a very claustrophobic and relentless thriller. space horror + "locked room" mystery are both big favorites for me, and they're perfectly utilized here - coile does an outstanding job at creating a sense of unending dread that permeates every word, and it only increases the further the story progresses, aided immensely by the immersive setting and the vivid portrait of mars' desolation that coile paints. i really like the characters; despite not really learning much about their personal lives, their personalities are very clear and present, and that goes double for the robots, who for me, are the driving force of the story. despite it being a stereotype of trans and nonbinary people relating to robots in media, i've never found myself engaging in it until now; there's something about the way coile decided to defy the expectations of pre-designated genders and instead allowing the robots to cultivate their own identities that really speaks to me. the disbelief and mistrust from the humans, the initial unwillingness to accept their identities - then stripping them of them entirely when they're deemed a "threat"; it's all very familiar, very timely, and in some ways, even more horrifying then everything else going on. the psychological aspects really are the story's strong suit, how we explore the psyche of the narrator and how isolation and being 'free' of society defines us; despite not really liking the ending (i wish it was tighter, and a little less ambiguous, i guess, for lack of a better word), i can't help but find the commentary on autonomy so engaging that the minor flaws really don't matter too much to me in the end. the very definition of a story that understands how to utilize its setting to maximum potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) for a copy of this ARC! This story was fantastically creepy!

I’ve been keeping my eye out for my next favorite Sci-Fi book, and I had tentatively high hopes that Exiles would be it. A mix of space and horror piqued my interest and I was thrilled when the publisher approved my request. Unfortunately, there were a couple things holding this novel back from being amazing.

This book follows Dana Gold, a female astronaut on her way to Mars where she and a team of two other men are tasked with preparing the colony for the arrival of more people. Ahead of them, a small team of robots were already on Mars, busy setting up their livable habitat. But when communication with the robots suddenly goes dark, the crew is concerned. Even worse, when they land they find half of the habit destroyed, and one of the robots missing.

I’m going to start with the thing I didn’t like, and that was the characters. Strangely, all the human characters felt flat. This is tricky to explain because our main character, Dana, does have a backstory that is slowly revealed over the course of the novel but I didn’t feel any personality or identity shine through. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention but she felt more robotic in nature than the robots themselves. I found myself much more interested in the robots and their dialogue and mannerisms and struggled to find connection with the human characters of the book. Ultimately, I just wanted the characters to feel more real. Another small thing that bothered me because it pulled me out of the book slightly was the boss of the three astronauts - Blake. He seemed like a bit of a hot-head and I had a hard time believing that after months of trials and testing and personality assessments that that type of personality would have been picked to head a crew, regardless of his dedication to the mission.

Okay, enough of the bad! Let’s talk about the good. The atmosphere is great, the tension and worry was palpable throughout and I loved the way it was built up over the course of this novel. I love the horror aspects that were incorporated into this book too, it felt well-balanced and not over the top or gratuitous which I think would have caused some desensitization and taken away from the shock value of this story.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book too, though I’m a bit back and forth on whether the book was too short. Part of me wonders if I’d have felt more connected to the characters if we had spent more time with them at the beginning of the book instead of being thrown right into the action? That said, because we were thrown right into the action, I was immediate gripped by the story and ended up reading the book rather quickly. I also loved the way this story unfolded, revealing more and more of Dana’s past as the book went on. Sometimes these types of stories can feel too long and drawn out but I think this one was done really well.

Finally, while I think the ending might be decisive, I love a good ambiguous ending and really liked how the author wrapped up the story.

Overall, I think this was a good book. I definitely feel there was room for improvement, particularly on character development but I loved the pacing, atmosphere and the horror parts were wonderfully shocking. Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good sci-fi horror.

This book releases on September 16 2025.

Rating: 3.5/5
Book Review will be published on my website on September 8, 2025.

*An ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

It's early in the year for me to like a book this much. This reads like a movie, so descriptive you can see it without getting bogged down in detail. Fast-paced and genuinely frightening.

Programming versus loyalty. Assembly versus creation.

In Exiles, Mason Coile reveals the terrifying subtleties between artificial intelligence and humanity. On a one-way mission to Mars, a team of three astronaut pioneers is forced to land without safeguards they've come to rely on, as something unexpected has occurred at the prefabricated base waiting for them. The story's technical detail and realism are as immersive as Andy Weir's The Martian, allowing the reader to empathize with the characters in an otherwise unimaginable scenario. When they arrive, they meet their android companions whose explanation of recent events is as puzzling as the condition of their habitat.

True to form, Coile spools out the dread in a steady feed, gradually increasing the tension as the narrative progresses, but the darkness looms from the first page. Characters are as dynamic as the environment is vivid in this desolate landscape, but less is definitely more with this author's style. Minimal descriptions and transition sequences make the pace of the story unrelenting, and similar to Coile's previous release, W1ll1am, this narrative slows just enough for the reader to make assumptions before dismantling them entirely.

Like the best science fiction, this book tackles some fairly heavy social and philosophical issues while painting an authentic emotional picture of its characters. Each serves a role in the discussion, but mileage may vary on how well the discussion is resolved. Like Ridley Scott's Alien, Exiles' glittering aesthetic is enough to distract from the small flaws in its structure. Fans of Ex Machina will find this story especially satisfying.

Check your oxygen mix and clear the dust from the porthole, prepare for Exiles.

A galactic thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Exiles was a really engaging read with plenty of twists and surprises that kept me on my toes. The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star read for me was the ending. It didn’t quite deliver for me. The writing was solid and I really enjoy the dry humor in the book. However, it could use some refinement as sometimes the dialogue was a little confusing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was just alright, it felt very derivative to me, and reminded me a lot of other similar stories set in space. I was hoping for a little bit more of an in depth storyline to go along with the different robots perspective.

First, I would like to thank Mason Coile, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

In this story, we are following a crew sent to Mars to finalize preparation for a human colony. However all is not what it seems. Something has gone wrong and the autonomous bots are acting strange with the colony in disarray. They have to figure out what has happened.

This book was both thrilling and entertaining. It began a bit slow but as it ramped up it really began to show its true strength, There were so may twist and it always kept you guessing. It blends to gather paranoia, the fear of A.I., and the meaning of “sentience”.

I only had to problems with the book. The first is that, there were moments when I couldn’t tell who was speaking. Everything just kind of jumbled together. I think this need to be addressed more clearly. The second is that I just wished it was longer.

Other than that, I enjoyed all the twist and turns and the thrills I got reading this book.

Once again, I would like to thank Mason Coile, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the ARC. .

What an absolutely unsettling and thrilling story! This story follows a three person crew that is sent to Mars to finalize some preparations for the first human colony. Before, it used to be autonomous bots that would do this, laying groundwork and building the foundations for a new base. But! Once this new crew shows up, they notice the base is destroyed. the bots seem confused and one went missing. This story was so good and different from what I usually read! I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC! I thought this book was interesting and entertaining with never a dull moment. I was thoroughly invested in the characters and the premise of the storyline. However, I felt it was too short and could’ve contained more for a 5 star review. I gave 4 stars, but it was definitely an enjoyable book.

In Exiles, a three-person crew is sent to Mars to finalize preparations for the first human colony. For years, autonomous bots have been laying the groundwork, building the foundation of a new base. But upon arrival, the astronauts make a chilling discovery—most of the base has been mysteriously destroyed, the robots appear confused, even emotional... and one of them is missing.

Something is changing. The bots, designed for simple tasks, are evolving in ways they shouldn’t. Are they experiencing emotions? Do they dream? Do they fear? And if so, can they be trusted?

This is a brilliantly unsettling, locked-room thriller in the vast emptiness of space, where isolation breeds paranoia, and the line between artificial intelligence and sentience begins to blur. Read it in a single night—but keep the lights on, and maybe don’t look too closely at your smart devices.

#Penguin #LockedRoom #Exiles #Mars #MasonColie #AndrewPyper

Exiles by Mason Coile is a pretty solid read that’ll keep you on your toes with plenty of twists and turns. The author does a good job of keeping things unpredictable, which I’m sure will grab the attention of anyone who loves surprises in a story. That said, the ending didn’t quite land for me—it just didn’t pack the punch I was hoping for.

The writing style works, but it could use a little polishing. There were times when it was hard to tell which character was speaking because their dialogue felt a little mixed up, which slowed things down a bit. It wasn’t a huge issue, but it did make things feel a little confusing at times.

Overall, if you enjoy stories with lots of twists, Exiles is definitely worth checking out, but there are a few things that could make it even better.

This is an Arc read provided to me by Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the first couple of chapters. Finished it in a couple hours and loved every second. It had my heart racing, made me mad, made me sad. I did not see any of the twists coming and felt the betrayal as if I were the main character. This is one that is going to stick with me for a while.