I really enjoyed Mickey7 so I jumped at the chance to get to read the sequel. It takes part after the events of book one and Mickey is no longer an expendable. I thought this was a nice twist to extend the story.

i will admit I did find this one a lot harder to get into. There wasn’t much progress in mickey’s character and it didn’t feel like much was happening and I even found it a little boring at times. While I enjoy Mickey’s humour and was interested in how his relationship from book one, the start was just too slow. Once we got into the action, it returned to a fascinating and entertaining read.

I adore the worldbuilding, particularly the construction of the world of Niflheim and the communication with the Creeper’s. I really liked how much detail we got into the nature and habits of the creepers as well as getting to explore other speicies on the planet. I thought the way Mickey’s decisions from book one came back to haunt him and how they escalated was really entertaining and overall I enjoyed this sequel.

It is definately a fun read, Mickey’s voice is very entertaining and really keeps you engaged. It does have its faults but if you found yourself liking book one I think you will enjoy this one too.

Mickey 7 fue una sorpresa inesperada en su momento, antes de saber de la existencia de su adaptación cinematográfica, así que cuando vi que Edward Ashton había escrito la continuación, decidí hacerle un hueco. La acción se sitúa dos años después de los hechos acontecidos en la primera entrega, un tiempo que Mickey ha dedicado a cuidar conejos y poco más, aportando nada a la colonia en la que vive.


El refranero español tiene respuestas para casi todo, así que os podría remitir a él y a su famosa frase “segundas partes nunca fueron buenas”, pero sería un poco injusta con un libro que pretende explorar un nuevo camino pero que se queda muy corto en los cambios.

La principal gracia de la primera novela era la condición de desechable del protagonista y cómo eso influía en sus decisiones vitales. En Antimatter Blues este juego ya no está sobre la mesa y la novela se resiente. Ashton pretende involucrarnos en una novela de primer contacto, pero obtiene una obra repetitiva y que ha perdido gran parte de la chispa que pudiera tener antes.

No se puede negar que el humor y la ironía sigue presente en la obra, pero creo que la broma está bastante gastada y ya no consigue hacernos sonreír como antes. Tampoco se agradece la presencia de algunos deus ex machina que parecen la única forma de hacer avanzar la trama para el autor, aunque no se puede negar que el ritmo está bien llevado, algo que hace más soportable la lectura. Las comunicaciones con los alienígenas son algo monótonas y a veces parece que a Mickey le faltan seis papas en el kilo para comprender las advertencias que le hacen llegar. Si a esto se uno la doblez intrínseca de las negociaciones, nos encontramos en un círculo vicioso de promesas rotas que no lleva a ninguna parte.

En definitiva, un libro que no puedo recomendar.

Mickey7 was a stand out book for me last year, so I was excited to see there was a sequel.

If you haven't read Mickey7, start there now, then come back... Right, so I'd really recommend Antimatter Blues.

It's not quite as good as Mickey7, but it's a fun read, and I hope Ashton has more on the way.

Many thanks to Edward Ashton, NetGalley, and Rebellion for this copy.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Kicking off 2 years after the closing events of Mickey7, Antimatter Blues has us returning to the ice planet Niflheim and following (almost) everybody’s favourite and now retired Expendable as he faces a new conundrum.

I’m not going to give too much of the plot away so as not to spoil aspects of book 1 but this book can be classed as a standalone. That being said for the best experience I would recommend checking out Mickey7 before picking this one up as it does continue certain plot points from its predecessor.

Once again the story is easy to follow and Edward Ashton balances all the science and action perfectly with humour. Mickey is one of those easily likeable characters that will have you smiling and facepalming in equal measure and I really enjoyed being back with him and co for a new adventure. The banter between the characters was great.

There is a bit of an expansion to the specific world they live on in terms of what else is there but otherwise I would say this story didn’t add a lot when it came to wider worldbuilding.

The main reason I’d say I enjoyed this a little less than book 1 has to do with the pacing. The middle of the book did drag at times and this made the concluding events seem rushed and wrapped up extremely quickly.

I’d say this continuation was not really needed but it was an highly enjoyable read all the same though and I look forward to reading more from Edward Ashton in the future!
Final Rating – 3.5/5 Star

I really enjoyed Mickey7, it was a pleasant surprise, and here we follow some similar adventures—minus the doppelganger aspect of the first book. With the way Mickey7 ended, there are some elements that are out of play here, but I like how the story went back to the events of the first book to take this one on a different path.

I like how it somehow refreshed the situation of who and where the characters are without needing to rehash the first book. I think it was quite a brave choice to have such an interesting concept for the first book and then to follow it up with a good story that builds on it, despite the biggest building block no longer being in play.

We still have the creepers, and we expand on what we know of them, seeing more of their society and more of the world as well—this planet that Mickey and his friends find themselves on. Antimatter Blues is a good, solid sci-fi book that doesn't reach too high, and so doesn't fall short of its target. I think it compliments Mickey7 quite well, and fans of that first book should feel right at home with this one.

Mikey7 was a brilliant story, this follow up is entertaining and well plotted but it's a bit too much sort of movie script.
A pleasant and entertaining story that I enjoyed.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Mickey 7 is back, or should I say he’s still alive? It’s two years after Mickey bartered for his “freedom” from being an Expendable by hiding a bomb with the Creepers. Spring has come to Niflheim and there are problems with the reactor core. To ensure everyone’s survival before the next winter comes, Mickey has to get the bomb back from the Creepers, but it’s gone. What follows is a road trip to recover the bomb from a different tribe of Creepers.
The novel has a plot, but it’s not important. Mickey will save the day, because he is the Chosen One.
Blech!

The previous book in this series (Mickey7) was an unexpected delight when I came across it by chance last year, so I didn't hesitate to request a copy of this one when it popped up on Netgalley. It has to be said, it didn't 100% work for me the way its predecessor did, but that was a really tough act to follow!

The basic premise of Antimatter Blues is that it picks up Mickey's story two years after the events of the previous book. Freed from his previous role, that of eminently disposable meat puppet sent into every dangerous situation because his consciousness can just be shoved into a new body, Mickey's life is pretty mundane - he spends his time doing odd jobs, like looking after the colony's rabbits. It's only when he spots another version of himself being hustled off down a corridor that he starts to realise something is wrong, only to discover that his actions two years earlier have helped cause difficulties for the colony's long-term future.

In order to save the colony, which includes himself and his various friends of course, Mickey needs to retrieve the antimatter bomb he left hidden - he'd told the man in charge that he'd given it to the planet's resident aliens in exchange for them leaving the colony alone. Naturally, when Mickey ventures out to retrieve it, the bomb is no longer where he left it and the aliens he can communicate don't have it either. Well, not any more, as they traded it to a more powerful group in exchange for being left alone.

I have to admit, this book didn't quite grab me the way that Mickey7 did and it wasn't until a member of the alien species joined the quest to retrieve the missing antimatter device that it really started to click for me. Those interactions, rather than the ones between the humans alone, were much more what I was looking for and definitely saved me putting this book to one side.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for an honest review.

The story picks up roughly two years after the previous book ended. Mickey is more or less retired as an expendable, living doing odd jobs at the colony, and spending quality time with Nasha, his now formal girlfriend. The story gets going more or less immediately, as Marshall, the colony commander, asks Mickey to undertake a task critical for the colony's survival (can't really say more here, as that would be a spoiler for those who haven't read the first book). This is the launchpad for the narrative where we see Mickey re engage the creepers (and learn more about them on the way), risk his life and that of his team in various adventures, discover a new species, and participate in a war. Elements of first encounter, principles of non intervention, human racism and superiority, and violence above all else are abound.

It was a solid and effective read. The action was well paced, the characters interesting enough for me to not completely disregard, the interspecies politics sufficiently intriguing to not laugh at, and the twists and turns surprising enough to keep me wanting more. I particularly liked the fast pacing of the book. I also liked the embedded (I hope I'm not reading too much into this?) criticism of typical human interactions with "others", where violence is often the first instinct, with the second being even more violence. I felt the author was ridiculing this for much of the book, and while some of dialogues were difficult to read (as they were extremely annoying), they did shed light on what a typical army team might feel under similar circumstances. I also very much liked the flawed (oh so flawed!) protagonist, who, despite glimpses of heroism, is not a pleasant individual for the most part.

There were many aspects I struggled with. First the dialogues were atrocious and lacked even basic credibility. It was like they came out of an 80s b movie sci fi flik. Second, I am still unsure whether the author criticises violence (see above) or glorifies it. After all, there is a lot of it, and much of the plot is pushed forward by failure or disregard of diplomacy at the expense of war and mayhem. Lastly, the complexity of the interspecies relationships was more akin to Star Trek than e.g., Orson Scott Card. Enough said about that.

Overall, a very promising premise with the odd excellent moment of sci fi (e.g., the creation myth discussion with the creepers), almost lost in something more reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster script than a solid sci fi book. I'd recommend it for those who like sci fi overall, mostly because of the premise and the brevity. Any longer and it would not have worked. Don't expect to remember it once you finish (it took me at least 10% of the book to remember the first installment, which I was at first sure I didn't read, before the Goodreads note proved me wrong). For those looking for similar but better books, I'd recommend much of Hamilton's work, Murderbot by Martha Wells, of course Orson Scott Card's Xenocide, Butler's Xenogensis, Lem's Eden, qnd many many (!!!) more.

I adored Mickey7, it was one of those books that I went in to not really knowing what to expect and ended up being swept away by the characters.

Antimatter Blues has the same great character driven feel of Mickey7 and this time we get to explore a bit more of Niflheim – the horribly inhospitable world that Mickey and the crew have been sent to colonise – and its bizarre wildlife that wants to kill you.

I loved the relationship between Nasha and Mickey that has had chance to develop since the end of Mickey7. Mickey’s odd antagonistic but ultimately strong friendship with Berto was also a delight to read again.

I think the interaction with the Creepers was incredibly well put together, showcasing the difficulties that two very different species has in understanding each other and their needs – and the miscommunications that can happen when assumptions are made.

A super fun SciFi romp with great characters, this was a sequel that stood up to the original.

Antimatter Blues was a fun sci-fi romp that reminded me a lot of the Bobiverse books, or the Old Man's War series, with a dry, funny first person narration laying out a fast-paced story that touches on some serious and deep matters without ever detracting from the adventure aspect. Non-stop page turning action with great character development - my favourite character was Speaker, for reasons you should not know about before going in. The world-building is light handed, always just revealing enough for the story to make sense without any heavy info-dumping, which I appreciated very much.

I hadn't read the first book in the series before picking this one up and you can absolutely read them out of sequence, just be aware that there will be a few spoilers for the events of the first book in this one. Really enjoyed this one and will definitely be looking our for other books by the author.

I want to thank NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.

Wonderful! I really enjoyed reading this book, the sequel to Mickey 7. Both books are absolutely brilliant, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them, was just somewhat sad when this one ended and it appears that the story is rounded off nicely.
I loved the originality of these stories - I have been reading Sci-Fi for a very long time and frequently recognise ideas, but not in these books, I am happy to report! The characters are great, especially that of Mickey, and I do like what he wants to do near the end. The other lifeforms are also rather intriguing, and I would love to know more about them!
Great title. I do suggest you read both books in order.

I LOVED Mickey7 and was so excited to learn of a book two.

Having now retired for a couple of years, Mickey is no longer an Expendable and spends his time with his girlfriend, Nasha, and copious amounts of soft, furry bunnies. Unfortunately, his boss (yes, THAT boss - Commander Marshall - that hates Mickey with a vengeance) wants Mickey to get the bomb back from the creepers, or he'll be an Expendable once again. The colony's habitat had an accident which means the antimatter from the bomb is needed urgently or they won't survive. Once again, Mickey's shoulders are bearing the weight of the planet...

This is good fun, the pacing is completely in sync with the action, and the world building is superb. You'll read this at a breakneck speed, because you care about what happens to Mickey and Nasha, even if you don't particularly like some of the others.

A thoroughly entertaining book and series. Read Mickey7 first though for the full experience. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for the next one.

I chose an ARC of this work which I voluntarily and honestly read and reviewed. All opinions are my own. My thanks to Rebellion Publishing, NetGalley, and the author.

Mickey 7 is back! And Edward Ashton delivers a superb follow up to the fantastic Mickey7!

The story starts 2 years after the events of Book 1 - which I highly recommend you read first, 1, because it’s brilliant and 2, it would really help with this story - Though not essential.

Things have moved on, Mickey has changed but he still has a knack of finding himself in trouble.

As this fast paced and frantic gets going, and Mickey meets his old friends the creepers, the fun really starts.

It’s energetic, fun, witty and even heart warming as you grow with Mickey. I simply love the character, the settings, the creepy aliens and Edward Ashton’s way of bringing it all to life.

I couldn’t like it more!

Loved the first book and loved this one!

Back with my favourite inept clone, Mickey7, the expendable who has now retired from being expendable.

So... Mickey is now tending tomatoes and looking after rabbits, which is exactly what you do when you no longer have a function in an off-world colony 😂
How wild can this book be with that day job? 🤔 Turns out... pretty wild!

The pacing and action was cranked up in Antimatter Blues. Ashton has the ability to break up tension and include humour which is always perfectly timed and relevant.

If you’re in need for a Sci-Fi fix that’s fun and has a certain “Andy Weir” feel to it then I’m going to throw this one at you 😇

Firstly I strongly recommend that you read Mickey7 first. This book goes straight in with "what is happening two years later" and although it does eventually get round to explaining a few things - mostly just for memory jogging purposes - think you would enjoy it better if you started off with the full backstory. And it was a brilliant read in itself so... why wouldn't you!?
So... oh what a tangled web of deceit Mickey finds himself in at the start of this book. Something has happened (probably) which means that something he left with someone is needed back. Their survival depends on it. Yes I am being deliberately cagey so as not to spoil things... But turns out that something, which was actually hidden, is missing... Mickey therefore finds himself in a bit of a dilemma. Especially as he was actually starting to enjoy his retirement having quit his position as an Expendable at the end of the last book. Last thing he needs is a perilous quest, which is exactly what he gets here - along with a few side-kicks...
I loved Mickey7 when I read it and was delighted to get my hands on this book - to reconnect with lovable rogue Mickey who, bless him, isn't all that bright in the right ways. But he has so many great other qualities to make up for it. And he's also incredibly funny and doesn't take himself too seriously - love that in a character!
The world building is excellent and the other creatures that the author has created really do complement the story being told. I also loved all the MacGyver-esque creations and get-outta-jail shenanigans that Mickey and his crew get up to along the way.
And the story is well plotted and the plot ably executed. It kept my attention well and delivered an ending which both satisfied and left me eager for book three. Job done really! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Edward Ashton’s action packed but wry space-colony-meets-cloning-ethics story Mickey 7 is headed for the big screen. While that book did not leave any cliffhangers per se it did leave the story of Mickey Barnes and the Nifleheim colony open for revisiting. Antimatter Blues eschews much of the philosophical underpinnings of the first book to deliver a more action packed, alien contact tale. As this is a sequel, this review necessarily contains some spoilers.
Two years have passed since the seventh instance of Expendable crew member of the Nifleheim colonisation crew, Mickey Barnes “retired” from his position. With no specific skills (other than a willingness to die for his crewmates and be remade), Mickey has been enjoying life with girlfriend Nasha and doing odd jobs around the station. But an impending fuel shortage that can only be fixed with additional antimatter changes the dynamic. Mickey finds himself back in the frame and having to deal with the fabricated tale he told two years before about the fate of an antimatter bomb and his claim to be in contact with the local aliens, known as Creepers. But unravelling that particular set of lies leads to plenty of other problems and soon he finds himself leading a mission, and a race against time to recover the bomb and its valuable antimatter.
Mickey 7 drew most of its tension and fun from the existence of multiple versions of the same character. Antimatter Blues is an altogether different type of narrative. This is an action packed, problem solving, cliffhanger filled journey across an alien landscape, including its human characters learning to respond to the barely understood culture of an alien civilisation. For the most part, Mickey and his team are supported a straight talking alien guide who talks like them, supposedly because the local Creepers learnt English from Mickey’s communication transmissions.
The trick with this book is that the action piles up fast enough that readers do not ask too many questions. Like: in a colony on the edge of surviving why has Mickey been allowed to cruise for two years? or if Mickey does not have skill set (besides a willingness to die for the cause) how does he get put in charge of a do-or-die mission? Or why once the aliens who ally with Mickey learn more about human frailty in the environment they just don’t just wipe them off the map and take the metal that is clearly precious to them? Readers that can put niggles aside will have a great time – Ashton ramps up the pressure, builds up to some great cliffhangers and deploys some interesting twists and reverses.
While the old Ship of Theseus question gets another workout (presumably for readers who have not read Mickey 7 although with much less relevance in this narrative), there is very little in the way of philosophy in this book. It centres on the race against time and human interference in an alien conflict and the chaos that necessarily ensues.
Antimatter Blues is overall another fun, action-packed and page-turning book from Ashton. While the books are very different and readers do not necessarily have to read the books in order, having read Mickey 7 will definitely make more of the shorthand in this volume make sense. And again, while the main action is resolved, Ashton makes sure to leave the door open for more Mickey in the future.

Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton is a fantastic science fiction novel that is a step up from the first one. It's two years after the first book and Mickey is settled into a life with Nasha. Mickey is tasked with retrieving the hidden bomb from the first book as the colony's anti-matter is running low. Unfortunately, this turns out to be more difficult than first thought. For this new mission, Mickey has to put together a team to retrieve the bomb whilst trying not to start a war with two insect hives.
With an engaging plot, this is a fast-paced fun book. Ashton's writing is easy going which moves the plot at a nice fluid pace.