I really enjoyed the book. It kept me engaged from beginning to end and the story was thrilling and quick to read. I did feel that some of the internal drama that Dana had was a bit unnecessary and some of the characters were not flushed out and explored as much as they could have been Had the novel been longer. But overall a fun and exciting read..

Exiles is hands-down the most thrilling read of my year so far. A brutal, short book, Exiles had me guessing from beginning to end and even after I finished it. Power shifted. Dynamics changed. Artificial intelligence became something else.
The main character, Gold, is a fiercely independent woman with a dark past slowly revealed throughout the action and the only woman in the crew of three sent to Mars. After a very bumpy arrival, Gold, Blake, and Kang are thrust into a mystery about why half their base is destroyed and what happened to the third bot tasked with setting it up. Between solving the mystery, social constructs are picked apart, and so are several characters, one in a beautifully described scene unlike anything I have read before.
For such a short book, the characters were remarkably fleshed out with emotions palpable from the page. Reading this was a pleasure. Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC.

A page turner from the beginning. Lot's of twists and turns that I really didn't see coming. I enjoyed the descriptive depictions of space, which made the setting seem isolated and spooky. I also loved the one liners from the human characters about the robots, calling them names like "tinfoil assholes". This book is yet another reason why I don't like robots in any shape or form. I've seen too many Terminator movies. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

A locked-room mystery set in the near future….and by locked room, I do mean the uninhabited planet of Mars. The first human colonizers of Mars arrived to find their base sabotaged, and things only got worse from there. A fast and riveting read.

This book was interesting. Jumps right into it, but I wasn’t super satisfied by the end. felt like I was expecting a little more. Solid read but nothing exceptional.

I requested this after another of Mason Coile's recent books, which I also don't think I rated very highly. This felt the same, the idea's are very intriguing but the execution doesn't feel like it's there. This book wasn't "scary" in the way I wanted it to be. It had good bones but just didn't get there in the end.

2.5/5 stars

Exiles hooked me right away with its premise—a locked-room murder mystery set on Mars, with an isolated crew and a lurking threat billions of miles from Earth. It had all the elements I love: a claustrophobic atmosphere, high stakes, and the promise of psychological tension. but I wish I had read beyond just the tagline, because I didn’t realize how much of the story would center around sentient robots. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully get past how little explanation there was for their sudden self-awareness, or how inconsistently their behavior was handled throughout the book. it required a level of suspension of disbelief I just couldn't give, especially when the crew didn’t seem to question or address the obvious red flags. The execution also felt rushed. The fast pacing made for an easy read, but it didn’t leave enough space to develop the characters or fully explore the deeper themes the story hinted at—like the MC's personal trauma and how it tied into the isolation and dread of their situation. Moments that should have hit hard, like character deaths or emotional reveals, didn’t land because I never really got the chance to connect with anyone.

There were still parts I enjoyed—the writing flows well, and there's a great twist towards the end—but overall, Exiles felt like it was trying to do too much in too little time. Sci-fi fans who enjoy quick, surface-level thrillers might get more out of it, but I was left wanting more depth, more consistency, and a lot more explanation behind the core mystery. and again, truth be told, I would not have been as interested in reading this had I known it was so robot-centric.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the e-ARC

This was an interesting story with a number of unreliable narrators because of the mystery of what happened with this Mars landing and colonization. There were elements of mystery trying to understand what happened to the crew as well as the missing crew member. If you like a good psychological horror with mystery added to it, then you'll like this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This fast-paced sci-fi thriller was a gripping read that kept me guessing until the very end. Though short, it held my attention all the way through.

Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an eARC of Exiles in exchange for my honest review!

I've had my eye on the work of Mason Coile (which is the pseudonym for Andrew Pyper) for some time now, especially since a buddy of mine had previously recommended a book of his, William. And let me tell you, I can understand why she did that, because I have a proper appreciation of Coile's writing after finishing up the suspenseful, fast-paced, and thought-provoking journey that is Exiles. Right from the start, it grips me within the tension between Dana (whose backstory can get quite dark), Blake, and Kang, the three astronauts that we're following as they embark on their mission to Mars—the planet on which they've been assigned to live for the rest of their mortal lives. Oof, a daunting task to consider there.

And of course, it's not a task that these humans can accomplish in a completely smooth fashion, can they? No, no, they do run into suspicious issues that leave us wondering what's going on here and what may be threatening the crew. It's interesting how there's one specific aspect of the narrative that I wasn't expecting it to explore, but once it arrives, then I'm going, "Ohhh, okay, so these are the tropes we're going to navigate." Maybe I should have foreseen that happening, considering the material that this is operating with inside its genre boundaries. And even though what Exiles ends up doing in that territory isn't anything too groundbreaking, it remains riveting to see how Coile uses that to amplify the thrills and open up the floor for questions about what it means to exist and have feelings, trauma and guilt that we poorly deal with, misogynistic beliefs, and fallible humans being unable to prevent any problems from occurring despite how carefully they may have crafted their plans and protocols.

Overall, I'm officially rating Exiles four out of five stars. I'm glad to have enjoyed this as much as I did, although there's a strangeness that comes with the experience now that I've just learned about Coile having passed away back in January. I'd become accustomed to thinking of him as just being alive and writing, but now, poof, I'm aware that he's shuffled off this mortal coil. Oh well, I hope people will give Exiles a shot when it gets published this fall, and I'll certainly bump William up my TBR pile.

Exiles by Mason Coile is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that had me guessing until the very end. As an ARC, it came with a lot of promise—and an intriguing concept that immediately caught my attention: the first human mission to Mars, and the deepening role of AI in shaping the future of off-world colonization. As a lover of speculative fiction, I was excited to imagine what this scenario could look like—and Coile delivers on atmosphere and suspense.

::WHAT I LIKED::

👉 The concept is absolutely compelling—Mars, AI, and the survival of humanity make for a gripping setup.

👉 The pacing keeps you on your toes, with scenes that feel intense and cinematic.

👉 There’s a constant thread of mystery that pulled me through the pages.

::WHAT I WONDERED ABOUT::

👉 I found myself questioning the believability of the characters—especially considering they were supposed to be the elite chosen for such a high-stakes mission.

👉 The main female character’s concerns about sexism didn’t feel entirely authentic to me.

👉 The story’s rhythm was jarring at times, shifting quickly between internal musings and sudden, dramatic events—it made it hard for me to get lost in the world.

::YOU WILL LIKE THIS BOOK IF YOU…::

👉 Enjoy fast-paced, suspenseful sci-fi that keeps you guessing.

👉 Are fascinated by AI and what life on Mars might look like.

👉 Like books that ask big questions and explore psychological tension.

Exiles by Maison Cole is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that blends suspense, mystery, and rich character development. The story explores intriguing themes of belonging, identity, and the complexities of human relationships, drawing you in with its emotional depth. The pacing is steady, with just the right amount of tension to keep you engaged. While the characters are well-crafted and relatable, some of their actions felt a bit predictable, and the resolution didn't pack the punch I was hoping for. Despite this, Cole’s writing shines, and the narrative is compelling enough to make it a very enjoyable read. A strong 4-star book for those who appreciate thoughtful storytelling with a touch of suspense.

This thriller is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat read that keeps you guessing until the very last page. The plot is tightly woven with clever twists and unexpected turns, and the tension builds masterfully throughout. The protagonist is compelling and easy to root for, while the antagonist adds just the right amount of menace to keep the stakes high. The author does an excellent job of balancing action with psychological depth, making the story both suspenseful and emotionally satisfying. If you're a fan of thrillers that combine smart writing with heart-pounding suspense, this one is not to be missed.

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

For a short book, a lot happened. There were a few different reveal moments - the one that surprised me the most was a flashback scene. The story was interesting and moved along at a good pace. I also liked the ending. It made sense for the story, and I'm glad it didn't try to manufacture a happy solution.

What a book! A Martian thriller/mystery/horror, with a hint of “The Thing”, that highlights that AI and misogyny are not just global concerns, they’re interplanetary! This was an exciting and twisty read that you can conquer in an afternoon.

While the book is exhilarating in action it made me genuinely scared at the thought of the boundlessness of AI, which could be far out of our control..

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to this title!

I wanted to like this book. I did like it. And then the ending happened. And it felt so...anticlimactic. I wish we could have dispensed with Shay's plot line in favor of the actual ending. The writing was solid, and I enjoyed Gold's character. Blake's character was a true asshole and I didn't care much about Kang.

SPOILERS BELOW
I was hoping that Mission Leader was somehow Gold's mother, but no. That was disappointing.

Intriguing, fast read. The pace was good and the mystery and competing narratives kept me wanting to to come back to the story. The characters were a bit one-dimensional and the end wrapped up somewhat rushed, and those are probably a product of the book being short.

I devoured this in two sittings! Creepy, claustrophobic, and a page turner. I was shocked by the twists and loved that it kept me guessing until the end.

Mason Coile/Andrew Pyper hits such a good combination of campy, body, and existential horror in Exiles. I’m a huge sci-fi horror fan myself so this read was especially enjoyable!

When three humans are sent to Mars to be the first to settle the planet, things quickly go awry. Not sure who to trust or what to do next, everyone faces their greatest fears.

I knew there would be twists but I didn’t expect any of these, which made it really fun to read. The writing is thoughtful and straightforward but sometimes lacked the next-level atmosphere I was looking for. The strongest element of this book was the depths to which the concept of “Exiles” was explored, which I really enjoyed and could resonate with.

Overall, this solidifies Coile/Pyper as a must-read for me! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam books for the ARC!

Three astronauts, 2 male and 1 female, are sent to Mars to occupy the first outpost for settlement. Bots were sent ahead to build and prepare a habitat for the humans. What could go wrong? There is no communication from the bots so they crash land. The habitat has been attacked. Who attacked? Was it a rouge bot or an alien? This is a many layered tale which raises many topics for discussion.