Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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They did the monster mash

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

March 4, 2026 by Jen K 1 Comment

I kept looking at this one last year since it would come up on various lists and then finally picked up a copy. It also ended up being announced as the February choice for the Buffering podcast book club which worked out perfect – always great when book club just helps you prioritize a book you already have. This novel was just pulpy, campy fun, combining classic horror creatures with AIs (the good fictional kind that make you discover things about humanity) and space travel. […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Tagged With: Barbara Truelove, classic monsters, found family, pulp fiction, queer fiction

Jen K's CBR18 Review No:21 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction · Tags: Barbara Truelove, classic monsters, found family, pulp fiction, queer fiction ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

Something’s Wrong

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

October 18, 2025 by LittlePlat 1 Comment

I’m going to be honest; I picked this one up based on the cover alone.  And like they tell you not to do, I did sort of judge this book by its cover. Well, the cover and the first section of the book. And I thought I’d be dealing with a short set of vignettes about pulp horror monsters in space. Turns out that was a bit of a lowball there—there is actually a story arc that we follow throughout the book.  Poor Dementer, has […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Horror Tagged With: AI, Barbara Truelove, cbr17bingo, classic horror, in space, Lovecraft, monsters, o, pulp horror

LittlePlat's CBR17 Review No:33 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Horror · Tags: AI, Barbara Truelove, cbr17bingo, classic horror, in space, Lovecraft, monsters, o, pulp horror ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

“My passengers. I decide, then and there, to love them. I’ve never loved before. Love is not a standard component of my programming. ” CBRBINGO – ‘O’

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

July 31, 2025 by narfna 1 Comment

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media & Dreamscape Lore, Bindery Books, and Ezeekat Press for the ARC. It hasn’t affected the contents of my review. I had a great time with this weird little genre-bender. I love books where the author was like, should I do mystery? Romance? Paranormal? Horror? Sci-fi? Why not all?? Indeed. Why not all. Our two main characters are ship’s AI’s, the navigator, and the ship’s doctor. Demeter is the ship’s name, and when the book starts she’s just a normal ship, […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: #Science Fiction, audiobooks, Barbara Truelove, cbr17bingo, genrebenders, LGBTQIA, narfna, Of Monsters and Mainframes, paranormal, sci-fi

narfna's CBR17 Review No:24 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction · Tags: #Science Fiction, audiobooks, Barbara Truelove, cbr17bingo, genrebenders, LGBTQIA, narfna, Of Monsters and Mainframes, paranormal, sci-fi ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

the presence of true innovation in literature is one of the most hopeful facets of reading

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

July 20, 2025 by wicherwill Leave a Comment

BINGO: migrant, as everyone on these ships is migration to/from Earth and Alpha Centuri hot take who would have thought that a book about AIs and the limitations of their programming would touch my squishy organic heart so much and be the first thing in a while I’ve read that I genuinely didn’t want to put down, and which I didn’t know how it would end! What a quirky little book that absolutely nails its gimmick from the get go. Our POV characters are varied, […]

Filed Under: Science Fiction Tagged With: Barbara Truelove, cbrbingo17

wicherwill's CBR17 Review No:30 · Genres: Science Fiction · Tags: Barbara Truelove, cbrbingo17 ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments


Recent Comments

  • wicherwill
    on At least the cover is pretty
    sigh someone else gave a similar review and it brings up such feelings--I want authors to be able to experiment...
  • Zirza
    on “To The Lighthouse” for the Climate Change Generation
    Sure, though it depends on what you expect. I know some Cannonballers were let down by the thriller aspect and...
  • Madame Anna
    on I accidentally started an alien smut series, and now I can’t stop!
    You need to read the prequel series! Ice Plant Barbarians. It's awesome and explains everything before Lauren's Barbarian! I'm sure...
  • Jennifer
    on These Things are Like Potato Chips
    I agree with you about the ending, however I'm referring to your review.
  • Zirza
    on Another Group of Old Friends That All Actually Hate Each Other
    I feel ya! I liked this book but there are a lot of things that I had to overlook. It's...
See More Recent Comments »

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