A big thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam - G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!


Exiles by Mason Coile (under pen name Andrew Pyper) is a short yet enthralling read that I can best describe as "The Martian" meets "Mouthwashing". It is a space survival story taking place on a pre-colonized Mars, and the three astronauts that are sent there to begin the process. However, things go awry very quickly when they arrive and find their base of operations in disarray, along with the odd behavior of the assistant robots waiting for them.

I really enjoyed reading this. For under 200 pages this book does a great job at telling a clear and concise story without overstaying its welcome. There's a great mystery in the story mixed in with some social commentary on being the only woman in a crew full of men, and the isolation and longing that can arise from such circumstances. I liked our main character, Dana Gold, and the character of Blake really reminds me of Mouthwashing's Swansea with his asshole nature shielding a deep sadness from his past. I really liked the robots in this story too - there's some twists with the bots that felt a a little too abrupt and sudden once revealed, but it also made me like them more for their depth and what it says about the human characters.

I'm definitely going to check out this author's other work, Will1am. While looking at this book's Goodreads page, I also found out that this is being released posthumously, as Mason Coile passed away in January 2025 from cancer. Finding this out sort of recontextualizes some things in this book, especially the ending, and makes me wonder if this was written in the final stages of his life. My condolences go out to his friends, fans and family for this devastating loss; the world burns a little less brighter with the loss of Coile's literary talent.

Great premise, but it feels hurriedly put together without pacing or atmosphere. The human characters are too robotic, and the robot characters are too human. Fair play if that was intentional irony, but it didn’t work for me. I didn’t care about any of them by the end.

Imagine the Sartres’ play “No Exit” (Hell is other people), but make it robots and humans on Mars.

Interesting premise, right? Unfortunately, that (and the cover) were all that worked for me with this book.

None of the characters acted like scientists. Their actions were completely incongruous with what one would logically expect from astronauts. They jump to conclusions rather easily, disregarding investigation for the easy answer. By 60% I was just hoping they would all die. All the characters are supremely unlikable. Don’t get me wrong, I love complex characters, but there has to be something to engender the reader to at least one of the characters, even if they are meant to be villains or morally gray.

The dialogue between the characters was full of quippy one-liners and “gotcha” zingers, which made it impossible to take seriously. Who, in a professional situation, talks like that?

I get that this book was trying to do something with existential horror, but there were so many plot holes, the impactful moments didn’t land because I just could not suspend my disbelief.

Interesting idea, lacking execution.
* thanks to Putnam for the NetGalley review copy. (Pub date: September 16, 2025)

Exiles by Mason Coile is a psychological experiment in grief, thought, and how creativity can drive us to the stars.
We follow Dana Gold, one member of a team of astronauts as they attempt to become the first humans to set foot on Mars. Her team lead is Blake and the team engineer is Kang. Gold is their team psychologist and medical officer. She is there to make sure that everyone's heads stay tethered during their tenure.
Gold and the human crew are preceded by a team of androids that have helped set up the main base, Citadel, that most of the action takes place at. As soon as Gold and crew show up though, it’s clear that something majorly wrong is taking place at Citadel. The bots, as they’re called by the human crew, have taken on names and personalities. Wes, is the kind of leader, Shay is the soft-spoken one, and Alex has gone missing after attacking the Citadel and fleeing into the Martian desert.
This flight leaves the other two bots scrambling to figure things out before the humans arrive. To make matters worse there also appears to be an entity hell-bent on destroying Citadel as well.
Mr. Coile does a grand job of tying in all of the psychological horrors that thinking beings would experience in the extreme isolation of planetary colonization. The bots have a conscious awakening because they’ve been removed from Earth, and their programmed parameters, thus giving rise to the question of, “What are we doing here?” This is reflected so well by Shay and how they were given time to think after setting Citadel up, the original programmers never entertained the thought that the bots would ever have down time like that.
This free time is given to emotions being developed when it was deemed impossible. I loved the commentary that work dulls the mind to the point that creativity and external stimuli can be seen as dangerous.
There is more than internal danger on Mars though. There is a hostile entity trying to destroy Citadel. None of the bots were able to fight, or even see this creature properly, and it’s ever present scratches outside keep the entire base on edge.
Mr. Coile also presents us with the question of: is it better to engage with your trauma, or harden to the point that you’re unaffected by anything? Gold has the ever-present spectres of her past hovering around her at all times. Keeping her on her psychological toes while everything else is perched on the razor’s edge.
This was a great blend of horror and sci-fi. Mr. Coile took the best of both genres, psychological terror with existential philosophy.

Just as with the excellent William, the author shows that you don’t need a lot of pages or a large cast to create a suspenseful, solid story with rounded, complex characters. In a little over 200 pages we get it all, with not a single wasted word. In the near future, we sent robots to build a habitat to receive the first humans on Mars. At the forefront, a crew of three, two men and a female narrator. After a bumpy entry, everything is going wrong, including the robots. With a destroyed habitat, a Mission Control on Earth that doesn’t consider loss of life a reason to pull the plug and something hostile outside, things keep going from bad to worse for the first Martians. I loved so many things about this book. The characters are complete, realistic and human - including the robots, who have changed in unexpected ways. The dialogues about fear, feelings, loneliness and human nature don’t slow down the plot, but enhance it. The world-building is fantastic, Mars turns into a Gothic nightmare that is at once familiar (from the ubiquitous photos of our neighbor) and alien. The sense of dread only increases and the plot never goes in a predictable direction. Horrible, traumatic, excruciatingly suspenseful and unbelievably poignant, this is one of my favorite reads of the year so far.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/PENGUIN GROUP Putnam.

Exiles was a great suspenseful space horror novella! The premise of this was so unique and I loved the inclusion of unreliable characters/narrators who aren’t telling you the truth, or don’t know if they are. It made every twist and the ultimate ending unexpected.

The setting of Mars was desolate and perfect for this, with an interesting hab inclusion (typical of Mars settlement stories, but always with its own quirks).

The characters were flawed and interesting, though not particularly well-developed. For this story, I think it wasn’t necessary, though. You know exactly as much as you need to, and more of the focus is on the fear and suspense.

I didn’t read this in one setting but you definitely could! I think this will be a hit for anyone who enjoys horror in a space-setting. Thank you to Mason Coile/Andrew Pyper, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Loved the concept (Martian colonists, robots running amok, fight for survival), haaaaaaaated the execution.

It was simultaneously too short to really get a handle on the characters (who were all basically slightly different one-dimensional versions of the same asshole) and extremely tedious to get through. The main character’s eventual backstory reveal was weird and felt unnecessary (?) even though I think that was the whole point of the story? I’ve come to realize I really hate books with a lot of “is it a hallucination or is it real or is it a dream or am I crazy or maybe all of the above?” going on.

Anyway, I clearly just didn’t get it, but plenty of people have really enjoyed this (and his other book, William, which I DNFd), so I will chalk this author up as “not for me” and carry on.

What's scarier than taking a one-way trip to another planet? How about not having your robots and systems respond while you still have to land? Or being the only woman on a three-man team? Imagine if your AI robots started naming themselves and assigning themselves genders.

Then there's the mystery of a missing robot and strange scratching sounds coming from the walls of an uninhabitable area outside.

Once this book grabs your attention, you won't be able to put it down.

I enjoyed the ideas behind this story, but I’m not sure it was executed well. Even though it was short, it was very slowly paced even when it should have been exciting - part of me thinks this could be reworked into a brilliant short story.
It’s a little predictable, but still fun enough. I know several people who would enjoy this book.

Exiles is a tense and haunting survival story wrapped in eerie, speculative mystery. Coile and Pyper deliver a chilling blend of psychological suspense and atmospheric dread, exploring what it means to be human when everything familiar is stripped away. Gripping, unsettling, and full of emotional weight—I thought about this one for days after I finished reading it!

Wow, what an absolute thrill ride this book was! If you're looking for a terrifying, mind-bending, locked-room style mystery/horror set on the desolate, crimson plains of Mars, this is it.

The premise alone hooked me: a human crew arrives at a Martian outpost only to find it half-destroyed, with the robots meant to prepare the colony having gone rogue. They've formed alliances, chosen names, and developed unsettling beliefs.
Suddenly, the mission isn't just about survival, it's about figuring out what the heck happened – especially when one robot is missing.

Coile masterfully blends sci-fi suspense with psychological horror, creating an atmosphere so thick with tension you could cut it with a Martian rock. Every page pulled me deeper into the unsettling world of malfunctioning machines and the fragile human psyche. The interrogation scenes with the robots are particularly brilliant, blurring the lines between AI and genuine consciousness.

This book is a taut, fast-paced, one-sitting read that will keep you guessing until the very last page. The twists are genuinely shocking, and the exploration of what it means to be human (or not) in an isolated, hostile environment is incredibly thought-provoking.

Highly recommend for fans of sci-fi space horror, and anyone who loves a good mystery with a terrifying twist! You won't be disappointed.

Great for fans of Reacher and Wick. Good pacing and interesting characters, slightly implausible with a hard dose of reality. This should be in airport bookstores, it will make the flight seem 5 minutes.

Three astronauts are on their way to establish the first manned colony on Mars. As they approach the planet, however, there's no communication from established base..When they finally arrive, there's damage to the quarters, still no contact from the resident robots, and the codes to the building have been changed. When they manage to get inside and meet up with two of the robots they find some very disturbing things. Stuck in isolation so long, the bots have developed human-like personalities, and now they warn the humans that the third of number went a bit mad an is out on the planet surface. On top of that something is attacking the base. Is it the malfunctioning robot or an alien being bent on stopping the colonizers? As the crew tries to come to terms with these unpredictable turn of events, they quickly find themselves in severe danger.
A different type of novel from Mason Coile/Andrew Pyper, but an absolute banger of a story fusing sci-fi with horror. The tale goes in many unexpected directions and has a few shocking twists. I'm sad this may be the last thing published by Pyper, who was always one of my favorite authors, and who produced one of his absolute best with Exiles.















when

This sci-fi thriller had me up LATE because I had to see how the ending would unfold. After being shocked by William by this author last year, I knew to expect the unexpected but I was still left reeling from this one.

A space colonization novel coupled with a robotic whodunnit - sign me up. This one was perfect and I loved the notes of The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov. You can’t get much more “locked room” than an isolated planet with no other humans…..

After just two books I would consider Coile an auto-buy author. His writing is smooth with perfect pacing and I love the twists that creep up on you! Check this one out if you love scifi, robots, space, and horror!

**Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the eARC of this far-out title!**

This book gave me claustrophobia and anxiety, but I think it was supposed to.

It follows three people on a lifelong Mars mission, who discover there is something wrong as they make their approach to the planet. The base they’re set to live in, constructed by bots, goes quiet before their arrival.

After a rocky landing and getting their bearings, they begin to unravel what went wrong.

Creepy eerie, and anxiety inducing. I was on the edge of my seat. It reminded me of I, Robot with a horror twist. I would definitely recommend to folks who are into sci-fi/horror and think it would be interesting to see adapted.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This book was a bit of a struggle to get into, as the unreality of there being no redundancy safety systems in place made it hard to suspend belief for any of the initial chapters. Unfortunately that didn't really change as every step forward made less sense than the previous. Any leadership seemed supremely unconcerned at sending astronauts into completely unknown and unsafe situations with no proof that anything was going right. While the actions was well paced and it did pose some interesting thought exercises, overall, it was extremely fantastical to believe for a book based in our reality.

This is a novella by Madison Coile, a pseudonym for Andrew Pyper, an author I have not read before though he seems to be fairly successful. The story moves along at a quick pace and there is plenty of action as well as psychological tension throughout the book. The story follows three people on a space expedition to Mars where they hope to set up a colony. The crew includes a pilot, engineer and doctor, the last of whom is our narrator and the only female. From the moment they arrive things start going awry. There are three robots there who set up the habitat but no sign of anything going on. When they try to enter the habitat they find they can’t and they are running out of oxygen.

From here on the story becomes one of survival against things that are not what they seem. While some of the occurrences seem difficult to believe or understand I did not want to throw the book against a wall. It seemed slightly possible if not entirely plausible. And the writing was good so it kept me going. The last few chapters turn into more of a horror story with some twists. An overall satisfying read that just needs a little editing and proofreading. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Story follows "Gold" our main female character, she is part of a team of astronauts' task on a mission to Mars, upon arrival they find that the bots that were sent ahead to build the habitat "Citadel" have undergone an unexpected change in their programming, and claim they are not alone on the surface of Mars. Excellent read, fast pace and engaging. Recommend this book for a quick sci-fi fix.

Yikes this book was a bit of a hot mess. It felt in many ways rushed, racing from one frantic scene to the next. Even the flashbacks intended to form the main character had a sense of desperation to them.

Just as challenging, the main plot of the story goes largely unexplained. I love sci-fi and most of all I love when events are explained by a wonderful extrapolation of the present. Ray Bradbury was a genius at this; his robot rules created the base narrative for some extraordinary stories. Andy Weir is a modern example of an author so adept at using fact and science to create remarkable (and surprisingly credible) stories.

Regrettably the bot twist in this story is essentially explained on a single page, and with a bit of a trite wave of the hand.

For me the combination of rushing (accentuated by the ever popular 2-4 page chapters) coupled with a less than compelling explanation for so many of the story’s events, left me unsatisfied.

Good Humorous Hard Science Fiction About Trip to Mars
Mason Coile, Exiles: A Novel (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, September 16, 2025). Hardcover: $28. 224pp, 5-3/16X7-5/8”; Science Fiction. ISBN: 978-0-593851-63-0.
****
“A… locked-room mystery…this time set on a remote outpost on Mars. The human crew sent to prepare the first colony on Mars arrives to find the new base half-destroyed and the three robots sent to set it up in disarray—the machines have formed alliances, chosen their own names, and picked up some disturbing beliefs. Each must be interrogated. But one of them is missing. In this barren, hostile landscape where even machines have nightmares, the astronauts will need to examine all the stories–especially their own–to get to the truth… A terrifying, taut, one-sitting read, and Mason Coile once again blends science fiction and psychological horror to engage some of humanity’s deepest questions.”
The cover of this novel is well-executed, with a red glow that focuses on a dark astronaut in the center. Such simple designs are popular now, and I think with good reason. Readers want a cover that is pleasing, but not too crowded. The attention should be on what is inside a novel, as opposed to leading the gaze to stare at elaborate details on the cover: though I do enjoy the latter activity.
The first section starts rather painfully with a poem about non-stopping “beeping”. Such disturbing loud noises are annoying in films, and are apparently also annoying in novels. The point seems to be to jar or horrify readers with a piercing or disturbing noise. People probably prefer reading horror because they enjoy being frightened. But I tend to like horror for the science, or the fantastic dystopias it presents, so the horrifying, or terror-triggering parts repel me. This poem ends with a note that the “beeping” awakens from “the longest sleep”. I guess sleepy readers might need to be awakened to start focusing on the story.
The next section is a casual chat about turning of the beeping, with some foreshadowing of “reciting from the Bible of Terrifying Worst-Cast Scenarios”, as the astronauts seem to be preparing to land on Mars, and are worrying they have not been told in training what to be worried about. The section does not really communicate anything useful aside for building anticipation for what these worst-possible things are that can happen during space-travel.
The next section does introduce some specifics: “A bathroom the size of a mini-fridge”. And also public-masturbation in a “coffin” because “there’s zero privacy”. It is unclear why the pods don’t have covers for some privacy though…
Then, there’s a claim that the crew was chosen from thousands because of superior skills, but really because they were likely to “get along”. The character is already trying to avoid thinking about murdering others on this journey, so he is clearly not the get-along type.
The promised robots appear in chapter 4, with a note they have lost contact with them. And the blurb delivers when robots are said to have left a “transport buggy” in the wrong place, without assembling it into a part of the compound. There is a lot of cursing, and empty chatter. When the first robot speaks, it seems to be very polite. It helps them in the door and to get their helmets off. In chapter 8, they learn they “lost the enclosed greenhouse”.
The conclusion dampens some of these positive elements, as it shows the protagonist’s mind altered by an alien who is eating him, while making him believe he is being embraced by his mother. This is at least better than a simple prolonged friendly scene between an actual mother and son. But this is an unpleasant digression into nonsense from the curious realistic details about playful robots, and the business of space-travel.
Most of this story is not really horrifying, as the narrator leans towards dark humor, and silly sayings. The humor does help readers to move forward in this reading without the obstacles that appear in most of these other novels. I think a reader could get through most of this book, and have a pretty pleasant time being amused, and also learn a bit about the realities of space travel. This is thus a pretty good choice for somebody looking for hard science fiction.
Pennsylvania Literary Journal: Spring 2025 issue: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-spring-2025