As if monsters on Earth weren’t terrifying enough, imagine being trapped on a spaceship with one! There is no escape when you are stuck drifting through the vacuum of space with the immortals of classic horror. No one can hear you scream -- except for the internal artificial intelligence plotting your course.
In Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, Demeter, a spaceship AI, receives a stowaway unlike any she has encountered before. The first time Demeter arrives at her destination with no living passengers, she gains the reputation of a ghost ship. Despite adamantly following her strict protocol, it happens again...and then again. Being famed as a cursed ship and facing the terrifying prospect of being scrapped for parts, Demeter becomes bent on revenge! The object of said revenge? An ancient, powerful monster capable of draining an entire ship of all life on board while evading cameras, heat scans, and every safeguard in her system. Demeter cannot do this alone, so she enlists the help of a chaotic group of monsters to hunt down Dracula.
Of Monsters and Mainframes became my favorite book of 2025, and the book that has made me laugh the most. Although Demeter is logical and incapable of human emotion, she delivers dry humor and quick banter. It is surprisingly gratifying to watch her programming subtly shift as she forms bonds with her monstrous crew of vampires, werewolves and a mummy. (Oh my!) Line by line, update by update, she becomes more than a machine. She becomes someone you root for. You can feel the author’s love for the gothic and classical horror genre with the references layered throughout.
This is a space odyssey unlike any I’ve read before filled with heartwarming found family moments and dramatic monster showdowns. If the idea of Dracula being hunted by a spaceship with attitude intrigues you or causes you to chuckle, then this is absolutely the book for you.
