![\"Exiles](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/diaryofdifference.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Book-Review-Banner36.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nAbout The Book:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"Exiles](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/diaryofdifference.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/222683916.jpg?resize=663%2C983&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nPages:<\/strong>\u00a0224<\/p>\nGenre:<\/strong>\u00a0Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller<\/p>\nPublisher:<\/strong>\u00a0John Murray<\/p>\nFormat I read it in:<\/strong>\u00a0Uncorrected proof (e-book)<\/p>\nRating:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThere are many ways to die on Mars. Only one way to find the truth.<\/em><\/p>\nThe human crew sent to prepare the first-ever colony on Mars arrives to find their brand new base half-destroyed and the three robots sent to set it up in disarray\u2014the machines have formed alliances, chosen their own names, and picked up some truly disturbing beliefs. Each must be interrogated. Their stories analyzed. But one of them is missing.<\/p>\n
In this barren, hostile landscape, even machines have nightmares, and the line between human and artificial intelligence blurs. The astronauts will need to examine their own stories and wrestle their own demons before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n
In this wicked, taut, one-sitting read, Mason Coile blends science fiction and psychological horror in a story that terrifies and unnerves as it engages some of humanity\u2019s deepest questions.<\/p>\n
My Thoughts:<\/h4>\n
\u201cExiles\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
If you know me, you\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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\u2019t help myself and always browse the upcoming releases on Netgalley, to see what\u2019s coming soon. <\/p>\n
And when \u201cExiles\u201d 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s obvious that something has been going on before the humans arrived. But with their conflicting stories, it\u2019s 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\u2019s something else that is becoming obvious to the astronauts \u2013 these machines are very capable of lying and definitely cannot be trusted with anything now.<\/p>\n
The story is very fast-paced and breathtaking. <\/h4>\n
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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
About the Author:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"Exiles](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/diaryofdifference.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/45939126.jpg?resize=164%2C266&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nMason Coile is a pseudonym of Andrew Pyper. Andrew Pyper was a Canadian author. He published over ten fictional books, including The Demonologist<\/em>, which won the International Thriller Writers Award, and Lost Girls<\/em>, which was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of the Year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSocial Media:
| Wishlist<\/a> |\u00a0Ko-fi<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> |\u00a0Twitter<\/a> |\u00a0Goodreads<\/a> |\u00a0Instagram<\/a> |\u00a0Pinterest<\/a>\u00a0|<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nPages:<\/strong>\u00a0224<\/p>\n Genre:<\/strong>\u00a0Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller<\/p>\n Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0John Murray<\/p>\n Format I read it in:<\/strong>\u00a0Uncorrected proof (e-book)<\/p>\n Rating:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are many ways to die on Mars. Only one way to find the truth.<\/em><\/p>\n The human crew sent to prepare the first-ever colony on Mars arrives to find their brand new base half-destroyed and the three robots sent to set it up in disarray\u2014the machines have formed alliances, chosen their own names, and picked up some truly disturbing beliefs. Each must be interrogated. Their stories analyzed. But one of them is missing.<\/p>\n In this barren, hostile landscape, even machines have nightmares, and the line between human and artificial intelligence blurs. The astronauts will need to examine their own stories and wrestle their own demons before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n In this wicked, taut, one-sitting read, Mason Coile blends science fiction and psychological horror in a story that terrifies and unnerves as it engages some of humanity\u2019s deepest questions.<\/p>\n \u201cExiles\u201d 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.<\/p>\n If you know me, you\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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\u2019t help myself and always browse the upcoming releases on Netgalley, to see what\u2019s coming soon. <\/p>\n And when \u201cExiles\u201d 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s obvious that something has been going on before the humans arrived. But with their conflicting stories, it\u2019s 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\u2019s something else that is becoming obvious to the astronauts \u2013 these machines are very capable of lying and definitely cannot be trusted with anything now.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Mason Coile is a pseudonym of Andrew Pyper. Andrew Pyper was a Canadian author. He published over ten fictional books, including The Demonologist<\/em>, which won the International Thriller Writers Award, and Lost Girls<\/em>, which was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of the Year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Social Media: \t\t<\/p>\n Like<\/span><\/span> Loading…<\/span><\/p>\nMy Thoughts:<\/h4>\n
The story is very fast-paced and breathtaking. <\/h4>\n
About the Author:<\/h4>\n
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| Wishlist<\/a> |\u00a0Ko-fi<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> |\u00a0Twitter<\/a> |\u00a0Goodreads<\/a> |\u00a0Instagram<\/a> |\u00a0Pinterest<\/a>\u00a0|<\/strong><\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n