this was so incredibly unique and heartfelt with just the right amount of humor and heartbreak - and really makes you stop and think about the future of technology and the implications of AI

5 mythically monstrous stars!!

The audiobook is well-read by a full cast.

I LOVED THIS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, CAMPY ROMP THROUGH SPACE!! The sense of humour throughout is incredibly dry and the characters (AI, monsterly, and human) are all super loveable - except for Dracula, obviously!! We hate him. But, that's in the book synopsis.

Now, I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror. I can do graphic novels and creepy T. Kingfisher type stuff, but horror movies and anything worse than that gives me nightmares. I was a tad worried that this might be too much for me, just given the book description. But, honestly, any violence is so cartoonish and over-the-top - not scary. Also, it's described mostly by AI's who are just freaking out about what to do about the monster/situation, and bemoaning the lack of monster-fighting programming that it's all just silly.

If these two lines sound like your kind of dry, self-deprecating humour, this book is absolutely for you (no actual spoilers, but hiding so y'all don't hate me):

<spoiler>"Humans are poorly designed, and often badly manufactured. They die all the time, even without assistance!"

"Well, well, well... Demeter has made her first sub-optimal conclusion. And, oh! It's tempting to rub it in her metaphorical face, but I don't. I need her to stay focused, right now. There will be time for that later - assuming we survive - which is a bold assumption, at this point!!"</spoiler>

The camp doesn't stop with the timeline, either. The main characters are wildly chaotic, imperfect, hilarious and so very much more than human. Conscious programming, monsters, weirdos. But, they are also all deeply and emotionally "human" (relatable), and the found family trope is particularly poignant here.

For those of you, like me, who are doing everything in your power to avoid the unfortunate trend of having the vast majority of new fantasy and sci.fi actually just being hard-core romance wearing cosplay, then this is also for you! ACE approved (by me).

Regarding the audiobook production: I really think that this particular book really, especially benefited from being in audio format. Those who voice the AI's specifically lend absolutely incredible depth to these characters, that I may have missed somewhat in a physical copy. I did find it very annoying that the few sections that were in binary code had the narrators reading zeros and ones for several minutes at a time (luckily it's super easy to skip most of it - it isn't like most people would read them all either). Also, like most full-cast productions, there was one or two characters that I really didn't enjoy as much as the others. But that's mainly because they didn't sound like my autistic brain wanted them to (looking at you, Frankenstein)!!

Basically, go get a copy or tell your library to get it!

Huge gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for an Audio-ARC of this delicious book, in exchange for my honest review.

(The book - 3.5 Stars, The Audiobook - 4.0 Stars)

Imagine if you asked R.L. Stine to write The Murderbot Diaries... This is basically what it would look like. The characters were fun, and a new take on some classic tropes. All done in a futuristic setting.

The audiobook narration was very good. The pace was good, although I felt that some parts of the story dragged on slightly, but I think that is because there was a lot of dialog, which isn't a bad thing.

I enjoyed this book.

This was so incredibly odd. Let me count the ways. (Pun intended!)

I really had a hard time figuring out what was going on at any moment in time. Partly this is because of the POV switching and unreliable narrator who is humanlike but not human. Time and space are obscure, because this mostly takes place in the great wide open, unless this is all a simulation. I wasn't quite sure by the end. The main POV is that of Demeter, a nearly out-of-commission ship who is constantly under attack by menaces of all sorts. Including ... Dracula. And computer viruses. We have glimpses into the POVs of Demeter's human(ish) passengers and other entities ... I could've taken or left these. There was simply too much going on and rather than add richness these additions merely added complexity.

Demeter and the other non-human, non-monster beings read like Murderbot with the 1.0 version of Data's emotion chip. Several sections open with binary code, which frankly did not work in the audiobook (I thought someone had forgot to delete a test file ... but no). This is one part mental health crisis and one part computer virus. I really wanted it to work. It kind of did, if you let your brain glaze over a bit.

The mishmash of AI and monster lore didn't quite sync, even though it was mighty interesting. For most of the story, I thought this was a figment of Demeter's dwindling imagination, being an end-of-life ship and all ... or a masterful hack. But apparently these are real, live monsters, including the Count himself. Er ...

I did enjoy the relationship between Demeter and Steward, the medical unit. But let's be honest that this is just a slightly uncanny version of human love.

As for the narration ... you'll notice quite a cast. I think this is the audiobook's strong suit. Every character has a voice. But I must admit that the voices were a bit over the top at times. This feels more like a melodrama than a sci-fi horror.

I loved this book! Supernatural foes plague a very upset spaceship's autopilot AI in a very unique story which kept me eagerly listening late into the night. The audiobook was great, with skilled narrators and some very good choices to help establish the character's personalities, but if I have one major complaint it is the chapters which are nothing but numbers. Hearing the poor narrator have to read a page of nothing but numbers was rough.

*4 stars*

This was a wild ride! The premise for Of Monsters and Mainframes sounds absurd. Queer science fantasy horror? Sign me up.

This was a really fun space adventure with found family. I would have liked more time spent in each of the journeys that Demeter takes, they were really interesting premises that I would have liked to see more of it. I would have also really liked to get more of Frank’s backstory. I think fans of Becky Chambers will enjoy this.

The audiobook was very well done. The different narrators were all excellent during their respective parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

Everything about this book, the cover, the title, the premise, was just irresistible. Including the mashup vibes of Murderbot, and Becky Chambers, with classic Gothic horror monsters...how could I not! The writing had such a strong yet camp voice, that it made for a very entertaining cast of characters and interactions and perfect for audiobook consumption. That said, I have to say it did go off the rails for me on multiple fronts. First off, because I consumed this js audiobook format (thanks to Netgalley), the entire chapters of the narrator literally spouting binary code is extremely unpleasant and impractical because I'm not exactly carrying around writing implements to translate during my listening experience. I feel like I missed out on something in those parts. Particularly because the time jumps every time the ship AIs powered down were super jarring and I constantly felt like I missed a step. The frequent "interludes" were just POV chapters that should have been treated as such. As such I kept getting whiplash everytime there's a new baddie and suddenly we get their POV and now they're the inner circle, recent animosity and scuffles be damned. So I think it failed on the Becky Chambers, space found family element, and also the random last second romances, which I did not buy into AT ALL. Don't get me wrong, there's oodles of hilarious banter to go around but I felt out of step the whole time and important interpersonal development just kept getting infodumped on me. I think the premise and the details would make for an excellent camp space show, but as a text, it felt too scattered to be coherent to me.

I loved this book so much. I loved the concept and the execution. I knew early on I would like it. Excellent choices with the cast. I have a physical copy on hold at the store because I want this in my personal library. Thank you to the publisher for the copy. Will be recommending.

A quirky monster-movie space journey with a weird cast of characters trying to figure out how to band together and survive.

This is a messy, goofy tale of code corruption in a spaceship’s OS that starts with the death of hundreds of passengers and the saving of the two children who remained. More than a decade later the code has been scrubbed and the girl, now a young woman, is determined to revenge her family. What she gets, eventually, is a new understanding and a new “family” of misfits like herself.
The author borrows tropes from popular culture and horror movies to pit werewolf against vampire, Frankenstein’s monster vs villagers, etc.
The audiobook benefits from having several narrators, although some sounded similar. It does NOT benefit from having the narrator read what must be a full page of binary aloud - multiple times! There’s mostly wackiness with subtle humor from satire rather than being funny. Well the snarky medical bot is funny and the ship can be. At the end there are some very sweet scenes and a set up for further space-faring adventures. I’m not convinced I’d go along on those rides. 3.6 rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook #OfMonstersandMainframes for review purposes. It is currently available.

𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟
"Of Monsters and Mainstreams," by Barbara Truelove, was my first book by this author, and it was a mind-blowing read! I don't know what to say about this book. The premise sounds amazing, but I was honestly confused about what was going on and why. This is the type of book I would have to reread. And not just listen to the audiobook. DNF at 50%; will pick up the ebook and audiobook later.

The audiobook is multi-narrator, which works very well for this story. They all did a great job, and it was easy to listen to and understand. I listened at 2x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media, for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book and it's amazing, quirky cast of characters! The narrators were fabulous and brought the story to life perfectly. I mean, who knew falling in love with monsters and sassy AI could feel so joyful? The queer representation makes it a perfect, feel-good read for Pride Month. I had such a blast with Of Monsters and Mainframes.

4.5 stars rounded up, because I adored the vibes!

Of Monsters and Mainframes is a quirky sci-fi space opera of epic proportions that anyone who loves a found family should read! Told from various prospectives over the course of years, this story follows the cursed “ghost ship” Demeter on many voyages throughout space that all seem to end in disaster. It all begins when a stowaway, Dracula, kills the ships entire crew. From there, a werewolf, aliens, and more parade around the ship causing chaos. Throughout the years, readers get to hear from Demeter(the ship), Steward (the ship’s AI doctor), Agnes (a young human that Demeter saved), Steve (an Eldridge skeleton),and Frankenstein (a robot/human hybrid). I fell hard for all of these characters: some snarky, some cranky, some a little bit evil, but all genuine in the end.

This story took turns I wasn’t expecting in the best way. It takes classic “movie monsters” and turns them on their heads. It also plays with form using interludes in different perspectives, and held together nicely without being confusing, which can happen with constantly changing POVs. The narration of the audiobook is excellent! There are a number of amazing narrators who give strong voices to their characters and draw readers in.

The one and only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of in the audio version is the reading of ones and zeros that happens a few times throughout. I know it’s binary code, which is fun. But I do not know binary code and having it read to me kind of feels like a weird hypnosis, so be aware of that.

Otherwise, I loved everything else! Pull up a seat and for a little romance, monsters (good and bad), and laughs over the strangest things. This space romp should be on every sci-fi lovers shelf!

4.5/5
This review is for the audio version of this book, which was absolutely fun. Narrated by:

Gail Shalan
Emana Rachelle
Chris Devon
Zura Johnson
Charlie Albers
Cary Hite
Eve Passeltiner

Each narrator brought their own spin on the characters and each gave them a unique and fun voice. This was top notch.

Demeter is an AI piloting an interstellar transit liner. She takes people and cargo from Earth to Alpha Centauri B and back again. She likes her role. She's good at it. She's literally made for it.

One day she awakens from a boot cycle to find her crew and all of the passengers are dead. The only record from the entire incident is a name, Vlad Tepes. Dracula.

This was an absolutely entertaining book. I loved the character work here. Demeter is confident and self-assured when she's fulfilling her role but a panicking mess when forced to think outside of her comfort zone. Honestly? Same.

Steward's arrogant and well meaning (mostly), and slightly vindictive attitude is grating at first but grew on me VERY fast.

The plot was just plain fun. This poor ship and it's AI's just cannot catch a break. They're doing their best though.

It was nice to see so many references to all of the old monster stories. "Renfield Systems". I loved it.

If you want a bit of space horror that's kind of campy, this is definitely worth your time.

This was such a fun read- Most fun I’ve had w/ a Sci-Fi so far lol!! This is vibes alone + all the representation w/ the characters? Amazing.

This was a literal mix of Monsters (Classics) & Mainframes (AIs) But the AIs we fall in love with, not the job stealing ones lol. All the characters were my absolute favorite- The growth, the banter, the codes 001101011 ☠️, the overcoming of design & order. Such a mix of moral compasses. I hope we get another book ‘cause I’m a fan lol.

The chapters solely for Demeter to code sends me every damn time like 0011110100111010001101 got me over here like-

*Dancing Gif

Overall, I’m obsessed. And so curious to when the chemistry at the end started?! I was lowkey shook, but I’m here for it. Steve was probably my fave ☠️ He’s just such a mess, but also Demeter & Steward 🤍 I just love them both. 9/10 would ride the Demeter, it would be 10/10, but the chances of something happening? 😬 I just feel there’s still so much adventure & story ahead of our crew.
The full cast was AMAZING- So in love.
Chris Devon; Emana Rachelle; Charlie Albers; Eve Passeltiner; Zura Johnson; Cary Hite; Gail Shalan really added so much life to this.

This book is like an anthology of stories while also having an over arching storyline. The tale/s are masterfully developed with literary references entertained into a space opera-esque fantasy. The story isn’t scary but references classic horror characters and is a super fun adventure.
The narrators did a great job the only part of the story that did not translate to audio (through no fault of the narrators) is the computer code where they just read 0 and 1 over and over. I totally get the point and in a book it wouldn’t have been nearly as obnoxious. Other than that one small detail this book is amazing and still a 5 star read/listen.

For fans of Gideon the Ninth, Murderbot, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Becky Chambers.
Yes, I know that is a weird combo, but it works so well!!!

This is best to go into knowing nothing except that it centres an AI and is a monster mash set in space. To give you a sampling of the tone which is what sold me on the book even if the plot was bizarre and all over the place (but also in a good way?):

<b>I check for heat signatures.
Nothing. Oh.
They’re all dead. Well.
That’s awkward.
</b>
We have a semi-Dracula retelling, Frankenstein, werewolves, a treasure hunting mummy….
Oh, and a robot ship doctor who is very done with everyone. And I mean fair.

I am very impressed by this author’s writing style. It is utterly unique and entirely engaging. The type of writing that makes you laugh with funny chapter titles.

I didn’t know someone could voice an anxious AI in writing so well, but here’s the proof.

<b>“Error. I am not your fam⁠—”
“Shut up, bitch. You’re family.”</b>

This is a four🌟, but I cannot stop thinking about how fun it was so this is 5🌟 for vibes.

Arc gifted by Bindery Books.