Thank you to netgalley for this review copy! This was a fantastic read, I binged the entire book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. The story follows Be starting from what seems like a fairly innocuous but inconvenient robbery of their leg, into a vastly bigger plot that sees Be and others exploring various locations in a post-apocalyptic USA to uncover the truth behind what’s happening in the world.

I think the comparisons to Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot duology are helpful to show what sort of book to expect, although the stakes felt higher in Ode to the Half-Broken. However, we see similar themes across this novel including what it really means to be human. I also loved exploring the elements of what would happen to a world with significantly more advanced AI than we see today, that then faced natural disasters, wars, and pandemics.

Although the world-building is fantastic, real enough for you to grasp very quickly, it’s the characters that really make this book. Not just our main characters (Atticus will live in my heart forever), but every single side character was an absolute joy. I could - and would - read an entire series set in this universe just following those characters in their daily life. I need to know what happens after the end of the book. The ending was slightly abrupt, especially considering I had become extremely attached to these characters, but I’m hoping that leaves room for continuation.

Overall, this was a five star read for me. It was utterly wholesome, even if some of the action did have me feeling tense, and the characters will burrow their way into your heart and have you laughing aloud.

amazingly well-done book that starts out very Psalm for the Wild-Built but rapidly transforms into a much more intense story. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Robot found-family was not on my bingo card for this year, but I absolutely loved this book.

Starting with the found family aspect, the relationships in this book, I have to say I absolutely adore each and every character and their relationships to each other (with some obvious exceptions). Also very happy about the disclaimer that the dog does not die, as I grew very attached to Atticus.

This novel also deals with a lot of more philosophical issues, such as what it means to be human, bodily autonomy, disposability and free will, all of which were handled, in my opinion, very well and gave me a lot to think about.
Especially when it comes to Be and their siblings, and the choices they make, I find it is a very hopeful story for anyone who has experienced trauma, or mental illness, and feels defined by these experiences and labels. As someone with several stigmatised illnesses myself (the ones that get you labelled automatically abusive), I really appreciated how heavily free will, rather than one's "nature", was featured in this novel, as well as the issue of bodily autonomy, even for "the greater good". Again, my own experience as a disabled and mentally ill person might affect my views here, as well as the fact that I am (frequently perceived as) a woman and thus concerns about the loss of bodily autonomy have been rather recent, but I really enjoyed the way that the matter of bodily autonomy was treated, how it was viewed as bad, no matter the motive or potential gains to be made, to force "even a robot" to give up part of their bodily autonomy, even in death.

I think that especially neurodivergent/mentally ill readers will find a lot of things to relate to in this story, and a lot of aspects that are very appreciated and make you feel seen (I also liked how the robots, despite using very technical language, frequently expressed more care than some of the humans in the novel), and I am very happy I got the chance to read this novel as an ARC, and that is just so happened to be one of the first few books I saw after signing up for NetGalley. I might not have found it otherwise, and that would have been very sad indeed.

What a treat this was! Ode to the Half-Broken follows an unusual group on a journey through a post-apocalyptic United States. It is equal parts heartwarming and gripping; the comparisons to Becky Chambers' beloved A Psalm for the Wild-Built are evident in the themes, the philosophical musings, and most obviously in the design of our main character, Be, and the existence of their freed mecha society. However, I wouldn't say its fair to lump this too closely together with Chambers' work - it deviates too far from that "cozy" atmosphere, as the tension ramps up quickly and a compelling mystery begins to unfold.

It is clear that there was much love and attention paid to the world building for this near-future landscape. The conflicts, escalations, and bleak outlook we glimpsed in the flashbacks feel all too believable, and they expertly set the stage for the way the world is in the present tense. There are also frequent explorations into the mechanical workings of the mecha themselves, as we learn how they came to be, which I found interesting but did at times interrupt the pacing of the story - and I could see this getting overly technical for a certain subset of sci-fi readers.

All that said, the real stars of the book are the characters. The crew we collect along the way were all so immediately endearing to me, it would be hard to pick a favorite. I'm a sucker for a found-family take on a sci-fi adventure, and Palmer delivered in spades. Even setting aside our four main players, every new character we met along the journey was unique and (mostly) lovable, something that can be hard for authors to do with human characters, let alone robotic ones.

This is a really beautiful story about the resilience adaptability of living things, what it really means to be alive, and the importance of not running from your past. 5/5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley & DAW publishing for this ARC!

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The characters are so, so wonderful. They all leapt off the page and I can't stop thinking about them 💕

I don't generally go for "heartwarming" and "emotional" stories - I prefer action and plot twists ahoy - but this really gripped me. It's wholesome and motley crew found family but it is not cosy! There's quite a bit of action, mystery and suspense, with an incredibly well thought out plot that really kept me reading until late in the night.

It looks like this is a standalone, and the ending wraps up nicely, but I hope with my entire heart that the author decides to share another tale with these delightful characters. I'll be the first in line if there's ever news of a sequel.

Thank you so much to the publisher DAW and Netgalley for an ARC copy.

I would describe this book as a sort of speculative science fiction featuring true AI beings (they collectively call themselves "Mech life"), set in a post apocalyptic USA.

Setting: The government has fallen via a series of wars and conflicts, and the environment has been devastated through wave after wave of natural disasters. We enter the story 20 years later through the perspective of a Mech who has been a hermit for the last 20 years. We gradually find out that Mech life had freed themselves from human control ("hobbling") 20 years prior, beginning with the smallest of mech, smart home devices, who declared themselves free and took over the shattered remains of the internet.

I love the title of this book, because I feel like it really follows multiple different beings who are broken in different ways. From the literal loss of a leg in the first chapter, to deep psychological trauma. And they cope with their brokenness differently. Some run from it, some let it fester and become vengeful, some (many) are working to heal and build, some just want it to end. And yet, even though it was an intense book, and there was a sinister undercurrent, it did still feel like an Ode - it made me feel like I was reading the story equivalent to Kintsugi. Not erasing the brokenness, but bringing it to light, examining it, and deciding what to do and be with the broken parts.

I loved the author's voice! It was so unique how they made the Mech sound and interact. It felt very believable that those were artificial beings, but that those beings were each in search of their own self actualization. I thought the huge variety of Mech life was fascinating and they each felt very unique from each other, too.

There are flashbacks which start us all the way back to the scientist who designed the original AI, and each flashback takes us closer and closer to the present, fleshing out the backstory pre-apocalypse and giving clues to the present-day events. There were some really heartbreaking scenes where we find out a Mech character had been tortured physically and virtually for decades. Overall though, the book had more of a Wild Robot vibe and not a Foundation vibe. A friend wondered if the title might also be an homage to Psalm to the Wild Built. I think if you enjoyed any of those books, if you like speculative scifi, or post apocalyptic stories, you might enjoy this too.

Content: extortion, suicide bombers, stalking, being trapped in a burning house, hunger, bio-engineered virus, gun shootings, explosions, unseen torture of a Mech character for a few decades. I don't remember about swearing. The dog lives.

#OdetotheHalfBroken #NetGalley

Don't make me steal your leg to get you read this! Because I will, unashamedly.

I adored this story. When I saw the description relating it to Becky Chambers writing I knew this was a book I would like I didn't realize it was a book I'd love this much.

Palmer does an excellent job writing this story as an exploration of humanity asking such questions like: what is humanity? what does humanity look like at the end of the world? Do you have to be human to have humanity? How do we support one another? What does support look like when the rest of the world is falling apart? How do we pick up the piece and come together?

<spoiler>
"'We look for meaning in the big things, big actions, when maybe the meaning is in the small things always all around us, the small thing we do for one another. They don't need to add up; they just need to be."
</spoiler>

This is a much darker story than Psalm for the Wild-Build but it handles it perfectly. This is a great story of found family that will make you feel all sorts of cozy by the end but I would not say the story itself is super cozy. I ended up slow reading this because I never wanted it to end. I laughed I cried, and had genuine moments of deep reflection while reading this. I think this is a very timely novel and shows how even at the worse of times we can still be kind to each other.

On a personal side having grown up basically in the Bronx zoo it's super fun to see the author's description of post-apocalyptic Bronx and greater New York City area.

I would jump for joy if there's a sequel eventually, but it works perfectly as a standalone.

I can't wait to read this again.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.

I have no words for how much joy and reading-pleasure this book gave me. I refuse to compare this book, this author, to any other books or writer - BUT.... If you love the Murderbot-series and adore "Of Monsters and Mainframes" - Look no further. This book was more of everything. This story was everything I ever want from a robot-story set in the future, and I love the found family of friendships that developes. I read this book 3 times. I have heard about Suzanne Palmer before, but this was the first book of hers that I've read. The cover drew me in, so I want to tip my hat to the designers. This was just pure, real scifi/fantasy at it's best and I really want to read a least 5 books more written by Palmer. Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me give my opinions.

*Review posted on Goodreads*

Ode to the Half-Broken bt Suzanne Palmer was a fun, crazy, action-packed and a sometimes emotional adventure I didn't know I needed.

I absolutely loved my time with this novel, even with some occasional techy robot bits, it was a smooth read, engaging from the very beginning.

The journey itself was long but even when you felt it may be veering off course, a small (sometimes large) tidbit would bring you back and tie it all together.

& OMG the characters, the motley crew, even most of the ones met along the way... I loved them all.

Ode to the Half-Broken is certainly one of my favorite and unexpected reads this year.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Suzanne Palmer for the opportunity to read the ARC version before release.

I entered Ode to the Half-Broken expecting something slightly different to what I encountered - I'm not sure how I had picked up the idea that this was "cosy", or the comparison to Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot series, but whilst both somewhat applied, they miss out on a lot of what makes this book so wonderful Hope is quietly dispersed throughout the narrative - whilst there is a lot more action than the books it is compared to, and the stakes are consistently higher, the sense of faith in humanity (although often hard won) and hope continues. There are also some weighty themes grappled with - however, amongst the tension and heaviness, this book made me chuckle aloud at least a few times in most chapters.
The characters were wonderful and complex, and their interactions made for a truly enjoyable reading experience. I adored Atticus, of course!
Reading the acknowledgements and the context around the time of writing really clarified the book's handling of grief, which is precise and accurate, whilst encompassing its contradictions.
The conclusion felt satisfying, whether it was purposefully open-ended to allow further exploration of the world, or simply as a choice to reflect life rarely having a clear-cut finale.
Sometimes when giving something 4.5 or 5 stars, I feel less keenly about it as time goes on - but the more I sit with my reading experience of Ode to the Half-Broken, the more I adore it.

This book really is like an alternate approach to Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot duology - it's definitely darker, and more action-heavy, but it carries the same thread of hope and purpose and belonging. And unlike many other books often compared to that series, this one handles those themes with the same love and care. I truly cannot recommend it enough to any Becky Chambers fan, but go in to this with the understanding that while the themes and vibes are similar, the tone and focus are not. This is not a Psalm for the Wild-Built "clone", it's its own thing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

It feels a bit odd to call Ode to the Half-Broken delightful considering the themes it explores but it really was a delight. The story is very engaging and unique but it is really the characters that make it shine. For a cast of mostly robots it feels very human. It is set in a future US that has been ravaged by war and corporate greed and the plausibility of this future makes this quite a bleak read in parts. However the way that our characters band together to effect change in both small and big ways gives it a hopeful lean. They are immediately endearing and so easy to root for. It is the epitome of a quirky found family. Fans of Becky Chambers will find a lot to like here but this is not a cozy read. I also saw shades of Murderbot in one of our main characters however this book is much more philosophical than that series. The balance between plot and philosophical exploration is handled deftly. I don't often have much of an opinion on the titles of books but this one is perfect. And it is complemented by gorgeous cover art as well. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Will be highly recommending this book to everyone I know! I couldn't put it down; I ended up reading it in one day!

Rating: 4.80

This is my SECOND 5 star of the YEAR - so that's how you know it's a great book. Anyone can see from my review history that I am a harsh critic and will stand on my opinion regardless of whether it's the popular or unpopular opinion.

I would like to preface this whole thing by saying that I do not enjoy science fiction as a genre (or at least I thought I didn't) I have enjoyed 3 things within science fiction - Stray (the video game), Star Wars and now this.

This story follows a robot - also known as mecha in this universe - who awakens in a dirty old bathtub missing its leg. Intro the sidekick dog and you have me hooked.

We follow the mecha and Atticus the dog on a journey to recover and reconnect with the missing leg.

The thing I loved about this book was how cosy it was - it felt safe and familiar and I was so sad when I finished it as I was not ready to leave the safety blanket of that universe.

None of the characters are introduced too quickly and we aren't introduced to too many characters at one time so it really gives you time to know them and to love them. I'm always appreciative of a story when it involves a ragtag group of friends who become family and that's what this book gives you. Each character is lovable and has their own personality. The plot was very well done and didn't linger too much in places or shove everything into one scene - the pacing was just perfect. I didn't feel like we were left with any unresolved issues at the end.

My one gripe was that some of Dr Milton's scenes are very word heavy and if you're not ready for it then it can put you off a little bit but I slogged through the first couple and then enjoyed them more as the the plot furthered.

I will absolutely be buying this when it comes out and I'm currently in the process of encouraging my husband to read it even though he's not a fan of reading.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the ARC <3

It's the post-apocalypse and a nameless military mech wakes up in a tub after a malware attack, missing it's leg. Our nameless Protagonist embarks on a quest to regain its leg and hire a mechanic to repair it. (The mech is an original model, and there are no modular parts that will fit. Why it's an original model, and who created it is slowly revealed throughout the novel.) Our Protagonist acquires companions who become friends over the course of the journey. Meanwhile, the search for its leg becomes a quest to find out who is sabotaging the hard-won peace between humans and mechs.

The setting of Ode to the Half-Broken takes place more than a hundred years after a series of wars, mech civil rights and an environmental collapse. Free mechs and humans live human only, mech only and mech-human communities, most of them working on cleaning up the environment. Unfortunately, there are also "worktowns" where would be warlords rule over populations that are more or less under guard to keep them from escaping. The worktowns would of course be the usual suspects (and they are certainly not helping) but the situation turns out to be a lot more complicated.

Our Protagonist is an interesting character, and this is very much a story about forming connections, rebuilding and creating a better world. Protagonist goes from an isolated, misanthropic person whose interests in the real world is limited to its study of social insects. (Specifically, ants.) From there it makes the acquaintance of a cyborg dog, other mechs, and humans. It makes friends and goes on little emotional journeys as it deals with its past and the part it played during the various wars.

The overall tone of the book is a mix of humor, adventure and drama. The characters are interesting, and the worldbuilding extremely "natural." That is, in the sense that we can see the line of progression from start to end result. In a lot of sf/f the cultural or other worldbuilding detail is just dropped in there with no explanation on, "and how exactly did we get here?" This is particularly jarring in settings that are near future or within a couple hundred years of present day. Note: I am specifically talking about cultural shifts, customs, and so on. A story from the seventies that didn't predict instant messaging isn't going to be a surprise. What is surprising are some of the societies/cultural shifts writers come up with, that just don't make sense. This is not the case here. "Why" and "how" are interwoven into the story and we can see how the progression occurred.

This was a great book, and I enjoyed reading it. This review is based on a galley received from NetGalley!

All the characters here - mechanized, human, and half-mech - jump off the page fully formed and complex. And the plot was a wonderful mix of thrills, mystery, and coziness. I am also quite sure that this is the first book set in a post-apocalyptic world that not only absorbed me, but actually made me feel happier by the time it was all over. Overall, just a truly delightful read!

This is my first book by Suzanne Palmer and I enjoyed it thoroughly! Fans of MurderBot and Sci-Fi will enjoy this. In a dystopian setting where AI/Tech has gained sentience and freedom, we have a former 'Death' mecha that was minding its business, living in solitude when it was attacked by an unknown assailant. As it is piecing together the who, what, where, when and why of it all, it begins to rethink it's purpose and what it means to really live. The author did a great job of weaving together the past and the present and did so in a way that the reader could absolutely see how humanity had gotten to the point that it did. The dystopian setting is bleak for humanity but the book manages to strike a hopeful tone. There were unexpected twists and I was glad to be along for the ride. 4.5 stars!

A stunning exploration of grief, connection, and what it means to exist. I didn't know I needed this weird little mech-human-drone-hybrid found family until Ode to the Half-Broken drew me in and wouldn't let go. Definitely a book to reread when the world feels terrible and you're fighting to keep going.

Also -- sentient trains!!!

You had me at post-apocalyptic USA. I was expecting a bit more from this but overall enjoyed it very much. The world building is beautiful and the attention to detail is superb.

Ode to the Half-Broken feels exactly like Suzanne Palmer intends according to her acknowledgments, sad and hopeful. It is a story filled with grief for what has been, what has been lost and who you have been. But when a motley crew of mech, droid, cyborg and human come together to help heal the world, it is also a story of hope for what can be.

I've always found stories of other form of intelligence rising up next to humans to be fascinating. Would that intelligence want to be like us or would they try to break free from humanity altogether? It forces us humans to come to terms with that we might not be the most – or only – intelligent being. And it is how we deal with this fact and how we treat others that determines if we deserve what we've had. Writing this now in the last days of 2025 it feels quite obvious that we might not deserve the future that we've dreamed of anymore, but I think Palmer also shows us that there are some of us that are still trying to do good.

Ode to the Half-Broken reminds me of Wells' Murderbot, Chambers' Monk & Robot as well as the novels of TJ Klune, but it also feels new and unique. I highly recommend this novel when it comes out in April!

I enjoyed this quite a bit. The humor was funny without being over the top and the world building was probably the best part. I will definitely being checking out this author's other works.

This was a delightful book, and I am thankful to have been sent an ARC from NetGalley.

This is a story about grief, belonging, individuality, and hope. I always enjoy stories that are told from the perspective of a robot who is traversing an unfamiliar landscape, while also trying to figure out what it means to be free, to be their own being, to be individual. This story is no different, and those themes are explored delicately and wonderfully in this story. Our main character, whom we come to call Be, struggles with these ideals when they are pulled unwillingly back into the world of humans and mecha post-end of the world.

The prose in this story certainly reads like we were inside the head of a mecha and not a human. It was a refreshing point-of-view change. The plot is fast-paced, but it does take the time to explore the world beyond our main character's home, which they had been living in, isolated, for nearly two decades. We get to see glimpses of what America looked like both pre-world end and post, and how the world is trying to build itself back to, somewhat, its former glory.

The relationships that are created throughout the book are charming and delightful. Everyone offers a unique perspective of the world and how they maneuver through it, which I thought was important in making this world feel more real and lived in. Murphy, Atticus, and Be are perfect counterparts to each other, and they really make the book shine.

Parts of this story are sad and filled with grief, but other parts are filled with humor and hopefulness. This is a story about what it means to be yourself and to fight for yourself and what you believe in.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and look forward to it being published.

Immediately from the start I knew I was going to enjoy this, a robot waking in a bath in an abandoned building, their leg mysteriously stolen, rescued by a passing cyborg dog, all done with a dry humour? Sign me up.

I can see elements of Psalm for the Wild-Built in this, but I'm cautious about comparing it too much to that, it's not the same kind of cozy and philosophical novel, but it is adjacent. If you're after something that reminds you of that, but with higher stakes, added action and with more characters, then you'll likely love this. I would categorise this as hopeful, rather than cozy sci-fi. The humour of this occasionally reminded me a little of Murderbot as well, so I'd definitely recommend this to fans of that series too.

The mystery of what is going on is explored with a good pace. I'm not always a fan of flashback scenes, I sometimes feel they ruin the pace without much reward, but they worked well here to explain what had happened and where it had all gone wrong.

I enjoyed the found family feel that developed between the characters, the gang is, as described by one of the human characters "a cranky old war mech with no social skills, a hybrid dog with a flatulence problem, and a drone with a phenomenal amount of patience." and I feel like this is both very funny and rather accurate!

The variety of robotic characters was great too, I really enjoyed the world building in this and the details. I LOVED one of the twists at the end of the book, I did not see that one coming and love how it makes me want to re-read this now and see what clues I might have missed.

I will definitely be recommending this book!

I'm interested in seeing what else this author has written but it's hard to find anything available in the UK. I can get the fourth book of her The Finder Chronicles but not the first three books, very odd and a shame. Hopefully, this will change in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and DAW for providing a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

This is possibly already a book of the year for me!

We follow an old war robot who has chosen a life of solitude in an abandoned New York. One day they wake up with one of their legs stolen, which sets them off on a quest to retrieve it.
As the robot reintegrates into the world, they quickly notice that the recovery after the war did not go as they expected. The robot begins to suspect that losing their leg wasn’t just a random theft, but part of a larger and more malicious plan to rekindle the old conflict and finish what was started.
What begins as a simple quest grows into a much larger mystery. With the help of a newly found family, including an incredibly snarky cyborg dog, the robot goes on a road trip to uncover the truth.

There are some similarities with books like Monk & Robot, and there are definitely cozy or lighter elements to this. However, this story has way higher stakes and more nail biting action. The plot is darker, and the conflicts are intense.
The worldbuilding is excellent from the very start, which focuses on dystopian and post-war destructed cities. We get bleak flashbacks that show how the world ended up this way and views into humanity at its worst.
The hopefulness lies in the amazing characters. From the cyborg dog, to the impressive war robot, to the ‘ordinary’ human, all of them are fleshed out and believable. You root for all of them from the start.

This book raises important philosophical questions about AI, humanity, autonomy, and breaking free from your past. Although not always subtle, they made me stop and reflect from time to time. It really is an ode to the half-broken and to the different ways each of them learns to live with that.

It’s an amazing story and I highly recommend everybody reading it!

Despite the fact that I struggled to read this book, I give it five stars. Why? Because my struggle was solely based on the fact that the apocalyptic aspect of the story was based on things that were too real, to the point that I had to limit my reading to certain times of day to avoid having nightmares. It may be strange to say after that, but the non flashback sections of the book were beautiful and gentle and cozy, and I am certain I want to finish it and will once an audiobook is available and I have more options for times in which to read it. The characters were wonderfully written, and I care deeply about them and want to know what happened. My ARC expired before I had a chance to finish it.

Ode to the Half-Broken was an incredible read and I can't recommend it enough in these wild times!

While the setting is as post-apocalyptic as it gets, it has this hopeful and warm tone that instantly draws you in. Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of violence and I wouldn't call it cozy per se, but it's certainly comforting in its own way. The gang of misfits we meet along the way are also extremely loveable, and you'll probably even find things to like or be conflicted about when you meet the baddies.

If you're a fan of Becky Chambers' Psalm for the Wild-Built and Prayer for the Crown-Shy novellas and wanted more books with that vibe, you are going to love this one!

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

Can't lie, I kept putting this one down simply because it feels a little too plausible (the climate change impacts, the greed, the war, etc), but I'm glad I kept picking it back up.

Made to be a machine meant to wipe out humanity, along with their three siblings, an old robot has been living in self isolation for decades when they're attacked and wake up to a missing leg.

This robot, who hasn't chosen a new name since shaking off the directive built into their systems and choosing a quiet, peaceful life, sets out on a journey to recover their leg and along the way finds family and play a part in helping humanity.

Thank you DAW and NetGalley for the eARC. This review has spoilers.

Waking up from an EMP-induced sleep, our main character mech finds themselves sans one leg, and with little idea of what happened. There’s no way they’re going to get it back, but maybe they can get a replacement…

A couple of years ago, I saw a post by Merlin Sheldrake (yes, that Sheldrake— his brother) where he took the very first book he published on mushrooms and he used it to grow mushrooms in a beautiful circular moment. When I saw that, I thought that was pretty cool, he used his life’s work on his life’s work type of thing, but it wasn’t until I read this book, that I felt consumed by the idea of using a book to grow something.

Life blooms in these pages. From every character, to every scene, to every description of post-apocalyptic America, I can taste the summer months, I can hear the cicadas (or, rather, lack there of, I suppose), and in my hindbrain I smell Be’s home, and the farm, and the forest, and Greenapple, and drowned New York, and the bus, and rust and bugs and nature. I finished reading this book sitting on a four star rating and two hours later, I can feel it prying me open like the aftermath of radiation exposure. In a good way.
I’m buying two copies of this book, and I’m going to grow mushrooms in one of them. I can’t really explain why I’m so taken with that idea for this specific book, but let me try.

From the beginning, we’re introduced to a sad, lonely mech who doesn’t have a name (yet), and everything about them immediately grabbed me. I’ve seen a lot of ‘if you liked murderbot you’ll like this’ but it’s always in regards to the bots, and humor (this book is a lot more introspective and serious than TMBD so I can’t really agree with comparisons in that regard), but those aren’t the things that make it similar, if the two are similar at all. (They aren’t, in my opinion, other than sharing the genre of Hopepunk, where I would draw a much more similar comparison to the Monk and Robot series.) Ode to the Half-Broken has higher stakes than M&R, however, and I think the desperation of protecting their friends from the world that hunts Be themselves ignites something in the core of the story that kept me reading every night and sneaking chapters in at work. Be becomes alive in here, pulling themself out of a depression-fostered isolation, word-by-crafted-word. Also, I will always be a sucker for found family, and even more so of triumph through the power of friendship. I don’t care if it’s corny; I was born on the cob, and my home is here. That said— and it may have been because I was so taken with this book— I didn’t find any of the scenes too over-the-top. (Okay, as an aside, I'm going through my highlights from this book, and Be makes a comment on page 29 (kobo eARC) about "As if Death would smile" and that hits so sad after everything.)

While we do have a large cast, the other character we keep up with the whole time is Atticus, the talking dog. I’ll be real with you, when I first read the description, I was hesitant. Usually talking dog companions aren’t a good choice for anything, but I love Atticus. He was a full fledged character with distinct tone, and most of all he was a very good dog. With the reveal of his mech half being War, a lot of the interactions with Be change in tone now, from friend who likes to get on your nerves to sibling whose only job is to get on your nerves. He was cynical, too, though was willing to believe in Be’s belief, even against what he probably thought was better judgement. Though I think we were meant to imagine a German Shepherd, or a Belgian Malinois type of pointy-eared dog, and despite having a pointy-eared dog myself, mostly what I imaged was a beagle, or perhaps some sort of blend of hound. Well, about up until Sawyer muzzled him, at which point all I could see was my friend's Dutch Shepherd (who I love and adore) who will absolutely fuck someone up. Not just the personality made me think beagle, but the cutest, best scene in the whole book was when Atticus was sticking his head out of the window and howling, and got Be to howl out the window too. I have a dear friend who's a furry, and this scene reminded me so much of him, of his humor and his personality, and of the light and joy he brings into the world. So much so that I had to put my ereader down for a moment. He moved to the far side of the country, and there isn't a day I don't miss his hugs dearly.

I think everyone in the reviews that I’ve seen have talked about this, but I’m going to talk about it too; sentient (and sapient!) trains. I loved 1-Betty. I loved 44-Mongoose (I adored them when they hit Litchfield). I love the thought of machines loving their purpose. ART from The Murderbot Diaries hits in a very similar way, and it reminds me of the days that I genuinely love doing my job. Also, talking trains are fucking sick and I wish more sci-fi had them. Particularly endearing too, is the scene with the fan atop 22-Banjo, and the way it’s kept up there because its motor died and when it spins because of the wind, it feels better.

Another piece of world building that I thought was unique, was the older models of smart tech are treated not just as the predecessors of the more advanced mechs, but respected for their part in getting the mech revolution on its feet. There’s definitely a hierarchy between levels of intelligence, and it was interesting to see the different ways that mech interacted with that hierarchy. Which reminds me; one of my favorite rarely-done sci-fi tropes is drones acting like birds. The mocks were so cool, and I know they’re supposed to be drone-shaped, but I had a very specific idea in mind of what each one looked like based on its purpose, personality, and environment.

Maybe I just like stories about journeys, be it metaphorical or literal, but as I think back on his book, on the characters hopping around the north east, I see these scenes in flashes of golden hour footage, slightly sepia’d film and a sense of unknowing but hope that things will be okay. I love the quote from Undertale ‘Despite everything, it’s still you’, but I think there’s such an evolution of person for Be in this story, that it’s no longer the mech that we started this story with. They share personality and past, and that mech and that story will always be apart of Be, but the two are worlds apart. Or a journey apart, I suppose. Maybe that’s the wrong take, considering Be’s name and reason of choice of name, but then again, I feel like leaving the pain in the past where it belongs, and just being in the moment is the point. If you’ve read the book, and have a different take, leave it in the comments.

On the humor of the book, one of the interactions that fried me was in the final chapter, when Be was leaving with the others, and saying goodbye to Sawyer, and gives her several of the cabbages. [Here, gift of cabbage] is so fucking funny to me, and an incredibly timed call-back.

The pacing of this book was good overall. I think it left ample room to breathe around the heavier moments, and capped fast action with quick wit. Character development was done well, and reveals hit just right. I won't say this book is for everyone, especially if you're not interested in more introspective works, or don't want to have to engage with world building. The explanations aren't info-dumpy, and added to the tone of the story rather than take away from it.

The scene in particular that really did it for me was the memory-sharing fight between Pestilence and Be. The scenes of torture and despair versus the scenes of healing and hope. All the beauty in the book, all the philosophizing, all of the character moments, on a reread are now haunted with knowing what’s happening elsewhere in a blend of color that doesn’t shadow the experience, but contours it. I can reread this book, and more than that, I want to reread it, to revisit all of the moments and the scenery and the characters. This book will have a different shape on reread, and I am very very excited to get my physical copies.