In the Lives of Puppets

Product Information

The banter was adorable and had me smiling. This book evoked emotions and was thought provoking. It's about family, community, humanity, and love. I am not a big fantasy or Science fiction reader, but I love T.J. Klune's writing. I enjoyed being on this adventure with his characters. I also loved the diverse representation in this book. For me Nurse Ratched and sweet Rambo stole the show! The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

Laced with the touch of so many beautiful quotes - quotes galore that I would have highlighted so much more than I wanted, because it resonated so very much with me. 🩷🩷 Much like his previous novels, there is that prevalent sense of longing, of this ache of what lies beyond this life and what we are in the moment -

Latest Posts

Android inventor Giovanni Lawson finds an abandoned building in a remote, old forest and transforms it into somewhere to live but being so isolated he’s lonely. One day a distraught couple appear, the woman clutches a bundle of rags which proves to be a swaddled child. They beg him to keep the child safe which he gladly does and Gio grows to love him. He names the human boy Victor and there they live in safety with a somewhat sadistic and well named robot Nurse Ratched (Nurse Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate and Drill) and a fearful and anxious vacuum cleaner glorying in the name Rambo. One day, Vic, Nurse Ratched and Rambo visit a graveyard/scrapyard of robots and find a decommissioned android that seems awake. This is Hap (Hysterically Angry Puppet) and Vic soon realises that Gio and Hap are connected in some way. Unfortunately, shortly after Hap’s arrival at their home their safety is compromised. Victor, Rambo, Nurse Ratched and Hap are forced to undertake a perilous journey that will decide their future. Yes. The human sphincter is a muscle, and upon death, it relaxes, allowing waste to vacate the body in a spectacular fashion, especially if there is impact trauma.”

Readers who loved Klune’s previous works will find plenty of the author’s trademark charm, heart, and bittersweet.” — Library Journal, starred review How will you understand HAP - not HARP, never HARP, who fell into Victor's life - who centered his world around him - who grew to love him - more human than machine, more than science fiction, but so very real - so very fresh in discovering and loving the world, but still not made for that very purpose. I again want to call out the phenomenal narrator Daniel Henning (who also narrated The House in the Cerulean Sea). His voices for each of the characters truly bring them to life in ways that both entertained and enthralled. I believe that the audiobook is the best way to experience this tale, because it is so immersive. This is one of the most charming stories I’ve ever read in my entire life 🥺, full of whimsy & fantastical, & full of whimsy world building, characters, & one incredible quest! Klune always creates works of ART, that tug on your heartstrings, & this was no different— it was absolutely life changing! I hold it in extremely high regard & it’s right up there with The House in the Cerulean Sea for me.Oh, and also, this did not hit for me emotionally. At all. I could tell from the writing that I probably should be sad and cry. But I didn't 🫣 In fact, I was annoyed. I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my brain. Have you ever read a book that is so mixed? That you have just as many good things to say about it as bad things, so you never really know how you feel about it because it was good!! But also it wasn't!! But also I enjoyed it!! But also it was annoying!! But still fun?? This is that book for me. Five years later, not much had changed. Rambo was still anxious. Nurse Ratched still threatened to play with his corpse. Vic was used to it by now. Similarly, while I appreciate that Vic identifies as asexual – as asexual protagonists are not very common – it seems disingenuous that he lives set apart from the rest of society. He may be the only human left in existence. How could he possibly know that he doesn’t experience sexual attraction if he’s never been around anyone else? The book has an explanation, but the situation bothered me.

All right,” he muttered to himself. “Just a little higher. No time like the present. You need the part.” He looked down to test his foothold. This book is very close to perfect.” — Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart a Doorway There is a very Wizard of Oz feel to the story as Vic and his friends progress through the countryside on their way to the City of Electric Dreams. The characters they meet went a bit beyond my imaginative capabilities, especially the Blue Fairy. Eventually though the little band of travelers reach their destination and achieve a satisfactory conclusion. Rambo is an anxiety-ridden Roomba vacuum who loves to clean and ask questions. Nurse Ratched is a hilarious, sociopathic medical robot who finds joy in taking care of Vic and terrorizing Rambo…in a loving way. Now on to the reasons why I still say I loved this book, as I do believe it’s greater than the sum of its parts. While I can’t say it’s perfect, when it wants to be serious, there’s a gorgeous picture painted here. I can honestly say that I teared up several times throughout the story. It must be T.J. Klune’s signature whimsical charm! Any story that’s about fighting fate, I’m there, I’m seated! Anyway, so normally the books I read remind me of a few other things (like a song or a movie), and I know this is a loose retelling of Pinocchio, but I was reminded me of about a million other stories! It constantly had me like, “hey, this is like that thing from that one thing!” So instead of peppering them around evenly like a normal person, I think I’ll just list them all here so I don’t seem like I’m trying to brag as if I’m Mr. Pop Culture or whatever. When reading this, I couldn’t help but see constant shades of: WALL-E, Mass Effect 3, Terminator 2, Blade Runner, Fallout 4, and finally… The Iron Giant! Phew, that’s a lot of things! All of which have similar themes nature vs. nurture, and questions whether or not a machine can move past its programing and become something more, maybe even something human. And like many of those stories, the answer given is a resounding “yes!” ...There are no strings on me. All in all, I just think that this story has a really lovely message that it’s never too late to become a better person, and that any person, human or machine, is never too far gone. What else is there to say? This book is flawed, messy, and sometimes even inconsistent. Yet it remains beautiful and poignant all the same. I think that’s enough.I dare say I am yet to read more humane robots than I've encountered in In the Lives of Puppets. This kind, caring, hopeful humanity that Klune weaves into his work tugs at the heartstrings. There are passages so affecting within, I had to pause. This was brilliantly offset by moments of levity. Literature at its very best opens up the potential of a better world than the one we're currently in. Klune's vision of a more considerate and compassionate society is immensely powerful. One can't help but fall in love with this book." —T.L. Huchu The blurb says the story is inspired by Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio. I see some nods and references, but this is very much its own story, which I was so thankful for since I’m not a Pinocchio fan. Don’t let the word “puppets” scare you off, because there are NO creepy, nose-growing puppets in this story! It seems more a reference to the strings of thought that pull one to think and behave the way they do. There were also some Wizard of Oz vibes for me with the destination journey of one human with their three trusted friends. Overall it was a riveting adventure! I loved In the Lives of Puppets so much. It had me bawling my eyes out. This is like the third book I've read recently that's had me feeling an emotion, all these tears are gonna make me get dehydrated. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled "HAP," he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans. In an old forest is a strange little tree house, but even stranger are its denizens: an inventor – Giovanni Lawson, his twenty-one-year-old son Victor, and their two assistants Nurse Ratched and Rambo. What’s so strange about this, you ask? Well, except for Victor, the rest are all robots. But they are a family and they live happily.