin novellas to any and all techno-horror fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We're going to Mars and never coming back

The human crew of three are on a one-way trip to Mars, on a colonizing mission, Kang, the engineer, Blake, the pilot & crew leader, and last Gold, the medical officer and our MC. With them fast approaching Mars somethings are going awry, coms are silent, and upon arrival, they meet two of their robot assistants that seem to be short one, and that's only the beginning of their problems.

Holy smokes, that was an awesome short read! That ending was perfection!

This was fast-paced, claustrophobic, suspenseful, and a hell of a psychological thrill, and all under 250 pages. I fought sleep to finish this one and continued it as soon as I woke up. It was so good! Twists and turns, not knowing who is your ally and who is lying. Can't even trust your own eyes. I have my cast picked out for whenever they decide to make this a movie because it they absolutely need to!

This was my first book by this author, and definitely not my last, I have William sitting on my shelf, and now it has skyrocketed it to my immediate TBR.

I would love to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this awesome sci-fi thriller. I can't wait for more from them!

At its core, Exiles is a psychological thriller with sci-fi and dystopian elements. Not dystopian in the standard sense, but from an emotional standpoint.

Blake, Gold and Kang are astronauts, explorers setting out to what could very well be a suicide mission to Mars. Each of them have their own reasons, but they all bring their skillsets to the table to explore the Red Planet from a base named Citadel, built by three robots who also inhabit the base.

Shortly after arrival, things seem strange. The bots have gendered themselves and assigned themselves names. Sentient beings they are not - they have developed distinct personalities, feelings, and mannerisms that mimic those of humans. The dystopian feeling comes from this, but also the incredible emotional weight each character is under.

There are no failsafes and there is no big red button that will get the explorers home. No matter what happens, there isn’t really an escape plan. When Citadel appears damaged on arrival, with only two bots of the three there should have been, things begin to go sideways. Is the crew in charge or are the bots?

I felt like this mesmerizing, heartbreaking story ended with a kind of melancholy love. I have only read one of Coile’s other books, but everything about this one was picture perfect (except the length - I could have read this book forever).

The prose and storytelling was perfect. The pace was wonderful, offering just enough anxiety to make you want to find out what happens. Fans of thrillers of all kinds, sci-fi, and dystopian themes will love this book. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to check it out prior to publication.

Thank you NetGalley & Mason Coile for an ARC copy of this book.

This was so captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat it was a good blend of scifi and horror. There was such a great plot twist that I actually didn’t see coming! I liked the writing style a lot and I really liked the narrator as well. I actually wish this book was longer ! This book was so eering but enticing and just kept giving more and more!

As a long time avid reader of sci- fi horror I was excited to be picked to read and review Exiles by Mason Coile.

The cover grabbed me right away, setting up the spooky ambiance of travelling to our nearest neighbor to set it up for habitation. The book examines not only the horror of the possibility of alien life - which is what I was prepared for, but also the existential dread of leaving all of humanity behind on a one way trip.

My favorite part of this short book was the robots, who have been sent ahead to prepare the facilities our protagonists will inhabit for the rest of their lives. Themes of identity were explored in a new and interesting way.

I do feel the pacing of the book was off, with perhaps a tad too much introspection from our main character. I did enjoy the twists and turns through out the book, and the moments of suspense that had me on the edge of my seat.

A quick read, might even be doable in a single sitting, that takes you out of this world.

This was a fun read for me. Not because the plot or main character's psychology was fun in any way, but because there were so many twists that I kept thinking I had figured out that turned out to be incorrect, and because I'm still fairly new to mystery/horror reads like this.

From start to finish, I was kept constantly invested in seeing what would come next, and probably could have read it all in one sitting if I had the time. Both the plot twists and the psychological conflict the main character has to deal with throughout the story.

My only complaint was that the story is short, but not short story short. So it sometimes, like with how the robots seem much more human than they were programmed to be as "basic worker bots," has to be taken as true, without real explanation of how they have managed to basically disobey their programming.

Thank you to Putnam for providing this advanced reader copy through NetGalley.

Interesting. This book surprised me.

A blend of sci-fi, mystery, and horror, this story follows the three-person crew of the first manned mission to Mars. They're supposed to arrive and be greeted by the robots sent ahead of time to prepare their base, but when they finally get there, something is wrong. The robots are acting strange, and an alien threat lurks outside. Or does it?

It's a quick book, and you never have a chance to get bored. The mystery piqued my interest immediately, and the pace never lets up. I love sci-fi, but I don't love horror, so ultimately I think I'm not the target audience here. However, though this isn't the kind of thing I would go looking for to read, I did enjoy this story more than I expected to.

Menacing, captivating, psychologically-driven, Exiles is a one-way ticket to the Red Planet that will impress science-fiction, horror, and robotics/AI fans alike.

Blake is the crew leader and pilot, Kang, engineer, and Dana Gold, our medical officer and narrator. Each character was chosen for their skill set, but as their personality is revealed with well-layered backstory, we learn of deeper reasons.

Three robots skitter around the Martian landscape months before our warm-blooded cast. As designed by their carbon-based makers they set up the base and prepare the environment. Not as designed, they get bored, gender themselves and develop some version of sentience. The human dynamics at play in Exiles is fascinating, the robot dynamics, terrifying. Bots experience fear and loneliness, display emotional ticks and behave with fatalism and deception. To what degree can they mislead is a major question.

Messages from Earth take 8 minutes to send and receive. Crew members are allowed to bring one item in a locked twelve-inch-square metal box, their own sort of Pandora’s Box. Kang chooses a bottle of Makers Mark, Blake and Gold’s items are more intimidating and work a perfect groove into the plot. Bleakness and fear grow with every page of this wickedly innovative book. Coile maintains an impressively sensitive grip on the reigns at all points in the story evolving into a final scene will leave readers dead-eyed and staring into space.

"The light built into the front of my helmet fractures into shadow as it plays over the rock’s spikes and bumps, so that the wall at the end of the cave appears alive with motion. I’m pretty sure it’s only that."

A highly recommended read. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a review copy. (less) [edit]

Feb 27, 2025 [

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review: From NetGalley
Release Date: 9-16-25
Authors: Mason Coile; Andrew Pyper
No Spoilers

First, I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance. As promised, I will give you my honest review.

This book is amazing! The book hooked me from the beginning. It held my attention the entire time. This is a fast-paced science fiction quick read. The book is about a crew sent to Mars to prepare the first-ever colony. Once they arrive, they find their base half-destroyed, and their three robots sent to set up in disarray. All kinds of stuff are going on y’all. We got aliens, murders, alliances, and other kinds of stuff. It’s a who done it Sci-Fi, and it’s exceptional! The end is very satisfying too. I will definitely purchase a physical copy.