【 OF MONSTERS AND MAINFRAMES 】

Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Author: Barbara Truelove
Published: June 2025
Publisher: Bindery Books
Pages: 424 (paperback)

There is nothing more delightful than when an absurd-sounding plot is pulled off magnificently.

I was somewhat tentative (but also 10 levels of excited) to read this as soon as I heard about its existence. Sentient spaceships + paranormal creatures (including DRACULA, like COME ON YASS) + plot to avoid decomissioning because monsters keep killing your passengers = much excite.

I’m pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this. Of Monsters and Mainframes had me obsessively hooked in a way I haven’t been with a book for a while. I’m not usually the kind of reader that genuinely loses track of time when reading, but oh boy, I did with this. I couldn’t stop reading. You get to the end of a chapter (which are often punchy and short) and go to put your bookmark in – pausing halfway as the next chapter title grabs you, and then putting the bookmark down and diving straight back into the book.

The premise of this book might sound ridiculous, but it’s worth taking a gamble on. If you like sci-fi and ambitious plots, this book is 100% for you. The way that the paranormal creatures (and most echo back t0 famous literature) are threaded into the plot without it feeling forced was honestly impressive. I’m quite the Dracula fan recently, and so the bits of it that were included (both the obvious and the more subtle) were a sheer joy to read.

I also have to give a nod of appreciation to the tiny cameo that Treasure Island makes in the form of a minor character, too. You have to give a round of applause to Truelove for the beautiful and reverent way that classical literature is cheekily popped into this story.

One of the most impressive things about the writing, is the awesome way that Truelove has written the AI characters. Two of the main characters are the AI on the ship (Demeter – the navigation system -and Steward – the medbot), and so they have no body to speak of, but the way that body language is compensated for in the description of the way each AI delivers code is beyond clever. Big claps.

I loved all the characters and especially the spiderbots. Despite this being extraordinarily action-packed, and so fast-paced (some chapters are whiplash-fast), there’s still enough room left over to do some solid character development.

This book is a wild ride and I highly recommend it. The blurb vaguely sets you up for what is in store, but I think going in more or less blind is the perfect way to approach this.

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Title: Of Monsters and Mainframes
Author: Barbara Truelove
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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: 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.