Exiles

by Mason Coile

It is 2030, and a three-person human crew are on a ship travelling to Mars as part of a colonizing mission.

Four years earlier, three robots were sent to the planet to build the base for the humans but when the human crew arrive, they discover a third of the base has been destroyed and only two of the three robots remain.

When the humans question the robots, the robots offer two overlapping but different the first believes they were attacked by a hostile extraterrestrial "other," the second attests the attack was the result of a violent malfunction on the part of the third robot - a being that still stalks the Martian desert.

As the mystery slowly unravels, the humans and the robots play a deadly game of cat and mouse to find out the truth of what has happened at the base. As secrets are revealed - about both the humans and the robots - the truth about what has happened at the base comes to light in a horrifying and gruesome climax.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Audiobook, Space

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2025

About the author

Mason Coile is a pseudonym of Andrew Pyper, the award-winning author of ten novels, including The Demonologist, which won the International Thriller Writers Award, and Lost Girls, which was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of the Year.

Reviews

[Yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are the first delivery of human pioneers to Mars. There is no going back. . . . You must continue.

Let me first pause and take a deep breath, because what the heck did I just read? I'm always looking for that perfect Mars exploration story—you know, the one where astronauts land on the red planet and strange things start to happen—and wow, did this deliver. I feel like I've been walloped, again and again, and I loved every second of it.

I was drawn to this book initially because the blurb mentioned locked-room mystery set on Mars, and of course, I tripped all over myself trying to get my grabby hands on it. But to call this a mystery is to sell the story short. It is that, but also so much more.

We slip seamlessly into the mind of Dana Gold as she comes out of deep sleep, one of three astronauts aboard the vessel that's about to deliver them onto Mars. Bots have been sent ahead to build the habitat that will be their forever home and to welcome them onto this desolate planet. But they've lost communications with the bots, and that's only the beginning of their troubles.

This tale grabbed me immediately. The science fiction component is so interesting and unique. The worldbuilding isn't centered around technology, but rather, there's a lot of humanity woven into it. The bots are made by humans and are therefore in our likeness, even if their makers didn't intend for that to happen. And so the evolution and the interaction of the bots is a fascinating and crucial focal point of the story.

But if you're not usually a reader of science fiction, don't let the setting scare you away. The backdrop of Mars is simply the starting point from which this story can take off. It isn't about Mars or space or robots. It's about humans and what we would do when pushed to the limit.

The horror element comes on slowly. We see Gold's thoughts and emotions as things start to go wrong. The horror isn't in the physical, but rather the psychological. There is a lot of exploration about where horror comes from, if it is within us humans and we manifest it in ourselves and the things we build, or if it comes from outside sources, both the known and the unknown. It gave me the chills, and I found it to be absolutely fascinating.

Because this is a novella, there is an economy to the writing that makes every moment count. We don't get mired in unnecessary explanations, we don't get stuck in overly emotional ruminations. We go from scene to scene, each one so propulsive, so tautly suspended, it felt like I was holding my breath the whole time.

I honestly haven't been this excited about a sci-fi and horror blend in a long time. The only thing is, after reading this, I'm definitely giving up my dreams of becoming an astronaut and ever going to Mars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
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[Brady Lockerby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Enjoyed this one! Imagine you’re one of 3 astronauts headed to Mars on a final mission, but on your way there, all communications with the robots on Mars go out. So many twists and turns along the way and honestly really loved that it was only 220-ish pages. Perfect amount of mystery and sci-fi. I just thought the storyline that popped up towards the end of the book felt kind of random and unnecessary? I wish it went another direction, but still really liked this

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exiles follows a trio of astronauts, Gold, Chief and Kang, on a mission to Mars. Their goal is to prepare the 1st-ever colony on Mars for eventual human habitation.



Previously, three robots had been sent to set up the base these astronauts will be staying at for their mission. When they arrive though, they find the new base half-destroyed and one of the robots missing.

The astronauts are forced to quickly try to get their bearings and figure out what happened to the base. On an uninhabited planet, their only source for knowledge is the robots, and the things they are told are highly unsettling.



The robots seem scared, relaying things about possible dangers lurking outside, and what may have caused the damage. But it's more than that, the robots have named themselves and have taken on surprising behaviors and characteristics. The whole thing is just off.

The astronaut crew have been handed a mess, and they need to figure out what's going on ASAP. In an environment as unforgiving as Mars, the absolute security of their base is a life or death situation. They need to learn what threats they're facing, so they can tackle them head on.



Mason Coile, pseudonym for Andrew Pyper, may he rest in peace, has penned a brilliant SciFi-Horror with Exiles. It is so intense, and I appreciated how the story came full circle. Coile pulled off a lot in this one with very few pages.

This book, the concepts involved, is the stuff of my nightmares. This is the type of futuristic scenario that absolutely petrifies me. Just thinking about being in the shoes of Gold, Kang, or Chief, is enough to make me shiver.



It's not just the deep space setting, and all the unknowns involved with that for me, it's also the robots and AI technology. That's like a double-edged sword. Anyway you turn it, it's dangerous with the potential to kill.

This has a phenomenal set-up. It pulls the Reader in quickly, and then just hooks you. There's no turning back. The intensity holds throughout the story and truly feels claustrophobic and dangerous.

Some of the action, and twists, they were diabolical and brutal. I was getting so stressed, but in the best way possible. In an entertaining way. I couldn't put it down. I refused until the very end.



Clearly, I adored this. No notes. I highly recommend this to anyone who may be searching for a compelling Horror novella, bonus points if you love SciFi-Horror.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Andrew Pyper, writing here as Mason Coile, was such a talented, talented writer. I'm going to miss getting new stories from him, but he's certainly left an impact.

[Matt Milu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not read this book fast enough! There were so many dramatic things happening at the same time with jump scares and twists! However, it just needed an epilogue (or just one more chapter) for me to give it 5 Stars instead of 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

[JaymeO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected!

After being completely freaked out by Mason Coile’s novella William last year, I couldn’t wait to see what he would come up with next. There appears to be a theme throughout Coile’s writing that involves robots going rogue by creating their own agenda and putting mankind in harm’s way. Think Terminator…with more of a psychological message.

In Exiles, Three astronauts go on a mission to Mars with the intention of colonization. Three Robots have previously set up a space station and are awaiting their arrival. However, the mission goes awry when one of the robots is compromised and begin forming alliances, choosing names, and developing strange beliefs, blurring the line between human and artificial intelligence. The astronauts must examine their own stories and wrestle their demons before it’s too late.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ashley Morton while also following along with the Ebook. I enjoyed both formats but felt that Morton’s voice was a little too innocent/immature sounding to represent this astronaut.

When I say this book is not what I expected, I mean that in the way the author tackles deeply philosophical questions. I thought it would read more like a psychological horror novel, invoking terror and fear in the reader. However, I did not have that kind of reaction at all. Be prepared to ponder somber and bleak questions about humanity.

Overall, I enjoyed this novella despite its sepulchral tone and approach.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of Exiles in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This space thriller / horror / sci-fi novella is the story that I didn't know I needed in my life. 🚀

So. Well. Done.

Imagine your part of a crew of three sent to be the first inhabitants on Mars. No turning back, no changing your mind. Ahead of your arrival three worker bots are sent to Mars in order to build the space station that will soon become your new home. Imagine that upon arrival you find the space station heavily damaged and one of the worker bots missing. The remaining bots spin a frightening tale as to what they believe happened.

Panic. Claustrophobia. Insanity. Any one can fall victim in such an inhospitable place.

This thrill ride kept me glued to the pages. One part fascinated, one part terrified. Mason Coile managed to make me squirm quite a few times with some genuinely creepy scenes. 😨

I'm embarrassed to admit that I almost didn't read this. I thought to myself that I probably wouldn't vibe with it. I was so wrong! This was everything I wanted and more. 5 stars!!!

I was saddened to hear that Mason Coile a.k.a Andrew Pyper died of cancer shortly after writing this. May he rest in peace. 🙏

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my complimentary copy.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this but as soon as the robots entered the story it went way downhill. Sci-fi doesn't need to be hard SFF for me to like it, but I do have to feel like I'm in a world where there is some logic, some way for me to understand this place and time. But it's unclear how this mission to Mars was supposed to work, why it was the way it was, and what any of it was for. Without some kind of incentive or motive, then it's just a story of 3 people running away. It can be that metaphorically, but we still need some kind of tension or conflict there.

The robots are a similar problem. I never understood how these robots were supposed to work. They are, we are told, not working as designed. Which begs the question, what is that? What is the way they're supposed to work? How is this different? The robots sound and act like humans in almost every respect, except for their actual physical bodies. It's unclear why or how they could lie or have feelings. Without a base to work from, the robots being abnormal for us is just normal.

I know this is short, but I don't think you need more pages to make this world work. I never felt like the author had the answers to these questions, that they just liked this particular setup and wanted to run with it without taking a lot of time to worry about the broader questions. And while that may work for some readers, it didn't work for me.

[None Ofyourbusiness Loves Israel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three people volunteer to die on Mars and are surprised when it starts to happen sooner than scheduled.

The narrator, a doctor with a complicated past and a high tolerance for regret, wakes from a four-month sleep to find her shipmates bickering, the robots sulking, and the base on the red planet ominously silent. The mission was sold as heroic exploration, but what it really offers is the world's most expensive group therapy session in a tin can.

When they finally touch down, the base looks like a crime scene decorated by pessimists. The worker robots have developed personalities that could use their own HR department, the oxygen supply has opinions of its own, and something unseen may or may not be tapping politely on the walls outside.

The commander quotes protocol while the engineer dreams of mutiny, and the doctor tries to keep them all breathing long enough to regret their choices. As tempers tighten and systems fail, alliances shift between human and machine, each side wondering which of them still counts as alive.

What follows is part ghost story, part workplace drama, part philosophical cage match about loneliness in a place that has never known company. Mars turns out not to be the final frontier so much as the perfect mirror: everything ugly the crew brought with them simply puts on a new suit of dust and keeps talking.

It is a slick, chilly, and grimly efficient book, built like the spacecraft it describes: every bolt tight, every panel gleaming, and the oxygen always running a little low. Andrew Pyper (writing as Mason Coile) has a gift for turning existential despair into plot propulsion, but Exiles feels more engineered than inspired.

The story wants to probe questions of identity, grief, and artificial life, yet it keeps doing so with the emotional range of a lab manual.

The sharp prose works for the claustrophobic setting but also sterilizes it. The horror elements hum with dread, but the psychology sometimes feels like a diagnostic checklist rather than lived pain.

Still, there's an undeniable satisfaction in its design: the dialogue is great, the pacing is merciless, and the whole thing reads like Alien rewritten by a moral philosopher with a mean streak.

The title fits like a verdict. Exiles isn't just about people stranded on Mars, it's about the chronic human condition of being marooned in one's own mind. Every character is exiled from something: Earth, family, emotion, purpose, or even biological certainty. The planet is only a stage for a deeper kind of banishment.

The narrator isn't exploring space so much as running from the wreckage of her life, and the robots, with their eerie self-awareness, are mechanical echoes of that same loneliness.

The title suggests that exile isn't a punishment imposed from without, but the price of consciousness itself.

As for the pseudonym, "Mason Coile" feels like a deliberate mask. Andrew Pyper has always written elegant, psychological horror that hovers near the literary, but this book slips further into speculative terrain. Writing under a pseudonym frees him from his own brand, and lets him discard the "literary thriller" label and go fully existential, maybe even bleakly pulp.

There's also something fittingly recursive about it: a story about identity and self-erasure written by a writer temporarily pretending not to be himself. It's as if Pyper decided to join his characters in exile, to see what happens when you rename yourself and start again in a colder world.

I admired it more than I felt it. It's clever, controlled, and quietly cruel. It is a book that wants to get under your skin but mostly studies it instead.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+

Mission leader Blake, Kang and our narrator Gold, are aboard the spacecraft Valiant, a one way, no return mission to Mars. They are to establish the first human colony on the red planet, Exiles from planet Earth. However, shortly before landing it becomes apparent there’s a problem. The comms to the bots preparing the landing pod and The Citadel for human arrival have been lost. They land successfully but discover their base partially destroyed and it gets worse than that. One of the three bots – Alex – is missing and the other two have quite a disturbing tale to tell…

This is another creative and immersive novella from Mason Coile, the pseudonym of Andrew Pyper. It’s a good blend of science fiction with psychological horror with the addition of philosophical questioning. It’s creepy, scary, puzzling and requires much ingenuity and bravery from the crew. There’s a tense cat and mouse type situation with a what’s real and what’s not scenario with the difficulties of not knowing who to trust and it becomes terrifying for all. The dynamics fluctuate back-and-forth between the bots and the humans which is really interesting.

It’s very well written and at a good pace. There’s an excellent atmosphere and very good descriptions of the planet which enables the scenes to come alive. You get good glimpses into the characters especially of Gold which becomes very revealing and surprising. I like what the author does with the bots and let’s just say he gives plenty of food for thought here. There’s fear and the claustrophobia of being trapped and there’s dread it seems at every return. The final scene is awesome.

Overall, this is another immersive, engaging and thought provoking read from Mason Coile. I can’t wait to read what he comes up with next.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to John Murray Press for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[Ebony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a contender for favorite book I’ve read in 2025 for sure!! That ending…😮‍💨

[Gareth Is Haunted · Rating 5 out of 5]

I:Robot crossed with The Martian and Alien.
I love it when I book surprises me. I was expecting a run of the mill Martian colonisation story but this far exceeded that. Its a story of deception, violence and one which explores the core values of human nature.
Beautifully written from start to finish, with well written characters and an even better narrative.
I'll leave all the spoilers to everyone else, but you must check this out if you dig a Science Fiction novel.
Perfectly Splendid!!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly didn’t think mixing psychological horror and sci fi would work…

but here I am eating my words after finishing this book because this was a read in one sitting type of read and truly was an experience I recommend everyone read.

especially if you’re looking for something different and unique.

I will say I did find some inconsistencies in the writing (long descriptions of some things and short descriptions of others) but this one was highly intriguing.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I see words “locked-room mystery” in a book summary, my curiosity is immediately piqued. Couple that with a unique setting-an isolated outpost on Mars-and I immediately requested Exiles and devoured it over the course of two days.

When a three person crew are sent to Mars to prepare the first human outpost, they encounter unexpected situations: their landing is improvised, part of the outpost has been damaged and the robot staff meant to set it up prior to their arrival are behaving oddly. With one of the robots missing, the crew tries to determine if he is a threat to their survival or if something else may be the cause of their troubles.

Exiles is an immersive, fast-paced novel that makes you question the effects of grief, isolation and the frustrating aspects of gender disparity still existing sometime in the near-future. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, both with the focus upon the cramped nature of the habitat and the ease by which any damage to it can lead to the astronauts’ death. Moments spent in bulky space suits are also portrayed as nerve-wracking, as the potential for running out of oxygen is a constant concern.

Exiles has a small cast of characters and some of them receive more focus than others. The main protagonist of the novel is Dr. Dana Gold, the medic of the group, whose outwardly detached personality is slowly made more comprehensible when the remnants of her traumatic history are brought to light.

The three robot characters: Wes, Shay and Alex are also interesting, as they have self-identified: taking on names, gender identities and personalities, something that is supposedly-considered unusual behavior for robots. When coupled with the strength and physical abilities of these machines, they help to add to the uneasy and tense atmosphere within the outpost.

Nevertheless, I wished the book had been somewhat longer and that some aspects of the story-such as the overall state of the Earth that would make such a venture to Mars necessary-had received more development. The mystery that moves the plot of Exiles forward is an engaging one and as danger mounts and deaths occur, revelations eventually lead to a conclusion that could be viewed as open to interpretation. I think it was haunting and the imagery within the last three pages is both beautiful and grotesque.

Upon finishing Exiles and looking for other writing by Mason Coile-which I also learned was the pseudonym for author Andrew Pyper-I was saddened to read that he had passed away earlier this year. It’s bittersweet that Exiles will be his last published work and I am very grateful to have been able to experience it.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for providing access to this ebook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published September 16, 2025.

4 stars.

I quite enjoyed last year’s WILLIAM by this author (a pseudonym for Andrew Pyper.) Here we get a super creepy locked room mystery on Mars, so two of my favorite tropes combined. I just knew I was going to be a satisfied customer.

A human crew of three is sent to Mars to prep for the first colony; they know this is a one way ticket, they will never return to Earth. Three robots made the trip before them to set up their habitation. When the crew arrives the lab has been destroyed, the codes changed and only two bots are there. And the bots have changed too. And they both have disturbing tales to tell.

Coile does a good job with both the location and the characters. His Mars is every bit as desolate and forbidding as it needs to be to serve the story; the idea of being there for a day is depressing, the thought I would be spending the rest of my life there…..no. And in a very limited amount of time the reader gets a fairly good sense of at least two of the three crew members and both bots - all interesting characters with different agendas, it would seem. I liked this - recommend.

[Strega Di Gatti · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's best to think of Exiles as a pure horror novel, rather than one of those Andy Weir-esque SF best-sellers we're seeing adapted into movies and tv shows. This book isn't about the physics, it's about the psychology. Oodles of it. Exiles is a haunted house tale not a survivalist thriller.

A three-person crew are the first humans sent on a one-way journey to Mars. Their mission was preceded by robots and machines who have been setting up a livable habitat on the planet. When the humans arrive, they discover their base has been sabotaged and their AI robot helpers are acting suspiciously. The two remaining functional robots both have a different story about what happened. Cue the "dun dun" Law & Order gavel, it's time to investigate! 

The first clue that this book isn't gonna be a hard SF ride was when the humans almost died because the password to open the Mars base had been changed. Why the hell would an unmanned base have passwords on the doors to verify entry for the first humans to arrive? Greg Bear, Larry Niven, stop laughing. This isn't your kind of book.

Speaking of other authors, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Martha Wells have cornered the market on groups of space-faring humans who behave professionally under duress. Let's just accept that some horror stories need people to be a little unhinged, somewhat unreasonable, er.. stupid, if you will. I laughed out loud when the humans immediately separated the robots to interview them individually, as if these machines can't message each other.

I further laughed at how quickly "Space Madness" gets the humans acting paranoid. Nobody on this trip would have made the level-headed flight crew for Apollo 13.  One character is haunted by a spectre of her dead father, which will be familiar if you've read Carl Sagan's Contact, watched Contact (1997), or seen Katya Zamolodchikova talk about Contact.

To be fair, the central question the humans are wrestling with is: Is a murderous alien trying to get in here and kill us, or is a murderous robot trying to kill us? Either scenario is extremely bad (for organic life)!

I found this book to be fun, genuinely creepy, with a good narrative payoff at the end. A solid entry in the canon of "Isolation Makes People Crazy" stories.

[Ivana - Diary of Difference · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Exiles” was my first book by Mason Coile. Only after I finished the book, I realised the name is a pseudonym for Andrew Pyper, and he unfortunately recently passed away. I had a look at the books he had written and was intrigued by some of them, and will definitely be checking them out soon.

If you know me, you’ll know I almost never pick Netgalley copies nowadays. The main reason is because I prefer printed copies. I like to hold the book, pencil and tab into it and it’s easier for me to share it on social media this way too. I also have too many books on my TBR at the moment, that I very rarely accept a new upcoming book. That being said, I can’t help myself and always browse the upcoming releases on Netgalley, to see what’s coming soon.

And when “Exiles” showed up, the synopsis stopped me in my tracks. A story about a woman, Dana, who joins the mission to be the first human on Mars, alongside two male astronauts. And on their way to Mars, right before they are supposed to land, something is not right – they cannot get comms. The three robots that have been on Mars for a while, setting up the station and ensuring everything is running smoothly, have gone incommunicado. When the team manages to land safely, there are only two bots left, and their stories of what happened are not adding up.

It’s obvious that something has been going on before the humans arrived. But with their conflicting stories, it’s up to the astronauts to investigate and make a decision. Is there really an alien who tried to harm them, or has the third bot turned evil? And with these conflicting stories, there’s something else that is becoming obvious to the astronauts – these machines are very capable of lying and definitely cannot be trusted with anything now.
The story is very fast-paced and breathtaking.

I never knew exactly who I could trust at any given time. Truthfully, the book kept delivering plot twist after plot twist, despite me anticipating them. I could relate to Dana’s story, her fear and her motivation for joining such a permanent mission. Taking a one-way ticket to Mars is not a small decision to make. It was also interesting how the crew’s opinion about the bots differed. The captain treated them as machines, as slaves, only there to set up a station and run errands. Whereas Dana had a relationship that bordered on friendship. It was intriguing to see the bots have consciousness, they chose their names and genders, and they started to experience boredom and loneliness on the planet, whilst waiting for the humans to arrive.

The ending was brutal and raw. Despite a small part of me actually anticipating that ending, I still did not see it coming. There was also something briefly unfinished there. A few crumbs of regret and sadness loomed, and all ending in a very poetic way. If the author knew he was dying, this feels like the perfect ending to his last book. In a morbidly beautiful way, very fitting. I will always praise this book. I am curious to see how it will age in the next 20-30 years, if I am lucky to still be alive to witness that. And I will always recommend it to anyone that asks for a good book set on Mars.

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[SinsandScares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely flew through this one. The short chapters made it such an easy, addictive read. As someone who sometimes struggles with sci-fi, this worked perfectly for me. It never felt bogged down in overly complex details about space or equipment, which can sometimes turn me off the genre. If anything, it leaned a little on the simplistic side, but for a quick read like this, I thought it fit.

The horror element really hit me in the final scene. That ending was phenomenal and left me wishing there had been even more of that dread-soaked intensity throughout. I also really enjoyed the slow reveal of Gold’s past, though I wish it had been fleshed out more, with stronger ties woven into the twist at the end. The characters in general don’t have a ton of depth, but this felt more like a locked-room popcorn thriller set on Mars than a deeply character-driven story, and in that sense it worked for me.

This was my first time reading Mason Coile, and while it’s bittersweet knowing we won’t get anything new from him, I’ll definitely be checking out what else he’s released. Exiles is a quick, eerie blend of sci-fi and psychological horror, perfect for readers who want the tension of a locked-room mystery with a sharp Martian twist.

Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the late Mason Coile for the eARC. All opinions are my own. Exiles is scheduled to release on September 16, 2025.

[DIVINITY🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sci-fi and horror mashup? Yes, please. ✍🏼

I went into this one completely blind and honestly, sometimes that’s the best way. From page one, I was hooked. The writing is sharp and immersive, and the author does a phenomenal job weaving the story together while completely hiding the villain. I had NO clue who it was (but okay maybe I never do so take that with a grain of salt). Still guys that ending? Absolutely intense and completely WILD. I did not see it coming.

What really surprised me was how emotional this book made me. I love when horror takes time to explore grief and this one does it so well😭

I also loved the themes of space exploration, technology, and the dangers of AI (at least that’s what I took from it). At under 300 pages this is a fast but powerful read. Highly recommend adding this to your tbr

Huge thanks to Putnam Books for the gifted copy!

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Exiles promised intrigue and mystery in the novel setting of Mars with its limited cast of humans and robots, but only delivered disappointment and confusion with the story getting too bogged down in what it felt like it was supposed to do rather than doing any one thing well.

Gold is one of the three selected astronauts to be on the pioneers of the Mars colonization effort. Along with the other two crew, they are tasked with getting to home base, which has already been set up by robots, and get everything squared away and functioning for a hypothetical future where actual colonists come to the planet to start the real colonization effort. But the moment the astronauts wake out of stasis in Mars' orbit, something is wrong. They can't establish a connection to the robots on the surface, even though they have confirmation that they are functioning. They decide to go down and see what's up. This unveils a mystery, two of the three robots seem to have developed a kind of self awareness that they should not have, adopting names and personalities, even genders. The third robot is nowhere to be found, but the habitat is half destroyed and none of the robots seem to be agreeing on what happened. The crew buckles down to figure this mystery out, but dangers escalate and tragedies start mounting. Their worst, most unbelievable nightmare might be lurking outside, but is that scarier than reality? Gold has to content with her own demons as she gets to the bottom of this. What is scarier, the unknown threat billions of miles from Earth, or the demons she's escaping?

This had every element of a story that would rope me in, a mystery, an isolated crew, a lurking threat. But man did it fumble the ball. The primary issue here is that I think it demanded a level of suspension of disbelief that I just wasn't willing to give it. The crew shows up at home base and one robot is missing, the other two have essentially developed sentience, but inconsistently. They can't lie except they just do lie and the story does very little to justify why they were able to. They have deep, complex emotions, personalities, names and genders, and demand for them to be respected, but then they frequently say their behaviors are limited by their programming.. I mean your behaviors are literally not limited by your programming, you are a walking contradiction to your programming. And the humans! Not once did they take a step back to say, "Hmm, perhaps this mystery is related to this spontaneous sentience that the bots have developed. They're not functioning correctly, so maybe it would be best to just shut them down until we can figure out what is going on." They beelined towards finding a culprit, but did nothing to figure out exactly WHY any of this happened in the first place. The story drives home that the crew has the mission protocol hammered into their head, and everything that could possibly happen has been accounted for and they just have to follow the protocol, so it is even harder to believe that, in the event that a bot is not functioning correctly, the mission protocol wouldn't clearly say to shut them down. It was just such a glaring oversight, and these kinds of things kept happening over and over. I don't need it to be "realistic" but I do need it to be internally consistent.

Beyond those gripes, I just think this story was trying to do too much with what it had. This was a short book, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it would have benefited from being longer. We didn't have enough time to sit with the characters and develop our own opinions or theories about them. Character deaths are obviously supposed to feel heavy, but when I didn't really know them, I care less. It was also trying to do a lot with Gold's background, the trauma of her past, and weaving that into the existential dread she was facing in the moment. This could have been REALLY good. It almost was really good. But with the speed that the narrative was moving, we didn't have time to explore that enough. Her old demons coming to haunt her all the way on Mars is such a good concept in theory, but it just wasn't executed very well.

It is really disappointing that this wasn't better, I think the idea is there and with some more rounds of editing, it could have been really good. Sci-fi fans might like this more than mystery fans.

[Lisa Lynch · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so criminally stupid, I think I have brain damage from reading it.

First of all, I take umbrage at the fact that this "novel" has a $28 ticket price. Someone working at the federal minimum wage here in the US would have to work damn near 4 hours to be able to buy this and that is another crime if you ask me.

Because this is not a novel, but a novella bloated with enough blank space to stretch it to 200 pages. It took me less than two hours to read and I would have been furious if I had paid for it. Thank god for public libraries.

Second of all, I knew this was going to be stupid when this male horror author wrote a female character who, on page 3, laments her lack of privacy by whining about,

"Masturbating in a sleep sleep pod the dimensions of a coffin with one panel made of glass to ensure there's zero privacy to go along with the claustrophobia."

And then says this written-by-a-man nonsense by page 6:

"Yet here I am, watching Kang scootch into the tube, reflecting not for the first time on how I would never date a man like him in a thousand years, but wouldn't mind fucking him in this hopeless bucket if the mission didn't forbid it.

I used to have a friend who often said, "boys suck, throw rocks at them." This review is my rock, Mr. Coile.

Third of all, if you think for two seconds about anything in this book, it doesn't make logical sense. Robots finding enough sentience to assign themselves misogynistic gender roles because they are traumatized by isolation is the most brain-dead idea I've ever heard.

Yeah, a setting change can often make huge differences in someone's attitude and behavior, but we aren't talking about people. We are talking about goddamn robots who follow strict programming guidelines. In this story, the humans are better at following the rules than the robots and I just don't accept that at all. Period.

I simply cannot give this novella more than 1 star. It's not worth its ticket price and is one of the dumbest things I've read all year.

[Steve Stred · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Huge thanks to Kirby Kim at Janklow & Nesbitt, Kristin & Jess from Penguin/G.P. Putnam’s Sons & Edelweiss for the digital ARC of this one!*

**Unlike my normal reviews, this one is more a deeper dive into the novel than what I liked, etc.**

*

"He means love, partnership, companionship, comfort. None of it could come after her. He was still married and had found a way to make sure he always would be." – From ‘Exiles.’
*

I’m not even sure how to start this one.

When ‘William’ by Mason Coile – aka Andrew Pyper – was first announced, I knew it would harken a return. It would bring Andrew’s books back to the thousands and thousands of readers who had seemingly moved on from raving about his work. The lack of social media hype and posting about Andrew’s books was what led me to start over-saturating my own posts with his books. Every book Andrew releases is an embodiment of what a modern classic looks like and to have had so many books written and released by one of the BEST literary writers ever is something we should all count ourselves as lucky to have at our fingertips. BEST literary writers ever. Full stop. You may not like the story and you may not like the decisions Andrew made within the books – and hey, fair game, every reader will experience every book differently – but there is simply no arguing that few writers out there can craft sentences as textured and layered as Andrew could. And the fact that I’m writing could instead of can is where the difficulty of writing this review comes from.

Andrew has left this plane.

It’s still shocking to write those words. We’re almost two months since he passed and it doesn’t feel right and doesn’t feel real. But a saying I’ve always loved, and one a number of people commented and messaged me after Andrew’s passing, is that art makes us immortal. We live on forever through what we created and put out into the world. And Andrew has blessed us in the art department.

So, with ‘William,’ Andrew kicked down the door of expectation and people went collectively out of their minds. It received critical acclaim, recognition around the globe for its phenomenal content, and with its relevance in the surging AI frustration we’re dealing with, lifted it above the fray of other books coming out. By all accounts – it was a smashing success – and for this super fan, a book that put a huge smile on my face.

When Andrew first discussed ‘William’ with me, he had mentioned there was a thematic sequel already outlined and from that outline, ‘Exiles’ has arrived. Though this one doesn’t jump off from where ‘William’ left – with that phenomenal throat-kick of a final sentence – it continues the look into technology, where it fits in our lives and what happens when mankind continues to play god with robotics.

‘Exiles’ takes place in the future and follows Dana, Blake and Kang, three astronauts on the Citadel Mission, arriving on Mars to begin the colonization efforts. Three robots have already arrived and constructed where the humans will live in preparation of their arrival.

Andrew sets things up nicely, and it was refreshing to see a female lead (which I’ll share why that was on purpose shortly) again in an Andrew book – for only the second time, the first being ‘The Only Child.’ Dana is strong, calm, rational and terrified. Rightfully so. She feels ‘lesser than’ in the group, watching as Blake and Kang have this ‘brotherhood’ of odd handshakes, back slaps, inside jokes and shared jargon. A rough landing occurs and it’s a race to the living quarters. Once there, they discover significant damage has occurred and after getting inside, they find only two of the three robots, the third having fled into the Martian landscape.

This is a classic Pyper setup (as Coile, yes, yes, sheesh) – where he immediately heightens the tension, gets the reader (and characters, yes, yes, sheesh) to a place where we feel ‘safe’ before unravelling all the friggin’ reasons why nobody is. He perfected it with ‘The Homecoming’ and then elevated that perfection with ‘William’ and now, here, on Mars, he takes it to a whole other realm. A level of adaptation and self discovery. The robots are ‘terraforming’ themselves. They’re actively working to become more human-like. To develop hopes, dreams, feelings, emotions and expressions. It’s akin to what we see with Well’s Murderbot books. The three robots – Wes, Shay and Alex – complete their job and then begin to ponder where they are, where they fit into the larger world around them, and what it will mean for them to never return to earth. All while waiting for the humans to arrive.

Taken as a surface level sci-fi/horror novel, it’s a common trope, one that asks us to look within ourselves and see where we fall on the empathetic/hell-no scale. Do we want AI to progress? To allow androids to dream of sheep? An easy way to find out the answer for yourself as to whether you’re ok with robotics advancing – go to Youtube, search Boston Dynamics Robotics Dog and watch that video. And if you think, ‘awe, how cute!’ step to the right and await your new overlords. Skynet is calling. If you watch it and think, ‘JFC, turn it off, burn the schematics and delete the code!’ then step the left and prepare to fight.

But this is the second of the three Coile books. This is no longer a normal, average, Andrew book. Andrew has always put real life into his books. He’s always had metaphorical themes that look at things he’s going through in life. ‘The Demonologist’ was a look at his relationship with his daughter and the fears you have as a parent. Heck, ‘William’ was a microcosm of Andrew’s life through the Covid pandemic. And ‘Exiles’ appears to be a novel he wrote to showcase the journey his loving wife was going to be dealing with as Andrew dealt with Cancer and ultimately succumbed to it.

Andrew used this book as a literary send off for himself – though, as I said, we do get that third Coile book – and as a big love letter for his wife and kids.

Am I reaching? Maybe. But, I felt like I was reaching when I reviewed ‘William’ and had Andrew confirm all my theories. Well, except for the joking theory that I was the inspiration for the William bot, lol.

From the very beginning the layers are revealed. We get the journey to the unknown (Mars in this case) – both with what comes next for Andrew after death and what life will be like for his wife when he is gone. We get the small, close quarters – ie Andrew keeping his illness close and keeping his family closer. We get the ‘four’ of the family. Much like with ‘William’ where Andrew used two of the wife’s coworkers to represent his kids, in this case we get Dana and Blake as the two adults and Shay and Wes as the kids. Both working through emotions they should never have to deal with, both unsure how to process what it means to be left behind.

And throughout, Andrew gives us turns of phrases, sentences and passages that not only directly relate to their life together;

‘… the proven strength of managing my life while carrying this with me the whole time, holding it down.’

‘She needed resilience. Physical, mental, emotional.’

We are shown how each of them have different connections and the hopes he has for happiness for them in the future, but we also get some very powerful moments, none more powerful than the final closing sentences that had me bawling like a baby.

Throughout, Andrew channels what his wife is going through, what she’ll be dealing with after he’s gone and how, hopefully, sometime in the future they’ll reconnect cosmically. It’s the ‘why’ of the book, the reason there was a female lead.

It was beautiful, powerful and emotionally gut-wrenching.

But don’t think this is all butterfly’s and rainbows. No, far from it. Within, Andrew shows his penchant for disturbing moments and glorious viscera. We get one of the most brutal and violent scenes Andrew’s ever given us. We get the hint of another ‘thing’ out there. What is it? Nobody knows. A suggestion of an alien lifeform not wanting the humans to be there. A suggestion of robotic espionage, the robots not wanting to be left behind. And a hint at it being purely a hallucination. Though, when taken from above, an out-of-body-reading-experience, that entity surely was the metaphorical inclusion of Andrew’s illness.

Again, I simply may be grasping at straws here, looking too deep into one of the final releases of an author who changed my life, but every person experiences every book differently, and in this case, this was my experience.

So, where does that leave us.

Let’s wrap this up looking at two different routes if you will.

First route – the Mason Coile voyage. When taken as a singular book, ‘Exiles’ is a phenomenal sci-fi/horror novel that asks the reader some tough philosophical questions and then answers them firmly. It is tension-filled, claustrophobic and terrifying. When worked into the aspect of book two of Coile’s bibliography, it not only heightens what was started in ‘William,’ but also deftly (and subtly) elevated the family dynamic drama from within both books.

Second route – the Andrew Pyper bibliography. When added into Andrew’s larger bibliography, it takes the sci-fi aspects of ‘The Homecoming’ and the family dynamics of ‘The Killing Circle,’ ‘The Damned’ and ‘William’ and elevates that even more. It pushes the tension further than many of his previous books, utilizing a lot of what he did with ‘The Residence’ and ‘The Only Child,’ and the ‘vague’-ness of the ending gave us a smidgeon of what he did with ‘The Demonologist.’ Atmospherically, this one falls in line closer to ‘Lost Girls’ and ‘Oracle,’ the only obvious difference is location/setting. It’s one of the best books written by one of the most cerebral writers we’ve ever had.

To close this off, I’ll leave it with this.

Andrew was well aware of the time he had left. He completed ‘Exiles’ and the third Coile book, and if this is any indication of what the third one will be like – in terms of storytelling and quality of writing – then he left us in good hands. ‘Exiles’ will benefit from the buildup that ‘William’ created and for that, it’ll get in front of many more eyes than the standard ‘sci-fi’ crowd, which can be a fickle bunch. Andrew may be gone, but this second-to-last of the Coile books confirms to all of us just how magnificent of a storyteller he truly was.

He was the best.

[Indieflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Science fiction is perhaps not my favourite genre, but I got much more than I expected out of this absorbing little tale.
Only 224 pages, claustrophobic and rather bleak, it questions the nature of loneliness and despair and what it means to be human. Immersive and compelling 4.5 stars.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, damn.

Andrew Pyper was a lovely man and brilliant writer. I was lucky enough to take courses from him and chat with him on occasion. I loved the guy, and it still guts me that he's gone.

And what makes me sadder is, this book. I truly did not enjoy it. I didn't care for the first Mason Coile book, WILLIAM that much, but this one? Truly didn't like it.

For me, I simply could not get past the idea that a construction robot would ultimately get bored and begin to see the beauty in the stars, while also becoming emotional, conniving, duplicitous, violent, and homesick. While also inventing genders and names for itself.

Worse when you multiply that by three. There's just so many points where I winced. Lines like, when the bot is asked why it chose names and genders, etc, the answer it gave was something along the lines of, "It would be fun."

When asked if the bots would protect the remaining astronauts, the answer was, "with our lives."

A mechanical tool has fun? It sees itself as having a life? When its parameters are to land on a planet, and build a habitat for the humans that will come three years later?

No.

Just...no.

Funny enough, the thing that damn near made me put the book down and not pick it up again (and sadly, I should have listened to that thought), was when one of the bots started sending Morse Code.

Why in god's name would any bot or Martian rover get programmed with Morse Code?

There's crazy stuff like the robots fully admitting they lied (while also stating implicitly that they cannot lie) then, instead of being immediately shut down—or at least rebooted—they are ordered to stay where they are and essentially be good from now on. And they're trusted to do so...despite all signs showing that at least one of them is murderous.

Then, add to this mix, an eleventh hour realization from Gold about her past and you have a novella that's simply riddled with plot holes and nonsensical actions by its characters.

I wanted to love this second last release by Pyper, but I simply couldn't.

And that guts me too.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exiles by Mason Coile. Thanks to @putnambooks for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A human crew is set to colonize on Mars. When they arrive their new base is in shambles and the robots who set it up have formed alliances and their own beliefs.

This was a unique story as it took place on Mars. The environment was so unfamiliar which added a level of creepiness. Thankfully this was not science or tech heavy at all, so easy to understand. It’s a fast paced story that flies by and is shocking at the end.

“Something is being revealed to us. A cosmic secret. The impact of it is dissolving our certainties, the assumptions of who we are.”

Exiles comes out 9/16.

[Debbie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ This was a quick read and a good sci-fi psychological horror!

Told from the POV of Dana Gold, an astronaut with a buried family secret. Their ship The Valient lands with her fellow astronauts, Kang, and Commander Blake on Mars. Their way has been built and prepared by 3 robots, Alex, Shay, and Wes. But something is wrong… even before landing.

The robots have developed some troubling feelings and one of them is missing and gone haywire. Meanwhile “something” is destroying equipment and terrorizing the crew.

Could not put down this terrorizing space story that raced to the brutal, horrifying ending!

Thank you NetGalley and Baskerville publishers for the e ARC in exchange for my honest review

[Stacia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wrenching.

I thought this would be an entertaining sci-fi/horror/The Martian-style mix. It seemed that way at first. It ended with trauma drama, though, & I wasn't expecting that. I'm not a fan of the emotional manipulation. Also, it's pretty obvious a male wrote the female main character & I'm not necessarily pointing that out in a good way. While quick to read & initially engrossing, it felt like a bait & switch by the end. Imo.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an excellent and efficient thriller at just 224 pages. It starts with a heavy vibe of dread, and it never lets up, leaving me feeling uneasy basically through the whole thing. Our story starts with Gold (medical officer), Kang (tech officer) and Blake (chief officer) - three astronauts on their way to start the colonization of Mars. Three robots were sent ahead several years prior to build the Citadel habitat and lab spaces. Upon arrival, it's discovered that communication is down and none of the robots are answering the landing crew. The lab has been destroyed and there are claw marks on the outside of the hab. The crew finds that while alone, and very much against their programming; the robots have given themselves names and genders and seem to be keeping secrets. The crew needs to figure out what is trying to destroy the base, and if they can trust anything the robots are telling them. This book definitely hits the psychological thriller button, and the ending was not at all what I was expecting. You won't feel good when you finish this book but it's worth the read.

[Kurryreads (Kerry) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6W28kAG/

[Cody · Rating 2 out of 5]

eARC from NetGalley.

Honestly just extremely stupid.

[Matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of William (2024) so I was super excited to see a new release from Mason Coile. This book is similar to William in that it takes a look at technology and what can happen when humans push it too far. Loved the characters, the tense plot, and warnings where AI might take us.

I was sad to read that this was a literary send off for himself, as he recently died from cancer. Knowing this it is a very emotional, thought provoking read. A big thanks to Mason for leaving us with this sci-fi horror and from my understanding one more to come.