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  • In the Lives of Puppets

  • Written by: TJ Klune
  • Narrated by: Daniel Henning
  • Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)

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In the Lives of Puppets

Written by: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Daniel Henning
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Publisher's Summary

Long-listed, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, 2023

"Narrator Daniel Henning demonstrates perfect comedic timing and impressive vocal versatility in this queer/sci-fi retelling of 'Pinocchio.' This laugh-out-loud, emotional audiobook asks listeners to question what it means to be human."—AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner)

"Narrator Daniel Henning does a phenomenal job capturing Gio’s fatherliness and Vic’s early naivete, and he positively shines as the heartless, bloodthirsty Nurse Ratched and the anxiety-ridden robot vacuum Rambo."—Library Journal

New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.

Most Anticipated from BookPage • Goodreads • The Nerd Daily • Paste Magazine • LitReactor • OverDrive • LGBTQ Reads • Tor.com • more

“An enchanting tale of Pinocchio in the end times.”—P. Djèlí Clark

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

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.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

★ “An epic quest of rescue and discovery [with] the author’s trademark charm, heart, and bittersweetness.”—Library Journal, starred review

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2023 TJ Klune (P)2023 Macmillan Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ2S+

What the critics say

“Readers who loved Klune’s previous works will find plenty of the author’s trademark charm, heart, and bittersweet.”—Library Journal, starred review

"In the Lives of Puppets is a powerful story of humanity and what survives after we're gone. Do the new inheritors of this earth forge a new path? Or are they destined to repeat the mistakes of their makers? TJ Klune has created an enchanting tale of Pinocchio in the end times, offering up hard truths alongside humor, kindness, love and, most important, hope."—P. Djèlí Clark

"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

What listeners say about In the Lives of Puppets

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Brilliant

Another brilliant and emotional story of love, compassion, friendship and family. Great world, amazing stories, and great themes.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Another beautiful story

Another beautifully written story about love and forgiveness. Not my favourite of all his work (Under the Whispering Door is my favourite) but beautiful none the less.
Love the narration and different character voices.
Thanks TJ for this.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not his best

I wanted to love this book based on past ones written by this author but finally turned it off. Just didn’t grasp me and never really wanted to know what happened to characters. Certain incomplete themes seemed to emerge but just didn’t feel the writing and storyline was engaging or meaningful. Too bad because I loved the Cerulean Sea so much!!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible

This is an awful book. I have read tons of sci-fi over my life and this book is just a complete disappointment. It came recommended from goodread and I just can’t believe how far off it was. This was going to be a DNF, but I struggled through and it was not redeeming. My issue with it is it should be Young Adult fiction and the characters were 9-tween in their dialog, but these moments of sexuality and violence meant for adults. its like a blender of genres with a bit of a creepy dude feel. like coming of age as an adult would see it not as a kid. blech. don't bother unless you want to feel weirded out for a few hours..

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Absolutely insufferable

Found this to be such an irritating story and performance. The story was not good. It was so on the nose and simple. Besides some random sexual content it felt like a book for children. The narration and the voices he chose for the characters was like nails on chalk board. Got about 60% through. Couldnt finish 👎👎

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    4 out of 5 stars

Juvenile coming of age asexual Pinochio meets R2D2

This book doesn't stand alone on its scifi merits. sure asexual coming of age stories are relevent but the rest of the book doesnt justify its reading.

quavering narrator is cliche

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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A fairly slow kids book?

I really tried to like it, got about two hours in. It felt increasingly like a kids book - endless banter between robots, trying way too hard to be cute. Really slow progression. Neat narrative idea, but characters felt flat, and the narration was over done to the point of being annoying.

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