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Of Monsters and Mainframes - Barbara Truelove

Of Monsters and Mainframes

By: Barbara Truelove

Paperback | 3 June 2025

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Paperback


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**Finalist, Goodreads Choice Awards 2025, Science Fiction**

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 of monsters: 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.

'A really charming and fun reworking of the Dracula story.' Sian Cain, The Guardian Australia

'This is absolutely one of my favourite reads ever it's adventurous, imaginative, emotional, humorous, palpably queer and full of characters that I would follow into the furthest reaches of space just for the banter. Anyone who loves imaginative fiction full of adventure and lovable characters will love this book.' Jemimah Brewster, ArtsHub

'I'm normally not too interested in reboots and remakes (God knows we are in a crisis of unoriginality right now) but this bonkers re-telling of Dracula has me intrigued.' Soaliha Iqbal, Missing Perspectives

Industry Reviews

"Blending genres with wild abandon, this rollicking space adventure from video game developer Truelove is narrated by sentient 24th-century space shuttle supercomputer Demeter. . . . At first the culprit appears straightforward-it's Dracula—but soon, many other classic monsters are drawn into the picture. . . . Truelove’s obvious expertise in tech and coding comes through in the voice of her utterly believable AI narrator. The result is pure entertainment." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)


“Truelove’s (Crying Wolf) wild combination of pulp horror and classic sci-fi takes the best of both and makes something incredible out of ‘The Captain’s Log’ chapter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Readers who enjoy SF horror, such as Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes and The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown, will find this a delightfully creepy treat.” —Library Journal (starred review)


"A sci-fi and horror fan’s fever dream, featuring a sentient spaceship supercomputer known as Demeter, who shuttles passengers from Earth to Alpha Centauri in the 24th century. But something keeps killing her human travelers, and Demeter suspects it might be Dracula himself. Nor is Dracula the only paranormal creature on board in Truelove’s reference-stuffed romp. This book wears its absurdity like a badge of honor." —Elle


"Fans of Murderbot will love this quirky sci-fi romp around the universe with paranormal creatures.” —USA Today


"It’s time for FUN!! It’s time for camp!!!! This book has been described as ‘Monster Mash in space,’ and with a premise like that you’re either in or you’re out. And we’re all in.” —Reactor


“Van Helsing, but as played by a Murderbot-style ship’s AI, with the delightfully cozy and heartwarming flavor of Becky Chambers The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.” —FanFiAddict


“A book that will make you incredibly invested in the relationships between AIs. This is a clever and imaginative retelling of aspects of Dracula that makes you both giggle and gasp.” —Kimberly Lemming, USA Today bestselling author of I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com 


“A gloriously clever mashup of genres that captures the loneliness of space and the joy of finding companions to explore it with. I laughed one page, cried the next, and cheered for Demeter and her motley crew throughout. Of Monsters and Mainframes is a delight from start to finish.” —Maiga Doocy, Sunday Times bestselling author of Sorcery and Small Magics 


Of Monsters and Mainframes is fast and fun, with crackling prose, airlock-cold chills, and a lot to love in its too-human inhuman protagonists. It’s a treat to read a book that feels so modern and so classic at the same time, sitting right on the bridge between Murderbot and a monster movie.” —Karen Osborne, author of Architects of Memory 


“I devoured this like a mythical creature feasting on an interstellar crew. Delightful, unhinged, and obscenely compelling. Told through a quippy lens, this story is incredibly warm for a monster mash set in space. It feels like a new wave of fable, and I can’t recommend it enough.” &

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