What an unexpected delight! The central computer of a spaceship is responsible for taking care of all the humans on board, but it discovers someone is killing them off. They're drained of blood. None of the ship's sensors can find this killer. Gradually, the ship begins to believe that it's being stalked by... Dracula.Yes. That Dracula.This book, Monsters in the Machine by Barbara Truelove, is quirky, weird, and an absolute blast. It's like if Murderbot had to fight off vampires. If you like my ...

"Humans are poorly manufactured"—or so says Demeter, the AI consciousness aboard a spaceship. It tries to save humanity, but Dracula and other monsters keep getting in the way. This was a quick, fast-paced read, with an eclectic writing style that feels like artificial intelligence brought to life. Plus, there’s a sweet sapphic/queer romance woven in. The blurb really does sell it! It explains everything. I still had a blast reading this high-energy story, but I pretty much knew where it was ...

"Spaceships aren’t programmed to seek revenge—but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception." If you’ve ever wondered ‘what if Dracula...but in space?’ Wonder no more!Monsters in the Machine is a thrilling romp through classic gothic literature. Told by a spaceship’s navigational AI, the limited narrative perspective provides both distance and suspense, inviting the audience to read between the lines of what the AI can and can’t see to discover what is really going on. As it turns out there ar...

Weird and sweet, a little cliché, and packed with queer vampires? Count me all the way in. Barbara Truelove's *Monsters in the Machine* is exactly the kind of vampire book review I love to write. If you're looking for something a bit different in your paranormal romance, this is it.

3.5 stars – a fun listen, but the audiobook felt a bit overproduced to me... almost over-acted. Also, the romance felt kind of unconvincing and just popped up out of nowhere? Getting the Demeter's perspective in "Monsters in the Machine" by Barbara Truelove, though, was an absolute delight. If you're looking for enjoyable sci-fi book reviews, this one's a mixed bag but worth considering!

Ugh. I was totally baited by the premise: AI and space monsters?! Sign me up! But honestly, *Monsters in the Machine* just didn't deliver. The plot and characters felt super underdeveloped. My biggest question: why are all these random monsters chasing after this spaceship? The pacing and writing are choppy. The sudden POV changes are hard to follow, especially since a lot of the characters sound the same. For a huge chunk of the book, it's the same stuff over and over, which gets old fast. And ...

12/17/25 edit: The more I've thought about this, the more I realize just how much *Monsters in the Machine* has stuck with me all year. Bumping this up to 5 stars!------What a strange, weird, and wonderfully fun little book! *Monsters in the Machine* by Barbara Truelove might not click with every reader, but when it finds its people, it will REALLY work for them – and luckily, I'm one of those people. This book absolutely worked for me; I devoured it in 24 hours flat. You've got to suspend your ...

Happy release day!! (after)_______________Such an interesting concept!Two bantering spaceship AIs trying to deal with an unlikely amount of incidents caused by even more unlikely-to-exist creatures (Vampires, Werewolves, Cthulhu/fish people, Frankenstein['s monster], an immortal Pharaoh/Mummy).As you might imagine, it's even harder for AI to suspend disbelief.My favorite bit in the whole book was the one starring Medical AI Steward and the fish people. It felt the most balanced to me in pacing, ...

For fans of Gideon the Ninth, Murderbot, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Becky Chambers.Yes, I know that is a weird combo, but it works so well!!! It's best to go into *Monsters in the Machine* knowing nothing except that it centers on 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?):\I check for heat signatures. Nothing. Oh. They’re all dead. Well. T...

I wrote Monsters in the Machine. 💙