Of Monsters and Mainframes
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4.5 • 26 Ratings
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
LA Times Bestseller ** 2025 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist ** Spotify Best Book of the Year
Spaceships aren’t programmed to seek revenge—but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception.
Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.
To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team of monsters: A werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.
The queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi, Of Monsters and Mainframes is a dazzling, heartfelt odyssey that probes what it means to be one of society’s monsters—and explores the many types of friendship that make us human.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Blending genres with wild abandon, this rollicking space adventure from video game developer Truelove (after the interactive novel Blood Moon) is narrated by sentient 24th-century space shuttle supercomputer Demeter. While it takes some time to adjust to the robotic banter between Demeter and the medical AI onboard, Steward, it's easy to get wrapped up in the supernatural shenanigans happening on the ship as something methodically kills Demeter's human passengers, wreaking havoc on her missions. At first the culprit appears straightforward—it's Dracula—but soon, many other classic monsters are drawn into the picture, including werewolves, mummies, fishlike aliens, and Frankenstein's creature. Demeter's computer logic becomes a welcome counterpoint to this B-movie extravaganza as Truelove packs in the drama and thrill of near misses, close encounters, and even a couple slow-burning love stories. Meanwhile, Truelove's obvious expertise in tech and coding comes through in the voice of her utterly believable AI narrator. The result is pure entertainment. (Jun.)
